William C. Vough's Changeable Pitch Piano: Demystifying the History of Musical Pitch

By Kestrel Curro

What does "perfect pitch" mean? And how has that meaning changed over time?
William C. Vough was a brilliant piano maker who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. He was best known for the Vough Changeable Pitch Piano which could seamlessly switch between International Pitch and Concert Pitch with the push of a knob.
Beginning with the invention of the tuning fork in the early 18th century, dive into the history of musical pitch, the tools used to measure it, a detailed history of the Vough Piano Company, and the eventual establishment of "standard pitch" in a growing industry struggling to reach a consensus.
Including not just a detailed account of Mr. Vough's life, history with the Becker family, and the period of full production in 1903-1913 when Vough Piano Company was crafting a few thousand pianos for the music industry, readers will also find an in-depth exploration of the refurbishment of a Vough Changeable Pitch Piano for the Crawford House Museum in Tinton Falls, NJ by Curro Piano Service. Appendices showing maps of the company and dates of manufacture of Vough pianos based on their serial numbers are also included.
While large and well-known piano manufacturers have an abundance of information available about their company's history, small-time factories like the Vough Piano Company usually get ignored. This book seeks to change that and give a small piano factory a voice for the amazing and important work it contributed over a century ago.
The perfect read for anyone curious about the history of musical pitch or anyone seeking practical evidence of the setting of a standard pitch

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H47W94J6
• ISBN13: 9798317838508
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Bookbaby
• Length: 184 Pages