BIZZI Historical Keyboard Instruments
BIZZI - Historical Keyboard Instruments in Italy and Worldwide
BIZZI is a manufacturer of historical keyboard instruments operating in 48 Countries:
Albania, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Byelorussia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Columbia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lettonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, New
29/05/2026
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰.
One of the things I love most about historical instruments is that they reveal their character long before they produce a sound.
These hand-painted Italian volutes are currently being completed on a harpsichord after Giovan Battista Giusti, Lucca, 1681.
Every detail is painted by hand.
Every curve belongs to a decorative tradition that musicians and patrons admired centuries ago.
Sometimes we think of instruments only as objects that produce music.
Historically, they were much more than that.
They were part of daily life.
Part of a room.
Part of a family’s story.
And perhaps that is still true today
What detail catches your eye first?
12/05/2026
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘇 — 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶
Every now and then, instruments arrive in the workshop that force you to slow down.
Not because they are necessarily the most spectacular at first glance, but because you immediately feel that they carry an enormous amount of history inside them.
These two Viennese fortepianos by Johann Fritz are exactly like that.
One is probably around 1815, six octaves.
The other likely around 1825–30, already extended to six and a half octaves.
Both veneered in walnut.
Both still full of personality.
The later one still preserves all of its original bronze decorations, which is honestly quite remarkable. At the same time, it also suffered heavily from a previous restoration, especially on the soundboard, and part of it will unfortunately need to be replaced.
And this is the part people often do not see when they imagine “restoration”.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.
Very often it is a continuous balance between preservation, compromise, historical responsibility and understanding what can still be saved without destroying the identity of the instrument itself.
What fascinates me about Fritz is that he belongs to a very particular moment in Vienna.
You still feel something close to the intimacy of the late classical world, but at the same time you already sense the piano moving toward Schubert, toward early Romanticism, toward a broader and more singing sound world.
One Fritz was connected to Barbara Keglevicz, one of Beethoven’s pupils.
Another remained in Verdi’s environment at Sant’Agata.
So even though Fritz is less famous than names like Walter or Graf, these are not secondary instruments at all.
And when you stand in front of them in silence, before beginning any work, you realise something important:
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱.
They are musical voices that somehow managed to survive for more than two centuries and are now asking what their next life will become.
08/05/2026
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀, 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
A few days ago we had the pleasure of welcoming a young violinist to Villa Bossi to prepare and record repertoire together with fortepiano.
Moments like these always remind us of something very important:
historical instruments are not only about preserving the past.
They are also about helping musicians discover new ways of listening, reacting, and making music together.
Especially in chamber music, these instruments create a very different balance and interaction between performers.
And seeing young musicians explore this world with curiosity and sensitivity is always deeply encouraging.
𝗔 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
In this short excerpt, 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 performs 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 on a harpsichord built 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗱𝗶, 𝟭𝟲𝟵𝟳.
Some instruments produce sound.
Others respond.
The difference is not in volume,
not in brightness.
It lies in how the instrument reacts to the touch,
how it follows the gesture of the musician.
When this happens, you are no longer just playing.
You are entering a relationship.
And the music changes completely.
A special thank you to 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 for bringing out the voice of this instrument with such sensitivity and depth.
What do you listen for in a harpsichord?
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