A fascinating yet cordial competition is unfolding between neighboring Estonia and Latvia, as each country seeks to discover the highest number of pianos crafted by local artisans.
On Tuesday, representatives from the Latvian Museum of Literature and Music (RMM) compared Latvian pianos with those from the Estonian National Piano Museum (ERK), located at Holdre Manor in Valga County.
Although Latvia lacks its own piano museum, a recent comprehensive survey has documented a significant number of locally-built pianos. Both handcrafted and factory-made pianos have been produced on both sides of the border, with Riga-branded upright pianos still found in Estonian homes today. Interestingly, some of these Riga pianos were actually crafted by Estonian piano maker Ernst Hiis.
“We started making instruments around the same period; Estonia might have begun a bit later,” noted Elmars Semovics, a Latvian researcher and author of the survey.
Semovics also mentioned that Latvia’s first musical instruments date back to the 1600s, with a clavicytherium on display in a Stockholm museum considered a precursor to the piano.
The Latvians tested the sound of the Estonian pianos at the Piano Museum and recognized that each master has their own distinct qualities.
Currently, the race between the two countries is extremely close.
“As of now, Latvia has 99 different pianos made by Latvian masters, while Estonia has found 97,” reported ERK founder Alo Põldmäe. “So Latvia is currently in the lead.”
Finding true pianomakers today is nearly impossible, with piano restorers being more common. Additionally, upright pianos are less popular in homes compared to electric pianos, which are more in vogue.
“We don’t have any museum or exhibition in Latvia showcasing musical instruments made there,” admitted RMM director Iveta Ruskule. “We do, however, have beautiful and spacious storage facilities for carefully examining the instruments in our collection.”
Currently, no pianos are being manufactured in Latvia, while Estonian pianos are still produced in Estonia.
