Abdallah Chahine

Abdallah Chahine (Arabic: عبد الله شاهين‎; 1894–1975) was a Lebanese pianist and tuner-technician who devised an "Oriental piano" capable of playing quarter tones.[1][2]

Abdallah Chahine constructed his Oriental piano with the help of Austrian Hofmann.[3] Wadia Sabra had already had an oriental piano manufactured by Pleyel in Paris, in 1920.[4] As worded by Thomas Burkhalter,

Using an old straight piano, Chahine invented a prototype that had chords, a keyboard of six octaves, and an ingenious pedal devised to obtain quartertones.[5]

In 1962, Chahine recorded a vinyl record with typical Oriental music.[5]

Among the composers drawn to Chahine's microtonal instrument were Aloys Hába (1893–1973), Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Toufic Succar (1922–).[6]

His family still owns a large music store in Beirut.[7] His great-granddaughter Zeina Abirached has published a comicbook, Le piano oriental, about a character inspired by him.

References
  1. The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music 2008, p. 783
  2. Burman Hall 2005, p. 38
  3. Burkhalter 2014, pp. 262–263
  4. Les Cahiers de l'Oronte 1969, p. 82
  5. Burkhalter 2014, p. 263
  6. Burman Hall 2005, p. 40
  7. Kozma, Schayegh & Wishnitzer 2014, p. 257

Sources
  • The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. 2. Routledge. 2008.
  • Kozma, Liat; Schayegh, Cyrus; Wishnitzer, Avner, eds. (2014). "'Small' Technologies and Consumer Goods". A Global Middle East.
  • Burman Hall, Linda (2005). Kimberlin, Cynthia Tse; Euba, Akin (eds.). Towards an African Pianism: Keyboard Music of Africa and the Diaspora. 1.
  • Les Cahiers de l'Oronte. 1969.
  • Burkhalter, Thomas (2014). Local Music Scenes and Globalization: Transnational Platforms in Beirut.
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