Introduction
To the modern pianist, the easiest way to create a rich sound on the piano is using the sustain pedal in a chordal passage. This generalization is often carried over to the study of the fortepiano, at least at first. Students studying the historical instrument will undoubtably be told to use their fingers to create more resonance in the instrument, like on a harpsichord. However, to just use this technique with no historical regard cannot be any better than just using the damper pedal like a modern pianist. So what are the guidelines of this technique on the fortepiano, if there are any? What did authors of historic treatises say, and what instructions or notations appear in the repertoire? How can the prolonged touch be used in a historically-informed fashion in the piano repertoire of the Classical and Early Romantic periods?