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The moderator was ubiquitous in pianos made between 1790 and 1830 in Europe. Despite this, there was very little contemporary advice on how and when to use it. Modern usage varies widely and is often based on little more than personal taste.In Paris, Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760–1812) wrote keyboard sonatas that used an extended dynamic range. These were unfeasible on instruments of the period unless a moderator was used. He did not use this dynamic range in his London sonatas, which were played on pianos without a moderator. By comparing the dynamic and expressive marks of these sets of sonatas, coding can be derived that is consistent with the use of the moderator as described by composer Louis Adam, Dussek’s Paris contemporary. This coding appears to be consistent in the works of Dussek’s fellow composers in France and Germany and can provide a textual basis for decisions on the use of the moderator by modern performers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]