Chickering grand pianos grand pianos for sale ebay. This tradition of service and craftsmanship has been handed down from our ancestors and runs through our veins. As late as 1868, 80 percent of steinways output was still square pianos. List of books and articles about piano history online.
Its a rare, antique piano of the precivil war era c. This book is a beautiful volume of pictures and piano history. Although the process of restoring a square grand piano can be a tough and complicated job. Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that bring. Rare rococo style george steck square grand piano in brazilian. For example, in the sample below, the ledgers indicate that piano 35930 was a full grand chickerings term for their largest grand, what is commonly called a concert grand today. This is a rare opportunity to own a significant instrument that is a part of north american piano building history. You may have heard of a square grand piano, but i wouldnt be surprised if you havent. The chickering piano company in the nineteenth century.
One of the finest pieces in the museum is a square piano built in 1825 by. He perfected the iron frame in the square piano and the grand piano, adding stability and strength to the instruments, and launching his company into the international market. But because the full grand was the default for chickering, it was not always indicated that is, no indication of size in the ledgers means full grand. Manufactures of grand, square, and upright, piano forests classic reprint paperback april 19, 2018.
Also in 1837, chickering attempted to patent a full iron frame for square pianos but was refused on a technicality. Antique rosewood fretwork for chickering square baby grand piano. Undaunted, one manufacturer built a concert piano of concrete. Rare antique chickering square grand piano for sale. The tone is vibrant and the action is responsive with good evenness throughout.
The collection includes a chickering grand built by the bostonbased company in 1857. Per the appraiser, the dollar figure is based on the age, condition, size, grade, and rarity of this instrument. By the 1850s, chickerings production had risen to 1500 per year, of which the vast majority were. Square grand pianos are an interesting side note in the development of the piano. Chickering pianos are a popular choice for students, home enthusiasts and professional musicians alike. This circa 1880 square grand piano was just restored by the crew at antique piano shop in friendsville, tennessee. Chickering and sons pianos company history serial numbers. The lindeblad advantage over two hundred grand and upright pianos ready to ship or be restored. Not exactly a square piano for sure, but all early pianos are interesting and this one particularly so, with its highly original condition and retaining most of the original strings, such that a very convincing early souind is possible. Its estimated that itll cost at least 2300 to fix it soundboard and strings. Locating your serial number chickering foundation home. The square piano is a type of piano that has horizontal strings arranged diagonally across the rectangular case above the hammers and with the keyboard set in the long side, with the sounding board above a cavity in the short side. The english and viennese square pianos were built in many different.
The company of chickering is known for building some of the finest pianos in the industry and history. For the first 20 years, they built a nice selection of square grand pianos before building their first upright pianos in 1870. Antique chickering empire revival square grand piano. Late model chickering victorian square grand piano antique.
I have a chickering grand 6 5 long and about 4 9 wide at widest point. Browse our available selection, or use our filters to refine your search by size, price, location, distance from you, or color. This beautiful piano has been brought back to life and now looks and plays the. See more ideas about piano, chickering piano and baby grand pianos.
The english piano maker john broadwood 17321812 was the first to develop the present heavier, more sonorous instrument. Timelines the united states and canada, 18001900 a. Chickering hired alpheus babcock in 1837, and soon thereafter adapted babcocks invention, the one piece cast iron frame, later patenting a version for the grand piano. Chickering piano, old song, vintage books, musical instruments, magazines. Haines brothers piano company was established in 1851 by napoleon j. They came into existence in the united states during the 1820s and were the primary piano produced through the 1880s. Used chickering grand piano for sale chickering pianos.
For such reason, square grand piano can be valuable and worthy of any restoration. The chickering square grand piano is known for its incredible sound. If you do not locate your serial number in one of the locations just described and you find a 3 or 4digit number elsewhere, this is almost certainly the case number, and cannot be used for dating the piano. John mackay and jonas chickering were both early members of the handel and haydn society, which promoted classical music in boston. Buyer will need to arrange and pay for moving fees. Read about the history of piano manufacturer chickering. It appears to have been rebuilt and refinished probably in the 1960s to early 1970s with new tuning pins, strings, damper felts and keytops bringing a new life to this instrument. See more ideas about chickering piano, piano, grand piano. In addition, few were made with the fully scalloped case. They were used by the greatest composers of the 18th century including bach and mozart. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at. By johann schanz anglicized to schantz to capture the pronunciation this grand is spectacular. Prior to that time, the square grand piano was the preferred choice that dominated the american piano market. This is a chickering piano from the golden era of american piano building.
Hello all, i drove 2 hours to look at a lester baby grand on monday and it was a bust. Our available chickering pianos include a range of types, costs and conditions. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. Square grand piano value whats your square grand piano. Chickering is known to have built some of the finest pianos in american history. This piano is very rare since it was chickerings limited edition concert grand, prepared for the 1867 world piano show in europe. In 1840 he patented a complete metal frame for the square piano and then applied the 1840 knowledge to the grand. Jonas chickering took the design a stage further and most other manufacturers followed suit. Chickering began developing iron frames to hold piano strings and honing his skills. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Chickering square grand piano historically significant antique piano shop this is one of the earliest chickering square grand pianos we have seen come through our shop. Piano chickering grand 88 note keyboard, player piano manual electric,pump. Fur elise played on 1853 chickering square grand piano.
I was at an estate sale over the weekend and they had a nice looking 9 chickering grand. This is the main reason why it was one of the favorite instruments of the 18th and 19 th century. This piano is made of brazilian rosewood, now an endangered species, and is of the carved rococo victorian style. The serial number of this piano dates it in the 1830s, very early for the firm. The company experienced changes in ownership and manufacturing management throughout the years although never failing to produce high quality musical instrument that the company name is best associated with. The history of the piano traces back more than 3 centuries, and chronicles how the piano, most popular instrument in existence, continues to be the premiere instrument as we enter its fourth century. By the 1850s, chickering s production had risen to 1500 per year, of which the vast majority were square pianos, along with about one grand piano per week. Antique piano chickering square grand piano restored. Chickering quickly became one of the largest and most successful piano manufacturers of all time.
Apr 30, 2017 chickering began developing iron frames to hold piano strings and honing his skills. The lindeblad family has provided exceptional customer service and craftsmanship to pianists around the world for nearly a century. Here is a chickering square piano that looks really old that i might be able to get for very little to none. Grand, square, and upright piano fortes sons, chickering. The ivory and ebony keyboard is a full how to learning piano awesome key.
They introduced several innovations for the instrument, such as adding a large metal plate to give structural support to grand pianos. Antique circa 1842 haines brothers square grand piano, serial number 16865. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at pianomart. Chickering was the premiere american piano builder in the mid19th century, endorsed by liszt, gottschalk, and busoni. Manufactures of grand, square, and upright, piano forests it will thus be seen that the two most important improvements in the development of the modern piano, from its early inadequacy to its present completeness and beauty, both emanated from the american house of chickering sons, and may be justly termed the chickering system. It is the most complex mechanical device in any home and is capable of fulfilling the players. The pianos history, quietly celebrated the new york times.
Nearly all chickerings and steinways of the 1860s and 1870s had only 85 keys and the oldstyle square grand type action. Note that virtually all serial numbers for chickering grand pianos should be 5 or 6digits. Was chickering still chickering in 1932 or was it part of aeolian. Square piano tech a dedicated resource guide for the. Jonas chickering was the foremost american pianomaker in the early to midnineteenth century. Piano lessons piano history what is a square grand piano. Chickering was the first piano manufacturer in america, established in 1823. I did, however catch wind of a chickering baby grand circa 1932 serial 149718. Chickering was the first piano manufacturer in america, established in 1823 and is said to have built the finest pianos in the world. Unfollow square grand piano to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Do you know of any books or web sites that offer info. It is variously attributed to silbermann and frederici and was improved by petzold and babcock.
Processing information collection processed by robert ageton, 1989 preferred citation chickering and sons piano company collection, 18641985, archives center, national. The company was founded in 1823 by jonas chickering and james stewart, but the partnership dissolved four years later. This beautiful chickering square grand piano was built in boston in 1884, a time when more square grand pianos were being built in america than both upright and grand pianos combined. The 1857 catalog of chickering and sons piano fortes at the exhibitions of 1856 was donated to the national museum of american history in march 1994 by edwin good. This timothy gilbert cocked hat square grand piano is only one of two cocked hat square pianos we have seen in the past 15 years. The jack wyatt museum has a more modernstyle mathusek spinet grand designed to resemble a square piano, and the serial number suggests that it was made as late as 1936. Unfollow chickering grand piano to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Chickering and sons pianos chickering and sons is a bostonbased piano manufacturing company which is known for their awardwinning pianos and music instruments of topnotch quality. In 1837 alpheus babcock began working for jonas chickering and worked there until his death in 1843. In 1830, chickerings pianomaking skills collided headon with one of bostons foremost families the mackays. There are a lot of myths about square grand pianos that are simply untrue.