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. Buyer will need to arrange and pay for moving fees. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at pianomart. Rare antique chickering square grand piano for sale. The lindeblad family has provided exceptional customer service and craftsmanship to pianists around the world for nearly a century.
Jonas chickering took the design a stage further and most other manufacturers followed suit. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at. Here is a chickering square piano that looks really old that i might be able to get for very little to none. Square grand pianos are an interesting side note in the development of the piano. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Chickering was the first piano manufacturer in america, established in 1823 and is said to have built the finest pianos in the world.
This is a chickering piano from the golden era of american piano building. Haines brothers piano company was established in 1851 by napoleon j. By johann schanz anglicized to schantz to capture the pronunciation this grand is spectacular. Celeste ng, ann patchett, min jin lee and others on the books that bring. This is the main reason why it was one of the favorite instruments of the 18th and 19 th century. The square piano, with strings parallel to the keys, was the most popular domestic piano until the early19thcentury perfection, in philadelphia, of the upright piano. This beautiful chickering square grand piano is the ultimate collectors item. The tone is vibrant and the action is responsive with good evenness throughout. One of the finest pieces in the museum is a square piano built in 1825 by. The serial number of this piano dates it in the 1830s, very early for the firm. Unfollow chickering grand piano to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
Antique piano chickering square grand piano restored. I was at an estate sale over the weekend and they had a nice looking 9 chickering grand. 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. The chickering piano company in the nineteenth century. They were used by the greatest composers of the 18th century including bach and mozart. In 1830, chickerings pianomaking skills collided headon with one of bostons foremost families the mackays. For example, in the sample below, the ledgers indicate that piano 35930 was a full grand chickering s term for their largest grand, what is commonly called a concert grand today.
See more ideas about chickering piano, piano, grand piano. Locating your serial number chickering foundation home. This piano is made of brazilian rosewood, now an endangered species, and is of the carved rococo victorian style. Chickering piano, old song, vintage books, musical instruments, magazines. Its estimated that itll cost at least 2300 to fix it soundboard and strings.
Nearly all chickerings and steinways of the 1860s and 1870s had only 85 keys and the oldstyle square grand type action. Rare rococo style george steck square grand piano in brazilian. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. See more ideas about piano, chickering piano and baby grand pianos. 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. The company was founded in 1823 by jonas chickering and james stewart, but the partnership dissolved four years later. It is variously attributed to silbermann and frederici and was improved by petzold and babcock. I have a chickering grand 6 5 long and about 4 9 wide at widest point. The english piano maker john broadwood 17321812 was the first to develop the present heavier, more sonorous instrument. Square grand piano value whats your square grand piano. 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.
The ivory and ebony keyboard is a full how to learning piano awesome key. Hello all, i drove 2 hours to look at a lester baby grand on monday and it was a bust. Square piano tech a dedicated resource guide for the. Chickering began developing iron frames to hold piano strings and honing his skills. The chickering square grand piano is known for its incredible sound. Note that virtually all serial numbers for chickering grand pianos should be 5 or 6digits. In 1837 alpheus babcock began working for jonas chickering and worked there until his death in 1843. Also in 1837, chickering attempted to patent a full iron frame for square pianos but was refused on a technicality. Piano lessons piano history what is a square grand piano. Chickering quickly became one of the largest and most successful piano manufacturers of all time. The lindeblad advantage over two hundred grand and upright pianos ready to ship or be restored. Piano chickering grand 88 note keyboard, player piano manual electric,pump.
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. They introduced several innovations for the instrument, such as adding a large metal plate to give structural support to grand pianos. 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. In addition, few were made with the fully scalloped case. Per the appraiser, the dollar figure is based on the age, condition, size, grade, and rarity of this instrument. Antique circa 1842 haines brothers square grand piano, serial number 16865. 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. Its a rare, antique piano of the precivil war era c. 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. Late model chickering victorian square grand piano antique. Apr 30, 2017 chickering began developing iron frames to hold piano strings and honing his skills. 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.
Processing information collection processed by robert ageton, 1989 preferred citation chickering and sons piano company collection, 18641985, archives center, national. The company of chickering is known for building some of the finest pianos in the industry and history. Antique chickering empire revival square grand piano. The chickering was the foremost piano of the time longfellow had one and there was one on the stage at fords theater in washington, d. This tradition of service and craftsmanship has been handed down from our ancestors and runs through our veins. Our available chickering pianos include a range of types, costs and conditions. Was chickering still chickering in 1932 or was it part of aeolian. 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.
Chickering is known to have built some of the finest pianos in american history. The collection includes a chickering grand built by the bostonbased company in 1857. Undaunted, one manufacturer built a concert piano of concrete. Unfollow square grand piano to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Antique rosewood fretwork for chickering square baby grand piano. Browse our available selection, or use our filters to refine your search by size, price, location, distance from you, or color.
You may have heard of a square grand piano, but i wouldnt be surprised if you havent. It is the most complex mechanical device in any home and is capable of fulfilling the players. By the 1850s, chickerings production had risen to 1500 per year, of which the vast majority were. Schubert played on 1853 chickering square grand piano duration. Fur elise played on 1853 chickering square grand piano. 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. 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 pianos history, quietly celebrated the new york times. This circa 1880 square grand piano was just restored by the crew at antique piano shop in friendsville, tennessee.
Prior to that time, the square grand piano was the preferred choice that dominated the american piano market. As late as 1868, 80 percent of steinways output was still square pianos. Do you know of any books or web sites that offer info. I did, however catch wind of a chickering baby grand circa 1932 serial 149718. Manufactures of grand, square, and upright, piano forests classic reprint paperback april 19, 2018. The english and viennese square pianos were built in many different. Read about the history of piano manufacturer chickering. Chickering was the premiere american piano builder in the mid19th century, endorsed by liszt, gottschalk, and busoni. Chickering was the first piano manufacturer in america, established in 1823. They came into existence in the united states during the 1820s and were the primary piano produced through the 1880s. This piano is very rare since it was chickerings limited edition concert grand, prepared for the 1867 world piano show in europe. 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.
Timelines the united states and canada, 18001900 a. Grand, square, and upright piano fortes sons, chickering. Jonas chickering was the foremost american pianomaker in the early to midnineteenth century. There are a lot of myths about square grand pianos that are simply untrue. John mackay and jonas chickering were both early members of the handel and haydn society, which promoted classical music in boston. 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. 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. 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. Chickering grand pianos grand pianos for sale ebay. In 1840 he patented a complete metal frame for the square piano and then applied the 1840 knowledge to the grand. For such reason, square grand piano can be valuable and worthy of any restoration.
For the first 20 years, they built a nice selection of square grand pianos before building their first upright pianos in 1870. 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. Chickering pianos are a popular choice for students, home enthusiasts and professional musicians alike. 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. If you appraise a square grand piano, you will not be disappointed with its worth. Used chickering grand piano for sale chickering pianos. List of books and articles about piano history online.