Glenn gould style piano for sale a brief history of chickering pianos and glenn goulds piano. On your upright, the serial number is almost always on the wood or iron frame inside the piano above the tuning pins. It needed a technical expert to make the most advanced pianos of the day, and a great salesman with the gumption to propel the company forward. Bibliography and other sources of information about chickering. When jonas chickering started up shop through the time that it was in american aeolians hands chickering was most definitely a topflight piano.
The golden age of chickering a history robert beavers. He learned piano making from john osborn, a true master of the trade. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. As early as 1707, the pianos inventor cristofori had made one piano of a different shape, and one could speculate that perhaps the most likely choice would have been the rectangular form of the clavichord or the virginals. 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.
Drypoint and aquatint, printed in color from three plates. Advertisement for chickering and sons pianoforte manufactory, tremont. Chickering is, of course, credited with the introduction of the cast iron plate. See more ideas about chickering piano, piano and piano for sale.
Chickering apprenticed three years as a cabinet maker with john gould. Chickerings death in 1853 left the business in the hands of his sons. A comprehensive history of the development of the piano from the monochord to the concert grand player piano, volume 1. Prices of new or used chickering upright and grand pianos. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. Steinwegs arrival in the united states by more than 30 years. This predisposed the collection to its particular strength in keyboard instruments. Chickering is known for building some of the finest pianos in history. This particular model with serial number 125189 was assembled between 1915 and 1920.
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 1904 the firm produced a quarter grand piano, which was then the smallest of its type. Chickering and sons pianos company history serial numbers. The piano forums are an online community of piano lovers including piano industry professionals, concert artists, recording artists, technicians, dealers, manufacturers, and thousands of enthusiastic amateur pianist. The company continued as chickering and sons until 1908 when it was combined with the knabe company to form american piano co. Chickering and sons is a bostonbased piano manufacturing company which is known for their awardwinning pianos and music instruments of topnotch quality. Archives center, national museum of american history. The chickering factory burned in 1852 but a new better facility was built. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. A fascinating celebration of the piano, including tales of its masters from mozart and beethoven to oscar peterson and jerry lee lewis, told with the expertise of composer and author of temperament, stuart isacoff. Jonas chickering, the founder, was a youthful cabinet maker. Gorgeous piano, but needs regulation and voicing in a bad way.
But, in fact, cabinetmaking and piano making apprenticeships by jonas chickering predate henry e. These vintage pianos are becoming exceedingly more rare and difficult to find. The manufacturing facilities at east rochester consist of over 250,000 sq. Jonas chickering was the first piano builder in america, established in 1823. Wondering if chickering and sons pianos are good pianos. Jonas chickering died in 1853, and the firm was taken over by his son thomas. Rare chickering grand 9ft 1868 to 1878 presidential piano. Chickering about 5 5 grand piano, mahogany, iv keys, tuned. Chickerings placement of serial numbers on its earliest square pianos was not consistent. This area is accessible by simply lifting up the top lid as shown. Keyboards include spinets, harpsichords, organs, grand pianos, and a vertical piano. Microfilm of ledger books, 18231985 biographical historical. The 1857 catalog of chickering and sons piano fortes at the exhibitions of 1856 was donated. A lot can happen to a piano with that much history.
The history of chickering pianos piano history living. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at. It is thought that chickering may have had a duplicate set of serial numbers for grand pianos but this. Then in1899 the last of jonas chickerings sons, george h.
The company was founded in 1823 by jonas chickering and james stewart, but the partnership dissolved four years later. Chickering quickly became one of the largest and most successful piano manufacturers of all time. Locating your serial number chickering foundation home. 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. Many piano companies have had family owners who were craftsmen that brought tradition and expert innvention throughout their history. Processing information collection processed by robert ageton, 1989 preferred citation chickering and sons piano company collection, 18641985, archives center, national. Grand, square, and upright piano fortes sons, chickering.
Finally, i have a large full plate concert grand, again and very sadly, without its serial number. In 1850, henry steinway attended a concert featuring performance on a chickering grand piano. In auditing the books, george charged his brother had overdrawn the. The history of chickering pianos piano history living pianos. In 1867, emperor napoleon iii of france bestowed the imperial cross of the legion of honor on frank chickering at the paris worlds fair that year. Wikipedia benjamin crehore, who had established a reputation as an expert maker of violins, cellos and other musical instruments, exhibited a harpsichord in 1791, and soon thereafter built pianos at milton, near boston. So many people who know nothing about the subject set up piano history pages.
1472 1366 936 498 1639 303 306 416 1272 54 426 965 508 1345 1195 4 183 482 1395 1559 278 552 1458 205 422 1232 1010 323 312 1353 515 797 1029 1186 1291 779 1029