Another happy Wednesday to all of you! It’s time for Collection Items That Blow Natalie’s Mind. Up thirty-sixth: Steinway & Sons Patent Grand Piano This piano, on display in the Drawing Room, was a gift from William Henry Seward Jr. to his wife Janet for her 33rd birthday in 1872. Steinway & Sons was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway. Steinway got his start as a gifted cabinet maker, but developed a love and mastery of pianos. During the first thirty years of the company’s existence, Henry and his sons, C. F. Theodore, Charles, Henry Jr., William, and Albert, developed the modern piano. During this time, almost half of the companys 127 patented inventions were developed. Henry Steinway died in 1871, and the management of the company passed on to his sons, C. F. Theodore and William. That same year, Steinway sold 2,553 pianos, making pianos sell at a rate of 1 piano per hour or 10 pianos per day. Janet’s piano was built in 1872 using technology developed and patented by the company in 1869, 1871, and 1872. Like all Steinways manufactured in 1872, this piano has only 85 keys. The standard for pianos today is 88 keys, which the Steinway Company adopted and pioneered in the mid-1880s. The piano body is made out of beautifully carved rosewood. Just like it was in 1872, Janet’s piano is kept in the Drawing Room, which is part of the south wing, designed by noted Victorian architect Edward Tuckerman Potter, added to the house between 1866 and 1868. And just like in 1872, Janet’s piano is kept tuned and ready to be played. The story goes that when Will gave Janet the piano, he said to her something like, “Here, darling, is the best piano around. Hopefully it was help to improve your playing.” I do not know if the piano helped Janet become a better pianist, but I do know it is a magnificent instrument that gives me chills when played well. While visitors do not get to hear the piano played on a normal tour, we do have several events during the year that offer this treat, including our Parlor Music event, the Holidays Tradition Open House, and Candlelight Tours. And today we are hoping the piano will be played by our special guest, Mark Russell, who is visiting the Museum before his performance at Auburn High School tomorrow night. If he does play Janet’s Steinway, we promise to share pictures! Every Wednesday throughout 2014 we will post another collection item that blows our director of development’s mind. Please feel free to share these posts with anyone you think might be interested. Not all of the items well be sharing are currently on display at the Museum, but when they are we will say where.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 20:25:00 +0000
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