On the back side of the top lid of the piano are the number 55 and 596. Museum of the city of new york bancroft memorial library local history collection. Pdf a natural history of the piano download full pdf. The original farrand pianos were built by hand in holland, michigan. If there are new farrand pianos being built now, its a sure bet that they are being built in china or indonesia. There has also been introduced a novel feature, known as the dulcet tone, which opens a wide field of. The front of the piano has been removed so you can see some of the mechanics inside. Farrand piano uk piano page piano forum free independent. The piano book is the bible of the piano marketplace.
Beloved wife of over 60 years, mother and grandmother, died on sunday, december 5, 2010. Andrew garn archives, california institute of technology arnold arboretum horticultural library arthur hoskingmuseum of the city of new york byron company new york, n. An online listings of piano serial numbersages can be seen at bluebook of pianos. The value of your piano this virtual appraisal will give you a rough idea of what your piano might be worth.
The names of pianos are arranged alphabetically in this book to ascertain the character and. Its rolls were perforated at a scale of six notes to the inch, the same as the contemporary 58note organ rolls, and both types of roll had pins that protruded from each. Once you have found the serial number of your piano you can find out its date of manufacture. For another source of historical information, visit the howe collection, piano series webpage. Its made by farrand piano co holland michigan, and its a player piano.
The three volumes also includes notes and letters by many other participants, as well as the. Read free online, or purchase the 270page, fullcolor. Here, ehrlich traces the instruments fascinating history from the fortepiano of mozarts time, and the victorians household orchestra and god, to the most sophisticated modern products of the japanese manufacturers. Your pianos age is one of the most significant factors in determining your pianos value. I have an abandoned farrand upright piano that im suppose to dispose of. The pianola institute history of the pianola piano players.
Discover your pianos age and country of origin with our 5 star accuracy guide to ensure the quality and. Pierce piano atlasthe worlds most authoritative publication on piano manufacturers, past and present. Piano buyer is a semiannual piano buying guide that will help you make a fast informed decision concerning the purchase of a piano or digital piano. For more than a century the piano has occupied a dominant place in music and society. Oliver is playing little brown jug on this 1920s farrand player piano. So layered with anecdote that it reads like a novel or a good biography. Its the only book about these pianos, as far as i know. Please note that this is a working list and not all data is complete.
While looking at the photos i noticed the condition of the piano to be consistent with age. Please support this 70year tradition of trusted historical writing and the. Pianos manufactured in the victorian era to the great depression. Piano buying guide the successor to the piano book. Virginia farrand obituary ontario, ca daily bulletin. Pierce piano atlas, 12th edition 2008, larry ashley publisher, albuquerque, nm. The instrument, the music, the musicians from mozart to modern jazz and everything in between at a seemingly odd place well in the middle of the story. This guide provides references to serial numbers, dates of manufacture, factory locations, a brief history of many manufacturers and other pertinent information. 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.
The following list of numbers represents the date of. In some instances there can be thousands of dollars difference in the price of the same brand made in the same year thats only a few inches larger. Updated and revised by the author to include recent developments, this book will. A large part of my job has been to assess the condition of a piano and what it will need before i go on the.
Ask questions on piano history and the age of your piano. It can also be found on the top of the piano when you open the lid on upright. Old style farrandcecilian is a threetier, doublevalve type, with poppet wires to guide rail to connect at whippen of piano action. What to do with an old farrand player piano that needs. The antique piano shop is restoring parts of our musical. It revolves around the musicians passion for playing the piano and her efforts to regain her piano after it is sold.
Done copy edited accordingly and you will find it at the first sentence of the new history section. If your are looking for piano history or genealogy help, then this is the place for you. Like most other piano players, the pianola worked by suction, created by foot pedals, and it played 65 notes of the piano, losing about an octave at each end of the compass. Farrands records remains the single best source for discussions of the constitutional convention. Much of the information here is from the piano book by larry fine.
From the acclaimed author of a natural history of the piano, the captivating story of the 1958 international piano competition in moscow, where, at the height of cold war tensions, an american musician showed the potential of art to. The farrand company changed their name a few times while in business, but they did produce the farrandcecilian player pianos. Each of the three sections of the valve chest has a front cover plate which serves as a gasket for the tracker bar tubing channel, with the middle and bottom row of valve chests having the rubber tubing going through a clear hole in the top cover plate, and the. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. To obtain the age of your piano and details about the manufacturer, click. A piano is one of the most expensive purchases a household will ever make, and buying a piano can be difficult, confusing, and time consuming. Each piano is manufactured with a unique serial number that is recorded for future reference of not only when it was made but also where. Included are general values based upon formulas used in my 35 years of experience buying, selling, tuning and restoring pianos. Over 12,000 piano names are included, some dating back to the early eighteen hundreds. The vestal press has long had a successful book in print on how to restore.
A little known historical fact is that an albrecht piano was located in. The serial number is usually found on the plate of the piano between the bass and tenor strings. Hudson valley news isacoff follows the piano into the. This book tells you everything, and i mean everything, about the history of the piano. This piano is a farrand it has on the right inside back wall the words farrand holland mich est. A new history of the piano paperback march 1, 2002 by professor james parakilas author, james parakilas author visit amazons james parakilas page. Private gardens, public landscapes honor book for the 2010 historic new england book.
If you are thinking of selling your piano, knowing the age of it certainly helps. The ages and historical records of pianos sold in america. If anyone has maybe a link or even personal knowledge on this particular item, i would be much appreciative if you could possibly. My parents either found this in a local news paper called the. Farrand company, detroit, mi reed organ style 63a no. The instrument, the music, the musicians from mozart to modern jazz and everything in between by stuart isacoff isbn. The organ historical society celebrates, preserves and studies the pipe organ in all its historic styles, through research, education, advocacy and music. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
For historical information about a piano company, please visit the blue book of pianos website. Virginia ginny was born on may 31, 1929, in nashville, tennessee, to ray. To learn how a piano works and how to go about buying one, we encourage you to purchase the piano book. When it comes to selling your piano, its important to know exactly what the market value of your specific sized piano. List of piano brand names news newspapers books scholar jstor april 2019 learn how and when to remove this template message. The notes taken at that time by james madison, and later revised by him, form the largest single block of material other than the official proceedings.
The antique piano shop is restoring parts of our musical heritage with. The new netflix adaptation of the 1908 novel anne of green gables has been revised to include multiple homosexual characters, according to the series creator, moira walleybeckett. Pianos of utmost quality, built to the highest standards in the industry. A celebration of the piano pianist and author stuart isacoff begins his new book, a natural history of the piano.
List of books and articles about piano history online. Professor ehrlich follows its fascinating history from the fortepiano of mozarts time, through the victorians household orchestra and god, to the most sophisticated modern products of the japanesemanufacturers. The book is a stepbystep guide covering all aspects of restoration efforts, including entire chapters on subjects such as tools, bellows restoration, tuning, disassembly procedures, case restoration, keyboard restoration, etc. The english piano maker john broadwood 17321812 was the first to develop the present heavier, more sonorous instrument. Measures 11 x 9 wear on cover some random marks on interior pages see photos for handwritten information on inside cover farrand organ company dollar method for the parol organ detroit michigan book. This article is a list of piano brand names from all over the world. Once you know the name brand of your piano, you will need to find the serial number. The piano, jane campion, kate pullinger the piano is a 1993 new zealand drama film about a mute piano player and her daughter, set during the mid19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater town on the west coast of new zealand. Bush and lane relocated in 1905 to holland, michigan where bigger and fully equipped factory and offices had been constructed. In checking serial records for this company i found this piano was built in 1920 in michigan. For more than a century the piano occupied a dominant place in music and society.
Annotated photos help to make the procedures listed in the book useful for the inexperienced restorer. The manufacturers of the farrand piano and farrand cecilian licensee. Tankards publications include gertrude jekyll and the country house garden. These pianos and player pianos are the products of the farrand piano co. Hey rpiano apologies in advance if this is not the right place to ask this question, but it seemed like a good place to start several years ago an exroommate departed without his piano, and im getting ready to move, so i need to figure out what to do with it. Farrand organ company dollar method for the parol organ. By the time landscape architect beatrix farrand 18721957 retired, her legacy included the grounds of dumbarton oaks once a private estate, now a museum in washington, d. Michigan, and they hold a high position for their recognized musical quality, merit and durability of construction, insuring the life of the even singing tone for which they are noted.
The ages and historical records of pianos sold in america part iii. 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. They were at some point absorbed by bush and lane, another highend upright piano maker. Many of these piano manufacturers have a very limited production, and are hand crafted by.
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