List of Keyboards 

In the first half of the 19th century, Dammekens from Ghent was the most important piano builder in Flanders and one of the most productive in Belgium. He was exceptionally innovative and released several patents, among which the design and technology of this special instrument, unique for our country. He aimed for an optimal quality of sound and touch, combined with the highest quality of the woodwork.

Technical data:

• Compass: 6,5 octaves (CC-g'''')

• Keyboard: naturals in ivory, sharps in ebony

• Pedals: 2: una corda - forte

• Dimensions: W 141 cm / D 54 cm / H 219 cm

• Case: rosewood, open work wooden top panel, guilloche moldings

• Serial number: 5

• Literature: VANDERVELLEN, P. "Le pianoforte dans les provinces belges (1761-1851)"

• Chris Maene Collection number: CM 65 174

• Location: 1 - Museum "Piano's Maene" Brussels

Foto : Mikael Bodner

This small grand piano is about 20 centimeters shorter than typical English pianos of the period. Little is known about Davison and Redpath. Phillip James [Early Keyboard Instruments. London: Peter Davies, 1930] lists Redpath and Davidson working in 1789. Rosamond Harding [The Piano-Forte: Its History Traced to the Great Exhibition of 1851. New York: 1973] also lists the names in reverse order, indicating 1767 as a date of activity.

Compass: FF-f3 (five octaves)

Modified Anglo-German action, similar to one patented by John Crang Hancock in 1790. The action is English, but the hammers face the opposite direction, like those of Viennese pianos.

This upright player piano was made by Alexandre Debain in Paris, France, around 1851. It was a very early form of a player piano, which used small wooden planks, called planchettes to operate the automatic mechanism. The piano has a compass of CC-c5, Wornum tape-check action with dampers behind strings, felt hammers, 1, 2, and 3 strings per note, 2 pedals: keyboard shift and dampers, wood frame, and a rosewood case

Credit: Smithsonian

This upright piano was made by Decker Brother in New York, New York around 1888-1892. The company made mostly uprights, and around 1890 made a number with the innovative Jankó keyboard. This style of keyboard was designed by Paul von Jankó in 1882. It features a multi-row array of keys, with each column being a semitone away from its companion columns, and each row a whole step in tone from its beginning rows. This keyboard was short-lived as it required pianists to relearn music on a new type of keyboard with totally new fingering. This piano is serial number 25184 and has a compass of AAA-c5, tape-check upright action, felt hammers, wound single-strings AAA-GG#, wound double-strings AA-E, wound triple strings F-c, plain triple-stings c#-c5, 2 pedals: “soft” and dampers, a one-piece cast-iron frame, cross-strung, and an ebonized case

Credit: Smithsonian

This is the earliest piano in the NMM's collection with a full 88-note compass and American upright action. 1860s American uprights are very rare - such pianos were not produced on a mass scale until the mid-to-late 1870s onward.

Compass: AAA-c5
Two pedals: soft (half-blow), dampers.
Sticker action. Stickers hinged to whippens and key-rockers. Let-off button and screw. No bridle tapes.