List of Keyboards
Square Piano by Hisky, H
This square piano was made by Joseph Hisky in Baltimore, Maryland around 1830-1835. Hisky, a Viennese piano maker, became in his mid-thirties one of the earliest piano manufacturers in Baltimore. His business flourished, and this may have been because he (apparently) did not deviate much over the years from the basic Viennese action with a 6 octave compass, plus the use of noted Baltimore artists to decorate his cases. The serial number alleged for this piano is doubtful. This piano is serial number 53 and has a compass of FF-f4, Viennese action, double-strings throughout, tuning pins on the right, 3 pedals: dampers, swell (?), bass drum, wood frame, and a rosewood case
Credit:Smithsonian
Grand Piano by Hill & Owen
This grand piano was made by Hill & Owen in Boston, Massachusetts in 1851. Very little is known of the partnership of Freedom Hill and Henry Owen. Both appear in the in the Boston city directory in 1851 but are no longer listed after that date. To get at the strings, the entire lid and soundboard must be raised, which makes the piano top-heavy, tending to tip over to its spine. This is the only known grand piano by this firm. This piano is serial number 119(?), and has a compass of CC-c5, “Plastic Elastic Touch” direct-blow jack action, strings underneath soundboard, CC-EE single-strung, FF-c5 double-strung, 2 pedals: una corda and dampers, partial iron frame with iron tension bars, straight-strung, and a veneered case
Credit: Smithsonian
Grand Piano attr. Henrion
2 kneelevers for :
- Dampers lift
- Moderator
- Cristofori-Silbermann style action
This extremly rare piano is one of the earliest French grand pianos but has 2 other sisters in France and Vienna, all looking very similar, probably being made around a period of time. The one in Vienna has a painted lid from a later period. The 3 are beautifully veneered and have 5 octaves with Silberman Style action.
Upright Piano - Barrel Piano by Henderson
This instrument is a rare combination of an upright grand combined with a barrel piano.
The mechanism is clockwork 'powered' by a series of lead weights. It drives a second set of hammers, which strike the damped strings. The drum fitted to the instrument incorporates 10 different pieces.
Technical data:
Inscription: Henderson, Little James Street Bedford Row London
Compass: 6 octaves (FF-f'''')
Keyboard: naturals in ivory, sharps in ebony
Pedals: 2: dampers - keyboard shift
Dimensions: W 127 cm / D 65 cm / H 223 cm
Case: rosewood with inlaid brass decoration
Literature: CROMBIE D. "Piano Evolution, Design and Performance", p. 52
Chris Maene Collection number: CM 35 359
Location: 2 - "Chris Maene Collection" Ruiselede
Harpsichord by Hemsch, H
A prominent example is the double-manual harpsichord dated probably 1736, housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Constructed primarily of poplar with lavish painted decorations in brown and gold, it measures 238 cm in length and features keyboards spanning FF to e'''. The instrument bears the signature "HENRY HEMSCH" around the central rose and an altered inscription "17[?]6" on the soundboard, confirming its authorship despite the date modification predating its acquisition by the museum. Its provenance traces to an unidentified European dealer who sold it around 1887–1888 to American collector Edward F. Searles; it passed through inheritance to B. Allen Rowland before being gifted to the MFA in 1981, reflecting a typical path for such artifacts from European nobility to 19th-century American collections. This piece has undergone multiple 20th-century restorations to ensure playability, including adjustments to maintain its original voicing and action
Photo Credit: Daderot Wikicommons
