#Chickering piano quality full#
#Chickering piano quality professional#
#Chickering piano quality series#

#Chickering piano quality professional#

Would you sponsor the restoration of the Steinway so that it can be played at events in our Hot Glass Gallery? The Chickering Square Grand also requires professional restoration and preservation, which we are advised is well worth the effort and expense for this exceptional instrument. The Steinway also needs to be professionally tuned and re-calibrated, which is beyond the museumвЂ™s budget. We are greatly indebted to Bonnie Schur, who also donated two beautiful antique carpets, which are on display in the museum, as well as two French chandeliers, which need to be restored.

#Chickering piano quality series#

Ten years later, Steinway introduced the Imagine Series Limited Edition, modeled after the white grand piano that Lennon presented to Yoko Ono on her birthday in 1971. John Lennon of the Beatles composed his most famous song Imagine on a Steinway and his vertical piano sold to George Michael in 2000 for over $2 million dollars. Patents in the 1930s created the Diaphragmatic Soundboard Design, which improved the tonal resonance, and the Accelerated Action, which made the touch of Steinway the most responsive and sensitive of any piano made. By the 1920s, Steinway pianos were endorsed by celebrated concert pianists and their advertisements claimed they produced the вЂњInstrument of the ImmortalsвЂќ. The theme of the muses was repeated on the 100,000th Steinway piano which was made for President Roosevelt for the White House and was given to the nation in 1903. In 1883, the Victorian artist Alma Tadema painted a scene of wandering minstrels and the nine muses. Over the years, Steinway has created unique cases for their pianos. By 1884, Steinway had developed their first modern Concert Grand piano (Model D) and stopped advertising their square grand four years later. 5% of sales were upright pianos and 5% were grand pianos with sales as вЂњscarce as angelsвЂ™ visitsвЂќ according to Steinway. At that time, square grands accounted for 90% of piano manufacturing in the US. SteinwayвЂ™s mission was to вЂњBuild the best piano possible, sell it for the lowest price consistent with quality.вЂќ In 1867, Steinway became the first American manufacturer to receive a gold medal at the Paris exhibition. Their first piano manufactured in New York is also displayed in the Met. Steinway emigrated to the US in 1850 and three years later set up a shop in Manhattan, manufacturing square grand pianos. It is referred to as the вЂњKitchenвЂќ piano and it is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Heinrich Englehard Steinway built his first piano in 1836 in the kitchen of his home in Germany. During the 19th century, celebrity pianists, such as Franz Liszt, played Chickering pianos on their American concert tours and endorsed their instruments, claiming that they were the only ones that would hold up to their strenuous performances. Chickering earned a gold medal at the London International Exhibition of 1851 with a special mention for their grand piano which was noted for its brilliancy and power. Their pianos are renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship, rich tonal quality, and attractive designs. Chickering & Sons became an innovative manufacturer and constantly evolved and improved their designs.

#Chickering piano quality full#

During the 1830s, he partnered with John Mackay, a sea captain who exported Chickering pianos to South America and brought back ships full of rosewood and mahogany for piano building until he was lost at sea. Jonas Chickering established his business in Boston in 1823 and was the first piano manufacturer in America. For many years, the piano was enjoyed by the Parker family at their home on the grounds of the Concord Hotel in the Catskills, where it was played by many famous people, including Neil Sedaka. The piano was given to Sharon nearly a century later in 1963 by her parents Cecilia and Mike Strauss. It was owned originally by the opera singer Netty Lincoln from Mount Tabor, Vermont. The rare Chickering rosewood square grand piano, made in 1864, was donated to WMODA by Sharon in memory of her husband George Parker. WMODA is honored to have received these treasured family possessions. A few years ago, Sharon Lee Parker donated her Chickering Square Grand piano, which was a wedding present from her parents. In December, Bonnie Schur donated her mahogany Steinway Grand Piano from 1943, which she was given as a birthday present when she was a child. Not only are they both exceptional musical instruments, but they also look stunning in their settings. The gift of music adds a new dimension to WMODA as demonstrated by our two spectacular pianos.