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Alan K Hunt's Stuff
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your living room I've owned this beautiful antique instrument for over 23 years now, and I've really loved playing it. It has a wonderful action and a rich sound that makes my amateur style sound like a concert professional. ("So why do you want to sell it?" and other FAQs) It's a parlor grand (6'6, between 'baby' and 'concert' size), and was made by Chickering & Sons in about 1885, during the last great decade of the company, while the last two surviving sons of "Chickering & Sons" were still carrying the torch passed to them by their father. It is acoustically excellent, overstrung on a modern cast iron frame, much superior to older designs such as square pianos, but it is unmistakably antique with its 85 keys (88 was not standard in 1885) and its jointed cabinet, unlike the modern continuous-bowed style. |
First-class - Beautiful - 1885 Chickering Grand Piano (Click on image for more info) |
Chickering was established in Boston in 1823 by Jonas Chickering. It was the first American piano company, the dominant force in American piano production for the next several decades, and the first to market quality grand pianos on a continuing basis. Some of the greatest pianists and composers of all time, including Franz Liszt, Edvard Grieg, and Louis Moreau Gottschalk, preferred Chickering grands to every other piano they tested.
When Jonas Chickering died in 1853, C Frank, the middle son became head of the company, his older brother Thomas E. handled the business end, and George H., the youngest, worked various positions in the factory.
In 1867 the Chickering pianos were awarded a Gold Medal at the International Exhibition in Paris, and the Emperor Napoleon III bestowed upon C. Frank the Imperial Cross of the Legion of Honour for his "distinguished service to the art of music." C. Frank Chickering presented a Chickering to Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in Rome who pronounced it "imperial" and said, "I never thought a piano could possess such qualities." The Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), recalled playing for Liszt on "the glorious Chickering."
In 1871 Thomas E. Chickering , the eldest son, died. In 1891 C. Frank Chickering, the second son, died. Then in 1896 the last of Jonas Chickering's sons, George H. died. (top)
Various Q & A:
Can you please tell me why you are selling the piano?
A few reasons:
- I have had this piano for 23 years now, and I have always said that "one of these days ..." I would have it fully rebuilt / restored. I am now realizing that I probably will not rebuild it in the foreseeable future, if ever. It's a great instrument and deserves to be restored, but I think I'm just not going to be the one to do it.
- I have become more mobile and more of an "apartment dweller" than the "big home dweller" that I used to be. Accomodating this large instrument is now a major factor in choosing and moving into each new apartment.
- I could use the money. I recently was laid off, which accelerated my thinking about selling the piano.
The touch is perhaps what might be called medium. I find a lot of modern grands to have an overly hard touch. I have strong fingers, but still, playing should not be such an athletic exercise! The keys are firm and predictable, but soft enough so that I can play as loud or soft, fast or slowly as I like. A glissando on this piano will not rip anyone's fingers apart!
Has it ever been rebuilt?
No. This piano is, as trite as it may sound to say it, one of those instruments that looks and sounds really great ... especially considering that it has not been rebuilt (as far as I can tell).
Could I could come by to see it sometime?
Yes, that would be a great idea. You are welcome to call and come by. I'll let you study and play it, take out the action, ... whatever. And, of course, I'll try to answer whatever questions come up.
Also, in case you didn't snoop far enough to discover it ... you can see more pictures, etc., if you look on my website (AlanKHunt.com).
Are the legs and music rack original to this piano?
They seem to be original, as far as I can tell. They all match each other very well in veneer, varnish, etc. The music stand is stamped with the same "6103" as other wood pieces.
I have seen several Chickering's with that case style but they all have had round turned legs and the carved music rack.
Yes, I agree. I've not seen another like it, and all the others I've seen are much more ornate. Mine seems to be just a more understated, elegant design. I also have not determined what type of wood the veneer is, but it seems more likely to be mahogany than the flashy rosewood I've commonly seen.
Just wondering - other than that, it looks like a fine instrument.
We've certainly enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll miss it, but after 23 years of planning to rebuild it "one of these days" I think I should give someone else a chance!
May I ask in what shape the piano is?
It is a beautiful piano and plays well. I really enjoy having and playing it. However, it has not been "rebuilt" or "restored."
Are there any known repairs needed?
No repairs are really "needed," since it looks nice and plays beautifully, but there are things such as some hammers that are worn and would look and sound better if replaced. The ones that are most deserving of repair are very high notes which I have never played except to remind myself that they are there, i.e., the upper half of the upper octave. There is actually one hammer missing. I think I took it out many, many years ago to see about finding replacement parts, and forgot about it. It is the highest note, which, again is one that is basically never played.
Are the strings and all moving parts in great shape?
Everything functions fine except as noted above. I have replaced a few strings (2 or 3) over the 23 years I've had the piano. There is actually one treble string that I broke last year and haven't yet replaced.
Is the original bench with it?
The bench I have is not really related to the piano, other than it's where I sit when I play it. :-)
Are there cracks in the soundboard? If so how many, and would you call them hairline cracks, or are the gaps wide enough to be measured, i.e., 1/32" or 1/16"? These can best be viewed by crawling under the instrument and looking up and beyond the huge wood braces that support the outer case of the piano to see the underside of the soundboard.
I had never noticed any cracks, but I had never really looked closely underneath -- so I just took a good look with a good flashlight.
The general appearance of the underside of the soundboard is very pretty, as if it had just been recently varnished. However I do see at least one area where there seems to be a partial crack along the edge between two joined pieces, i.e., lengthwise. In fact, where this crack meets one of the struts, there is a slight vertical displacement, of perhaps 1/32 inch. This crack does not extend the whole length of the joined boards, but only a little over a foot, perhaps 18 inches. It is most prominent at two struts. Near one is the displacement I mentioned before. Near the other, there is another short fissure, parallel and about 3/8 inch away from the joint, that looks as if it formed from the stress of one of the screws holding the soundboard to the strut. Perhaps I can take some well-lighted pictures underneath to let you see what I am describing.
Thanks so much for your exploration! The cracks you described do not sound catastrophic by any means. As a matter of fact, for a piano this old to have no cracks is almost unheard of. The gap between the brace and soundboard however can sometimes cause buzzing on certain notes, but it is quite repairable.
Yes, I think you're right about the cracks. I don't think there's any buzzing right now, but I suppose there might be potential. I am confident that only minor soundboard repairs would be needed, if any.
Can you provide photos of the cracks you spoke of?
Yes, I have posted some photos on my website (AlanKHunt.com).
While you're under the piano, you will see struts or braces that hold the soundboard together that are approximately 1"X 1" pieces of wood (these are only on the bottom). Could you try holding a piece of string across or perpendicular to these braces or struts from one end of the soundboard to the other and see if the soundboard is flat or if it has a little arch? (This is called a crown and is critical to the sound of the instrument in the higher octaves.)
I never thought about crowning until you mentioned it, but it does make sense, and I have found a few interesting articles about it on the web. Anyway I got under the piano with some string, and I was unable to detect any visible crown in either direction. This made me wonder ... (forgive me if I sound rather naive, but bear with me) ... whether the particular design of this piano might obviate the crown. For example, I see in the latter two cited patents comments like this:
From my understanding, the crown in the soundboard has been a basic tenet of piano manufacture since it's earliest days as the pianoforte, regardless of how it is supported around the edges. However, I believe the test I suggested will only illustrate the crown on certain instruments as different manufacturers used different techniques to achieve the crown (sometimes the braces themselves are crowned on top but level on the bottom). The most dependable test for this is to to listen to octave 5, or from the C one octave above middle C to the C two octaves above middle C. If there is a decrease in volume or brilliance in this area it points to soundboard crown problems.
The best I can say is that I haven't noticed any particular uneven volume or brilliance. Keep in mind, however, that I have never had the piano restrung. I've replaced a string or two or three in 23 years, but I've never replaced them all, so the old strings are likely to exhibit a general lack of brilliance compared to what would be heard with newer strings.
Are the keytops ivory?
I do not believe they are ivory. They are in good shape, with no discoloration, and I see no grain in them at all. I assume that I should expect to see some yellowing and grain patterns if they were ivory, but again I may be naive.
It's quite certain that this piano had ivory keytops when it was manufactured. It was however common from the 1930's through the 1960's to replace warping ivory with celluloid or later forms of plastic.
Yes, I think that's probably true for this piano.
Ivory has come back into vogue in a big way since it was banned in the 1980's, and adds to the value of an instrument if it is still there.
I can imagine that this would add significantly, ... although I do actually like the way the plastic feels, whatever kind it is.
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