Colona Piano

[Pianomate]

Hi. Does anyone know about pianos under the name of "Colona"? Somebody I know has a relative with one. It's a typical German piano from about the turn of the last century. Possibly "Colona" is a play on "Cologne"?

[Bill Kibby]

They come up occasionally. The only references I have found to the name Colona are from Holder Brothers, and I suspect that this was an alias used by them for pianos imported from one or more German wholesalers. It may be intended to suggest Cologne, or imply something about the colonies. Some are definitely British, some appear to be German, and some may have been made by Danemann, London. We have no record of a real maker with this name.

[Pianomate]

Yes, it says "Holder Brothers" and "Berlin". I guess "Colona" was their trade name. It's a typical huge German upright from the period, similar in construction to my own August Forster piano.