Unknown American-style Square Grand

[DianeB50]

This is a piano that has been in the family for many generations and has landed in our living room for the past 30+ years. We have tried to get it identified in the past but without any luck. We've had it tuned a few times and they have always been very impressed with this piano. The plaque, which would have all the indentitying information we could ever want, is no longer there; one of the tuners indicated he would gather it was intentionally removed.

We've gathered that it is from England circa 1870's and wondered if it was brought into Canada during/after WWII.

Here's a link to some photos: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1033 ... 4222247745

Does anyone know any more information on this piano, like the manufacturer?

[Bill Kibby]

First, valuation is impossible from here, but here in Britain, antique pianos have very little value unless they have been professionally restored.. This is not anything like an English piano, it is a typical American-style (or Canadian) "Square Grand", and as explained and illustrated at
http://pianogen.org/square.html
these were made in almost identical form for half a century, by a great many different manufacturers, so I wouldn't know where to start in guessing which it might be, but I will give it some thought. You might have to consult an American specialist in antique pianos, if you can find one, but my guess is 1850-ish. If there are any numbers inside, we may be able to guess which maker's set of numbers it is likely to be.

[NewAge]

Bill,
I have just spent an interesting 30mins on the Pianogen.org site you referenced. There's a lot of fascinating info there.
Regarding the German Querpiano, I see where your coming from in saying, "We can translate this directly as a "queer piano" and it would have seemed strange to people at the time."
However wouldn't it be a little more correct to state that when translated from German, QuerPiano becomes CrossPiano?

[Bill Kibby]

QUER can mean queer, but cross is among the alternatives that I included on the page, although in more normal English...

"Diagonal, or slanting, or crosswise, is another meaning of "quer" and there were also "querflugels" - grands with transverse stringing, as well as “querspinets”. "

It's the German term that interests me, rather than its translation.

[DianeB50]

Thank you Bill for your reply! Any information, or where else to go for further information, is greatly appreciated as we know very little about our piano that's been in our family for so long. We really appreciate your help.

Thanks
Diane

[Bill Kibby]

If you use Google Images to search for square grand, you will see many examples, and many similar to yours, but perhaps there is one there that matches exactly. However, don't take the text too seriously, much of it will be wrong.

[vernon]

queer pianos must be a very niche market

[Bill Kibby]

Looking through my images of American square grands, I would say that they were quite like this from the 1840s, but tended to get rather plainer in the 1860s, perhaps tracking the style of the Steinways, so 1850-ish still looks a reasonable estimate. Have you found any numbers inside?

[Bill Kibby]

I am still puzzling over this one, and it's the legs that don't seem to match up[ with any others. It's almost as if they were replacements, only roughly based on the originals, but simpler. Let's hope some American experts have a look at it.