I had an unusual piano to examine today - a Babcock square grand, from the early ninteenth century. It has a mahogany case and is fairly small - only 26" deep and 66" wide, with 5 1/2 octaves of keys. Most of them don't work; as the hinges are made of what appears to be parchment, and they're all rotted. The strings however are in remarkably good condition. The nameplate says " Made by Babcock for R. Mackay Boston". The serial number is 261. According to the Pierce Atlas, the number would date it to about 1813. From what I've been able to piece together brothers Alpheus and Lewis Babcock began making pianos about 1810. Lewis died in 1814, leaving Alpheus alone in the business. John Mackay was a business partner of Babcock in the late teens and early twenties; in 1822 or so the two of them formed a business association with Jonas Chickering, to manufacture pianos under the Chickering name. Babcock left in 1829, when he joined J.G. Klemm in Philadelphia. What does this all lead to? Well, I'd like to find out who "R. Mackay" (on the nameplate) was. Could that have been the wife or child of John Mackay? If so, did John's interest in the piano business begin by having Babcock build a piano for his family, and afterwards become an investor in the company? The chronology would tend to support this, but I have no evidence (yet) that that is the case. Does anyone out there have any additional information that could be useful in establishing the history of this piano? The owner doesn't know much about the piano's past, as it was left in the house when they bought it in 1954. Her daughter is interested in having it and getting it restored to playing condition so she can have her kids take lessons on it! I don't think that this would be an appropriate instrument for this purpose, and I'd be grateful for any information that could support my suspicions that this could be a historically significant instrument. Thanks in advance for anyone who can offer any assistance. Edward Bordeleau Pianoarts, Inc.
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