At 12:19 -0600 4/2/08, Annie Grieshop wrote: >While we're on the subject: does anybody know why Chickering called them >Quarter Grands? My understanding is that the term included their grands in >the 5'2"-5'6" range, but why were they "quarter"? French influence, I guess. The French use the terms trois quarts de queue demi-queue quart de queue and crapaud for anything smaller, crapaud meaning toad -- a wonderfully apt name. Broadwood, I think, was responsible for the English "Boudoir Grand", which people here use to mean a piano of practically any length, just as I often hear of "baby grands" that are over 6 ft. long! JD
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