<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: More on the Broadwood piano</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> Rob, David Winston, of Period Pianos in Kent, England restored this last Beethov= en piano that's been mentioned. I got to know David when he spent a couple o= f weeks in residence at Oberlin a few years ago doing repair work on an old = Erard that he had sold to the Conservatory. He's a fine fellow, and I'm sure= would be able to offer you some interesting and useful insights into the Br= oadwood. I believe that he's restored lots of them. http://www.periodpiano.com/tradition.htm I believe it's quite common for the older Broadwoods to suffer from serious= warping of the case due to a lack of sufficient structural strength to supp= ort string tension over the long period of time we're talking about. It's so= mething restorers have to deal with in these pianos. We had one of these ins= truments at Oberlin and it was a classic case of this problem. It was unusea= ble in it's unrestored condition.   I also seem to recall that there are more of these old Broadwoods floating = around than one might expect: if memory serves, I believe David told me that= Broadwood was making something like 5,000 pianos a year in their heyday. <B= R> Best regards, Allen Wright ---------- From: Michael Gamble <michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk> To: Rob Goodale <rrg@unlv.nevada.edu> Subject: Fw: More on the Broadwood piano Date: Tue, Nov 11, 2003, 4:00 PM <BLOCKQUOTE>  ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Gamble <mailto:michael@gam= bles.fsnet.co.uk>   To: Rob Goodale <mailto:rrg@unlv.nevada.= edu>  ; Pianotech <mailto:pia= notech@ptg.org>   Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 5:41 PM Subject: Re: More on the Broadwood piano Hello Rob Goodale who said: "(someone commented on this a few = days ago, I'm not sure who because it's on my other computer at home). &quot= ; I am the guilty party who commented on the action= in your "find". I could only describe the way the hammer butts fi= t in on one long centre-pin captivated by about four (or may be five) brass = "comb-like" plates. Under the main rail are the set-off screws. Be= very careful here. Do not adjust unless you're certain they can be adjusted= without breaking. In this I would suggest heating the shank of the set-off = screw with a soldering iron in one hand and "wiggling" the correct= size slot-head tipped regulating tool in the other. I have a book here enti= tled "Broadwood by Appointment  a History" by David Wainwrigh= t. Published by Quiller Press Ltd., 11a Albemarle St., London W1X 3HE in 198= 2.  ISBN 0  907621  10  4 I also mentioned the possibility of finding the various craftsmens names st= amped on various parts of the piano and its action, suggesting you might fin= d one of the Dove family included. As for "who played this piano and what was played on it" most cer= tainly Chopin. In fact I have an LP (remember those things?) of the last pro= gramme played by Frederic Chopin himself on a Broadwood Grand in London just= before his death. The pianist, Kenneth van Barthold, played on the actual p= iano used by M.Chopin and the sale of the PLs was to raise funds for that pi= ano's restoration. The piano is in a museum near London. Historical books on= the life of Chopin are also of interest here. Indeed Beethoven himself was = sent a Broadwood by the company in 1818. Thomas Broadwood, head of the firm = at that time, visited Beethoven in Vienna - then sent him a fortepiano. Beet= hoven wrote back to Thomas a thank-you letter "My very dear friend Broa= dwood, I have never felt a greater pleasure than your honour's intimation of= the arrival of this piano with which you are honouring me as a present. As = soon as I receive your excellent instrument, I shall immediately sernd you t= he fruits of the first moments of inspiration I spend at it, as a souvenir f= or you from me, my very dear B, and I hope they will bve worthy of your inst= rument.".... etc. When Beethoven died the six 8ve mahogany Broadwood gr= and was given to Franz Liszt who left it in his will to the Hungarian Nation= al Museum in Budapest. It was later used by Melvyn Tan for a series of recit= als in Budapest, Bonn (where Beethoven was born), Vieanna (where he died) an= d London where it was made. It is insured (this is the interesting part!) fo= r Ł5 million.  That was in 1991. What is its value now - 12 years later= ?... I could go on, but everyone MUST be bored by now. Regards Michael G (UK) Any more? Regards Michael G (UK) </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>