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<DIV><FONT size=2>Hello everyone.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Thanks for all the input on the Broadwood =
piano. I am
continuing my search for historical information. The Broadwood =
company
still has many of it's early records from this era and for a fee they =
will
research their archives for any information. I will be submitting =
all the
information to see what they may have. In the meantime I have =
taken some
pictures and will hopefully get them posted here soon. It is truly =
a
fascinating historic piece, quite a rare and remarkable find. I am =
still
in disbelief that I have it within my possession, I have never seen an =
early
piano like this outside of a museum.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>I have finally pulled the action. It is an =
amazing
design. The original hammers are all there. The =
moldings are
proportionally very small and have a unique bulb-ish shape, perhaps =
rosewood but
I'm not certain. They consists of what appears to be a =
paper or
parchment-like inner layer followed by a layer of leather and then the =
outer
felt. All of the parts are original with the exception of a few =
hammer
shanks. The hammer butts are very small. It is difficult to =
see the
escapement system without some disassembly which I have not yet =
done.
There are no independent hammer flanges, rather the butts are all in =
sections
threaded on a continuos center pin wire, (someone commented on this a =
few days
ago, I'm not sure who because it's on my other computer at home). =
Over all
the action is in remarkable condition given it's age. The two =
pedals
operate the sustain and shift the action. The pedal rods ride on =
brass
plates instead of in felt bushings. There is evidence that the =
bottom of
the piano was originally covered with cloth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The name "J. Allatt" is stamped on the =
bottom of a
piece of molding on the tail section. The name "Lough" with the serial =
number is
neatly written in a simple calligraphic style on a small white label =
inside the
key bed. I am assuming these were the head craftsman who built =
this
piano. There are 18 wound strings totaling 36 strings on the bass
bridge. I have not yet determined if the strings presently on the
instrument are original but my general feeling is that they are =
not. The
bridges are in remarkably good shape.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have been thinking about the =
historical
significance of this piano. It was built 20 years before Abraham
Lincoln became president. Pianos were built one at a time by =
assigned
craftsman during this era making them very expensive. =
Generally
only the more aristocratic would have been able to =
afford them.
>From this conclusion it is fascinating to contemplate what it must have =
been
like when this piano was new. Can you imagine the day this piano =
was
delivered to it's new home? What was the weather like that =
day? I
picture the parlor of a well-to-do home. The house was =
heated only by
a fireplace. The floors are wood and the area rugs would have been =
made by
hand. All lighting was either by candle or oil lamp. I =
visualize the
well dressed ladies sitting on the hand crafted chairs, the men in their =
suits
smoking cigars and sipping brandy while the pianist plays the works of
Chopin. The smells from the cast iron stove in the kitchen fill =
the
house. The only transportation of the day was on foot, horseback, =
or by
horse drawn carriage which is what one would hear outside the house on =
the
cobblestone streets of London. It took three months to cross the =
Atlantic
by sailing ship. 160 years later this piano is still intact and is =
living
history that you can actually touch. If it could talk what stories =
would
it tell? What music did it play? Can you hear the voices of
Christmas carols gathered around it? Amazing isn't it. =
Ladies and
gentlemen <U>THIS</U> is what makes the business worth all the trouble
and is precisely why I became a piano technician. It's not =
just the
piano, it is also the living history which embraces =
it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Rob Goodale, RPT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Las Vegas, NV</FONT></DIV>
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