Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Can You Name this Piano?

This is the only photo I have been given and I am trying to name the piano. Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

It is a Viennese action grand, so the obvious guess would be Bösendorfer, but there were lots of makers of various degrees of obscurity.

BDB, Thanks. Any way to tell from the details we can see?

Sorry, you would need someone with a lot more experience with 19th century Viennese-style pianos than I have.

BDB,

How old is this style of action?

Anyone seen Curry?

I think the last manufacturer to use it was Bösendorfer, who discontinued it about 1909. It was invented very early in the piano's development, and I consider it to be a separate invention of the piano, distinct from Christofori's. It was probably later, but who knows?

People who are interested in historical instruments are often fascinated by them, but I find the late instruments with them to be heavy, sluggish and difficult to maintain.

Would you like me to forward a msg to Michael Frederick with a link??

He might possibly be able to provide further details.

Thanks BDB.
I actually saw the piano, but this pic is all the notice I took. My mistake. I have been asked to help sell them, so now I need to take more notice.
They are 2.5 hours from me, So I am perusing photo's before planning another trip.

Hi Terry, great, post more photo's. It was such a great time. Very nice family.
Also, got your email. Pictures are good, I have a ton. I'd like to get them to the owners, can you help?

My first guess before I saw other posts was the same as BDB's. It looks an awful lot like a Bosie to me. I think it is quite a bit earlier than 1909 though - it appears not to have a full plate.

My helpful 2 cents (I hope),

It looks a lot like an early Ehrbar made in Vienna, Austria. Note that it is loop strung which is characteristic of this manufacturer. A Bosie would have single stringing in the treble.

Hi Curry and Rich,
Thanks for jumping in.

Below is an enlargement of the strings at the hitch pins.

Here is another enlargement of the tuning pin area of the plate.

Based primarily on the configuration of the damper rack and secondly the leather covered hammers I would concur that it is Viennese late 19th or very early 20th Century. However any attempt to name it just from the photo would be futile as there was no shortage of piano makers in Vienna at that time, Boesendorfer simply being one of many.

For the purpose of selling it, it really doesn't matter who the maker is. There's Boesendorfer due to the contemporary name recognition and another lump that is all the others, and which one of the others wouldn't matter at all as there are only a few people like Curry and myself who could name any of them. Also there is no historical value to a late 19th Century Viennese piano. It's just another old piano with an obsolete action. The Viennese pianos that are of historical interest are the wood framed fortepianos up to about 1840 and some of the very early partial iron framed pianos from the years immediately after that.

Niles Duncan
Piano technician/rebuilder, Pasadena, CA
www.pianosource.com