Upright piano
Maker
C. Oehler
Date1890 ca.
Place MadeStuttgart, Germany, Europe
Serial No.2633
SignedInlaid in brass on fallboard: on left side: Königl. patetirt / 1861Inlaid in brass on fallboard: enter: C. Oehler / Stuttgart
Inlaid in brass on fallboard: right side: Preismedaillen / London 1862. Paris 1867. / Wien 1873.
MarkingsPunched on wrestplant and on top of action frame: 2633
DescriptionCompass: AAA-a4 (7 octaves) 85 notes
Two pedals: left: soft (half-blow); right: damper
Construction:
Case veneered in rosewood with ornately-carved legs, which have a rose on the top and heavily-carved lion's feet at the bottom.
The top panel has three frames; the center frame is oval with a panel containing multi-colored marquetry depicting a wood flute, an oboe, and panpipes, surrounded by a harvest scene of leaves and flowers.
There are ornate brass candle holders on both sides of the oval frame and handles on both sides of the piano.
The nut is in three pieces (two in the bass) and consists of a metal rod mounted to a wood rail.
A pressure bar extends through the entire compass of the piano.
There is a cast-iron hitchpin plate.
The bass bridge (AAA-c) is butted against and perpendicular to the treble bridge.
Both bridges are square and double pinned throughout.
The Soundboard grain is left to right.
Action:
Modern sticker action with bridle tapes.
Hammers are not original.
There are only minor differences between this action and a modern upright action.
The hammer return springs are mounted to the top of the backchecks instead of a rail behind the hammers.
The spring pushes down on the catcher when the key is depressed.
Another difference is teh capstan mechanism.
In this case the capstans are flathead screws, which are inserted into a wood block at the back of the key lever.
The sickers are round and fit into the capstan holes.
The action is mounted to the key frame.
Dampers:
Damper compass AAA-b-flat2
Dampers not original
Keyboard:
Ivory naturals
Ebony sharps
Key levers are weighted at the back.
Stringing and scaling:
Parallel strung.
Strings not original
AAA-BB: Single strung
C-c: Double strung
c-sharp-a4: Triple strung
Cataloging by Rodger Kelly, 1991
DimensionsLength: 1343 (4' 4-7/8 or 54 ½”)
Width: 631 mm (2 3/4" or 24 ¾”)
Height: 1345 mm (4' 5-1/8" or 54”)
Keyboard:
Three-octave measure: 490 mm
Length of heads: 51 mm
Width of heads: 22 mm
Published ReferencesRodger S. Kelly, A Catalog of European Pianos in the Shrine to Music Museum, MM Thesis, University of South Dakota, 1991, p. 140-144.
Credit LineGift of Jan Brown, 1988
Object number04332
On View
Not on view
