Grand piano
Maker
Mason & Hamlin
Date1901
Place MadeCambridge (Cambridgeport), Massachusetts, United States, North America
ModelCC Grand Piano
Serial No.Serial (Invoice) number 11833; Case number 12574
SignedPainted in gold on nameboard: Mason & HamlinStencil on soundboard: Mason & hamlin / PALMAM QUI MERUIT FERAT / SUI GENERIS / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
Raised lettering on iron plate, bent side: Mason & Hamlin / Boston
Raised lettering on iron plate, tail end: CC.
Original pinblock (preserved separately) signed in pencil: Gunthar Bergmann July 1901
MarkingsDie-stamped on sides of both cheek blocks: 11833
Raised lettering on iron plate cross bar: IMPROVED CONTINUOUS BENT RIM DUPLEX SCALE CAPO D'ASTRO BAR
Originally ink stamped on plate on bass side, now applied with vinyl stickers: CC / 11833DescriptionMason & Hamlin began first produced the CC concert grand model in 1900, with a formal introduction to the market in 1901. The CC was one of the largest production pianos of its time, with an exceptionally large soundboard. There were two batches of CCs produced in 1900-1901, as indicated by the groupings of their case numbers. The NMM's example was the first CC in the ledger of the second batch, and it was followed by another piano from the first batch. It was sent to Steinertone Co., part of Steinert & Sons of Boston, on September 26, 1901. Overall, it is the 9th CC listed in the ledger. These early instruments did not have the Richard Gertz patented tension resonator, which began to be included regularly in production pianos in 1902, and may have been included in some CCs at the end of 1901. The NMM's CC was likely one of the last to not have the tension resonator.
Compass: AAA-c5
Pedals: originally two pedals: una corda and dampers, modified to add retrofitted sostentuto
Construction: bent rim with full cast iron plate; later Steinway lyre
poplar legs are not original but taken from Mason & Hamlin AA Rosewood case number 11715, invoice number 10927, originally shipped to Steinert & Sons, Boston, 3/7/1900
Originally had rosewood terminations in duplex section, which are preserved separately. Presently has brass replicas of those terminations, but duplex is muted off
No rear duplex
No tension resonator (this piano predates the introduction of the tension resonator on Mason & Hamlin concert grands)
Original music desk with later solid maple folding portion
Action: modern grand piano action, later, made by Steinway
Current hammers are Ronson with Bacon felt, made by Jacob Erwin
Dampers: modern damper system with retrofitted sostenuto
Keyboard: ebony sharps, naturals covered with white plastic by Russell Grethe
21 notes on bass bridge
AAA to FF single strung copper overspun
FF-sharp to BB double strung copper overspun
C to F triple copper overspun
F-sharp to c5 triple steel
5 string sections:
AAA to F
F-sharp to g
g-sharp to c-sharp2
d2 to g3
g-sharp3 to c5DimensionsTotal length: 2790 mm (9'3")
Total width: 1610 mm (64")
Keyboard width: 2114 mm
Case height: 295 mm
Total piano height 990 mm
Three octave span: 491 mm
Natural head length: 47 mm
Natural head width: 21 mm
Sharp head length: 94 mm
Vibrating string lengths:
AAA: 2036 mm
CC: 2016 mm
C: 1662 mm
c: 1373 mm
c1: 692 mm (27-1/4")
c2: 366 mm
c3: 194 mm
c4: 100 mm
c5: 53 mm
ProvenanceAcquired from Charles Jackson, Hopkinton, Massachusetts. According to Russell Grethe of Maine, who had redone the key tops at some point before 1980s, the instrument had belonged to Dana Hall School of Wellesley, MA, and also for 25-30 years to Harold Bauer, the concert pianist and Mason & Hamlin endorser who introduced the CC model during his 1900-1901 concert tour.Published ReferencesSheets, Arian. "Creating a Modern American Piano: Antecedents, Launch, and Reinvention of Mason & Hamlin's Piano Line Through 1905." M.M. thesis, University of South Dakota, 2026: iii, 127-128, 364.
Credit LinePurchase funds gift of Dr. Gary and Connie Grittner, 2023
Object number15722
On View
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