Grand piano
Maker
Schiedmayer & Söhne
Date1860
Place MadeStuttgart, Germany, Europe
ModelSemi-concert grand
Serial No.5778
SignedInlaid in brass on nameboard, left side: PRIZE MEDAL 1851 / LONDON.
Inlaid in brass on nameboard, left side: SCHIEDMAYER & SOEHNE / Stuttgart.
Inlaid in brass on nameboard, right side: MEDIALLE 1er [er] in superscript CLASSE 1855 / PARIS.
Stenciled in black paint on soundboard toward keyboard: Schiedmayer & Söhne / in / STUTTGART.MarkingsStamped into inside of case rim above treble side of pinblock: 05335
Stamped in black ink on inside of rim on bass side just behind hammer gap: 5778
Written in black in on lowest (AAA key) bass side, upside down: J F Hillier. Scrape Polish 13 new Heads put in thorough repair
Written in pencil on treble side of e key: Hillier 13 New Heads
Written in pencil upside down on bass side of action frame and on some repaired hammer butts: Hillier
Stamped on front, bass side of hammer rail: G. J. 8
Written in pencil on inside of case below action spring: [illegible] K
Natural keys numbered on pencil on treble side
Note names written in pencil on damper head surface below glue joint with top portion of head
Written in pencil on underside of pinblock: 8DescriptionMaterials: burled walnut veneer on case, with bird's-eye maple on inside of rimDecoration: Carved walnut cheeks; cast iron decorative elements above legs and on pedal lyre; decorative brass inlay bordering nameboard
compass: AAA-a4 (7 octaves); 2 pedals: una corda, dampers
Construction:
Case veneered in burled walnut, with bird's eye maple inside rim
Spine rim constructed of three horizonal pieces, the outer two of oak (interspersed with a thin vertical piece of oak), and inner horizontal piece of pine; bentside of three pieces of oak interspersed with two thinner pieces of oak with grain running perpendicular
Tail of pine with oak piece on inside
Five beams running parallel to spine, starting from bass side, with three additional beams in treble running slightly obliquely;
The lowest two beams are constructed of two pieces of pine laminated; the middle three with pine on bass side and oak on treble; the first diagonal beam of single piece of pine and second and third two diagonal beams single pieces of oak; three diagonal pine beams bracing from spine to bent side in tail, through which beams parallel to spine pass
Cutoff bar of beech
Sound board grain runs perpendicular to spine
Ribs run parallel to spine, each placed between one of the longitudinal beams
The soundboard has an area in the treble that is recessed from the rim, as in Broadwood pianos of the period, to allow the treble section to vibrate freely of the rim
Steel tuning pins, drilled for strings
Two bridges: strings from AAA - D on bass bridge; strings from Eb-a4 on treble bridge
Nut divided at D / Eb, where junction between triple overspun and triple plain wire occurs
Composite cast iron frame
Struts between E / F; e / f; e1 / f1; e2 / f2; e3 / f3
Instead of agraffes, the piano has two drilled brass ledges, the bass one set into pinblock and the treble one screwed to front of pinblock and cut and set into pinblock at f#2
There is a brass plate set over an iron L-bracket affixed to the stretcher, such that the pins pass through approximately 1 cm of metal before entering the beech pinblock
In essence, due to an additional iron piece at the treble side of the case joining the composite frame with the L-bracket, the piano has a full frame
Three octagonal legs with casters
Music desk with decorative cutwork rosewood panels
Action:
English grand action
Dampers:
Compass AAA-a4
Damper heads are maple, comprised of two pieces glued together
Keyboard:
Naturals covered with ivory with bone fronts
Ebony sharps
Stringing:
AAA-FF single copper overspun strings; FF# - GG# double iron-overspun strings; AA - D triple iron-overspun strings; D# - a4 triple plain steel strings
DimensionsLength: 2266 mm; 89-1/4"; 7'-5"
Width: 1365 mm
Overall height: 908 mm
Height of case: 326 mm
Spine thickness: 30 mm
Bentside thickness: 27 mm
Cheek thickness (treble): 32 mm
Cheek thickness (at wrestplank): 53-55 mm
Three octave measure: 489 mm
Length of heads: 46 mm
Width of heads: 23 mm
ProvenanceThis piano was originally shipped new to Henriette Reichmann (1819-1868), a close friend of the Schumanns and companion to Clara Schumann in her early tours. Robert Schumann dedicated his Ballszenen Op. 109 to Reichmann in 1851.
Reichmann, a virtuoso pianist in her own right, eventually settled in Hull, England in 1849 to teach piano and singing. Though Broadwood was the dominant piano maker in England at the time, Reichmann chose to order a fine Schiedmayer semi-concert-grand piano from her hometown, Stuttgart, rather than purchase a Broadwood. However, the Schiedmayer shows some dialog with Broadwood pianos in its English grand action. It also features a drilled ledge through which the strings pass instead of a nut with agraffes. This feature can be found in the NMM's 1855 Broadwood grand in the treble only, and may derive from the cast drilled ledge described in Chickering's 1843 patent for a full cast iron frame. The piano also has high treble area of the soundboard cut away from and free of the rim, to enhance its ability to vibrate, which was also done on Broadwoods of the period. Finally, it has a composite full cast iron frame, and the tuning pins pass through around 1 cm of metal before entering the pinblock. This would help them resist the forward pull of the pinblock. Broadwood patented a similar feature in 1862 with pins that were threaded into the frame, though the Schiedmayer does not have any threading. It is unknown if there is any relationship in the designs.
German grand pianos from the mid-19th century are exceedingly rare, and this instrument offers a glimpse into the high quality and international influences present in a high quality instrument from the period. By the end of the 19th century, German piano production had drastically increased, and even began to overshadow Broadwood pianos in their native England.
The piano was acquired by the donors from an auction in Grand Prairie, Texas. It was transported in a container in 1997, presumably from the UK.
Credit LineGift of Rhonda Rathje & Bertram W. Bogue, Jr., 2024
Object number15783
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