Mechanically they are designed and built the same as the 19 th Century Square Grand Piano, but their shape and stringing pattern is very different. We have seen and restored at least one specimen that was built as late as 1890. What limited information we have about them suggests that they were marketed mostly in the mid-19 th Century era prior to the Civil War. The “Cocked Hat” Grand Piano is basically a Piano that was patterned after the shape and overall design of the Spinet.Cocked Hat Pianos are exceedingly rare, and their scarcity today suggests that very few of them were actually built. Today’s traditional Grand Piano was patterned after theHarpsichord, and the Square Grand Piano was patterned after the Clavichord. These early instruments were to be the first Square Grand Pianos, a design and style that would continue to evolve for almost 150 years. These early rectangular pianos quickly gained great popularity because they were smaller and more stylistically accepted in most European households. The strings in these instruments ran from left to right rather than front to back as they did in grand piano-fortes. In about 1760, makers began building small rectangular shaped Piano-Fortes based on the shape and size of the Clavichord. During the first part of the 18 th Century, Piano-Fortes continued to be patterned after the shape and size of the Harpsichord. In 18 th Century Europe, the Piano-Forte was becoming more and more popular, quickly gaining favor over earlier traditional instruments. Even after 300 years of evolution, one can still see the same basic design in the modern Piano and its Harpsichord ancestor. These early Pianos looked very much like the then traditional Harpsichord in shape and size, with their strings stretching from the front to the back of the instrument. This invention was called the Piano-Forte, meaning “soft and loud”. The ability to add dynamic capability was very important in the evolution of music at that time.Ībout 300 years ago, an Italian Harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori came up with an idea of crossing a Hammered Dulcimer with a keyboard similar to a Harpsichord. The harder the strings were struck, the louder the tone. Rather than having a keyboard, its strings were struck by hand held, leathered covered hammers which could produce both loud and soft tones at will. The Hammered Dulcimer was an instrument frequently used in early music when dynamic capability was desired. In addition to these instruments, there was also the Hammered Dulcimer. These early instruments had very little, if any, dynamic capability and they were not able to be played loudly or softly at will. Rather than having hammers that strike the strings as they do in a Piano, these early instruments got their sound from the strings being plucked by quills (Harpsichords & Spinets) or by being struck by a small metal tangent (Clavichord). During the 18 th and 19 th Centuries, more Square Grand Pianos were built and sold in America and Europe than any other type of pianos combined! Today, however, they are all but extinct.īefore the Piano, there was the Harpsichord, Clavichord, and the Spinet. Sometimes referred to by old-timers as a Box Grand, the Square Grand Piano is an earlier form of Piano that is built in a rectangular shaped cabinet, sitting on four legs, with its strings running left to right.
The History and Evolution of the Square Grand Piano Our crew consists of specialized Piano Technicians, Historians, Wood Workers, Artisans and Pianists that come together to offer this very specialized niche resource for the Square Grand Piano. The Antique Piano Shop was founded on the love and passion for historical Pianos. We have likely restored more Square Grand Pianos than anyone else in the industry! Our artisans and craftsmen actually manufacture these obscure parts “in house”, making Antique Piano Shop one of the only resources for proper square grand restoration in North America.
Since square grand pianos have been out of production for over 125 years, parts for these pianos have not been made available to the industry for decades. For years, our artisans have rebuilt Square Grand Pianos for clients all over the United States and Canada. Although the internet provides a significant amount of information regarding traditional Grand and Upright Pianos, there seems to be a substantial lack of credible information and resources regarding Square Grand Pianos. The Antique Piano Shop is one of the first and only shops of its kind that specializes in the restoration and preservation of the Square Grand Piano.
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