Name/Title
PianoEntry/Object ID
67.1.4Description
Forte piano
London, England
ca.1795/1798
Mahogany with mahogany veneer
Enamel plate in center reads; New Patent on Additional Keys By Longman and Broderip, Musical Instrument Makers, No.26 Cheapside and No 13 Haymarket, London. Serial number 601 or 109
Forte Piano on Stand Retailed By Longman and Broderip. Mahogany and Mahogany Veneer, London, Hepplewhite Style Case, c.1795-1798. Rectangular Forte Piano with Closed Case with Inlaid Bands in Front and on Two Sides. Double Inlaid Bands on Top. Interior Keyboard with 5.5 Octaves and Satinwood Surround with Painted Floral Decoration and Lyre Frets. Enamel Plate in Cneter Reads ' New Patent on Additional Keys By Longman and Broderip, Musical Instrument Makers, No.26 Cheapside and No 13 Haymarket, London. Serial number 601 or 109
Description from John Watson:
Solid mahogany case with string banding on simple French frame stand. Keywell decoration: lyre fretwork at each end of nameboard with white porcelain oval nameplate surrounded by painted floral wreath. The piano once had a dust cover that protected the strings and action while the lid was open; the supports for it remain intact. Top ten hammer pass through a slot in the soundboard. Delicate fretwork backed with cloth occupies the triangular space to the right of the pinblock. Note shape of end of bass bridge (see file for drawing). Octave span: 16.1; Compass: (note any non-chromatic tuning): FF - c ""; 5 1/2 octaves.
Keyboard decoration: standard with molded wood fronts.
According to John Watson, Longman and Broderip were not actually makers but dealers. It is not determined who actually made the piano.
See file for earlier correspondence regarding Longman and Broderip
Longman and Broderip went out of business in 1798 and became Longman and Clemente'.Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation CollectionAcquisition
Accession
67.1.4Source or Donor
Alida Harper FowlkesAcquisition Method
PurchasedInscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
Maker's Mark: Longman & Broderip - serial no. 109 or 601 (stamped on top of left case block)Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
PianoNomenclature Primary Object Term
Instrument, KeyboardNomenclature Sub-Class
Musical InstrumentsNomenclature Class
Musical T&ENomenclature Category
Category 06: Tools & Equipment for CommunicationDimensions
Height
22-5/16 inWidth
61-1/4 inDepth
8-5/8 inDimension Notes
[height]33" __[length] __[width]61" __[depth]22.5" __[diameter] __[size] __[other]Location
Location
Room
203Building
Nathaniel Russell HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Room
203Building
Nathaniel Russell HouseCategory
PermanentMoved By
SJDate
July 28, 2004Moved By
June HawkinsDate
June 25, 1998Notes
Until: / /Condition
Overall Condition
FairNotes
If Any Work Is Done Conserved, Do Not Restore Due To Survival of Original MaterialsOverall Condition
FairNotes
Fading on side of piano closest to windows. Few cracks on keys but otherwise good. Cracks on base. Need to monitor.Overall Condition
GoodNotes
Present condition: Not playable. The piano has never been restored and retains all of its origianl parts except the dust cover and stop mechanism.The finish and veneer are very good as are major case joints and structural deformity (less than 2mm). Moldings, stand and music desk are also in excellent condition. There is come evidence of worm damage in the bottom. The wrest plank is pulled loose as is the bridge. Hitch pins and rail and movement of the pin block has a few cracks. Grain direction is at 45 degrees to the spine (somewhat unusual). The stop mechanism including pedal and tracker is missing. The fretwork to the right of the pinblock is wavy and partly missing (?).
Musical specifications: Double strung throughout (bottom 9 unisons are wound.) English Single action with Geib type dampers. There is evidence of a pedal (now missing.) A 1/2" veritcal hole passes from the bottom through the left case block; use unknown. It was probably part of the stop mechanism, could it have possible raised the dust cover (dubious benefit!)?Conservation
Treatment
Conservator
Renee LaHue MarshallTreatment
Conservator
John R. WatsonRelationships
Related Entries
Notes
No 289 is dated 1785 (?) [date is partially obscured]
No 361 is signed "John Geib Fecit 1785" under the soundboard
No 1049 is dated 23rd Aug 1787
This implies of course that number 607 was built between 1785 and August of 1787. This particular company farmed out some of their work to subsidiary companies, so it is not clear to me yet where this particular instrument was built. I do know that the nameboards were built by a separate company, which also made the nameboard for my Clementi square, serial 2177, built in 1801. (Max Sobel MD to Curator Brandy S. Culp, November 30, 2011, Object File).Related Publications
Notes
"Sixty Famous Houses of Charleston, South Carolina" by William A. Jordan, 8th edition, 1982.
Cover, "Charleston Style" by Susan Sully, 2000.General Notes
Note
Notes: Examined By John Watson, Musical Instruments Conservator For Colonial Williamsburg in 1996. Despite New Patent Label, It Was Out of Date As Soon As Built. As It Was Easier To Buy a New One, the Forte Piano Has Never Been Restored and Is More Valuable As It Retains Many of Its Original Textiles As a Surviving Record of Materials Rather Than a Restored Instrument.
Researcher by the name of Tom Strange briefly examined the piano-forte on October 26, 2004. He has recently restored a slightly later pianoforte made by Longman and Clemente. He is working on a guide to the instruments and inquired about the serial number, which he read as 601.
Status: OK
Location Details1: 1Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
February 27, 1998Updated By
sferguson@historiccharleston.orgUpdate Date
May 24, 2023