Books › Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937 › scan 140
Scan 140
Ayars, Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston (1937) — the Squier, Farley, Rettberg, Rockwell and Elias Howe matter, 1937
15 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 118. See the scan on archive.org.
1The American climate necessitated an iron frame to sustain the tension of the strings in order that the instrument could stand for some time without constant tuning. "For the successful introduction of the iron frame Jonas Chickering has been called the 'Father of the piano as we know it today.'" [address hidden] the iron frame made a sharp thin tone, it was not generally adopted outside of Boston until after 1855. 12 Then the extension of the compass to seven octaves made the resistance of the wood frame unequal to the tension of the strings.
3In 1843 the house patented a new "deflection of the strings" by which strength was added to the frame. 13 In 1845 Mr. Chickering invented the first practical method for over-stringing grand and square pianofortes. This principle was applied to Chickering uprights in 1849, giving them a great advantage over those of foreign make in resonance and in their ability to stay in tune. The invention of the circular scale for square pianofortes was another improvement of this company.
5Patents were granted in 1868 and 1869 for a combination truss frame and other improvements in the construction of uprights. In 1872 the double bearing agraffe was patented. Other inventions have been along the lines of new scales and improvement of the action.
7In 1901 the first "quarter grand" model, the smallest grand piano of modern construction, was introduced. It was perfected in 1904.
9M. Welte and Son of Freiburg, Germany, and Ludwig Hupfeld of Leipsic were the pioneers about 1904 in developing and marketing the modern reproducing pianoforte. The first American reproducing pianoforte, the invention of Charles Fuller Stoddard of the American Piano Company, was arrived at independently. 14 The instrument he perfected was introduced by this company under the trade name "Ampico." Chickering & Sons brought out the first Chickering with the Ampico in 1911. Any possible difficulty was avoided by an agreement with the Welte Company admitting the validity of their patent, and royalties were paid in exchange for
1111 American History and Encyclopedia of Music p. 320.
1212 American Cyclopaedia. Vol. XIII p. 492.
1313 Jonas Chickering and His Work p. 37, in Richard C. Parker's book.
1414 Encyclopaedia Britannica. Supplement to Edition XIII Vol. 2, Musical Instruments, Mechanical p. 1007.
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