i-i \ 



. Babeocks A Applet on h.id U i. .In!. ii 



Mackay was associated lor a lew years with Alphcus 

 Babcock In |s.;n .Mackay formed a partnership with 

 Jonas Chick e ring, which he-led until his death in 1*41. 

 ('bickering hail .-' uted in business tiir himself in IS'Ji!. 

 He soon began introducing tin- bnpravenMOti which 

 have made hix name famous, and the rapid perfection 

 ut' the American piano is in a largo measure due to 

 him. Alpheus Babcock, of Boston, who afterward, 

 and until his death, was foreman of the Chickering 

 factory, had. in 1S25, patented a cast-iron frame for 

 square pianos. In 1833 Conrad Mcver. of Philadel- 

 phia, also exhibited a piano with a full east-iron frame. 

 Babeock's plan of construction was greatly implored 

 and modified by Chickering, who, in_ 1837. made his 

 first square piano with a complete iron frame, and 

 three years later the first grand piano ever made with 

 a full iron frame. About 1843 he took out a patent on 

 an invention of great importance. This was the intro- 

 duction of a cast-iron flange on the top of the plate 

 covering the head-block, wnich flange was drilled for 

 each string to pass through. This gave the strings a 

 firm tendency upwards, and served at the same time a* 

 a transverse strengthening-bar. When grand pianos 

 of this construction were sent to the International 

 Exhibition of ls.51, in London, they attracted consid- 

 erable attention, and were awarded a prize medal. In 

 I.vVi this method of construction was superseded by 

 the "agraffe" system now in use. According to this 

 a solid iron flange is cast on the under side ut' thy iron 

 frame, into which the "agraffes" are screwed. In 

 1845 Chickering invented and first used the circular 

 scale for square pianos. The improvements mentioned 

 are only the most important of those introduced by 

 him. After his death, in 1 853. the business was carried 

 on by his sons, under the old firm-name. Chickering & 

 Sons. They have a large branch house in New York, 

 in the same building with the well-known " Chickeriug 

 Hall." The number of pianos that have come from 

 their factory is about 75,000. The originator of the 

 .1 of "overetringing," which Chickering did not 

 adopt until 1853, is, it seems, not known. It has been 

 claimed, however, that the first piano on this plan 

 made in America came from the factory of John B. 

 Dunham. 



Among Chickering's competitors in Boston were 

 Lemuel and Timothy Gilbert, and about this time a 

 number of piano-makers were beginning to work in 

 Albany. Among the first were Boardman A; ( !ray and 



.l.iiu. - A . I Ire. i -Mi .MI Later came Meeeham A I' 1. 



John Osborne, and others. Grovestcen went to New 

 York in 1843, and retired from business in ISM;. The 

 prominent firms in New York at this time were R. & 

 W. Nunns, who enjoyed an excellent reputation ; Stod- 

 dart. Worcester & Dunham; Firth, I'ond X Co., later 

 Firth, Hall & Pond (the same I'ond who was associated 

 with Meeeham in Albany) ; Bacon & Haven 

 lished about 1840); William II. <iieb A Co.; Linden A 

 Fritz, and Lindcuian A Sons (established ls.".u). 1 lenry 

 HazleUm was an apprentice with Dubois & Stoddart in 

 1831. He and his brother were for a time with Bacon 

 & Raven, but began business soon alter that firm was 

 established. When, some time before is-ln, William 

 Nunns left R. & W. Nunns. Charles S Fischer entered 

 the firm, which changed its name to Nnnns A Fischer. 

 Later, he and his brother, John W. Fi.-eli. i 

 conilucting business together, under the name of JT & 

 her, by which the firm is still known. Frank 

 and Napoleon J. Haincs were apprenticed in 1839 to 

 the N. i . Pianoforte Manufacturing Company, and, 

 in 1851, started in for themselves. One of our earlier 

 .nn-ieians, William B. Bradbury, also began to uianu- 

 fiirt u re pianos in 1854, in partnership with his brut her. 

 K. O. Bradbury. 



A house that has played a prominent part in the 

 growth and development of piano-making in this 

 country is that of Stcinway & Sons. Henry Kngclhard 

 8l<nnway (originally Stcinweg), the founder of the firm. 



'".in in Ciermany in 1707. He w.i- originally an 

 .n builder, but MI in ,kiiu pianos on a 



II scale, exhibili In 1850 



he came with his family to New York, where, three 

 years later. 1 ihe house which bears his 



name The bus: .-ed very rapidly, and, after 



repeated removals, the firm finally settled in its present 

 quarters, in ISi 1 ,;;. Three years later the well-known 

 c-onci -it room. "Steinway Hall," in the same building, 

 was opened to the public. Iii 1S75 a branch house 

 was opened in l/ondmi. Kngland, and in 1880 another 

 in Hainbut:' ' liarlcs and Henry, two of 



the sons, died in 1865, and the father in 1871. The 

 business is now carried on by William Steinway, C. F. 

 Theodore Steinway, and some younger members of the 

 family. The firm has patented a number of inven- 

 .iinong which the overstrung scale (1859); an 

 a untie arrangement for square and grand pianos (1859) ; 

 the duplex MUe (1872) ; and the tnne-suMuining pedals 

 (|s71-7">). Their instruments take high rank, and 

 have gained honors whenever exhibited, notably at 

 London in lsr,2 and lss.1. and in Paris in 1867. 



In 1833 William Knalie (1803-64) came to this 

 country, and began to work in Baltimore, first under 

 Hartge. and later alone. I !< and II. Gaehle went into 

 partnership in 1839, under the name of Knabe & 

 Gaehlc, and when (iaehle died in ls.\ r > Knabe con- 

 tinued the business, under the name of William Knabe 

 & Co. This name it still bears, his sons, William and 

 Krnest, and his son-in-law, Charles Keidel, constitut- 

 ing the present firm. The house manufactures a first- 

 class piano, and its instruments are much in demand. 



Another well known house is that of Weber, also 

 founded by a Herman. Albert Weber came to the 

 United States in 1845, settling in New York. Seven 

 years later he started in business for himself, but it 

 was not until about 1871 that the business began to 

 assume the large proportions to which it subsequently 

 grew. When \\Yber died in |S7'.i he was succeeded 

 by his son. Albert Weber, Jr.. who, the following year 

 opened a branch house in Chicago. The house of 

 George Steck A Co., of New York, was established in 

 1857 Dy George Steck. the senior partner. Among 

 the improvements which Mr. Steck has introduced is 

 one patented in 1870 in the frame of upright pianos 

 His instruments are favorably known, both in this 

 country and Kurope. One of the younger firms is that 

 of Sohmer A Co.. founded in l^Tli by Hugo Sohmer 

 and Joseph Kudor. They also have introduced sev- 

 eral improvements in construction, among which the 

 improvement of the "Allicol " system, by which they 

 place the auxiliary tone-re enforcing string above the 

 other three, and arrange all the tuniiig-pinson one side. 

 They have patented also an improved agraffe-bar for 

 the upper three octaves of squares and grands (lll). 

 a pianissimo pedal (1887), and an action in upright 

 jiianos tor obtaining quick and certain repetition (1882). 

 The firm gives much attention to upright pianos, in 

 which it c\ 



The firm of Decker Brothers, of New York, cstab- 

 jished by the brother.-. David and John Jacob Decker, 

 in 1862, has also introduced several notable improve- 

 ments, and is still adding to its reputation. Myron A. 

 Decker (not related to the members of the preceding 

 firm) bcuan biis.ine.-s in Albany in 1856, and four years 

 later came i ;k. Here he worked for seven- 



teen years, sometimes alone, sometimes in partnership 

 with others, until, in 1S7S. he and his son formed the 

 present tirm of Decker A Son. ( )t her firms of j. 

 or less repute at tin present day are Kroegcr & Sons 

 (Henry Kroegere;u ne in New York in is. ">.">. and was 

 superintendent under the Steinways for 24 years) ; 

 Krnest (lal.ler A Bro. (established 1854); Kranich A 

 Bach; Ca!cnb.-r- A \ :iupel (established IS.'i^: Kra- 

 kaucr Bros. ; Mathushck Piano Manufacturing Com- 

 pany ; Vnse A Sons (established 1851); F. Brantigam; 

 F. Schulcr ; Behning ; and Behr Bros. & Co. (founded 

 in 1^1), all of New York. The Henry F. Miller & 



