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Welcome to ‘Friends of Square Pianos’
To get in touch for any reason, or just to say 'Hello', please email David on friends.sp@btinternet.com
Update 20th January 2012
A Netherlands Special!
First of all, we are delighted to announce the appointment of our own
Dr Olaf van Hees as Conservator of Square Pianos at the splendid
Geelvinck-Hinlopen Museum in Amsterdam. This living museum is
situated on the Heerengracht, the most prestigious of the City's canals.
The museum has recently become the new home for the Sweelinck
Collection of about 80 keyboard instruments, the majority of which are
squares. Enough to keep Olaf busy! We hope to feature more
about the Museum and the instruments soon, but in the meantime please
have a look at the website www.geelvinck.nl
The Museum was one of those open for Amsterdam's Museum Night, on 5th November last year. These pictures above capture something of the atmosphere. Olaf writes:
"The Geelvinck Museum with their square piano collection had a very nice theme: Jane Austen. Dancers of the Dutch Jane Austen Society performed the well known Regency dances, and the visitors were invited to participate. Olaf van Hees, bass and Dutch Friend, and Dalyn Cook, student fortepiano at the Royal Conservatorium, performed the Scottish Songs by Haydn, the absolutely craze in the era of Jane Austen. The duo had to perform it seven times! Beside some square pianos, also a Zahler 1805 fortepiano was played, hailed by connoisseurs as the Bugatti among the fortepianos."
***********************The Museum was one of those open for Amsterdam's Museum Night, on 5th November last year. These pictures above capture something of the atmosphere. Olaf writes:
"The Geelvinck Museum with their square piano collection had a very nice theme: Jane Austen. Dancers of the Dutch Jane Austen Society performed the well known Regency dances, and the visitors were invited to participate. Olaf van Hees, bass and Dutch Friend, and Dalyn Cook, student fortepiano at the Royal Conservatorium, performed the Scottish Songs by Haydn, the absolutely craze in the era of Jane Austen. The duo had to perform it seven times! Beside some square pianos, also a Zahler 1805 fortepiano was played, hailed by connoisseurs as the Bugatti among the fortepianos."
News also of another concert:
The Domenica quartet will give a performance of Mozart: Pianokwartet in g KV478 , Haydn: Pianotrio No 25 e-moll and J.C.F. Bach: sonate .
The Broadwood square is a 1822 5 1/2 octave, restored by Olaf van Hees.
The concert venue is The Laer Estate and Manor, Het Laer 2 Ommen, in the Netherlands.
The
performers are Christina Edelen, square pianoforte, Fred Edelen,
violoncello, Tony Rous violin and Suzan Rous, viola. Sunday the 29th of
January at 14.30.
Friends Concert In The Hague
Wednesday 8th February
Broadwood c.1829
Christina Edelen Tony Boutte
Olaf van Hees has arranged another in his series of 'House Concerts'.
It really is good to see our pianos being used for their proper purpose,
in this case a performance of Schubert's "Die Schöne Müllerin".
Please support this event if you possibly can - details are on our Events Page .
There's no doubt about it - it's all happening in The Netherlands!
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More Music in the Air...
I don't think that's actually Jane Austen, but the picture was taken in Chawton Parish Church. The piano is a Southwell...
Please see the Bookshelf & Recordings page, for details of a very special new CD.
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Friends Special
We all need tuning hammers, and it is much more enjoyable to use one
that is attractive, and a good fit for the pins on our pianos. I
am now able to offer a range of Friends Specials, to order. The
two at the left have machined shanks, with a slot 4mm x 6.5. This
fits the pins of most square pianos from the earlier part of the
nineteenth century, including most Broadwoods and Clementis. The
two on the right are fabricated, and have custom-made tapered slots up
to a maximum of
6mm x 4 for earlier pianos. The one with the tulipwood handle was made for the 4' pins of my harpsichord, but is also right for a 1777 Kirckman with 4.2mm diameter pins. Handles are available in rosewood, tulipwood, kingwood, ebony, satinwood, or purpleheart. It's best if you can send a pin to be matched, but we will be able to cope if we know the diameter of the pins, and the dimensions of the oblong head. These are available in limited numbers in return for a donation of £30 (plus postage) to my branch of Cats Protection www.cats.org.uk/wellingborough - all materials and labour are freely given. Please contact David on friends.sp@btinternet.com
6mm x 4 for earlier pianos. The one with the tulipwood handle was made for the 4' pins of my harpsichord, but is also right for a 1777 Kirckman with 4.2mm diameter pins. Handles are available in rosewood, tulipwood, kingwood, ebony, satinwood, or purpleheart. It's best if you can send a pin to be matched, but we will be able to cope if we know the diameter of the pins, and the dimensions of the oblong head. These are available in limited numbers in return for a donation of £30 (plus postage) to my branch of Cats Protection www.cats.org.uk/wellingborough - all materials and labour are freely given. Please contact David on friends.sp@btinternet.com
*********************
Our Companion Website -
www.squarepianotech.com
This companion website is hosted by our very good Friend, Tom Strange,
in the USA.
This website has been running for a while now, and more articles are being added to this valuable resource. Please visit! The intention is that this will be a focus for the more technical and permanent aspects of square piano ownership, maintenance, and restoration. Some of the Restoration Reports that have featured on this site in the past will be permanently available, as will chapters about soundboards, hammers, and just about everything else. Of course, this will take time to build up, but it will gradually become a unique resource, and a permanent record of technical data and advice.
In the meantime, the 'Friends' website will continue to feature gossip, rumour and scandal - and possibly the odd piano for sale!
This website has been running for a while now, and more articles are being added to this valuable resource. Please visit! The intention is that this will be a focus for the more technical and permanent aspects of square piano ownership, maintenance, and restoration. Some of the Restoration Reports that have featured on this site in the past will be permanently available, as will chapters about soundboards, hammers, and just about everything else. Of course, this will take time to build up, but it will gradually become a unique resource, and a permanent record of technical data and advice.
In the meantime, the 'Friends' website will continue to feature gossip, rumour and scandal - and possibly the odd piano for sale!
******************************
Our 'For Sale' Page
We seem to do quite well at selling interesting pianos for reasonable prices. As a rough guide, a piano should sell if the price asked is somewhere around the probable hammer-price at auction.
Please
remember
that all deals are between you and the buyer - I accept no
responsibility for either party. But having said that, there
have been no problems so far.
There are no charges for listing, but if anyone (seller or buyer) wishes to make a gesture, donations to my favourite charity are always welcome. Please see the 'Donate' button on the website :
www.cats.org.uk/wellingborough There are no charges for listing, but if anyone (seller or buyer) wishes to make a gesture, donations to my favourite charity are always welcome. Please see the 'Donate' button on the website :
This takes you to a secure website. If you are a UK taxpayer,
Cats Protection can reclaim tax paid through the Gift Aid system.
*****************************************
FRIENDS OF SQUARE PIANOS
is a sort of on-line club for owners, potential owners, and friends of -
Square Pianos!
We are also happy to welcome owners of very old grand pianos – say before about 1837 – as they do not seem to have a website of their own. We hope that you will find something of interest, and also feel free to contribute – please e-mail any questions or contributions to David at friends.sp@btinternet.com
Our aim is to encourage ownership and enjoyment of these historic instruments, and to help owners to keep them in playing condition. There is a special pleasure in playing (and hearing) music played on the instruments for which it was composed.
The picture above is my Ganer of about 1795, after extensive reconstruction of the stand, but before restoration. Please see 'Restoration Diaries' .
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About the 'Webmaster' (David Hackett of Chelveston)
My only claim to respectability is that Carl Dolmetsch once offered to take me on as an apprentice. This was in 1962, when I had just shown him my first clavichord, and been his guest at Haslemere. However, he also advised me that it would be better to go to University, and I accepted his advice. Early Keyboard Instruments have therefore remained a hobby, and since accepting early retirement, I am able to spend a bit more time enjoying them - and encouraging others, I hope..
My real work now is with cats, though - I am a volunteer with my local branch of
Cats Protection.
www.cats.org.uk/wellingborough
Please note that this Paypal link shows my email address as E621@hotmail.com.
This is correct, and is the email by which I am known to Paypal.