Broadwood

[Richard Brekne]

Meyer Carl wrote:

> I remember a square Broadwood on the beach of New Zealand in the movie "The
> Piano".  The waves were breaking around the legs.  At that time I wasn't
> aware that squares were made in England or in Europe for that matter.  Great
> movie but very strange.
>
> Carl Meyer

Yes... even stranger was the sound of that piano... sounded like an 8 foot grand
or something. Holli-wood---- sheesh..

>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Clark" <caccola@net1plus.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2000 11:29 AM
> Subject: Re: Broadwood
>
> > Kristinn asks:
> >
> > > How many models are there?
> >
> > We answers: how many keys and pedals would you like?
> >
> >
> > > The Square Pianoforte
> > >
> > > The earliest recorded Broadwood sqaure was sent out of the workshop
> > > to 'Miss Pelham at Brighthelmstone' on 9 August 1770. This was the
> > > simple Zumpe pattern with the English single action and the
> > > 'over-damper', of five octaves FF to f^3. The case was veneered in
> > > Mahogany with fruitwood stringing, and measured 5 ft 2½ ins by 1 ft
> > > 9¼ ins.
> > >
> > > In 1783 John Broadwood took out an English patent (No. 1379) for
> > > eight developments in pianoforte manufacture. These concerned the
> > > action, the dampers, the arrangement of hammers, two or more
> > > soundboards, the soundboard with soundpost, the arrangement of wrest
> > > pins, the forte pedal and the sordino pedal. The last controlled a
> > > piece of wood hinged to the case, lying along the soundboard bridge.
> > >
> > > The first recorded sale of a piano with the brass under-damper is on
> > > 29 September 1783, when Miss Gibbs of Cork bought one for £21.
> > >
> > > The first mention of a pedal is in relation to a square which Mr
> > > Robert Buckley of Manchester ordered on 24 March 1786 for Mr Keynes
> > > of Deans Gate: 'It is to have a pedal the wire of which is to come
> > > through the cheek and not to have leather.' For the wire 'to come
> > > through the cheek' implies that the device was to be worked by a
> > > stop-knob beside the keyboard rather than a foot-pedal.
> > >
> > > Other customers demanded other old-fashioned controls. Thus as late
> > > as 26 May 1796 a Mr. Bartolozzi ordered 'a pianoforte ornd. without
> > > addl. keys with 2 pedals to act by the knee, one of them to raise the
> > > lid, the other the dampers.' Apedal 'to lift the lid' was similarly
> > > ordered by Lord Despencer in 1797.
> > >
> > > In 1784 John Broadwood introduced other patented innovations, for in
> > > that year he made No. 200 (now in the possession of C.F. Colt) with a
> > > double soundboard and soundpost in the style of a violin. Not many of
> > > these seem to have been made, and few survive. It is particularly
> > > interesting, therefore, that in the patent specification, this
> > > innovation is described as 'the most essential part of the said
> > > improvements on the said instrument'. The expansion of production is
> > > demonstrated by the fact that although pianos of this period were not
> > > numbered on the nameboard *consecutive numbering for squares, as for
> > > grands, was introduced in 1796), the Notebook on dating gives No. 409
> > > as having been made in 1785; this implies that in one year, the
> > > factory made as many square pianos as had been made in the previous
> > > fourteen years.
> > >
> > > The other datings given in the notebook are:
> > >
> > > 488 591 901 1266 2000
> > > 1785 1786 1788 1790 1793
> >
> > > The English double action was introduced into squares in the 1780s
> > > and offered as an optional alternative until the early years of the
> > > nineteenth century, when it superseded the single action.
> > >
> > > Broadwoods were offering 'additional keys' on the square from late
> > > in 1793, bringing the keyboard up to 5½ octaves (up to c^4 or 'CC in
> > > alt'). John Broadwood wrote to a correspondent in Charlestown on 13
> > > November 1793: 'We have just begun to make some of the small
> > > Pianofortes up to that compass.' (Harding credits this development to
> > > William Southwell of Dublin in 1794, but Cg8Kdwoods began earlier.)
> > >
> > > Cases were becoming more decorative from 1794; thus in October of that
> > > year Pascal Taskin bought four squares, 'one plain and three inlaid'.
> > > By 1790 Broadwood was supplying actions to be fitted into cases by
> > > furniture manufacturers: thus on 2 March 'Mr Chippendale for a P.F.
> > > to be put in a sideboard, £18 18s.'
> > >
> > > By 1814 most square pianos were 5½ octaves and the case had become
> > > more substantial (and larger: 5 ft 6 ins by 2 ft 1½ ins). The
> > > instrument had six legs, was sometimes decorated with brass mouldings
> > > and borders, had built-in drawers for music, and a forte pedal
> > > suspended from the case.
> > >
> > > The first metal hitch-pin plate was applied to a square piano by
> > > Samuel Hervé while working for Broadwoods in 1821, and this became
> > > general practice the following year. From the mid 1820s most squares
> > > were six octaves (FF to f^4) and measured 5 ft 7½ ins by 2 ft 2 ins.
> > >
> > > Production of the square ceased in 1866 at No. 64161.
> >
> > - Wainwright, David. "Broadwood by Appointment". London,
> >   Quiller Press. 1982. p.326-7

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway