This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Rob, Thanks so much for sharing this with the list! That was an experience = that many of us would like to have sometime. Ray ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ray T. Bentley, RPT Registered Piano Tuner-Technician Alton, IL ray@bentley.net www.ray.bentley.net ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Robert Goodale=20 To: Pianotech=20 Sent: Saturday, February 22, 2003 1:03 PM Subject: Liberace & Las Vegas Chapter Hello all, Last night we had a most unusual chapter meeting. By special = arrangement via David Chadwick, RPT, we had our chapter meeting at the = Liberace Museum here in Las Vegas. During this after hours event the = barriers around the pianos were removed, and we as technicians were = given the opportunity to touch and to play these unique pianos. The Liberace Museum is home to many special instruments. Not only was = he an extravagant pianist-showman, but he was also a collector of rare = pianos. Here is a partial list of some of the pianos Liberace = collected: Rosewood Steinway Square, #6932 built 1863 Pretty rough shape with several broken dampers. The case appears = clean and in good shape. Typical massive decorative legs but no = spectacular carvings to speak of. Kuhn & Ridgeway Harp Piano (no serial number), estimated 1857. This is the vertical type with an exposed harp-like frame standing up. = Not playable but seemed to be in decent museum-quality shape for = display. No real damage that I noticed. Very nice case. Upright mirrored Nickelodeon, (no name or serial listed, says 1945 but = unlikely, probably 1920s.) Looks cool but nothing really spectacular here. Mostly valuable = simply because it was his. Covered in tiny mirror squares, this is = obviously an old pumper player that has had an "O" roll spool frame = added in the bottom and a glockenspiel added at the top. Documentation = suggests modifications made in the 1970s. Pleyel art case grand, #96421, estimated 1885. The entire case is decorated in original hand painted art work and is = in decent display condition. Very elegant Rococo gold leaf French = countryside motif. Apparently this piano was used in the 1945 movie "A = Song to Remember" about the life of Chopin. This piano inspired him in = using what would become his trade mark candelabra. Broadwood, London #103 estimated 1788. By far the most valuable in the collection. Certainly one of the = oldest and rarest in the United States. A very nice although relatively = simple case, but in relatively decent museum quality condition. The = case reflects the typical and unavoidable "cheek bend" syndrome found on = most pianos from this era caused by the tension warping the case. This = was one of the more special moments in our tour. The action was removed = and we were given to opportunity to study it first hand. The hammers = are very small and made entirely by layers of leather. The let off is = very simple with a soft back check. The piano was unplayable in it's = current condition. Bosendorfer #222, estimated 1830 Apparently this piano was owned by exiled Serbian Prince Michael = Obrenovic III in Vienna. Liszt, Schumann, and Brahms all reportedly = played this piano. The piano was eventually relocated to Serbia with = it's owner until his assassination in 1860. It was then given to his = Fiance'. Chickering #146409-661R, with Ampico reproducer player=20 Very little information was given about this one other than it being = owned by Liberace. The massive case is about as elaborate as it gets = with detailed carvings everywhere. The player appears to be a model A. = Rather than the typical three "double legs" as found on most player = grands, this piano has five independent heavily carved legs. Two at the = front, two on each side at the mid point, and one at the tail. One of = the most elegant player grands I have ever seen. Chickering #2956??, estimated 1920s, not specified with apparent = missing serial numbers. A very nice case, this piano was previously owned by George Gershwin = who apparently used it for much of his composing when he lived in New = York. Baldwin #SF216787, 1976 Reportedly one of Liberace's favorites, this piano is covered with = thousands of rhinestones made specifically to match his famous costumes = and his rhinestone covered car. He played this one extensively, and it = was used during his last performance along with his famous mirrored = piano before he died. The appearance is mind boggling in the way the = light reflects off of it in rainbow colors. During our visit we were = each given the opportunity to play this piano. Coquet #1262, estimated 1830 Built in Paris this is an early upright piano with brass and tortoise = shell inlaid into a very French style case. The piano features two = double brass candelabras at each side of the music rack. Not sure about = the history of this piano other than the fact that Liberace owned it. Steinway #95852, estimated 1900. From what I understand this was the only Steinway Liberace owned since = he was a Baldwin artist. It originally had a unique white finish which = Liberace later commissioned to have completely refinished in royal blue = and gold to match one of his famous costumes. There are carvings around = and on the lid depicting a musical motif. Liberace used this piano in a = show at the Las Vegas Hilton on a rotating stage and later became known = as the "Dancing Waters" piano after the song he used to play using it. Collard & Collard (No serial number, estimated 1850) A very elaborate upright piano, the type for which Collard & Collard = were well known. There are over fifty types of veneers used in the = cabinetry as well as brass. Not sure about the history of this one. Quante #1030, estimated about 1850. This upright piano was once located in an upper class saloon in San = Francisco. It was present during the famous 1906 earthquake during = which it suffered only a warped damage on the top of its lid. A block = is specially fitted on the left side of the keyboard for the pianist to = set his drink and a tip jar. Never seen this before. Baldwin #SD213557, 1976. This was his famous mirrored piano built specifically for Liberace. = There are actually two of these built. The other mirror piano is = located at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Those who attended the = Arlington PTG convention may recall seeing this at the Piano 300 = exhibit. Liberace played these extensively. It was used in his last = performance at Radio City Music Hall in 1986. Only Liberace could get = away with playing a piano like this in public!! Butterfly Miniature, (no serial), estimated 1930 A favorite novelty miniature grand piano, these are favorite = collectibles. I recall mention that several piano techs have one of = these. No history was given on this piano. Pianette, (no serial number), date stamped on soundboard indicates = 1930 This is a most unusual miniature grand. I have never seen one of = these. It is Japanese with "Nippon Gakki" on the fall board. It has a = 3/4 plate, badly out of tune and regulation, so I was unable to = determine it's potential. The keyboard is about ten inches higher than = the rest of the piano, I am assuming there must be some kind of drop = sticker arrangement from the keys to the action. Barrel Piano, (no maker indicated, obviously Italian. Estimated 1900 = but I suspect earlier, perhaps 1880s) Typical barrel piano arrangement for mounting on a cart and a hand = crank on the right side. No indication what type of barrel or how many = tunes in it. There are screens bearing art work one the front. = Obviously not the original screens, it looks like someone scanned some = pictures and then printed them on a computer printer using iron-on paper = and then applied it to new material. A pretty good idea when you think = about it except they did a pretty poor job of it. The instruments = receive minimal preservation attention mostly by David Chadwick, RPT. = The mirror and the rhinestone pianos receive more attention since they = are still played on special occasions. Brian Paco Alvares, the museum's = curator, was an excellent host and spent a lot of time with us. Chapter = members as a group had a photo session with the rhinestone piano. There are many other pianos that Liberace owned throughout his life. = A few are on loan in other collections, some are in private collections. = The mirrored piano in the Smithsonian is owned by Baldwin AKA Gibbon. = There are a substantial number pianos and artifacts that have been lost = over the years for a variety of reasons. The museum is now in process = of seeking out these lost items in an effort to reassemble the entire = collection. If you are aware of any pianos that were once owned by = Liberace please let me know and I will pass on the details to the museum = so that they can investigate. You can visit the Liberace web sight at: http://www.flatwaremedia.com/liberace/index.cfm Rob Goodale, RPT Chapter President Las Vegas, NV ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/19/8c/e5/96/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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