Westchester County

Pianos | New & Restored Pianos

 All Hartsdale Listings10530, southwestern, hamlet of hartsdale, history, historical information, about hartsdale, things to do, around hartsdale, activities, attractions, places to go, golf course in hartsdale, parks around greenburgh, time to eat, restaurants in hartsdale

 Hartsdale Pianos | New & Restored Pianos

Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos

914-285-9524
 
 All City of Peekskill Listings10566, history, american revolution, activities, underground railroad, art district, artist studios, galleries, peekskill art lofts, about peekskill, things to do, places to visit, activities, attractions, dining, restaurants, buying a home

 City of Peekskill Pianos | New & Restored Pianos

Ford Piano

914-739-1224
 
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 Valhalla Pianos | New & Restored Pianos

Westchester Piano Service, Registered Piano Technician, Piano Technician's Guild, high-end services in piano tuning, repair, regulation, restoration, evaluating/appraising | Westchester Westchester Piano Service

630-291-5654
  Ben Gac of Westchester Piano Service is a Registered Piano Technician and a member of the Piano Technician's Guild. A graduate of the critically acclaimed Chicago School for Piano Technology, Ben is pleased to offer experienced, knowledgeable, high-end services in piano tuning, repair, regulation, restoration, evaluating/appraising, and more for Westchester County, all of New York City, parts of Long Island, and western Connecticut. Westchester Piano Service | Westchester  more . . .
 All City of White Plains Listingscentral mid south southern southeast southeastern central mid whiteplains

 City of White Plains Pianos | New & Restored Pianos

Pianos, fully rebuilt, Vintage Era, Steinway, Mason & Hamlin pianos, new, Yamaha, Mason & Hamlin, Bechstein and Brodmann pianos, older Steinway and Mason & Hamlin pianos, restores, vintage pianos, best new and rebuilt pianos | Westchester Faust Harrison Pianos

914-288-4000
 

Faust Harrison Pianos is America's largest independent retailer of fully rebuilt Vintage Era Steinway and Mason & Hamlin pianos, and Westchester's only authorized dealer for new Yamaha, Mason & Hamlin, Bechstein and Brodmann pianos. Faust Harrison Pianos | Westchester  website and more . . .

White Plains Piano Company

914-761-7200
 
 All City of Yonkers Listingssouth southern southwest southwestern hudson river valley

 City of Yonkers Pianos | New & Restored Pianos

Cantabile Piano Arts Inc.

914-376-2000
 

Craftsman Piano

914-476-6704
 

 More Hudson Valley  Pianos | New & Restored Pianos


Pianos | New & Restored Pianos | Albany Albany County
      [2 listings over 2 locations]


Pianos | New & Restored Pianos | Dutchess Dutchess County
      [1 listing over 1 location]



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Westchester County



Buy a piano in Westchester, New York
Are you looking to buy a piano in Westchester County? Find piano sales on our list of New Pianos / Restored Pianos in Westchester, New York. Find a Steinway piano in Westchester, where you will see several companies that specialize in the sale and restoration of Steinway pianos.

Buy a restored piano in Westchester County, New York
Are you looking to restore a piano? Find a piano dealer that specializes in piano restorations in Westchester. Do you want a rebuilt Steinway? Find a piano company that specializes in rebuilding Steinways or rebuilding vintage pianos. If you are looking for fully rebuilt Vintage Era Steinway and Mason & Hamlin pianos, see our list of New Pianos / Restored Pianos. If you are looking for vintage grand pianos that have been restored, see our list of piano dealers in Westchester. Do you want to buy an older Steinway or Mason & Hamlin piano? To find a company that specializes in new, restored, or rebuilt Steinway, Estonia, Mason & Hamlin, Bluthner, grand or upright piano, visit our list of rebuilt and restored pianos in Westchester, New York.

Piano dealers may specialize in the restoration of vintage pianos for Conservatories, Concert Halls, Universities specializing in music, or to the individual. Visit an experienced piano company to find the best new and rebuilt pianos. Ask if they have trained specialists to work on rebuilding and restoring a piano. Before purchasing a piano, be sure a trained piano specialist is available to tune your piano. Specialties in the field of pianos include: piano dealer, piano tuner, piano restorations, piano care. If you are moving and need to move a piano, be sure to select a mover specializing in moving pianos.

Westchester County offers excellent piano retailers where you can buy a new piano, buy a restored piano, or have a piano restored. Find piano retailers.

Find piano retailers specializing in piano sales in Westchester County.
Find piano stores that sell Steinways in Westchester.
Find piano restorers for Steinways.
Find piano dealers of acoustic pianos such as Yamaha.

Search for a Piano Store
Are you looking for a new piano for sale? Are you interested in a used or restored piano for sale?Are you trying to locate a piano to buy in New York City or New York State? To buy a new piano, an old vintage piano, or a restored piano; search for a piano by entering: Pianos for Sale in Westchester New York, or Pianos for Sale followed by nearby town. For example, if you are looking for a piano in Yonkers NY, enter pianos for sale in Yonkers New York, or pianos for sale in White Plains New York, or pianos for sale in Southern Westchester. These searches will help you to find a list of piano retailers specializing in the sale or restoration of pianos.

History of the Piano
Cristofori's "gravicembalo col piano e forte" was designed after the pattern and usage of the harpsichord to meet the demands of the ever more technical keyboard literature. Many developments by many independent builders and design engineers since 1700 resulted in a wide variety of cabinet styles, tones, and touch characteristics. Many combinations were rejected through the years, so that the "modern piano" is the result of a natural selection of the most popular features to date, and is still changing.

The pianoforte did not attract much attention in the early 1700's. Builders simplified the action for ease of manufacture, eliminating the escapement and the check, the two features most essential to good control over dynamics and articulation. The pianoforte was simply grouped with other keyboard novelties of the day and few were made. In the 1760's and 1770's more significant advancements began to appear on the scene. For example, Johann Andreas Stein of Vienna included an escapement on his piano that pleased Mozart in 1777. Johann Christian Bach was the first to perform in public on the pianoforte in England. His promotion of the small, "square" pianos of Johannes Zumpe made them fashionable. By the late 1770's, hundreds of the Zumpe-style pianos were being made each year by various builders in England. It was a small, rectangular Instrument with a simple action without escapement or check. The sound was louder and brighter than a clavichord and more capable of musical expressiveness than a spinet (small harpsichords popular at that time).

By the late 1700's, John Broadwood and Company had made many improvements by taking a scientific approach to design. Broadwood's "grand" piano action had escapement and check.

His scale was engineered by a scientist for proper string length, composition, and striking point of the hammer. The large, harpsichord shaped case was sturdy, and concern was given to the balance of string tension. At that time, some manufacturers began to build various types of upright pianos. A number of devices for sustaining or altering the tone were added. Several dozen manufacturers In London were producing less than 40 pianos per year each by 1800. In contrast, Broadwood, with a factory employing 300 technicians, were producing 400 pianos per year.

Between 1791 and 1815, 135 keyboard instrument builders are listed in Vienna, and many changes were being made in the piano. Key color changed to white with black sharps, having previously been the reverse. Cases became heavier as longer, thicker, higher tension strings were used with large hammers. By 1820, the typical Viennese grand piano was nearly 2.5 meters long, with a range of 6 or 6 1/2 octaves, and had two to six pedals each activating some devise to alter the tone of the instrument.

Around 1800, iron bracing began to be used to strengthen the frame which allowed the use of heavier hammers on thicker, higher tension strings. Many types of hammer coverings were tried to replace the harsh toned leather covered style of early days. By the middle of the 19th Century, felt over wood became the norm for hammers. Improved actions were more complex for grands and included a sticker or stick reaching up from the end of the key to operate the upright pianos, which at that time were more like awkward, upended grands.

In the early 1800's a smaller upright "cottage piano" and a larger "square piano" were developed for the popular market. Large numbers of were sold in England and France to those who could not afford a satisfactory musical instrument but were enthused by the piano's charm and appeal.

America began receiving pianos in the 1770's. The first built was in 1775 by Johann Behrent in Philadelphia. The first American piano patent was applied for in 1796. The first U.S. born piano manufacturer was Jonas Chickering. He started his firm in 1823 and became successful and innovative in piano design. His full cast iron plate for the grand made possible more advances in string tension and a resultant big piano sound. Heinrich Steinweg immigrated to New York from Germany in 1853. The Steinway and Sons piano company that he developed made significant improvements in reliability and resilience.

In the 1860s, Steinway applied the new piano technology to the uprights, opening a new era of piano manufacture. Specialty houses began to supply standardized parts to manufacturers. Expensive, technical procedures were replaced by efficient assembly line techniques. Quality pianos could then be built by every size of manufacturing firm. Traditional European builders resisted these changes and American manufacturers, after the Steinway model, took the lead in world trade. Square grands consisted of 90% of the U.S. market in the 1860's, but were almost entirely replaced by grands and especially the uprights by the 189O's.

Most pianos built after 1900, and many of the pianos of the 1890's and 1880's reflect modern technology, style, and performance. They are similar to the modern piano of today in most respects. The piano may be classified into three chronological periods: 1700-1830 "Antique", 1850-1900 "Victorian", and 1900 to now "Modern". These demarcations generally are characterized by the style of cabinetry as well as the maturity of the action design and quality of the tone production of each period. That the piano has been popular can be exemplified by the fact that over 5000 different brands have been produced.

The 19th Century was also an age of innovation, trial, and error in piano design. Every style and combination imaginable was attempted, including building into the piano a harpsichord, an organ, or harmonium, disguising the piano as some other type of furniture, or installing innumerable devises to alter the tone. One Interesting experimental category is the "Sostente Pianos", referring to the attempt to make a sustained sound like the organ or the violin. Methods attempted include:


    Endless bows. A bow that revolves continually is pressed against the string on demand. A few of the many examples include: Clavecin-Vielle, Paris, 1708; Lyrichord, Plenius, 1741; Bogenhammerklavier, Grenier, 1779; Claviola, U.S.A., 1802; and many others through 1892.

    Compressed Air. After the hammer is struck, the string continues to vibrate by a jet of compressed air: Anemocorde, Paris, 1789, others through 1871.

    Transmitted Vibrations. An elastic body like music wire will vibrate if a rod connected to it is rubbed: Harmonichord, Dresden, 1809 (a rotating drum touching the strings); Coelison, Bohemia, 1821 (keys attached directly to the strings) and others.

    Quick and Repeated Movement of the Hammers. Included optional attachments that used a mechanical device to have the hammers, or smaller auxiliary hammers or strips of cloth or leather make repeated strokes against the string: Piano tremolopone, Paris, 1844; Melopiano, 1873 Armonipiano, France; and others.

    The Combination of Hammer Striking the String and Free Vibrating Reeds. Piano a prolongement; Piano Scande, Paris, 1853; Piano a sons soutenus, and others.

    Electronic Principle. Electrochord, Bohemia, Forster Co., 1932; Electronic Piano, Phillips Co, 1958 (no strings, no hammers, no sound board). Electronic instruments with piano like touch and tone have become very popular during the 1980's.


In the 1890's, the "reproducing pianos" started to gain popularity. The earliest type of player was a device that was pushed in front of the piano. While the operator pumped the foot treadles, the player mechanism played on the keys with wooden "fingers". In the early 1900's manufacturers began Installing player mechanisms inside the large upright and the grand pianos. By 1904, mechanisms and rolls were developed that more effectively reproduced the special nuances of the performer. One such, the Welte-Mignon (Germany) was available in 115 brands of pianos. Many famous artists made piano roll recordings, most of which are still available today. The popularity of reproducing pianos reached its peak in the early 1920's. After The Depression, sales never recovered due to alternatives to reproduced music that were less cumbersome and expensive, such as the gramophone and the radio. Player pianos are still manufactured today in many styles, both old fashioned and modern, large and small Some play the old style paper rolls, others use electronic media such as tape or disk.

In an effort to recover from the devastation of the Great Depression, manufacturers who remained created new styles to stimulate interest. Like the markets of the 18th Century, the mid-20th Century emphasis had to be on economy rather than quality and appearance rather than performance. In the 1930's and 1940's, this led to a large increase in the number of small pianos of varying styles such as the "baby grand" (small horizontal piano).

Article is credited to William White



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