The Chickering Concert Grand Project

Mission in Brief 

The purpose of this Chickering Concert Grand Piano Collection is to reintroduce musicians and music-loving audiences to a legendary performance piano that once ruled the American concert platform and indeed made its presence known internationally until eventually overshadowed by Steinway & Sons and the introduction of their sensational “Centennial-D” in 1876. Until that year, the Chickering was the uncontested leader at which point, beginning around 1876 and up to 1891, there came to be an epic and most fascinating battle for predominance with Chickering creating one beautiful concert scale after the next ranging from the “Scale-76” to the “Scale-105D” - a staggering 16 different concert grand pianos, each design with their unique concepts, in just that 15-year period before gradually slipping away into obscurity. Through the reintroduction of these sacred artifacts of American art and ingenuity, it is my hope that awareness and protection of the remaining body of Chickering full concert grands and semi-grand pianos will be protected and treasured and to which we might lend a fresh ear.

Quest for Chickering Concert Grand Pianos

I am in my quest for collecting and restoring a sample of every concert scale Chickering created in order that this sacred name in American piano-making can be once again heard on stage and in the recording studio and might, at the end of this, be better understood.  At the conclusion of this journey I wish to leave this entire body of instruments (whatever stage it might be) as a whole, unbroken work which can be studied and enjoyed by the musical arts community here in New York City. 

Amazingly, while Steinway & Sons produced just two modern, full-plate concert pianos, Chickering created at least 21 concert scales with full plates along with around 10 others with 3/4 plates.  My feeling is that the greatest explosion of scale-creating at Chickering occurred when Steinway & Sons introduced their magnificent "Centennial-D" in 1876, replete with full plate, Capo D' Astro Bar and Duplex scaling which, at that moment, redefined the treble aesthetic in the way of a complex, soaring and singing soprano section - and that Chickering's outpouring of one fascinating concert scale after another was their response, in an epic battle, to retain what had indisputably been, prior, their leading presence on the American concert platform.  While that never really happened for Chickering, they left, in their wake of heroic efforts, a precious body of musical treasures which ought to be revisited and preserved.

In addition being thankful for any leads on available pianos I do not have which might join this family, I most eagerly welcome all observations and photographs from those of you who have experienced these pianos.  Indeed, in addition to my own "hands-on" experiences with the pianos I have, it is through sharing with other Chickering admirers that I've accumulated the knowledge I presently have of which I am profoundly grateful.  The great thrill of this project is that this knowledge is constantly being revised as it is fine tuned. 

Currently, with the 19 Full Concert Grand Pianos, they cover thirteen concert scales - all most different from each other in the way of their lengths and scale natures.  The Concert "Full Grand" collection, to now, includes:

  • Concert-Pre-Scale-# the 1st,

  • Concert-Pre-Scale-# the 4th,

  • Scale-33B

  • Scale-76

  • Scale-77

  • Scale-92

  • Scale-95 

  • Scale-97B

  • Scale-105

  • Scale-105B

  • Scale-105D

  • Scale-131

  • Scale-141

Eight incorporate the Edwin Brown Action and six contain the "Swiss" action, as they labeled it - meaning the Erard-Herz system.

Chickering Concert Grand Pianos still needed to fold into this collection include Scales:

  • Concert Pre-Scale-#1

  • Scale-33

  • Scale-33D

  • Scale-33E

  • Scale-33BD

  • Scale-33F

  • Scale-73

  • Scale-74

  • Scale-75

  • Scale-80

  • Scale-86

  • Scale-89

  • Scale-96

  • Scale-97

  • Scale-97B

  • Scale-105A

  • Scale-105C

  • Scale-125 Concert

  • Scale-"139"* (*a mystery # between the 131 & 141, though temporarily calling this piano "139" because of its similarity to its smaller 7'7" Semi-Grand companion, the "Scale-138")

A Closer Look 

In American piano creating, the two most important makers, in terms of trailblazing achievements, advancements and instruments which were made with supreme care of the highest possible order were those, in order of their age, Chickering, established in 1823 and 30 years later, Steinway & Sons, established in 1853. 

Both were equally “American” stories; Jonas Chickering, the native-grown boy from rural New Hampshire migrating to Boston with his skills, and Heinrich Steinweg, the German immigrant making his way through Ellis Island, settling in New York City. He worked his way through the piano scene before establishing Steinway & Sons in March of 1853.   

From 1823 up to 1875, the Chickering reigned supreme on the concert platform, even after Steinway had been making pianos for 22 years. Then, in 1876, Steinway & Sons came out with their revolutionary concert grand piano, their “Centennial-D” model, called so for the great Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia which was commemorating the 100th anniversary of this nation’s birth. This piano possessed Steinway’s newly-designed full plate and Capo D’Astro which incorporated their patented Duplex Scale. This presented the world with a new tonal aesthetic; an extroverted treble that was bold and complex, soaring and singing -  a methodology that still remains in place today. 

My first Chickering grand piano experience actually began in my hometown of Sherman, Connecticut, where, as a teenager, I tuned and cared for a piano that was about 6’8”, a model which I now believe might have been a “Scale-46”, a smaller grand - though, at the time, I thought it was quite large. It was an instrument created with a ¾ plate type and over-stringing and one which contained an Edwin Brown Action, though, at this time, this meant nothing to me, for all grands were a new type for me back then. I was dazzled with its Rosewood aroma, yellow ivoried keys, and all-original condition. Eventually, I would come to own that piano for some years. It wound up being traded to Kalman Dietrich for the refinishing of two upright pianos I had. He restored and sold it but, sadly, later informed me of its subsequent fiery demise in the home it came to live in, located in upstate NY, with that home burning to the ground.

However, my truer appreciation of Chickering would come a few years later. Indeed, my current Chickering Concert Grand odyssey was triggered by an incredible experience with an Edwin Brown action back in the mid-1980s. This occurred here in New York City at the “Museum of the American Piano”, then located on West 58th Street, in the same building as Dietrich Pianos and started by Kalman Detrich. I would volunteer to tune the collection as I could. 

One day, there was a newly-acquired “Scale-98” (I believe) Semi Grand, at 7’9”, which appeared completely original, strings, finish and all. After tuning, I decided to take another try at an Etude I was working on which was proving utterly hopeless for me, Moszkowski’s Etude No.2 in G minor, op.72 - a delicious musical treat when played by a true artist; a work created to build technique of the left hand especially. My version sounded uneven, with all of its crispy musical filigree blurred into a pathetic mess, as if someone took a coarse sanding machine to beautiful fine carvings - sounding pitiful from the amateur I am. 

And so I began the Etude. Suddenly, though, I became astounded from what was happening - the piece was flowing - my left hand was rippling through the passagework with pearly evenness, speed, and accuracy. I watched my hands in shock and disbelief, experiencing a sort of out-of-body event. How can this be? What is happening? What sort of force is this? I know I can’t play like this - how is this even possible? 

Well, I’m not a mystical sort of person. At all. There had to be a real reason for this. This thrilling sort of table-tennis exchange between body and piano action; my initial input into the piano, which fired back at me - which excited my system, thus resulting in my physical feedback into the action - which gave it back in spades to me. And so on. It is then I opened the piano up and discovered this “funny” action. I observed the jacks glued to the keys, which left me thinking about that certain connectedness of the parts - similar to the oft-maligned “rocker” action whereby the wippen is snapped onto the rocker. 

I left the museum in stunned and dazed wonder and soon suspected I would return home to my two wonderful Steinway “D”s - but back to the “croaking frog” version of my etude - which was precisely what happened. I gave up on the Moszkowski, but I would not ever forget that indelible experience and that action. 

Several years later, I acquired the first of my Chickering “Full” Concert grands from the warehouse of Cunningham Pianos in Philadelphia. It was a “Scale-105” which appears, so far as is known, to be the one and only “Scale-105” - the 1886 prototype piano that inaugurated the two-piece plate which introduced Chickering’s “Harmonic Bar” incorporating sandwiched agraffes in the top two treble sections. It too, had the “funny” action - by this point I knew this was an “Edwin Brown” action. Nary a note worked on the piano, and it sat for more than 25 years on its side before I finally came around to do a full restoration with newly handmade Edwin Brown parts. Another piano I have, also a “Scale-98”, like that first one I met at the museum, also received a simultaneous restoration - this one with just newly made shanks - but restoring the original “underhammers”. 

My great lesson is that these actions must not be dismissed. The Edwin Brown action system is from 1843. Erard’s is from 1821. So, it might be considered that the “old antique” Brown action is some 22 years younger than Erard’s system - our default action of today. I strongly suspect that Mr. Brown knew, full well, the Erard system, and his creation was an attempt at some sort of improvement and advancement. 

“I would not ever forget that indelible experience and that action.”

Yes, I think most of us who have worked on them have broken down in literal tears of exasperation when assembling them and regulating them. Still, I feel it must be kept in mind, the Erard system would go on to have subtle improvements whereas the Brown action essentially had just two iterations. I often imagine what the Edwin Brown action might be if one of today genius’s got a hold of it and “updated” it with features that might make it “cry-proof” and friendlier towards those who must work on them. 

The few Chickering pianos I have seen with Erard system transplants have not been successful. It is for all these reasons I respectfully promote preserving these actions - whether by restoring the original parts if the wood is healthy or, better yet, encouraging one of today’s action makers to duplicate brand new Edwin Brown action parts that are well made for the actions that are “shot”. The hammer shanks, in particular, seem as if they would be fairly easy to recreate new.  

It is worth noting that Chickering offered two action options in their pianos pretty much from the “Scale-33” series onward. So one will find nearly every concert scale up to the “105B” which had both action options (I have yet to learn if a “Scale-105D” ever received an Edwin Brown action). I don’t believe they considered one better than the other at that point - especially keeping in mind that these actions were going into “Full” concert grands. They were presenting two different performance features to pianists back then. 

I sometimes think of purchasers knocking on Boeing’s door when ordering, say, a Boeing-777. The first matter at hand is the selection of engine options - a Rolls Royce or GE or Pratt & Whitney. 

So then, like Blüthner too, Chickering offered the musician two “engine” options.