Maker: John Broadwood & Sons

Type: Cabinet Pianoforte

Date: c. 1840s

Serial No.: 8813

Case: African rosewood with original name-board and ivory-ebony keys

Measurements: H 194cm x D 68cm x W 128cm

This beautiful and rare instrument is an important example of the nineteenth-century cabinet pianoforte, a form that played a significant role in the development of the upright piano in Britain.

The cabinet pianoforte emerged in England in the early nineteenth century. Its tall case allowed the strings to extend almost to the floor, providing a more compact alternative to the grand piano while retaining relatively long strings and a substantial tone. The form became particularly popular during the first half of the nineteenth century, before gradually giving way to smaller upright designs.

Broadwood & Sons was among the most important English makers of cabinet pianofortes. By the 1840s, the firm was one of London's largest piano manufacturers, producing approximately 2,500 pianos a year at its Horseferry Road factory.

Broadwood maintained separate serial-number sequences for different types of piano. The firm's cabinet-pianoforte series reached serial no. 8963, marking the end of the series in the mid-1850s. With a serial number of 8813, this instrument therefore stands very close to the end of Broadwood's cabinet-pianoforte production.

Its survival in an entirely original condition makes it a particularly valuable example for the study of nineteenth-century British piano-making. The instrument preserves its original action, keys and silk curtain, providing valuable material for future research into the construction, materials and craftsmanship of the cabinet pianoforte.

The instrument comes from Brucklay Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The historic house has origins dating to the early seventeenth century and was substantially altered and reconstructed over subsequent centuries, including major work undertaken in the nineteenth century.

It was generously gifted to the collection by Dr Alison McKenna and George Lightfoot of Dorset, who were keen that this significant piece of musical history should be preserved for posterity and enjoyed by generations to come.

The instrument is entirely in its original condition, including its original action, keys and silk curtain and is in playing order.