Mr. Langshaw's Square Piano

The Story of the First Pianos and How They Caused a Cultural Revolution

By: Madeline Goold

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Paperback | 5 January 2012

At a Glance

Paperback
288 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.6 x 13.4 x 2.6

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A handwritten serial number inside a neglected 1807 Broadwood square piano inspired this illuminating story of an almost-forgotten musical instrument that transformed the musical and cultural perceptions of the western world. Square pianos were the first popular pianos, and the core of the classical piano repertoire?Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven?was written for such early pianos. This absorbing history leads back to the early days of the Industrial Revolution and the birth of mass production, commoditization, and global distribution of pianos from the ports of London to the shores of America and around the world. Both an investigative story and genealogical study that highlights a key period in music history, this chronicle closely examines the roles of John Broadwood?the most successful piano maker in late-Georgian London?and of one of his professional customers, Mr. John Langshaw, an organist and music master.

Industry Reviews

"A wealth of fascinating stories and characters . . . One of the strengths of Ms. Goold's fine book is showing us how the presence of pianos expanded and deepened the cultural life . . . Ms. Goold has herself produced an enchanting work." --"Wall Street Journal"
"An extraordinary book." --"Booklist "
"Elegantly combines nostalgic reminiscences with serious historical research and plenty of in-depth techincal detail . . . Beautifully presented and often rather moving, this is an unusual and charming book." --"Classic FM Magazine (UK) "
"Goold's writing shows the mark of a true storyteller . . . she shows the rise of the square [piano] as a bridge to many things: from the harpsichord to the modern piano, from the elite aristocratic society to the "middling sort," from one-of-a-kind production to a business of mass production . . . can be read as much for social history as for keyboard history." --"Harpsichord & Fortepiano Magazine"
"It was a serial number inside an antique piano which launched Madeline Goold on the quest to discover its first owner . . . Goold's piano was made by Broadwood, an English piano-maker so confident that it sent one of its grand pianos as a gift to Beethoven. Amazingly, Broadwood still has most of its archive records of sales from the 1770s onwards." --"The Guardian (UK) "
"Part detective story . . part social history . . absorbing." --"The Birmingham Post (UK) "
"This delightful book is a story about the life and times of . . . a little Broadwood square piano made in 1807 . . . Goold succeeds admirably, and the thoroughness of her research is particularly impressive . . . fascinating and informative." --"Early Music America Magazine"
"This is a truly remarkable and delightful book . . . We are given a wide-ranging and extremely detailed overview of the birth, mechanics and development of the square piano . . . And at the same time we meet the host of people who were involved in its production and burgeoning popularity." --"The Jane Austen Society Newsletter (UK) "

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