Astor & Horwood Square Piano

Astor & Horwood Square Piano

This piano has an English double action with peacock dampers on the 58 lowest keys. The dampers are connected directly to the far end of the keys with a sturdy piece of wire. Pressing a key lifts the damper off the string, allowing the string to resonate, and releasing the key returns the damper to its original position. Because these dampers are connected to the keys with glued felt, it is impossible to remove the keys on this piano as is often doable with English square pianos. The strings are made of brass and steel. The piano's outside is richly decorated with gilt metal ornaments and horizontal moldings that encircle the piano's main body. On the front of the piano are three small storage drawers. The nameboard is painted with lattice decorations. This piano has six reeded legs with a matching pedal column. The original painted green dust cover is intact with its hinges in place.

c. 1815–1819

12/6/19 13:04

Clinkscale, Martha N. Makers of the Piano: 1820-1860. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Kidson, Frank and Niall O'Loughlin. “Astor.” The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Edited by Laurence Libin. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. i: 136–7.

Letter from Darlington's son to George Dickinson, referencing that his instruments are kept in his unheated Long Island home.

Given to Vassar College in 1939 by Rev. James Henry Darlington's children

79 Cornhill St, London

Astor & Horwood

Length 172.5 cm; Width 64 cm; Height 87 cm

Six octaves; FF-f4; 73 keys

Keyboard

Front side of the nameboard: New Patent / Astor. / & Horwood / 79, Cornhill / LONDON; keys: numbers have been stamped into the top of each key neck; serial number "5860" is stamped into the wood left of the keyboard; "H. Nutting" stamped into the plank that suspends the dampers

Poor: many strings are missing and several hammers are loose or detached. The action is still movable but has not been maintained for playability. The wooden latticework decorations above the soundboard are broken.

In 1770, George Astor (originally Georg Astor) went to London, where his uncle was working for piano manufacturers Shudi and Broadwood. He invited his youngest brother, John Jacob Astor (originally Johann Jakob Astor), to leave Germany and join him. Together, two of them founded and ran their woodwind-making business, George & John Astor, until John Astor immigrated to the United States in 1783 to become businessman and trader. George Astor continued to run the business alone, expanding his woodwind manufacturing to include pianos and organs as well. In 1796, he relocated from 26 Wych Street to 79 Cornhill. Shortly after, he occupied 27 Tottenham Street as well. His wife, Elizabeth Wright Astor, took over the business after his death in 1813. In 1815, she began a business partnership with a man only known as Mr. Horwood, and the business' location at 79 Cornhill became known as Astor & Horwood until Mr. Horwood's departure in 1819.

Karl Rabe

GK

Darlington Collection

Mahogany and rosewood body; ivory naturals, ebony sharps; brass and steel strings; gilt metal decorations

Vassar Treasure Room

No evidence of restoration or servicing