Spinet pianos the spinet piano is the smallest of the vertical pianos. While certain vintages of spinets like the baldwin acrosonic as. A fascinating celebration of the piano, including tales of its masters from mozart and beethoven to oscar peterson and jerry lee lewis, told with the expertise of composer and author of temperament, stuart isacoff. Spinet piano ideal for small spaces, the spinet piano is a vertical piano and is merely 3638 inches tall and up to 58 inches wide. It served the purpose of making pianos available for a low price, for owners who had little space for a piano. The piano features a medium stained wood case, with music holder, three brass pedals, turned front piano legs, with a matching wood bench. If you are looking for a vintage rudolph wurlitzer piano as decoration or as an addition to a collection, you can find the year of the wurlitzer in the item title or description. Unfollow spinet piano to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. This book is a beautiful volume of pictures and piano history. The wingshaped spinet may have originated in italy during the 16th century. During the 1920s wurlitzer acquired the melville clark line of pianos and continued to manufacture the same name of instruments. Spinet and upright pianos both fall into the category of vertical pianos, which have the inside strings and soundboard perpendicular to the ground, as opposed to the horizontal string and soundboard layout inside of a grand piano. Long before the jukebox, though, wurlitzer pianos were an important piece of the fabric of the music industry. This history takes us back to the piano s humble genesis.
Bach later saw a new instrument in 1747 and approved it. In 14th century europe, the first stringed instruments that recognizably came before the piano were developed. Manufactured from the 1930s on through the end of the 20th century, a spinet pianos compact size is achieved by clever engineering of the key mechanisms inside. So, this is a good choice for anyone looking for a piano which will reward you with pleasing sound without having to expend tremendous amounts of energy. Note that both the grand and baby grand piano are also referred to as horizontal pianos due to the positioning of the strings. As a home piano they are adequate, most of the more recent instruments were passably good, a few from the 1970s and 1980s, li. The studio or professional upright measures 45 to 50 tall. The condition is a variable as the buyer and seller must agree on the costs of moving, tuning and repairs. A fascinating celebration of the piano, including tales of its masters from mozart and. He was in our local piano store in a small town where he discovered it in the corner. Vertical pianos in general came into existence because of a desire for a size more manageable than grands. Our classified page will help you to buy and sell musical instruments.
The piano forums are an online community of piano lovers including piano industry professionals, concert artists, recording artists, technicians, dealers, manufacturers, and thousands of enthusiastic amateur pianist. Wurlitzer acoustic pianos were economy home pianos and not intended for the performance stage or professional musician. A historical book on grand and upright actions, giving faults and how to correct them. Included is a collection of music books and sheet music. A brief history and circumstance with spinet pianos and why it is not a great option for educational or recreational music making.
In appearance the spinet and console pianos are very similar. In the weight of a piano, chris cander follows the members of a family. The spinet piano, manufactured from the 1930s until recent times, was the culmination of a trend among manufacturers to make pianos smaller and cheaper. Numbers found inside the piano are 271468 and 27353. Many spinet pianos still exist today, left over from their period of manufacture. The baldwin acrosonic meaning supreme tone piano was the name given to the baldwin firms topoftheline spinet 36 inches high and. What would the typical value of this piano be from this time. Wurlitzer pianos were on the low end in quality and price and combined with the old age and small size.
This excellent spinet piano will get your beginning pianist through the first 34 years of lessons, at which point you can trade up to an upgraded piano and get full credit of your purchase price. If you are looking for a small piano with a surprisingly rich tone, this could be a good instrument for you. The spinet piano has what is called a dropped action. This is a negotiable factor and the only way to determine that is by looking at the instrument or by ordering a piano appraisal. The instrument, the music, the musiciansfrom mozart to modern jazz and everything in between isacoff, stuart on. This history takes us back to the pianos humble genesis as a simple keyboard. Piano world is often asked if a piano is valuable because it is an antique. Pianomarts extensive inventory includes literally hundreds of new and secondhand pianos crafted by piano makers large and small, from a. The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in italy by bartolomeo cristofori. Call 9407200797 or email me to set up an appointment to view and play this piano. So should i get a new piano, because i would really love to go far in music. Its sounds ok to me, but im not sure that i should keep it if im just shooting myself in the foot by playing it, because i heard that they are cheaply made and are basically awful.
Product family lang lang piano book score box edition. Wurlitzer studio upright late 1970s piano world piano. In 1935, it was one of the first manufacturers to offer the spinet piano to the mass market. I worked for the baldwin piano and organ company for several years so i feel qualified to answer this question. In a grand piano, the frame and the strings are both horizontal, accounting for the pianos large body and full, rich sound. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. The instrument, the music, the musiciansfrom mozart to modern jazz and everything in between. Kottick draws on his extensive technical knowledge and experience as a harpsichord builder to detail the changing design, structure, and acoustics of the instrument over. European manufacturers had been experimenting with upright designs for many years, but the. The owner informed him that aside from the grand piano models, all pianos are vertical. Upright pianos the largest of the verticals were highly popular in the united states from the 1920s to the 1940s, but still a smaller version of the instrument was desired. And it was mainly by name only since the early spinets.
The term spinet is actually used to refer to any smaller version of a larger instrument such as a spinet harpsichord or organ. These instruments were really a rectangular box and were often very ornate, however, they were poor musical instruments even when they were new and most piano tuners refuse to even attempt to work on them. In terms of shape, the spinet provides the link between the boxlike virginal and the elegant harpsichord proper. The grand pianos made by wurlitzer during the 20th century were considered to be work horse type pianos, so called commercial pianos along the. When speaking about the history of the piano, mention must be made of johann sebastian bach. Baldwin acrosonic spinet piano for sale living pianos. It was an old wurlitzer spinet that sat in our dining room and living room it didnt exactly have a concert hall sound, but it sounded pretty good. The smaller size of the spinet piano does result in a decrease in volume and power. What is this answered by a verified musical instrument appraiser. Aug 31, 2015 whats the difference between types of vertical pianos. A novel about the fate of a piano and the dreams it embodies. Apr 28, 2012 the serial number dates this piano back to 1940 and the height of about 37 means this is a spinet piano.
Pianos are used to help teach music theory, music history and music. The serial number dates this piano back to 1940 and the height of about 37 means this is a spinet piano. This wood piano is on legs with wheels and has a topopening storage bench. And it was mainly by name only since the early spinets were not really exactly the same as the 1935 invention. Test your knowledge of the history, development, and early predecessors of the piano using this interactive quiz. Pianos originally were large horizontal instruments taking up many square feet of floor space as are todays modern grand pianos.
May 12, 2012 i know someone who is selling a 1950s wurlitzer. Today, two types of vertical piano are on the market. Spinet pianos were manufactured between the 1930s and the late 1990s, when they fell out of fashion. I havent been able to go and check it out yet, but, i was wondering if it was even worth the visit. I havent been able to go and check it out yet, but, i. Wurlitzer pianos were on the low end in quality and price and combined with the old age and small size this piano will have a rather low value today. Wurlitzer pianoes are a good addition to invigorate any musical performance.
If you insist on buying a square piano, you should look at it strictly as a piece of furniture. It was an old wurlitzer spinet that sat in our dining room and living room it didnt exactly have a. As the need arose for pianos with smaller footprints, the obvious alternative was to turn the piano vertically. When silbermann first showed bach one of his early instruments in 1736, he did not like it. Upright piano, musical instrument in which the soundboard and plane of the strings run vertically, perpendicular to the keyboard, thus taking.
What is the difference between a 2pedal and 3pedal wurlitzer upright piano. But the process is similar to that of applying gold leaf. There is a long history of instruments that led up to the piano s development. And thus, in the mid 1930s, wurlitzer hit the american piano market by storm with the spinet, a piano with a fullsized keyboard and a full set of strings, and yet, standing a mere 36 inches high. Jul 17, 2017 fortunately, spinet pianos are smaller and lighter than most other types of pianos, making them easier to move. How does a baldwin acrosonic spinet differ from a regular. I have cleaned, tuned and regulated the action in my shop here. Cheryl is sick, has sent her son to play the crippled keyboard of the unwaxed spinet, piano we all thought was finished, silent, dumb. According to piano historian arthur loesser 1954, the first spinet piano was offered to the public in. A history of the harpsichord brings together for the first time more than 200 photographs, illustrations, and drawings of harpsichords in public museums and private collections throughout europe the united states. The spinet piano is the smallest type of piano commonly seen in homes. The piano measures about 58 inches wide by almost 42 inches at the tip of the leaf. The idea was to have a wurlitzer grand piano, baby grand piano, upright, studio or spinet in every living room of every old and new home in the united states.
Fortunately, spinet pianos are smaller and lighter than most other types of pianos, making them easier to move. Make offer wurlitzer c153qa grand piano w satin walnut finish reduced. Many of the older acrosonics which were so popular years ago are still going strong. Humans have been experimenting with the sounds of various instruments for thousands of years even before recorded history began.
Many other stringed and keyboard instruments preceded the piano and led to the development of the instrument as we know it today. She believes that it has ivory keys, and im not sure how much that will play into the value. Piano owners survival guide repair, restore, and tune your piano. According to legend, bach did not think much of its sound. Spinet definition of spinet by the free dictionary. Wurlitzer pianos for sale buy a wurlitzer piano at pianomart. Some technicians charge more to work on spinet pianos because they feel they are more difficult to repair. Because of their weight and size, moving a spinet piano is not a oneman job. The baldwin acrosonic is considered by many to be the best spinet piano ever made. According to piano historian arthur loesser 1954, the first spinet piano was offered to the public. Wurlitzer upright pianos have been manufactured with birch, maple, oak, ebony, spruce, mahogany, and other woods. How does a baldwin acrosonic spinet differ from a regular piano.
Bach beethoven chopin debussy grieg mendelssohn mozart schubert. The story of the piano begins in padua, italy in 1709, in the shop of a harpsichord maker named bartolomeo di francesco cristofori 16551731. A spinet piano is typically less than 40 inches tall, measured from the floor to the top of the lid. Piano history that is more or less the end of early piano history.
This wurlitzer spinet piano has a nice cabinet with only minor flaws. In 1935, wurlitzer introduced the traditionbreaking spinet piano, proving that a piano only thirtynine inches high could replace the bulky instruments traditionally produced. To celebrate the 300th birthday of everyones fave instrument, author james parakilas has written a book at once awesome and astounding, a stunning cultural history, told in vivid detail and ample anecdotes and stunning color photographs, of the musical and social roles that the piano has played in its long and amazing career. Raised with a spinet that could never sound great and now very lucky to have found my perfect piano a steinway grand that is over 100 years old. The larger upright pianos were quite popular in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. Unlike say, a chippendale writing desk or tiffany lamp, an old piano is usually just that, an old piano. Spinet pianos generally have easier actions than larger pianos as well. The largest of the vertical pianos is the upright, which measures over 50 tall. Being a member of the harpsichord family, the strings of the spinet were plucked by plectra attached to jacks. This wurlitzer spinet piano matches any dark colored wood and has an excellent, clear sound.
Manufactured from the 1930s on through the end of the 20th century, a spinet piano s compact size is achieved by clever engineering of the key mechanisms inside. Whats the difference between types of vertical pianos. Spinet, small form of the harpsichord, generally wingshaped, with a single set of strings placed at an oblique angle to the keyboard. The professional musicians and students would be using other, better built pianos to perform on, but most likely they would find their hands playing a wurlitzer in a practice room or at a. Unfortunately, they still weigh about 350 pounds, requiring a lot of muscle and care to move without damage. I fell in love with it as a child there was an upright in the apartment in which i grew. In fact, i have kind of a personal attachment to the spinet, since thats the type of piano i learned to play on when i was five years old. Spinets are not meant for advanced players, but its hard to find better values. This acrosonic was made more recently than the familiar, shorter acrosonics from years earlier. Call this one an important lesson in the key of life. It developed the pentagonal soundboard, tone crafted hammers, and other unique innovations to help its pianos produce a richer, fuller tone. The console style also came out about the same time. Wurlitzer is one of the most wellknown names in the music industry, perhaps best known for being the creator of the original jukebox.
There are wurlitzer upright pianos made with many types of wood available on ebay. Wurlitzer spinet piano excellent condition youtube. The piano action is the part of the piano that transfers the force of striking the key to the hammer striking the string. Wurlitzer pianos the name that means music to millions. The top of the piano comes just a few inches above the keys, and the action is located below, operated by vertical wires that are attached to the backs of the keys. Mendelssohn spinet piano with bench and music books ebth. Praise for stuart isacoffs a natural history of the piano. Apr 21, 2018 i worked for the baldwin piano and organ company for several years so i feel qualified to answer this question. Mar 22, 2020 a spinet piano is a smaller version of a piano.
Youre probably familiar with what a grand piano looks like. This price will vary slightly depending on your local market as well as the actual condition of the piano. A spinet was first made in the late 1700s, but the style did not catch on in the united states for over 150 years. Spinet pianos are not very tall, topping out at about 3 feet 0.
This upright piano was manufactured between 196065. But the only piano that i have access to on a regular basis is a very old spinet. Spinet definition is an early harpsichord having a single keyboard and only one string for each note. May 04, 2017 a brief history and circumstance with spinet pianos and why it is not a great option for educational or recreational music making. Hello everyone, my 6 year old son its been taking piano lessons on a yamaha that we are renting, for about 7 months. Wurlitzer pianos are a popular choice for students, home enthusiasts and professional musicians alike.