A Century-Old Knabe Piano Ad.

I recently purchased a very old opera booklet from the Bostonians Opera that dates back to 1889.

The most interesting part about it is that it contains a Knabe advertisement on the back, as shown above, with a beautiful piano etching done by Allen Eng. and a reproduction of a recommendation letter by Hans von Bulow.

When I first purchased it, I did not know that the letter was printed on the back of the advertisement page. After spending some time deciphering his handwriting, I was able to read its content. It reads:

"The Knabe pianos which I did not know before have been chosen for any present concert tour in the United States by my Impresario and accepted by me on the recommendation of my friend Bechstein acquainted with their merits. Had I known these pianos as now I do I would have chosen them by myself as their sound and touch are more sympathetic to my ears and hands than all others of the country.

New York 6th April 1889

Dr. Hans von Bulow

To the William Knabe and Co."


This letter and an advertisement were created about a century from today.
The proud grand piano shown is no longer for sale, nor does its maker exist.

Time is a cruel thief.

Saint-Saëns and the Knabe Piano

Camille Saint-Saëns, Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Yesterday I found the following journal article published in December 29th, 1906 by The Music Trade Review (MTR):

"Never before has dignified advertising played such a prominent role in the marketing of the piano and in this the year of 1906 must be set down as unique.

There has perhaps never been a more satisfactory tour than the one which was closed on Thursday when Saint-Saëns, the most distinguished composer of the day, left for his home in Paris. This tour was only one of the gigantic strides made by Wm. Knabe & Co., and will go far toward the artistic exploitation of a piano which is able to stand upon its own merits and to substantiate the most extravagant statements that can be made in its behalf. The letter of Dr. Saint-Saëns is one of those rare tributes to the Knabe piano which is priceless because it carries the true expression not only of one who understands every grade and quality of tone, but whose entire life has been one of frankness and sincerity almost to the point of rudeness."


Camille Saint-Saëns, born in Paris on October 9, 1835, was a musical prodigy who gave a public performance when he was only five years of age. He is best remembered for his musical suite The Carnival of the Animals (Le Carnaval des Animaux).

Coincidentally, Saint-Saëns visited the United States for the first time in 1906. The article above implies that Saint-Saëns, even then a greatly respected and discerning European composer and pianist, gave a recommendation letter to Wm. Knabe & Co.

Yet in 1908, just two years after the article's publication, Wm. Knabe & Co. and Chickering & Sons were dissolved and incorporated into American Piano Co., marking the demise of these venerated century-old piano makers. Perhaps the general taste of music and the status of piano were changing; however, I wonder how the demise occurred in such a short span of time.

The article's extravagant language is quite amusing. It somehow reminds me of the Hindenburg disaster broadcast.


Reference: Edward Lyman Bill, "In the Musical World." The Music Trade Review 43.26 (1906): 16

Luther Whiting Mason and the Historic Knabe Piano of Japan

(Picture by the University Art Museum- Tokyo University of the Arts
東京芸術大学大学美術館)

This historic Knabe upright piano (serial number 19750; made in 1879) was brought to Meiji-era Japan when Luther Whiting Mason, an American music educator, was invited by the Japanese Ministry of Education and came from Boston to Tokyo in 1880.

Luther Whiting Mason, born on April 3rd, 1818 and died on July 14th, 1896, was recommended by his former pupil, Shuji Izawa (伊澤修二). At the time, the Japanese government pursued rapid modernization programs and was looking for a foreign advisor in order to introduce Western music to Japan's education curriculum.

Mason stayed in Tokyo for two years and helped to create the Tokyo Ongaku Gako (東京音楽学校), which now is a part of the Tokyo University of the Arts. When he left Japan in 1882, Mason gave the piano to a woman who helped him, Sen Nakamura (中村専), who later married Hideo Takamine (高嶺秀夫). Her daughter, Keiko Takamine (敬子高嶺), married and left her piano to her son, Kuniyasu Tsuchida (土田国保), who then left it to his son, Eizaburo Tsuchida (土田栄三郎), who, coincidently, is now a professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts. Because it was a family heirloom, the piano never suffered a serious damage during its long life.

Japan's Meiji-era is quite fascinating, in part, because during this period many unique and decisive cultural exchanges between the traditional yet adaptive East nation and the West had occurred. Korea and China were not as open as Japan about adapting the cultures of the West during this time, including piano performance. Still, many contemporary Japanese must have been puzzled and awed by Mason's Knabe piano.

Probably one of the roots of today's East Asian piano manufacturers and pianists can be traced to this period in time.

I am happy to note that my piano and Mason's piano are made by Knabe.

Reference: http://www.jpta.org/top/topix/fair2001/index3.html

Interesting Photo that I Recently Bought

Today is Friday the 13th. (Maybe because of this, I did not do so well on my math test... :( )

I bought this vintage picture recently on Ebay. It is not really a beautiful or artistic picture, but its main subject, a Victorian Knabe grand piano, sparks my interest: the piano looks quite similar, but not identical, to my own piano.

The back of the picture has a marked date, June 13th, 1928; I suppose the picture was taken on this day.

The photograph is rather unusual in that its purpose is not so clear. Still, it offers a rare and perhaps eerie glimpse of the past living room without any people present. Already almost 81 years have passed since then...

I wonder if the piano still exists.

My Beloved Knabe Piano

This is my grand piano, made in 1895. (Yes, it is roughly six times older than me!)

When I was searching to buy a grand piano last year, I found this old piano on craigslist.

It was located in Baltimore's historic house built in 1856, and a seller (who was in London) wanted to remove this piano from the house, which he restored.

He said that he bought this house and my piano together in 1999, and although he never played the piano, he kept it all these years because he really loved it. But his job relocated to London, and he decided to sell it at last to a person who would have it restored. Because pictures on craigslist were small and bad in quality, I requested larger pictures from the seller.

I was stunned when I saw the pictures sent by its owner. The century-old Victorian piano was beautiful, with its scrolled floral legs and pierced music desk; however it also showed an age and dustiness. Yet I was deeply captivated by a setting in which the piano belonged. It was standing in a very large yet empty drawing room, and was deeply immersed in an atmosphere of a bygone era. It never left its sanctuary in its entire life, and I could easily imagine how it was used a century ago by an elegantly-dressed lady or a gentleman... Although my home is in a Chicago suburb and there was no way for me to see it in person, I wanted to see and actually touch this beautiful piano.

During 1890s, the United States boasted hundreds of piano manufacturers, and Wm. Knabe & Co. (founded in 1837) was one of the best during the 19th and the early 20th century; its reputation was competed only by Chickering and Steinway. I knew this much, for during my spare time I read about pianos and their manufacturers with a keen interest. (Now a Korean piano company, Samick, owns the right to use Knabe name for its line of pianos)

The piano was surprisingly affordable. It was mostly because it was in its original condition and needed to be restored and because the seller, who must have been fond of this piano, was very considerate. Even without seeing the instrument I realized that its worn hammers, its century-old action, and its cabinet needed to be reworked or restored by a piano rebuilder. These restoration works on piano are collectively called "rebuilding," and are quite costly.

I decided to choose this piano as my own piano. It was a hard decision, but perhaps... deep down I wanted to be a person who has a heart to have this beautiful relic restored to its former glory. I tried to forget it many times, but could not. It looked hauntingly beautiful in that empty room.

Purchasing this beautiful piano was like having a very exciting dream that is yet stained with many strokes of nervous worries and doubts. I carefully asked my mother to buy this instrument for me. She was reserved, but she also seemed to love its beautiful cabinet. Surprisingly she agreed.


I called a professional piano mover, and ordered to ship it from Baltimore to Chicagoland. Later when my piano was being placed inside of my home, this mover who answered my phone told my mother how my piano was the oldest piano that he ever delivered...

The piano, being "almost" modern in design, has 88 keys and three pedals. Although it shows its age and its two agraffes are broken, its tone is still quite remarkable.

The Writing in Progress...

A Knabe Piano~!

This beautiful piano is an antique grand piano crafted in 1884 by a long-respected American manufacturer named Wm. Knabe & Co. of Baltimore. (serial#: 26898).

Coincidently, this piano was being rebuilt in a piano shop near my university, and I was lucky enough to visit this shop regularly to check its progress.

(It was an object of curiousity and of interest, partly because I own a similar piano made by the same company)

Finally, last Friday, I found out that this once-dissembled piano was in fact finished and assembled at last. Therefore I visited the shop and took these pictures on Monday.

It plays beautifully. I was surprised by its touch and sound, for its old action was fully rebuilt and replaced with new parts. This kind of rebuilding is quite difficult and challenging for older pianos, for they inherently have a different action design. Still, I felt that the touch of piano's keys were slightly heavier, perhaps resulted because of this change.

While in the shop, I also noticed that the owner of the piano shop was worried, for he said that this piano's owner was quite disinterested about its completion. He was concerned that the owner might not be able to pay for his work on this piano, given today's troublesome economical situations...