Sleep vs. the History of My Piano

I haven't been able to sleep lately, so instead, I stayed up researching our old piano. This piano is the focal point of the living room, and the top serves as something of a mantle, since we don't have one over our fireplace. Five years ago, I was browsing through a Salvation Army and there it was. It was the most beautiful piano I think I've ever seen, and it was in near-perfect condition, down to every single ivory key. I looked at the price tag - $150. Not much, right? But at the time, it seemed like an amazingly huge expenditure.

I was ready to walk sadly away, resigned to a piano-less existence, but T pressed me about it. He could see the piano lust in my eyes, and he wasn't about to let me walk out of there empty-handed, condemning himself to a life filled with piano-related chatter: "Remember that beautiful piano? We should have sold our car for that piano...." So, with just the tiniest bit of prodding, I found myself up at the counter telling the man I'd take it, and did they deliver? (In fact, they did deliver. A truck filled with the piano and a dozen homeless men were at the house within an hour.)

It wasn't long before I was researching the brand, the serial number.... And what did I find? The piano was constructed by Krakauer Bros. in 1888. That's right. It's now over 120 years old, and it's the most solidly built instrument I think I've ever seen. It's got another 120 years in it, easy. I'd like to get it gussied up inside and tuned, but it plays fine even without any work. Here's a photo of it during Christmas time.

It occurred to me in my sleep-deprived state today that maybe I should look up a little about the company, itself. So, instead of blissfully napping, that's what I did. I'd never explored Google Books before, but it seemed that's where every avenue led. So, I poked around a bit and found I could grab snippets of books to post in my blog. What fun! Here's what I found....

(1.) A quick overview of the history of Krakauer Bros.:

Pianos and Their Makers a comprehensive history of the development of the piano from the monochord to the concert grand player piano By Alfred Dolge (1911)



(2.) And a little more familiar history:

History of the American Pianoforte Its Technical Development, and the Trade By Daniel Spillane (1890)



(3.) An ad from 1900 for used Krakauer uprights - $225 apiece:

Pearson's Magazine (1900)




(4.) A couple of ads put out by Krakauer Bros. in the early 1920s:

The Atlantic Monthly (1921)

Scribner's Magazine By Edward Livermore Burlingame, Making of America Project (1922)

(5.) A suit filed against them for poor scaffolding in their factory (from which a man fell):

Special Bulletins By New York (State). Dept. of Labor (1904)



(6.) A vote of confidence from union enthusiasts (apparently Kimball Pianos didn't get that same vote of confidence - hence the phrase "Shun the Kimball" scattered throughout the booklet in large, bold font. Reading through the link below illustrates Kimball's staunch anti-union stance):

Piano, Organ & Musical Instrument Workers Official Journal (1906)




(7.) And, finally, a short note about Krakauer Bros.'s bankruptcy from the August 1976 issue of Music Trades Magazine:

KRAKAUER PIANO TO FOLD

"Krakauer Brothers, New York-based piano makers since 1869, filed for bankruptcy in April 1976. In recent years, the neighborhood surrounding the Krakauer plant in the Bronx had deteriorated badly and was dominated by drug addicts who burned out and plundered hundreds of apartments."

What an odd statement....

Anyway, that's the story of Krakauer Bros. piano company - or, at least as much of it as I could find. If you know of anything else interesting related to Krakauer Bros., please let me know. I'm strangely invested, now.