Grand pianoforte

Cottage grand piano by Collard & Collard, serial number 13,056. This instrument, in view of its relatively short length of six feet, is actually a 'cottage' grand, rather than a 'boudoir' grand, which is customarily of seven-foot length. When it was manufactured, the instrument was likely to have been the shortest and cheapest grand offered by Collard. In spite of its title, it is still too large to fit in the average cottage! Its serial number would suggest a manufacturing date of 1831/32; but the piano is clearly of much later date than this. The full cast-iron frame and a keyboard compass of seven octaves would suggest a date after 1880. We cannot understand why it was given such a low number, unless the first digit '1' was deliberately left out, making its true number 113, 056, giving a date of circa 1878. The internal full cast-iron frame was a very late arrival in London. I would hazard a guess that this instrument might in fact date from the early 1890s. The guess is to some extent supported by circumstantial evidence: on the keybottom, underneath the action, and not visible unless the action and keyboard are removed from the instrument, is the following hand-written inscription: Fred Rigby tuner, 1894 - 96 - 97. Marr Wood & Co. It is likely that the instrument will have been purchased new from the Aberdeen shop of Marr Wood, in which case 1894 might have been its first tuning following delivery to the customer's address. The piano is of interest, due to the fact that it has Collard's own action and keyboard, made 'in house', rather than 'bought in'.