Keys are small; naturals (length 11.4 cm, width 2.1 cm), sharps (length 7.2 cm, width 0.7 cm). While Broadwood patented his design for placing the tuning pins at the back of the piano in 1783, this piano is proof that Trute had already been using that design for at least two years before the patent.]]>
A shallow tray above the diagonal strings holds spools for thread and compartments for sewing materials and is lined with purple velvet; another removable tray rests above the keys, and a mirror hinges inside the lid. The instrument also has an unusual pedestal design, which evokes bamboo imagery.]]> --M'Elroy, A. Philadelphia Directory. Philadelphia: Isaac Ashmead & Co., Dec 31, 1839.]]> Hipkins, A. J. A Description and History of the Pianoforte and of the Older Keyboard Stringed Instruments. New York: Novello Ewer and Co, 1896.
Wainwright, David. Broadwood By Appointment: A History. London: Quiller Press, 1982.]]>
The backside of both the upper and lower panels have pieces of wood held in place by small pieces of wood screwed into the frame in mechanism similar to what we now commonly see on the back of a picture frame.

It has a hanging Viennese (or hanging German) action type–a modified version of the Viennese action for the upright “giraffe” piano. The hammers are leathered.

There are six pedals (one is missing, and the other is filled in with a piece of wood [intentional? unsure]). If it were to follow Stein’s pedal formation, these pedals function in the following order (left to right): bassoon, raising dampers, moderator (3rd and 4th pedals), janissary (bells), and “una corda” (keyboard shift) (“Stein Upright Piano”). Speculation in Vassar documents indicate that the pedals may work in the following (left to right): N/A, raising dampers, “una corda” (keyboard shift), bassoon, janissary (bells), and drum.

The piano is made in Biedermeier style which was an influential furniture and decorative style in Germany and Austria during the second quarter of the 19th century (Raizman, 2003). As a result of this style, pianos created in this period exhibit “more variety in size, shape, number of keys, and especially ornament” (Raizman 37). Other popular styles in Germany and Austria at the time included the Pyramidenflügel and Lyraflügel in which the case above the keyboard was in the shape of a pyramid or lyra, respectively (James, 1930). The scroll at the top of the piano along with the silhouette of the case elicits the imagery of a giraffe, hence its name–the “giraffe” piano. The piano is in essence an upright, or vertical, grand piano as the case and strings are perpendicular to the ground.]]>
James, Philip. Early Keyboard Instruments. Holland Press, 1930.

“Stein Upright Piano.” National Museum of American History, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_605946.

Raizman, David Seth. History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products Since the Industrial Revolution.
Laurence King Publishing, 2003.

“Upright (Giraffe) Piano” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/504288.]]> Smith, Francis. Preceptor for the Grand Harmonicon. John D. Toy, 1831.
Wilson, Kenneth. Musical glasses. Antiques Magazine, May 1961.]]> On the instrument, the tuning pins are on the right, laid out in 24 rows of 4. There would have been four strings per note, for a range stretching 2 octaves. The strings stretch across to hitch pins on the left side. The soundboard has a raised gold border and the wood underneath the strings is painted with floral and gold ornaments. There would have been a treble bridge on the left and a bass bridge on the right which are now in the drawers. There are two sound holes ornamented with gold parchment in an intricate design.]]> All key levers have weights at the front (under exposed key area) except the top 7, which are in the middle of the key lever. The top 7 keys also have no damper mechanisms]]>
The base has one drawer in the front. The Duncan Phyfe-style pedestal base with sabre legs and brass animal paw castors.]]>
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.]]> Kottick, Edward L. 2003. A history of the harpsichord.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Ripin, Edwin M. 1974. The Instrument Catalogs of Leopoldo Franciolini. Joseph Boonin, Inc.

Conservation Report by Walter Burr]]>
The soundboard is decorated with chinoiserie including three pairs of figures: from the top, an archer and falconer, a pipa (Chinese lute) player and dizi (Chinese flute) player, and a fisherwoman with a blue fish and netter. The archer has a dog at her feet, while the falconer is sitting next to a thin golden tree with red flowers and fruit. In the background, behind the dizi player and netter are small golden houses. On the edges of both sides are delicately hand-painted pink flowers and vines. In addition, a partially illegible inscription of the address for the harp appears in a blue banner at the apex of the soundboard. The back of the soundboard is made of seven tapering staves with no opening, painted black.

There are six sound holes, three on each side of the string plate: at the top are singles, while at the middle and bottom each consist of six holes in a circle formation. The top ones are decorated with two leaves on each side of the hole with a column of golden flowers extending from the top of the hole. The middle and bottom ones are decorated with floral wreaths. The sound holes in the middle have red flowers on the right side blue flowers on the left side–this structure is reversed on the floral wreaths for the sound holes located at the bottom of the soundboard.

The access panel has a blue floral wreath that follows the curvature of the neck, a figure smoking a pipe, and another figure with a harvest basket. The other side of the neck features two more figures that are partially visible with more floral decorations.

There are seven folding pedals (corresponding to the notes of the diatonic scale), operating 39 crochettes or right-angled hooks. Pressing on a pedal results in producing a pitch that is a semitone higher for a particular note throughout the compass as the hooks pulled the string.

There are drilled tuning-pins with tapered square heads and shoulders; crochets mounted on threaded rods for height adjustment.]]>
Cleary, Maria Christina. "The Invention of the 18th Century: the Harpe Organisee and Pedals." American
Harp Journal, 2018, p. 22+. Gale Academic Onefile,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A524433517/AONE?u=nysl_se_vassar&sid=AONE&xid=5fcfa234. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019.

Burr, Walter. “Cleaning and Restoration of a French Seven-Pedal Harp.” April 8, 1991.

Rensch, Roslyn. “Harps and Harpists”. Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 2007.

Wolf, Beat. “THE LOUIS XVI – HARP”. 2009, https://www.beatwolf.ch/Portals/14/pdf/The_Louis_XVI-harp_2009.pdf?ver=2013-08-17-102903-380.

Wolf, Beat. “Timeline - The development of the single-action harp”. 2014, http://beatwolf.ch/Portals/14/pdf/Timeline_pedalharps_2012.pdf?ver=2014-09-12-140457-193]]>
Rice, Albert R. “The Clarinet in the Classical Period.”

Clinkscale, Martha Novak. “Makers of the Piano, Vol. 2” (1820-1860): 246.

Bliss, Lou Whitney, “A Glimpse of Calais”, Vermont History (Jan. 1954).

Eliason, Robert E. “Letters to Marsh & Chase from Graves & Company, Musical Instrument Makers,” JAMIS 4 (1978): 43-53.

Lithographed Sheet Music Cover Published in Boston: “The Berry Street Rangers Quick Step” (Henry Prentiss, 1837); Captn, E.G. Austin’s Quick Step” (Parker and Ditson, 1837); and “Whig Gathering, Song and Chorus Respectfully Dedicated to the Whigs of the United States” (Henry Prentiss, 1840).]]>
This shamisen is most likely a nagauta style shamisen due to the sloped shape of the hatomune (base of the sao). This is a member of the hosozao (thin-neck) type of shamisens and would be used to accompany kabuki theatre and for traditional folk singing and dancing (nagauta). However, due to this shamisen’s intricate ornamental decoration, it was probably made as a decorative gift. The condition of this instrument also does not suggest heavy use.

The hollow dō (body) is covered with a thin layer of cat- or dogskin and creates the drum of the instrument for greater resonance. The outside of the dō is decorated with intricate lacquer artwork depicting dragons in gold, blue, and red.

The sao (neck) is made of wood and does not feature ornamentation. Many shamisens are constructed in three detachable parts for easier transportation, but this one is not, further suggesting that this shamisen was mainly used for decorative purposes.

The strings are wrapped around the itomaki (pegs) and would be tuned differently depending on the song, singer, or genre of playing. The most common tuning is honchoshi, where the first and third strings are tuned an octave apart while the middle string is a fourth above the bottom.

The koma (bridge) rests on the skin and can be made of various materials, such as ivory or wood, but the present wooden one is likely not original to the instrument. The bridge is removable and the height of the koma can change the dynamic of the sound. Normally, the upper two strings would pass over the kamikoma (upper bridge) while the lowest string passes over a small indent in the sao. The lowest string vibrates against the ridge in the divet and creates the shamisen’s signature buzzing sound. On this instrument, the kamikoma is not present, but there does exist an indent where one might have been.

This shamisen’s bachi (plectrum) is made of ivory and is 21cm long. This would have been used by the player to pluck the strings and also strike the drum, producing a resonant, percussive sound. The bachi has a faded carved floral design on the bottom of the base.

The Nanbu crest of the feudal lord of Morioka appears on the tenjin (head) of the instrument--it depicts two cranes facing each other with a floral design on their chests. It is engraved in a gold-painted brass circle, which is glued into the wood of the tenjin. On the back of the tenjin below the itomaki also appears another image of a crane painted on the wood.]]>
Bowring, Richard John and Peter Kornicki. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Corwin, Charles Edward. A Manual of the Reformed Church in America. New York: Board of Publication and Bible-School Work of the Reformed Church in America, 1922.

Ferranti, Hugh de, Shigeo Kishibe, David W. Hughes, W. Adriaansz, Robin Thompson, Charles Rowe, Donald P. Berger, W. Malm, W.P. Malm, David Waterhouse, Allan Marett, Richard Emmert, Fumio Koizumi, Kazuyuki Tanimoto, Masakata Kanazawa, Linda Fujie, and Elizabeth Falconer. "Japan." Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 15 Dec. 2019. https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000043335.

“Retainer.” Nakasendo Way. Walk Japan, 2018. https://www.nakasendoway.com/glossary/retainer/.

“Shamisen.” The Met. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/503054.]]>