BOSS!

Four extra bass keys. Is it a Bosie?

I've played one of those.

Its a Bosie 290, one was in NY a while back. It might still be here.

another piano shrine:



Octavius Beale founded his firm of piano manufacturers in Annandale, Sydney, in 1893 and it operated until 1961, when cheap imports led to the company being taken over by W.H. Paling & Co. Over this period, Beale’s firm produced approximately 95 000 instruments, making it the largest piano manufacturer in Australia. He focused on local timbers and advertised his instruments as being suited to the changeable Australian climate.

Probably there is no piano factory in the world so completely self-contained as the Beale Factory at Annandale, NSW. Certainly there is none in the British Empire that produces nearly so many parts used in piano making.

With a paucity of overseas suppliers of parts, Beale set out to manufacture every element of his pianos. The range of trades he had to incorporate into his huge factory is astonishing: brass and iron foundries—‘incorporated into only one other piano factory in the world’; power houses; timber yards, stores and mills, joinery works, cabinet departments and veneer works; paint and pattern shops, machine and electroplating departments; keyboard action-making and fitting, tuning and intoning; drying kilns, dustproof polishing rooms, and experimental laboratories.

Perhaps it is not surprising that a flourishing local industry arose as the piano became the centrepiece of social entertainments at home in the later nineteenth century. The French music critic Oscar Comettant, visiting Australia in 1888 to judge at the Melbourne International Exhibition, claimed that Australia had ‘more grand pianos per head of population’ than any other country—it was estimated that by then over 700 000 pianos had been imported from Europe. The height in the popularity of the piano coincided, not surprisingly, with the flourishing of the local sheet music publishing industry, mirroring a worldwide phenomenon. In 1900 the Melbourne music publisher, Allans, sold 100 000 copies of The Australian Music Year Book at approximately one shilling each, and by the 1920s each publication of popular songs and piano music regularly sold up to 100 000 copies.

quote:

Originally posted by rontuner:
another piano shrine:

Zorba wants!

I was interested in the Beale pianos from Australia and googled to find out more.

Found this interesting pic.

These poor ladies stood in heels all day, stringing pianos? Ugh!

"CARLO BUGATTI Aesthetic Movement piano stool of ebonized wood inlaid with white metal kanji, with copper and bone accents, upholstered in camel skin. 20" x 14" sq."

Carlo Bugatti 1856 - 1940 was an Italian furniture designer. This is on ebay right now with a starting bid of $3,500. I have no idea if there actually was a piano that went with this. If there were I'd be very curious to see it.

Yet another piano bar...


(take a peek under the table!)

I don't know what this one's story is...



...But it looks cool!

A Chickering Cocked-Hat:



For sale here.

The scene at Jon's NYC piano party?

The piano player OBVIOUSLY isn't paying any attention to his music!

quote:

Originally posted by rontuner:
The scene at Jon's NYC piano party?

That's our Doug - wowing the masses.