MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND BELLS.
THE instruments examined by the Committee were of four kinds,
namely : stringed instruments, wind instruments, keyed stringed
instruments, and keyed wind instruments. Of the first kind,
there were three double basses, five violincellos, one violin, one
viola, and one double action harp ; of the second, seven
flutes, and one keyed silver bugle ; of the third, one grand
and nineteen common square piano fortes ; and, of the fourth,
two parlor organs, two melodeons, and one organ piano forte. The
Committee have also examined four church bells. Two keyed trumpets,
which were not placed in the Exhibition until after the Committee had
made their Examination, were consequently not examined. The Committee
will proceed to notice the several articles referred to them, under
the divisions above indicated.
...
III. Keyed Stringed Instruments.
The Committee have examined twenty instruments belonging to this division, namely :
One Grand, and nineteen Common Square Piano Fortes, which were made at eight different manufactories in the city of Boston, and are numbered and marked as in the table herewith submitted.
408. CHICKERING & MACKAYS, Boston. GRAND PIANO FORTE. - The Grand Piano is so essentially different from the Common Square Instruments, that it cannot with any propriety be classed or judged of in comparison with them. The Committee have given the Grand Piano submitted to their inspection, a most careful and thorough examination, and regard it as a very superior instrument. The manufacture of piano fortes of this kind, is highly important to the progress of piano forte playing, and has been commenced in this country by the manufacturers of the instrument in question, which is the first that has ever been placed in any of our public Exhibitions.
|
For this instrument, and the five Square Piano Fortes, described below, a |
Gold Medal. |
COMMON SQUARE PIANO FORTES. These instruments, nineteen in number, have been examined by the Committee, according to the general plan adopted and pursued by the committee on musical instruments for 1839, in reference to the three qualities of tone, touch, and evenness ; and, after the most careful and repeated trials of each instrument, both separately and comparatively, the Committee have come unanimously to the results presented in the following table:
|
Exhibition |
Maker's |
Makers. |
Tone. |
Touch. |
Equality. |
Result. |
|
408 { |
5115 |
Chickering & Mackays |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
4988 |
do. |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
5003 |
do. |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
5023 |
do. |
1 |
1 |
1 1/2 |
3 1/2 |
|
|
4987 |
do. |
1 |
1 |
1 1/2 |
3 1/2 |
|
|
791 { |
1262 |
Brown, Hallett & Co. |
2 |
1 |
1 1/2 |
4 1/2 |
|
1247 |
do. |
2 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
|
|
1251 |
do. |
2 1/2 |
2 |
2 |
6 1/2 |
|
|
875 |
1904 |
T. Gilbert & Co. |
2 1/2 |
2 1/2 |
2 |
7 |
|
677 { |
894 |
L. Gilbert |
2 1/2 |
2 |
2 1/2 |
7 |
|
892 |
do. |
2 1/2 |
2 1/2 |
2 1/2 |
7 1/2 |
|
|
909 |
do. |
2 1/2 |
3 |
2 1/2 |
8 |
|
|
805 { |
90 |
George Hews. |
3 |
2 |
2 1/2 |
7 1/2 |
|
89 |
do. |
3 1/2 |
2 |
2 1/2 |
8 |
|
|
485 { |
192 |
E. Harper. |
2 1/2 |
2 1/2 |
3 |
8 |
|
194 |
do. |
2 1/2 |
2 |
4 |
8 1/2 |
|
|
181 |
do. |
3 1/2 |
2 1/2 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
748 |
177 |
W. Sargeant. |
3 |
2 1/2 |
4 |
9 1/2 |
|
591 |
2 |
J. T. Hunt. |
3 1/2 |
3 |
4 |
10 1/2 |
In conformity with the results thus exhibited, the Committee arrange the Square Piano Fortes, examined by them, in three classes, namely :
First Class. Five Piano Fortes manufactured by Messrs. CHICKERING & MACKAYS.
|
Second Class. Three Piano Fortes manufactured by Messrs. BROWN, HALLETT & CO. |
Silver Medal. |
|
Third Class. One Piano Forte manufactured by Messrs. T. GILBERT & CO. |
Diploma. |
|
Three Piano Fortes manufactured by L. GILBERT, |
Diploma. |
All the other Pianos in the Exhibition, belong also to this class.