09/09/2020
FB post from Tali Mahanor, a longtime friend from Western Iowa Tech piano tuning and repair program back in the late 1970's.
Dear Precious Friends,
As my life's work continues and evolves in collecting and documenting examples of Chickering's complete concert grand piano output from the "Scale-33 through the "Scale-125", here are clips of five of my concert pianos; just these five pianos already covering a broad array of Chickering's ideas and sounds.
Several months ago, a "Scale-77" 9'2" joined this family of Chickerings and just this past week a "Scale-105D", found for a mere $600 came to me. This coming week, a "Scale-97A" is planned to join the clan. Though currently traumatized and in a deep coma, she will one day sing her song again too.
At the end of all this, my hope is to have this unified body of Chickering concert pianos, which speak their own language, left to a place where they can be shared with artists and thus all music-loving people. These are ultimately not "my" pianos but national treasures which should be protected and savored.
Many thanks to my dear and generous friends/pianists who have given their musical gifts towards this preliminary sonic peek into this, up-to-now, forgotten world of Chickering's astounding contribution to music.
While these are just iPhone takes at the Yonkers piano shop, in time, I hope to one day have these Chickerings brought to a real recording setting with professional recording people involved and have these pianos available for concerts and recordings as alternatives to the usual new instrumental options. Below the recordings are notes I have been making as I learn:
1) "Scale-77", serial #76990: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTuAU87IC8k
2) "Scale-95", serial #73000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoCYWK8MNak
3) "Scale-105", serial #73700: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJxOV_axBJ8
"Scale-105", serial #73700: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8RUCDMN3fA
4) "Scale-105B", serial #78410: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m4nhC1fSkA
"Scale-105B", serial #78410: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24S0tFoBnu0
"Scale-105B", serial #78410: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02YSNyS-TTQ&t=26s
5) "Scale-105D" serial ,###: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96xxqdoOJX8
Chickering, Full Concert Grand, “Scale-77”, Serial #76990, Case # 2556, Mahogany, Length, 9’2”. Improved Brown Action, circa 1889. One of the last of the 107...
