Skip to content

(Note: Each icon above opens in a new tab.)

Audio Clips

Instrument Information

Title

Square pianoforte.

Accession Number

4339

Collection

MIMEd

Date Information

Date Made

1767

Period

18th century; 1760s

Gallery Information

Gallery

1812 Gallery

Case

From Home to Hall

Maker Information

Maker Name

Johannes Christoph Zumpe

Maker Biography

Johannes Zumpe was born in in 1726 in the small town of Fürth which is now part of Nuremberg in Southern Germany. He served his apprenticeship in the 1740’s with the eminent keyboard instrument builder Gottfried Silbermann of Freiberg. It is believed he fled to England during the Seven Years War between 1756 and 1763. He worked for a short period of time with Burkat Shudi before setting up his own shop ‘at the sign of the Golden Guittar’ at 7 Princes Street, Hanover Square. Up to this point he had mainly been occupied with harpsichord building but now tuned to making square pianos. Square pianos became extremely popular and Zumpe became extremely wealthy. He had a succession of business partners and returned back to Fürth in 1784 the same year as his death.

Made In

City

London

Country

England

Description

Technical Description

Technical description: English square pianoforte. Compass 58|notes: G₁,A₁ - F₆ [GG,AA - f''']; G♯₁ is a dummy. Bichord stringing throughout. Covered strings in bass.

Provenance

Lent to the Collection by Mrs Freda Shand Kydd in 1986. ; Purchased by the University with assistance from the Friends of St Cecilia's Hall and the National Art-Collections Fund, 2004.

Classification

Instrument

Square pianoforte/Pianofortes/Keyboard/Musical Instrument ; Square pianoforte

Instrument Family

Keyboard

Hornbostel Sachs Classification

314.122-4-8 ; musical instrument