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John Broadwood & Sons

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John Broadwood & Sons
Company typePrivate
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1728;296 years ago(1728)
FounderBurkat ShudiEdit this on Wikidata
Headquarters
London
,
England
Key people
ProductsPianos
Websitewww.broadwood.co.uk
1827 Broadwood & Sons grand piano

John Broadwood & Sonsis an Englishpianomanufacturer, founded in 1728 byBurkat Shudiand continued after his death in 1773 byJohn Broadwood.[1]

Early history

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John Broadwood (1732–1812), a Scottish joiner and cabinetmaker, came to London in 1761 and began to work for the Swissharpsichordmanufacturer Burkat Shudi.[2]He married Shudi's daughter eight years later and became a partner in the firm in 1770. As the popularity of the harpsichord declined, the firm concentrated increasingly on the manufacture of pianos, abandoning the harpsichord altogether in 1793.[3]

Broadwood's son,James Shudi Broadwood,had worked for the firm since 1785, and, in 1795, the firm began to trade as John Broadwood & Son.[2]When Broadwood's third son, Thomas Broadwood, became a partner in 1808, the firm assumed the name of John Broadwood & Sons Ltd, which it retains to this day.[2]The firm's busiest time period was during the 1850s, when approximately 2,500 instruments were produced annually.[4]

Innovations

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1784 square fortepiano

Broadwood produced his firstsquare pianoin 1771, after the model ofJohannes Zumpe,and worked assiduously to develop and refine the instrument, moving thewrest plankof the earlier pianoforte, which had sat to the side of the case as in theclavichord,to the back of the case in 1781,[5]straightening the keys, and replacing the hand stops with pedals.[2]In 1785Thomas Jefferson,later to be third President of the United States, visited Broadwood in Great Pulteney Street,Soho,to discuss musical instruments. In 1789, atJan Ladislav Dussek's suggestion, he extended the range of hisgrand pianobeyond fiveoctavesto CC in the treble, and again to six full octaves in 1794.[6] The improved instruments became popular with musicians such asJoseph Haydn,who used them on his first visit to London in 1791.[6]

Ludwig van Beethovenreceived a six octave Broadwood in 1818, a gift from Thomas Broadwood,[7]which he kept for the rest of his life. Although his impaired hearing may well have prevented him appreciating its tone,[8]he seems to have preferred it to hisErardwhich had a similar range. Above the company label on the front edge of the pin block the following text can be read: ″Hoc Instrumentum est Thomae Broadwood (Londrini) donum propter ingenium illustrissime Beethoven.″ [This instrument is a gift from Thomas Broadwood of London in recognition of the most illustrious genius of Beethoven.]

Frédéric Chopinplayed Broadwood instruments in Britain, including at the last concert of his life given at Guildhall, London, in 1848. Although he liked Broadwoods, he appears to have preferred the French makePleyel.[9]

1980s and 1990s

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After a long period of decline ending in near bankruptcy, the business was rescued in the mid 1980s by a consortium headed up by Geoffrey Simon,[10]a keen amateur pianist and successful businessman from Birmingham. Mr. Simon took on the mantle of CEO and under his stewardship John Broadwood & Sons entered a period during which a number of innovations were developed. These included the limited edition 'Linley piano'[11]an upright piano designed byViscount Linleyand his partner Matthew Rice, plus the design and patenting of the 'barless' grand piano in 1997[12]which was manufactured by Birmingham firm of Ladbrooke Pianos, who produced half a dozen a year.

2000s

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The company holds aroyal warrantas a manufacturer and tuner of pianos.[13]Following the death of Geoffrey Simon in 2006, the company was acquired in 2008 by Alastair Laurence, a piano builder and technician with family ties to the Broadwood firm dating back to 1787. To coincide with the change in ownership, new restoration and conservation workshops are now located atFinchcocks,Goudhurst, Kent, England.[14]

Broadwood archives

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The company's archives are held at theSurrey History Centre.[15]

References

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  1. ^Latham, Alison (2011)."Broadwood".The Oxford Companion to Music.Oxford Music Online.ISBN978-0-19-957903-7.Retrieved30 December2020.
  2. ^abcdAdlam, Derek; Ehrlich, Cyril (20 January 2001)."Broadwood".Grove Music Online.Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.04030.ISBN978-1-56159-263-0.
  3. ^Ehrlich, Cyril (1976). "Introduction".The Piano: A History.London: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. p. 18.ISBN978-0-460-04246-8.
  4. ^Bray, David (October 1994). "The Colt Clavier Collection at 50 - A Collection in Distress?".Harpsichord and Fortepiano.5(1). Ruxbury Publications, Ltd.: 30–33.
  5. ^Dolge, Alfred(1972). "Part One Chapter II: The Pianoforte".Pianos and their makers: a comprehensive history of the development of the piano from the monochord to the concert grand player piano.New York: Dover Publications. p.49.ISBN978-0-486-22856-3.LCCN11020107.OCLC1150927805.Retrieved30 December2020.
  6. ^abWainwright, David (October 1982). "John Broadwood, the Harpsichord and the Piano".The Musical Times.123(1676). Musical Times Publications Ltd.: 675–678.doi:10.2307/962117.JSTOR962117.
  7. ^"Beethoven's relationship to Britain: Piano manufacturer Thomas Broadwood".Beethoven-Haus Bonn.April 2002.Retrieved30 December2020.
  8. ^Mobbs, Kenneth; Latcham, Michael (August 1992). "Beethoven's Broadwood".Early Music.20(3). Oxford University Press: 527.doi:10.1093/earlyj/xx.3.527-b.JSTOR3127739.
  9. ^Zaluski, Iwo; Zaluski, Pamela (May 1992). "Chopin in London".The Musical Times.133(1791). Musical Times Publications Ltd.: 226–230.doi:10.2307/1193699.JSTOR1193699.
  10. ^Darwent, Charles (June 1994)."Piano Forte".Management Today:68.ProQuest214776998.Retrieved30 December2020.
  11. ^"History".John Broadwood & Sons.Retrieved30 December2020.
  12. ^"The Piano Time Line: A Chronological History".Concert Pitch Piano Services.Retrieved30 December2020.
  13. ^"John Broadwood & Sons Ltd".Royal Warrant Holders Association.Retrieved30 December2020.
  14. ^"History of John Broadwood & Sons Ltd Piano Manufacturer".
  15. ^"John Broadwood and Sons Piano Manufacturers".Surrey History Centre.Surrey County Council.Retrieved30 December2020.
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