A distinguished mahogany grand piano, crafted in 1893 in the United Kingdom, was recently presented to Her Excellency Lady Williams by Melanie Etherington, enriching Government House’s growing Georgian-era display of furniture and objects.
The piano’s lineage traces to the Broadway Company, renowned as the oldest continually operating piano makers in the world, and situates itself within a storied family of instruments that have shaped musical history.
Notably, the Chopin Broadwood concert grand piano, a contemporary member of this lineage, was hired for Chopin’s 1848 British tour, while in 1818 Thomas Broadwood gifted Beethoven a 6-octave grand piano fashioned from Spanish mahogany.
Beethoven’s correspondence to Mr. Broadwood spoke of the immediate fruits of inspiration inspired by the instrument, underscoring the longstanding bond between instrument makers and composers.
In remarks accompanying the handover, Her Excellency stated, “We are extremely thankful to thoughtful donors like Ms. Etherington, who help us to build the narrative about what type of period furniture would have populated Government House centuries ago.”
Documentation provided by Ms. Etherington confirms that the piano, while a functioning and aesthetically refined masterpiece, originated from the world’s leading piano maker and was originally purchased for £110—a considerable amount at the time, reflecting its premium status.
The Government House Museum, which recently soft-opened, continues to elevate its richly curated collection within a beautifully renovated historic building, showcasing a growing array of period furniture and related objects.
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