The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1870-10-26
E'V" eue N' 4. COmmcfcIaI Path- Finder.
Something about the Manufacture
of American Piano Fortes, 8

4
Something about the Manufacture
| of American Piano Fortes,
Wsth a Sketch Of a Representa,
tire House IN this Branch off
Manufacturers.
The raIid increase, both in Eu.
rope and America, within a few
years, in the number of piano.
fortes, in proportion to the popula-
tion, is apparent to almost every
one, within the limited sphere of
his own observation-a fact which
docs not apply to any other instru.
ment. Evidence of this adapta.
ton of the piano to the wants of
the community is also found i'm the
large proportion of piano music
now to be found on the shelves of
music dealers everywhere, and i'm
the great number of persons who
obtain support by teaching the use
of the instrument. Tho amuse.
ments of people change with its
advance in civilization; and this
general tendency TO transplant to
the home circle those enjoymcn:s
which formerly could only be in.
dulged abroad, is an evidence of
progress.
The piano.f"rte originated in
Germany, early i'm the last century.
The ample fortunes and high re-
pnte acquired by Zun,pf, Clement,
kirkman, and others, in England,
by Silherman, in Germany, and
the Erards, in Paris, were the
fruits s-of successive Improvements
and excellence in the manufactures.
OF the piano forte. Man improve
ments have been made i'm the
piano since the Great Exhibition
in London in 1851, when 173 in.
strnments, shown by 1O1 exhibi-
tors from different countries, af,
forded an opportunity for com.
parison and stimulated improve
ment. : a.
Certain American manuf;,ctur.
ers now produce instruments which
the best performers acknowledged
to be equal in all respects to those
of any European piano makers;
in fact, the most competent Euro.
pean judges pronounce American
square pianos far superior to the
best instruments made i'm any other
country, in both power and tone.
One OF the most excellent is
piano forte made by the Decker
Brothers, whose warehouse is at
33 Union Square, between 10th
and l7th streets.
The instruments of this firm
have acquired great distinction.
and some entrcgarding their
establishment will not he without
interest to the trade and the pub
lie generally. The firm of Decker
Brothers commenced the manufac.
ture Of piano.fortes in Varick street,
in this city, in June, 1862. In
the brief space of two, years, their
business exhibited sudden and
remarkable increase, attributed, in
q great degree, to the uniform ex.
ccllence of their workmanship, but
more particularly 20 an improve
ment invented by Decker Broth
ers, and patented June 9. 1863.
The better to explain this i'm.
provement, We will here state that
in order to sustain the enormous
tensional strain of the heavy
strings used in these instruments,
and to keep them in tune, manu-
facturers construct them with the
full iron plate. This plate causes
the bearings of the strings at one
end of the piano to overlap the
iron plate, and this contact dc.
prives the strings of much of their
musical quality, and gives them a
harsh, wiry tone. This disaoreea.
BILE effect has been obviate1 by the
patented Decker Brothers i'm
prOvement in the construction of
the iron plate, which brings all the
attachments of the strings to the
tuning.pins upon soooden bearings,
and also brings these attachments
SO much nearer to the tuning.
block as greatly to reduce the
strain alpon the pins. Not only
by these means is the tone of the
piano materially improved, but it
remains much longer i'm tune, the
tuning is more easily accomplish
ed, and the instrument gains large
ly in strength.
The merits Of tho Decker Broth.
ers Patent Piano Forte may be
briefly summed up TINS: Extraor.
binary volume of tone evenness
throughout the scale; excellent
singing quality richness and bril-.
liancy superb action and power
of standing in tune much longer
than any piano ever before made.
Conscious of having acquired
valuable reputation, the Decker