The World's Fair held in Paris in 1867 must have been a sight to behold. The principal building was almost two football fields in length, containing a central pavilion crowned by a dome and surrounded by a garden. Over 50,000 exhibitors displayed in more than 100 buildings. Among the exhibitors were 400 piano manufacturers, all competing for the gold medals that would assure their brands' future dominance of the world piano market.
The enthusiasm for the four piano models displayed by Steinway & Sons of New York was overwhelming. Steinway won two gold medals, endorsements from European royalty, and praise from Franz Liszt and other great pianists. The Steinway piano was so wildly popular that the magazine Harper's Weekly published a cartoon showing crowds fighting to get to a Steinway piano. The cartoon's caption read: "Sudden Mania to become Pianists created upon hearing Steinway's pianos at the Paris Exhibition".
Such was the popularity of the Steinway piano that in 1869 Matthew Fontaine Maury, then Chairman of the Physics Department at Virginia Military Institute, sent two of his daughters to New York to purchase a Steinway for their home in Lexington, VA. Matthew F. Maury was a former director of the US Naval Observatory and Commodore of the Confederate Navy. He was awarded medals by European heads of state for his achievements, and honored with the nickname "Pathfinder of the Seas" for his groundbreaking work on ocean currents. Commodore Maury had settled in Lexington to pursue his academic interests. When the Steinway arrived at his home, Commodore Maury excitedly wrote his son-in-law saying "the Piano has come - all safe- Elegant. Everybody pleased with it, and Elie is now making it "talk"! Thanks."
My introduction to the Maury Steinway came almost twenty years ago, when I received a call from Keith Gibson, noted author and Executive Director of Museum Programs for Virginia Military Institute. Col. Gibson had located the Maury piano, which had been stored for decades under a porch. The piano had been used by the Maury family until about 1912, when it was sold to the Christian family. In 1991, the Rev. William Christian, whose mother had bought the piano, offered the instrument to V.M.I.. Generous funding by Dr. J. Battle Haslam, a 1961 V.M.I. grad, provided money for restoration. Aware of my experience restoring antique pianos, Col. Gibson asked me to evaluate the piano for possible restoration.
My first impression of the piano was that it should be doused with gasoline and set afire. The rosewood veneer was peeling from the case, ivory was missing from many keys, there was termite damage to the lid and legs, the strings were rusted, felts were moth-eaten, and the piano action had completely seized due to verdigris in the action's pivot points. I was aware, however, that this was a historically important instrument that had been owned by an historically important man.
Before I accept a restoration job, I first establish the client's expectations. Col. Gibson made his expectations clear from the beginning: he did not want a cosmetic clean-up that would be suitable only for display: he wanted this instrument to play. My logic was telling me: "run away"; but my instincts told me that this was my piano to restore. Instantly, I didn't want anyone else to be in charge of this restoration. This was an opportunity for me to pay homage to history. This instrument deserved thoughtful and skilled restoration, and I intended to provide just that.
Restoring an antique piano is more similar to restoring an antique automobile than restoring antique furniture. A piano is a machine with thousands of moving wooden parts. The Antiques Roadshow admonition that "refinishing hurts value" does not apply to pianos. The challenge with an antique piano is to maintain its historical integrity while insuring that it will play music. Hippocrates' admonition "first, do no harm" must always stay in the mind of the restorer in choosing materials and techniques. In consultation with Col. Gibson, a restoration plan was developed.
The restoration took more than a year. The piano was completely disassembled; thousands of parts were numbered and labeled. Unusual configurations were photographed. Strings were sent to a string maker for duplication. Action felts and cloths were painstakingly removed and replaced. The case veneer was repaired, and brass case parts were re-plated. A new tuning pin block was installed, and the bridges and soundboard repaired. The case was refinished, and then the piano was re-strung, the action re-assembled, and the piano regulated and tuned.
The sound of the resulting instrument surprised everyone. Typically, square pianos have uneven tone with overpowering bass notes and weak treble notes. The Maury Steinway was remarkably even in tone for a square piano. No wonder Steinway received such accolades at the 1867 Paris Exhibition.
Due to renovations at the museum, the piano was placed into storage at V.M.I. until its official dedication in June of 1995. Dr. Haslam was the first to play the piano, performing the Doxology and the Navy Hymn, choices that would have pleased Commodore Maury. Following Dr. Haslam, the song "Ashokan Farewell", the theme from the PBS series The Civil War, was performed by Ginny Hutchinson, great-granddaughter of Commodore Maury.
Nearly twenty years after the initial restoration, the Maury Steinway is still exhibited at the V.M.I. Museum in Lexington. It is occasionally played, and the piano's care is under the watchful eye of Col. Gibson. Once again, Commodore Maury's piano "talks". I am glad I played a part in restoring the pianos voice.
