Here's historical information on this stunning c. 1900 piano. Quoting the Antique Piano Shop, "The Shoninger Louis XV “Salon” Upright Piano is one of the most elaborate and beautifully carved American upright piano model ever produced. Bernard Shoninger built high quality, expensive pianos from 1850-1929, and the quality and tone of their instruments are known to rival some of the finest brand names ever produced. Shoninger’s Louis XV “Salon” Upright Piano was the highest-grade, most expensive upright piano in the Shoninger product line with a cost at several hundred dollars when new - the cost of a small house! This piano is made of beautiful imported Honduran Mahogany wood with exquisitely carved panels, moldings and trusses. The piano is a large, full size “upright grand” with string length and soundboard size larger than a baby grand!"
1903 O.W. Wuertz concert grand upright is my cherished baby. The bass strings are phenomenally resonate. It's sad there is little interest or value in acoustic pianos, except high end models for teachers and professionals. 100 years ago every house had a piano in it.
My grandparents have the most beautiful piano I have ever seen! If you saw it you would agree, it’s and upright grand like that one, for the legs it has some sort of Roman Cherub holding up pillars and in the front it has carving of angels and trees and mountains! (It was made in the Black Forest germany) it was made by some sort of not well know maker , it said Orlauff Straussnitszch on the front. It’s 110 years old. On the side of the piano it had a bunch of scroll work and gilding. And a lot of columns too! Now they have 2 pianos! (They just got a grand piano)
It would be nice if you could send me a picture of your grandparents piano. I will include a link where you can contact me. aloveofmusic.com/Contact.html
Young sir. Thank you for sharing your God given talent. Please forgive an old man for repeating myself. I have responded to one of your other videos. I grew up 'down stairs' from my grand mother, who owned a 1907 Lenox Upright Grand. She purchased it new, when she was 25 or so(she was born in 1884). She also sang metzo soprano. Unfortunately, I let that piano get away from me. It brought tears to my old eyes when I heard you play Clare de Lune. I remember my sainted grand mother playing that on her piano when I was a kid of 8 or 9 yrs. of age.Thank you again for putting a smile on an old man's face. And, bringing a fond memory back.
Thank you James. You helped me fix my dampening bar practice. It just had to be manually lifted a half inch to lock into place. 1903 O.W.Wuertz made in New York. Geez and I've had this piano 15 yrs.
James, I noticed the middle range and lower range had the most obvious flatness, but It wasn't dramatic. It really sounds great for the most part. Thank you, Rik Spector
Hello James. This is a gorgeous and very ornate piano!! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it!! I thought it sounded quite nice really and the bell tones in the upper register are heavenly!! All of the registers sounded quite clean and bright and yet the bass tones had a wonderful resonance, too. It reminds me of the sound of my piano I learned on and played for years in my youth! I had a solid mahogany upright grand and it was huge/tall! My parents chose it because our home was small and it was the best way to achieve the sound in a smaller space. It was also rather ornate....beautifully carved and also had "claw" type feet. I used to take the front cover off and open the top for a special sound treat and loved watching those hammers in action :-) Thanks for this wonderful video! ~Jackie
Excellent reviews. What a blessing to be exposed to such beauty and functional creativity. A true fruit of labor and love from a Craftsman. 😉🍍 have a happy day 🤸
I have a 1912 Poole piano that was my great grandmother. That looks pretty close to this. And has been restored. Not much was needed surprising. We live in Southern California. If you are ever over here. Come check it out.
I like older uprights for this quality. It's like they have their own warm reverb. Maybe bad for studio work where people want to minimize reverb and add it back digitaly. But for live performance it is quite nice.
What a amazing upright. Beautiful! Yes it got some out-of-tune keys but it wasn’t really that bad. Btw in the movie are two small glitches. You repeat yourself ones and in the end there is a strange transition between the close piano and the open. Isn’t a big thing but I just want to mention it. It doesn’t do any harm to the nice piano. That’s for sure. I like it. Oh and for other people around: there is a second movie behind this one! Don’t miss it.
Hope I can get my 1929 Gulbransen sounding that nice some day. It is good, but all original except for some dampers I had to replace. Real ebony. Real ivory, too.
I could not hear it was out of tune, but my music acknowledgement level is very low. Anyway this review of yours is one of my favorites piano reviews ever.
2 videos in one day? bonus! Nice case, love the look 'under the hood' when you do them. Sounds nice! Someone is going to be fortunate to have that in their home. Is it just time to stretch the strings? or does a hard playing session stretch them in faster? I sort of like the out of tuneness reminds me so much of the poor semi-neglected pianos in some of the older small halls in my part of the world.
Obviously another piano whose fallboard partially opens the front panel once opened. I can tell by that lever that you can see when you took the front panel off. Interesting! :)
My parents owned one. Came to them for free. Left them for free. Given to our tuner. I wonder if this is it. If so, it's come a long way since then (1997).
My dad told me the tuner hounded him if he would sell it from the moment he saw it. Hired him 3-4 times over ~10 years. When we finally decided to move away he showed up before anything was even packed and off it went. Napoleon Ohio.
James, that piano is whole a masterpiece! Beautiful workmanship, case, sound ... A fine pianist can make it sound like a Bösendorfer...
I don’t usually gravitate to fancy cased pianos but the way this one was restored and how it sounds I would be a proud owner if given the chance.
Here's historical information on this stunning c. 1900 piano. Quoting the Antique Piano Shop, "The Shoninger Louis XV “Salon” Upright Piano is one of the most elaborate and beautifully carved American upright piano model ever produced. Bernard Shoninger built high quality, expensive pianos from 1850-1929, and the quality and tone of their instruments are known to rival some of the finest brand names ever produced. Shoninger’s Louis XV “Salon” Upright Piano was the highest-grade, most expensive upright piano in the Shoninger product line with a cost at several hundred dollars when new - the cost of a small house! This piano is made of beautiful imported Honduran Mahogany wood with exquisitely carved panels, moldings and trusses. The piano is a large, full size “upright grand” with string length and soundboard size larger than a baby grand!"
1903 O.W. Wuertz concert grand upright is my cherished baby. The bass strings are phenomenally resonate. It's sad there is little interest or value in acoustic pianos, except high end models for teachers and professionals. 100 years ago every house had a piano in it.
nice warm and mellow tone :)
A piano that oozes quailty,wonderful tone,would like to hear it when tuned, it's up there with the best.
The inside of that Piano is breathtaking!
My grandparents have the most beautiful piano I have ever seen! If you saw it you would agree, it’s and upright grand like that one, for the legs it has some sort of Roman Cherub holding up pillars and in the front it has carving of angels and trees and mountains! (It was made in the Black Forest germany) it was made by some sort of not well know maker , it said Orlauff Straussnitszch on the front. It’s 110 years old. On the side of the piano it had a bunch of scroll work and gilding. And a lot of columns too! Now they have 2 pianos! (They just got a grand piano)
It would be nice if you could send me a picture of your grandparents piano. I will include a link where you can contact me. aloveofmusic.com/Contact.html
Young sir. Thank you for sharing your God given talent. Please forgive an old man for repeating myself. I have responded to one of your other videos. I grew up 'down stairs' from my grand mother, who owned a 1907 Lenox Upright Grand. She purchased it new, when she was 25 or so(she was born in 1884). She also sang metzo soprano. Unfortunately, I let that piano get away from me. It brought tears to my old eyes when I heard you play Clare de Lune. I remember my sainted grand mother playing that on her piano when I was a kid of 8 or 9 yrs. of age.Thank you again for putting a smile on an old man's face. And, bringing a fond memory back.
Fantastic demonstration!
Beautiful and exquisite. A real testament and love to the quality this one has.
Thank you James. You helped me fix my dampening bar practice. It just had to be manually lifted a half inch to lock into place. 1903 O.W.Wuertz made in New York. Geez and I've had this piano 15 yrs.
Nice Shoninger! They also made fantastic reed organs as well as pianos like the one here.
James,
I noticed the middle range and lower range had the most obvious flatness, but It wasn't dramatic.
It really sounds great for the most part.
Thank you,
Rik Spector
Hello James. This is a gorgeous and very ornate piano!! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it!! I thought it sounded quite nice really and the bell tones in the upper register are heavenly!! All of the registers sounded quite clean and bright and yet the bass tones had a wonderful resonance, too. It reminds me of the sound of my piano I learned on and played for years in my youth! I had a solid mahogany upright grand and it was huge/tall! My parents chose it because our home was small and it was the best way to achieve the sound in a smaller space. It was also rather ornate....beautifully carved and also had "claw" type feet. I used to take the front cover off and open the top for a special sound treat and loved watching those hammers in action :-) Thanks for this wonderful video! ~Jackie
Amazing!
Love CdL
was also hoping for PotC as you play that brilliantly!
Another interesting vid, James.
Beautiful piano sound!!!!
Wow this is unique. I want it
stunning sound
Excellent reviews. What a blessing to be exposed to such beauty and functional creativity. A true fruit of labor and love from a Craftsman. 😉🍍 have a happy day 🤸
I have a 1912 Poole piano that was my great grandmother. That looks pretty close to this. And has been restored. Not much was needed surprising. We live in Southern California. If you are ever over here. Come check it out.
There is such a place called New Haven, NY. 😃
The wood on that piano is beautiful, it looks like Mahogany.
Cover off or on, this piano has lots of depth: it’s like you were playing in a large room. Thanks.
I like older uprights for this quality. It's like they have their own warm reverb. Maybe bad for studio work where people want to minimize reverb and add it back digitaly. But for live performance it is quite nice.
What a amazing upright. Beautiful! Yes it got some out-of-tune keys but it wasn’t really that bad. Btw in the movie are two small glitches. You repeat yourself ones and in the end there is a strange transition between the close piano and the open. Isn’t a big thing but I just want to mention it. It doesn’t do any harm to the nice piano. That’s for sure. I like it. Oh and for other people around: there is a second movie behind this one! Don’t miss it.
James, when you mentioned the pineapple-like decorations on the piano, I thought you were going to play Pineapple Rag.
These piano's were in their prime during ragtime
or stairway to new haven.
Bravo!!!
Hope I can get my 1929 Gulbransen sounding that nice some day. It is good, but all original except for some dampers I had to replace. Real ebony. Real ivory, too.
I could not hear it was out of tune, but my music acknowledgement level is very low. Anyway this review of yours is one of my favorites piano reviews ever.
It's more evident in the bass if that helps...
I hope you purchased it. It truly sounds better than some high-end grands you featured on here.
What is the name from this piece??? 8:43
It's his test piece for the treble side
Honky Tonk, and Boogie Woogie style as well as old saloon music always sound extra nice on old pianos that are out of tune.
🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹
2 videos in one day? bonus! Nice case, love the look 'under the hood' when you do them. Sounds nice! Someone is going to be fortunate to have that in their home. Is it just time to stretch the strings? or does a hard playing session stretch them in faster? I sort of like the out of tuneness reminds me so much of the poor semi-neglected pianos in some of the older small halls in my part of the world.
The Pineapple piano! 🍍🍍
Beautiful.. What was the name of the 2nd Bach piece you played?
new haven and new york, probably made in connecticut and retailed in new york, most likely.
What’s the asking price?
How long are the bass strings on that ?
This Piano is taller than a 15 y.o. friend of mine 😂
A lot of piano companies went out of business during the great depression.
Does it fill like creamy or chunky peanut butter? Can you add a link to the piano? That way I can look at it.
I feel like ragtime music would be best for this piano.
I THINK the 'pineapples' are pompeblêden, aka Seeblätter, but I am not sure. They do look like pineapples though ;-)
I have an old one from 1909 that needs to be restored. Not sure if the expense and trouble will be worth it.
Do you still have it? I woul be interested. What are the first 2 digits of the serial?
Does anyone know the name of the first piece he played?
Olanrewaju Adeoso he wrote it.
It was actually “TPF 01” Or... His own testing piece.
Obviously another piano whose fallboard partially opens the front panel once opened. I can tell by that lever that you can see when you took the front panel off. Interesting! :)
"This piano is a little out of tune" * proceeds to play the most in tune upright piano on the planet *
💖💖💖
My parents owned one. Came to them for free. Left them for free. Given to our tuner. I wonder if this is it. If so, it's come a long way since then (1997).
My dad told me the tuner hounded him if he would sell it from the moment he saw it. Hired him 3-4 times over ~10 years. When we finally decided to move away he showed up before anything was even packed and off it went. Napoleon Ohio.
What piece are you playing?
James,
I've got the feeling that those aren't carved on the piano, I suspect they were made separately
and applied to the surface.
Cheers,
Rik Spector
Frederick Spector Some peices of bezel were applied after, but much of the ornate designs are carved, see how roundly they form to the surface?
What’s the song called? bach?
There's two Bach pieces, the first one is We Pray Now to the Holy Spirit, and the second is called Deck Thyself, My Soul with Gladness.
Thankyou so much!
ThePianoforever do you know where i can get piano sheet music?