Jonas Chickering
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jonas Chickering (April 5, 1798 - December 8, 1853) was an innovative manufacturer of pianos. Born at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, he was the son of a blacksmith, and would learn the trade of cabinet making. He moved to the Boston, Massachusetts area and was apprenticed to piano maker John Osborne around 1818 . Following a brief partnership with James Stewart, he began his own business in Boston in 1823. From the very first, Chickering's pianos were of superb quality and design and, coupled with a partner who was good at marketing his instruments, Chickering became known throughout all of North and South America.
In 1843, Chickering incorporated his concept for a cast iron frame in a concert grand piano, and an improved version of this piano received unparalleled praise at the first International Exposition held in 1851 at the Crystal Palace, London, winning a first prize medal. In 1852, Jonas made his three sons, Thomas, Frank, and George, partners in the firm. He died the following year at Boston.
In 1867, following the great Paris Exposition of 1867, Frank Chickering had the "Imperial Cross of the Legion of Honour," then one of the world's most prestigious non-military awards, bestowed upon him by Emperor Napoleon III for services to the art of music.
The Chickering pianos built up until around the Second World War are considered to be second to none, and some of the concert grands built around the period of the late 1800s to around 1925 have some of the most powerful and rich sounds possible, especially in the bass.
