When I was born in 1966 I had three older brothers, one of whom had hopes of learning the piano. So in 1963 my folks bought an 1885 Behning and Son upright piano from a neighbor, who was the grandson of the original purchaser. We believe it came from Williamsport, PA who would have been the closest Behning piano dealer in the 1880s to Port Allegany, PA.
Having so few owners and little play, it was in great shape. Its an eastlake victorian black laquer with two pedals and the scrolling in the woodowork of violins and flowers. We had it looked at once (1981) where he tuned it as best he could not A440 but close. He replace some hammers and regulated it best he could and it played well for many years. It still has all original strings and dampers etc etc. ALL original still.
Somehow one of my brother's managed to grab it when my parets sold the old hosue and he took it up to the farm where his kids played it (pretty roughly unfortunately) and tried to learn to play with not much success. And its sat in my brother's basement playroom now for thirty years or more where it sits now. I came up last year and tried to tune it and it came out better than it was, but I noticed the pins are super loose and it needs a lot of attention. I've always guessed that after a proper and extensive restoration, this piano could potentially be a very, very nice piano. It has been a very nice piano and has held up well for its age.
The piano is, technicallly, only on its 3rd owner and only the 2nd family to own it continuously from purchase. It is an 1885 Behning and Son upright in the Eastlake Victorian style, black laquer finish, single fall board, two pedals in nickel finish, red felting and fancy scroll works of violins and flowers in the work. It must have been a looker in 1885!
Notice its not a Behning and Sons. There was a year or two between the boys/sons of Mr Behning and the Son part is because his other subsequent sons had not been born yet after which he would again change the name of the company to Behning and Sons with an S.
Most of the records and documents of the Behning piano co were lost in a very unfortunate fire decades ago. However the Behning blood line is active and there are direct descendents of the Behnings in Arizona.
I wish I had a video of it, but I looked and I don't have one But I played it as recently as last year at a christmas party. With all the background noise all of those pesky imperfetions seemed to just melt away and I could hear a real voice coming from it once again. It souded beautiful really and other people commented that the never thought that old piano had the capability of sounding as good as it did that night. Its as if the piano had woken out of a long, dark coma and sprang to life. It was truly an experience.
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YEAR 1800-1900
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MAKE Behning and Sons
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FINISH Black/Ebony
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CATEGORY CONTESTANT
