Emily's piano and Charlotte's tree

A couple of news from the heart of Brontë country. The Keighley News continues to report about Charlotte And Arthur's felled tree, together with a picture (source) showing Brontë Parsonage Museum director, Alan Bentley, at the spot where the 154-year-old tree used to stand.

Brontë Parsonage Museum director Alan Bentley with the stump of the tree cut down in the grounds. Behind him is a sapling of the same type which, it is hoped, will now thrive after the removal of the old tree.

Something very interesting as well is to be found on the Brontë Parsonage Blog. Sarah Laycock writes a post - with pictures - on the restoration of the Parsonage cottage piano.

After over a hundred years build-up of dust, dirt and strands of Emily’s hair, the Brontë family piano is finally going to be restored to full working order. The only problem we have now is - who’s going to play it?
Up until now, the cabinet piano, presented to the museum in 1916, has been displayed and admired as a piece of authentic Brontë furniture but with the help of private funding, we are now able to restore the inside mechanism so that it can be appreciated by all as a musical instrument.
The piano was mainly used by Emily, although Branwell and Anne would have also used it to a lesser extent. Ellen Nussey once described Emily playing ‘with precision and brilliancy’ and by the time Emily went to Brussels in 1842, her playing was of such a high standard that she was taught by one of the best music professors in Belgium.
The piano was probably made in London between 1810 and 1815. It bears the inscription John Green, music agent of 33 Soho Square, London. It has a fairly short five octave keyboard of ivory keys which will be kept intact, and the broken hammers and strings which are hidden behind a screen of maroon-coloured pleated silk will be replaced so that the piano will play for the first time in over one hundred years.
Piano restorer Ken Forrest (pictured below) has examined the piano and informed us that there are parts missing which will need to be replaced and it will need to be completely restrung. He also said that the ivory keys are going to be kept but are in need of some renovation. He is going to be researching similar pianos in order to gather together more information before restoration can take place. Cabinet pianos were popular in the 1830s and 1840s but today are rather unusual when compared to the more valuable pianos such as the Grand.
Our cabinet piano is one of many items that were auctioned off in the 1861 sale of Brontë objects. It was bought by a Mr Booth of Oxenhope and sold many times before it was donated to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in 1916. (Picture source)

Hopefully the restoration work will go smoothly and soon we will hear Emily's piano playing again.

Categories: Brontë Parsonage Museum, Brontë Society, Brontëana