Holling and Spangenberg Piano Outline
I. Intro
II. What I am studying? Ex. Description
III. Who made it?
IV. Where was it made? Ex. History of Company
V. When was it made?
VI. Where has it been? Ex. Museum, Convent, Music Store
P.S. It was not at all part of the Old Catholic Mission.
VII. Conclusion.
Holling and Spangenberg Piano Nov.25/09
Many pianos have a mystery behind them. A piano is sitting in the Old Catholic Mission, which is one of the displays at the Heritage Park of Fort McMurray. I decided to research about this piano because I am a piano student. I will talk about the condition of the piano who made it, and were it has been over the years.
This piano was made by the company Holling and Spangenberg. The piano is in very good condition for its age. It has ivory keys and carvings of flowers on the cover. The piano itself is very out of tune, but no strings are broken inside. I am not sure what wood the piano is made of. I did try and find out online. I e-mailed several sources and they had no idea what it was made of. Some hadn't even heard of a Holling and Spangenberg piano! I did find a website that was all about the maker of the piano, though. There wasn't very much information at all. The Holling and Spangenberg Company must have made very durable pianos, because this one only had a couple of scratches and chipped keys!
The Holling and Spangenberg Company was founded by Mr. Dietrich Holling. He founded this company in the year 1843, in Zeitz, Germany. Upon finding the serial number inside the piano I was able to track when it was made. The piano was built between 1887 and 1920. I'm not sure where the name Spangenberg came from but I do know that the factory stopped producing pianos during World War II. Mr. Holling and his family made a specifically important piano in 1843. One piano made by this company was specially hand crafted for King Ludwig II, of Bavaria in South-east Germany. Inside the piano there are many stamped awards and two medallions. On these stamps are inscriptions of different exhibitions and fairs the Holling and Spangenberg Company participated in. The fairs were held in the cities of Melbourne, Auckland , Sydney, and Adelaide. Mr. Holling's company built many pianos during its lifetime.
This piano has a very interesting history. First of all it was made in Zeitz, Germany. I'm not sure what happened after that, but I do know that it was shipped over to a convent in Newfoundland. It was probably used in daily masses and for ceremonial purposes. Then, it came here, to Ft. McMurray. It was donated to the Heritage Park by an instrument and music shop, and has been there ever since.
This piano has had an amazing life. From Zeitz to Newfoundland to Ft. Mc. Murray, this piano has traveled alot!
