Decker Brothers
Encyclopedia
Decker Brothers was an American piano
manufacturer located in the John H. Edelmann
designed Decker Building
in New York
, New York
, on the national register of historic places. The company began to produce pianos in 1865, created by David Decker and John Decker, after the brothers were awarded many piano patents.
and Chickering and Sons
, even though widely acknowledged as being equivalent in quality to the Steinway and Chickering pianos of the era. Today the Decker Brothers pianos do not sell for as much as their more famous counterparts, yet they still command more than double the price of an average piano manufacturer of that era.
The company ended its operations at the death of one of the brothers around the turn of the 20th century
.
, but very good scaling ahead of its day. A Decker Brothers piano has been more recently described as having "the most unusual design in the bass." This is because the strings go under the plate at the tuning pin end with the tuning pin sticking up through a hole. It is guessed that this was done in order to get the string coil closer to the pinblock and so to have more of the tuning pin actually in the pinblock.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
manufacturer located in the John H. Edelmann
John H. Edelmann
John H. Edelmann was a socialist-anarchist who worked as an architect in the office of Alfred Zucker, a successful commercial architect of the 1880s and 1890s in New York City. As an architect, Edelmann's sole surviving monument is the former headquarters of the Decker Brothers Piano Company, the...
designed Decker Building
Decker Building
The Decker Building, periodically also named the Union Building, located at 33 Union Square West in Manhattan, New York City was built in 1892 for the Decker Brothers piano company, to designs by the radical anarchist architect John H. Edelmann, working in the office of Alfred Zucker...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on the national register of historic places. The company began to produce pianos in 1865, created by David Decker and John Decker, after the brothers were awarded many piano patents.
The Company
The Decker Brothers pianos are known for their exceptional quality in knowledgeable piano circles, and the New York Times wrote that they had "a wide spread and enviable reputation for their superior quality". However, they did not achieve the notability of some of their counterparts, specifically Steinway & SonsSteinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
and Chickering and Sons
Chickering and Sons
Chickering and Sons was an American piano manufacturer located in Boston, known for producing award-winning instruments of superb quality and design. The company was founded in 1823 by Jonas Chickering and James Stewart, but the partnership dissolved four years later...
, even though widely acknowledged as being equivalent in quality to the Steinway and Chickering pianos of the era. Today the Decker Brothers pianos do not sell for as much as their more famous counterparts, yet they still command more than double the price of an average piano manufacturer of that era.
The company ended its operations at the death of one of the brothers around the turn of the 20th century
Turn of the century
Turn of the century, in its broadest sense, refers to the transition from one century to another. The term is most often used to indicate a non-specific time period either before or after the beginning of a century....
.
The Piano
The Decker Brothers piano had typical late square action and dampersSustain pedal
A sustain pedal or sustaining pedal is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. It is typically the rightmost of two or three pedals. When pressed, the sustain pedal "sustains" all the damped strings on the piano by moving all the dampers away from the strings and allowing them to vibrate...
, but very good scaling ahead of its day. A Decker Brothers piano has been more recently described as having "the most unusual design in the bass." This is because the strings go under the plate at the tuning pin end with the tuning pin sticking up through a hole. It is guessed that this was done in order to get the string coil closer to the pinblock and so to have more of the tuning pin actually in the pinblock.