Organs & Keyboards

Organs:

Cornell has an impressive collection of organs representing various national traditions, and covering a broad chronological span. The centerpiece of the Cornell collection is the magnificent Cornell Baroque Organ (2011), built at the Gothenburg (Sweden) Organ Art Center (GOArt) and in upstate New York. It is a German baroque organ of two manuals and pedal, housed in Anabel Taylor Chapel. The collection also includes an important Aeolian Skinner organ (1940) located in Sage Chapel; a historic Italian organ, built by Augustinus Vicedomini in 1746; and a central-German-style chamber organ of one manual with pedal built at GOArt in 2003.

Fortepianos and Early Modern Pianos:

Cornell’s collection of 18th- and 19th-century pianos is wide-ranging and of outstanding quality. It includes both original instruments, and copies of historical instruments made by leading contemporary builders, designed for the historically-informed performance of classical and romantic repertories. These instruments are housed in Barnes and Lincoln Halls, and a studio space at 726 University Ave. where the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards is based.

Original instruments:

  • Broadwood, 1799, 5 1/2 octaves
  • Joseph Simon, 1835, 6 1/2 octaves
  • Broadwood, c. 1850, 6 octaves
  • Pleyel, 1865, 7 octaves
  • Erard, 1868, 7 octaves
  • Schweighofer, c. 1870, 7 octaves
  • Blüthner “Aliquot grand,” 1878, 7 octaves

Historical copies:

  • Copy of Gottfired Silbermann 1749 5-octave fortepiano by Paul McNulty, 2020
  • Copy of 1784 Johann Andreas Stein 5-octave fortepiano by Thomas McCobb, 1972
  • Copy of ca. 1800 Anton Walter 5 1/2-octave fortepiano by Paul McNulty, 2002
  • Copy of 1815 Johann Firtz 6-octave fortepiano by Paul McNulty, 2015
  • Copy of 1824 Conrad Graf 6 1/2-octave fortepiano by Rodney Regier, 2000

See photos and descriptions, and hear audio samples, on the CCHK website.

Modern Pianos:

Cornell has 56 modern grand and upright pianos from many prominent piano makers. This wide variety of instruments encourages pianists to explore the broadest possible range of musical possibilities. They include:

  • Steinway D, 1908, Barnes Auditorium stage
  • Steinway D, 1958, Barnes Auditorium stage
  • Steinway D, 2005, Bailey Auditorium
  • Bechstein E, 1921, Sage Chapel
  • Mason & Hamlin CC, c. 1930, Lincoln Hall B20
  • Bösendorfer Imperial grand, c. 1955, Lincoln Hall B20 (on gracious loan to Cornell)
  • Steinway C, 1960, Lincoln Hall B21
  • Mason & Hamlin BB, 1911, Lincoln Hall 331
  • Bösendorfer 185, 1958, Lincoln Hall 239
  • Blüthner Model 4, 1921, Lincoln Hall B02A
  • Mason & Hamlin BB, 1968, Carriage House Loft
  • Steinway C, 19??, Moakley House (Cornell Golf Course)

Harpsichords:

  • Double-manual late-eighteenth-century French-style 5-octave harpsichord by William Dowd, 1978 (after Pascal Taskin)
  • Copy of 1764/1783-84 Goermans-Taskin double-manual 5-octave harpsichord by Thomas & Barbara Wolf, 2012
  • Copy of 1691 Vincent Tibaut double-manual by Alton H. Clark, 2010
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