No other instrument has the versatility, power and depth of the piano. It is central to almost all music genres. The piano gallery will inspire you whether you love classical, jazz, rock and pop or blues. Virtually without exception pianos are core and we’d like to give you a little historical background about some iconic pianos through the years.
Of course, the modern piano is very different from the original instruments that emerged in the 18th Century, both tonally and visually. Some pianos stand out from the crowd; they have etched themselves into our heritage and imagination.
Here is a small selection of iconic pianos that have been owned, performed and composed on by leading musicians of their time and which can still be seen in a piano gallery or museum somewhere in the world.
Grand piano gallery
In our grand piano gallery, we look at some of the most famous grand pianos owned and played by a mix of classical, contemporary and rock musicians.
Mozart’s piano
Mozart composed and performed on a “fortepiano” built by Anton Walter, a famous Viennese piano maker, in 1782. Although it looks like a grand piano, it has two fewer octaves and is just 2.2 metres long. It can be seen at the Mozarteum museum in Salzburg. On it he composed his last piano piece, Piano Concerto No. 27, first performed by Mozart in 1791, the year of his death.
Liberace’s Steinway grand piano
Liberace, full name Władziu Valentino Liberace (Lee to his friends), was undoubtedly an iconic showman. At one time the wealthiest entertainer in the world, he said that what he loved was giving people a good time. His musical style was as colourful as his persona, but there is little doubt that behind all the glitz and glamour Liberace was an accomplished pianist, after all he began playing from the age of four. In 1978 he opened the Liberace Museum where he kept many of his pianos, costumes, jewellery, and cars. This is one of his iconic Steinway grand pianos.
John Lennon’s white piano
The last entry in our iconic grand piano gallery is the famous white piano on which John Lennon performed “Imagine”, though he composed the song on a Steinway upright piano. The white piano is now owned by the singer George Michael, but currently, it is on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Inspired by his partner Yoko Ono, “Imagine” became one of the most iconic pop songs of the 1970s. Rolling Stone ranked it as number three in its 500 greatest songs of all time. Others described it as “overly sentimental and melodramatic” – you can’t please everybody.
Upright piano gallery
In our upright piano gallery, we feature another iconic white piano, this time, Sir Elton John’s “birdcage” piano, and another from John Lennon, his last piano.
John Lennon’s last piano
Available to view at The Beatles Story exhibition in Liverpool, the last piano John Lennon played just hours before his death in 1980, had been his love; he insisted on moving it to almost every studio. Its distinctive Honky-Tonk sound can be heard on several albums including “Double Fantasy”, he composed “Fame” on it with David Bowie, and it has been played by Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and other famous names. Initially produced by the New English Piano Company, it was later converted to produce its characteristic sound by inserting thumbtacks into the hammers.
