German tongue mechanism with fork-shaped brass capsules in the style of Johann Schmid in Salzburg, lever damping & toggle lever, damping cancellation with 2 choirs throughout.
Design and equipment: Cuban mahogany veneered and polished, the lid, legs and numerous other components are made of solid mahogany. This construction is obviously typical of Völler's square pianos, as the later square piano from around 1820 also has these features. Four tapered legs, square cross-section and black contrasting top. Ebony keyboard coverings, ivory lower keys.
Further instruments by Joh. Heinrich Völler are available in:
1. Fortepiano built around 1805 in the Kassel City Museum 2. Square piano around 1820, keyboard range FF-f4, push-pull mechanism in the Claviersalon Miltenberg
The instrument was completely restored by CARMINE HOME and would still need to be technically tuned by a piano maker and possibly minor repairs carried out.
Story: Heinrich Völler, born on March 7, 1768 as the son of the farmer Joh. V. in Angersbach b. Lauterbach (Upper Hesse). Even as a boy, he showed a pronounced inclination for mechanics, but was only able to persuade his father to let him learn carpentry with difficulty. In 1786 he became an apprentice to an organ builder and built his first organ just two years later. He became known for the invention of various mechanical works of art, the most important of which, called the Apollonion, caused a great stir; it was a combination of a claviere with a flute stop and an automaton. Since a trip he undertook with his works of art (1800) brought him little profit, after his return to Kassel he felt compelled to limit himself to building pianofortes. He had extraordinary success with these instruments; He soon acquired such a reputation that his instruments could compete with the best Viennese grand pianos. He died in Kassel at the end of 1822.
Dimensions: 164 x 79 x 61 cm
Provenance: Albert von Gross Bern/Weimar
Remarks: Impeccable in preservation. One of three versions, the only one made of mahogany.
