A century ago, half of all American homes had a piano. It was often the most expensive piece of furniture. It was more than a musical instrument. It represented financial stability – a symbol of prosperity.
It was often the center of family life. Piano lessons were a common requirement for children. At one time, seventy percent of children in public schools were learning to read music and play the piano. Families would spend evenings playing the piano and singing favorite songs. The piano was the centerpiece of holiday celebrations and social gatherings.
American inventiveness brought improvements to piano construction and helped to bring prices down, making the instrument more accessible. The Bronx in New York became a piano manufacturing center, with sixty-four factories employing over five thousand workers. It was quite an industry, with teachers giving piano lessons and publishing houses turning out reams of sheet music.
On this date in 1916, the Getts Piano House of Grand Forks ran a three-quarter page ad in the Grand Forks Herald. The store was going out of business and the pianos in stock had to go. A $350 piano was going for $105. A piano could even be had for as little as $75. That was not as inexpensive as it sounds. It was the equivalent of $2,000 in today’s money. The buyer did not have to come up with the full amount. The piano could be purchased for two dollars down with payments of one dollar per week.
In 1860, the Ladies Book of Etiquette observed that it was rare to meet a lady who was unable to play the piano. In 1867, historian James Parton said the only thing in a home that was more important than the piano was the kitchen stove.
The stock market crash of 1929 began the end of the piano as a cherished part of home life. Then came recorded music – the record player, tape devices, disks, digital and the internet. Today, a piano in the home is quite rare.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Grand Forks Herald. Ad for Getts Piano House. Grand Forks ND. 2/2/1916. Page 2.
- JStor Daily. “Player Pianos and the Commodification of Music.” https://daily.jstor.org/what-player-pianos-meant-to-american-families/ Accessed 12/17/2023.
- American Heritage. “The Piano in the Parlor.” https://www.americanheritage.com/piano-parlor https://www.americanheritage.com/piano-parlor Accessed 12/17/2023.
- Inflation Calculator. “Value of $75 from 1916 to 2023.” https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1916?amount=75 Accessed 12/17/2023.
