Canadian Weber Piano with Solodant
By Jim Heyworth
I still have my mother's non-player Weber piano that has been in the family since 1919 and still working very well. The action is labeled "Otto Higel." I have some "Otto Higel" made-in-Canada (Toronto) piano rolls that have the snake bites and are labeled "Solodant."
What it comes down to is that the Canadian Weber bears no relationship whatsoever to the (American) Aeolian Weber. These pianos were initially produced in Kingston, Ontario, and were of fairly good quality. The name is derived from one of the initial owners who became associated with the factory, which made a number of different names of piano over the years, in 1865. In later years they were variously sold by Heintzman and made by Sherlock_Manning and Lesage. The name existed from 1875 until 1955. They also made players.
The above information was gleaned from "Downright Upright - A History of the Canadian Piano Industry," by Wayne Kelly, Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc., 1991.
So, put it all together and...
Jim Heyworth,
Sechelt, B.C., Canada
[ ... and it plays fine music! -- Robbie ] |
(Message sent Wed 15 Jan 1997, 08:17:05 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.) |
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