Frederick Historic Piano Collection

This is a world-​class antique piano collection, located about 70 miles outside Boston. What makes this place outstanding, however, is that the instruments are in playable condition and that they are open to the public to see, hear AND play.
The owner/​curators, Mike and Pat Frederick, are warm hosts and know their pianos. The instruments they have collected almost all date from the 18^th and 19^th century, when most of today’s piano repertoire was created. The recommended 3-​hour tour takes you back in time, and the further you go, the more you realize that today’s pianos are distant cousins from what the composers and performers of the day actually used. What you discover is that Chopin on an Erard and Schumann on a Streicher, for example, sound and feel completely different than when played on a modern Steinway. I’ve visited the center with professional pianists, and I see jaws drop when they discover how much more suitable the original instruments are in making sense of the music. The differences are not subtle.
Visit the website for details of the collection and instructions on how to make an appointment for yourself or a small group. Bundle up if you visit in the winter. Central heating is the enemy of old pianos, so the thermostat is kept to a chilly 50 degrees!