Mr. Langshaw's Square Piano: The Story of the First Pianos and How They Caused a Cultural Revolution

In search of an instrument that could best reproduce her early musical scores, British artist Goold stumbled upon an old Broadwood square, a durable, masterfully constructed piano barely recognizable after years of disuse. A fan since childhood of the contemporary Broadwood upright, Goold formed a deep bond with this antique prototype, and devoted two years to reclaiming its ownership. In this record of Broadwood square 10651, originally purchased in 1807 by piano distributor and Lancaster parish organist John Langshaw, Goold chronicles the transformative history of the model and the instrument, both of which changed culture in England and all across the world. John Broadwood capitalized on new channels of industrialization, manufacturing pianos for the masses, introducing high culture to the lower classes and setting new standards for the influence of a family enterprise. Demonstrating how Broadwood and his invention bridged art and business, high society and low, human and machine, this personal but carefully-crafted history reveals how technical innovation can advance the evolution of society.