Downright Upright: A History of the Canadian Piano Industry

by Wayne Kelly

For every Canadian who loves the piano ….

Remember those early piano lessons?

The joy of accomplishing your first piano solo?

The anxiety of the recital?

Gathering in song around an old upright with family and friends? Downright Upright is a thorough and loving treatment of the Canadian piano, its development and social impact. 1991 marked the 175th anniversary of this fascinating Canadian industry. Since 1816 more than 240 different brand name pianos have been produced by better than 150 individual companies. Canada exported countless thousands of pianos to every corner of the globe. Russian Czar Nicholas II had one made in London, Ontario. Queen Victoria owned a Heintzman grand. Japanese school boards insisted on them. From the Australian outback to the Andes, from equatorial Africa to the Arctic, our pianos were a hit! Downright Upright includes a "buyer’s guide" and Canadian piano atlas (serial numbers). Ideal for the piano owner keen to know more about the instrument and its history.

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1991

Reviews

[C.J. Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating historical book about the now-vanished piano manufacturing industry in Ontario, Canada. Did you know that, only a few decades ago, nearly every small town and large city in Ontario made pianos? Countries around the world coveted some of the brands (think Heintzman, for instance). And nearly every household in the country at the turn of the 20th century had an upright piano in the parlor. At least one person in the family could play and it was a source of entertainment long before television and the internet invaded our lives.

Now, all of those manufacturers have disappeared. Many of the pianos are now rotting in landfills. And that glorious time is now over. Wayne Kelly's book provides a decent history of this long-gone, but still yearned for, era.

[Jim Duggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked ip this book just out of general interest in musical instruments and history. I did not realize how large the piano manufacturing industry was in Canada at ine time. At one time pianos were common in the parlors of homes. Of course, times have changed and the industry has completely disappeared.
One thing I learned is that there used to be devices called "piano players". These were separate devices that were positioned in front of the piano keyboard and the piano would be played by these machines.