Period Piano Company

Period Piano Company is a specialist business devoted to the conservation, restoration, and associated expertise of historic pianos. It was established in 1976 by David Winston, whose technical background combined violin making, harpsichord construction, and workshop experience in both the United States and the United Kingdom. This craft-based foundation positioned the company within the highly specialized field of historical keyboard-instrument preservation rather than the mass manufacture or retail sale of contemporary pianos. Before founding the company, Winston trained initially as a violin maker and apprenticed to the German violin maker Hans Weisshaar. He then spent four years working with the Boston-based harpsichord maker William Dowd. After that period, he moved to the United Kingdom and worked in the Adlam-Burnett workshops. These experiences gave him exposure to the construction, materials, mechanics, and historical treatment of stringed and keyboard instruments. The company’s work has included the restoration of historically significant pianos associated with major composers and musical figures. Among the instruments linked to Winston’s restoration work are a piano made for Ludwig van Beethoven by John Broadwood & Sons in 1817, a Pleyel piano from 1846 associated with Frédéric Chopin, and instruments connected with Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt. The Beethoven piano is held by the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum, while Chopin’s Pleyel is held in the Cobbe Collection. These projects illustrate the company’s role in preserving individual historic instruments as cultural and documentary objects, in addition to returning them to usable musical condition. In 2012, David Winston received a royal warrant in the capacity of “conservator and restorer of pianos to Her Majesty.” The warrant recognized his specialist professional role and further associated Period Piano Company with high-level conservation work. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about the company’s organizational structure, location, staff, financial performance, product lines, and current commercial operations. Its identifiable public profile is therefore centered on David Winston’s expertise and the restoration of historically important pianos rather than on a broad consumer-facing brand portfolio.

Period Piano Company was founded in 1976 by David Winston as a specialist enterprise focused on historic piano conservation and restoration. Winston’s professional path began in violin making. He apprenticed to the German violin maker Hans Weisshaar, acquiring a foundation in traditional instrument craftsmanship and the repair of valuable stringed instruments. Winston subsequently worked for the harpsichord maker William Dowd in Boston for four years. This stage broadened his experience from violin work into the construction and maintenance of historical keyboard instruments. He later moved to the United Kingdom, where he worked in the Adlam-Burnett workshops. Together, these experiences established the technical and historical knowledge that informed his later work with period pianos. The company became associated with the treatment of antique and historically important instruments. Winston has been entrusted with restoring a piano made for Beethoven by John Broadwood & Sons in 1817. That instrument is now part of the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum. His restoration work also includes Chopin’s Pleyel piano from 1846, held in the Cobbe Collection, as well as instruments associated with Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt. The named projects demonstrate the significance of the company’s work: the instruments are valued not only for their function as musical tools but also for their provenance, connection to major composers, and place in cultural collections. In 2012, Winston was granted a royal warrant as “conservator and restorer of pianos to Her Majesty.” The warrant provided formal recognition of his specialist conservation role. Available reference material does not document a wider corporate history, changes in ownership, manufacturing facilities, retail expansion, or a detailed list of employees. The company’s documented identity remains closely tied to Winston and to the restoration of historically significant pianos.

• 2012

  Royal warrant is granted to David Winston

  [1]Period Piano Companyen.wikipedia.org

  David Winston receives a royal warrant in recognition of his work as a conservator and restorer of pianos to Her Majesty.

• 1976

  Period Piano Company is established

  [1]Period Piano Companyen.wikipedia.org

  David Winston establishes Period Piano Company as a specialist business working with historic pianos and keyboard instruments.

• 1846

  Chopin’s Pleyel piano is made

  [1]Period Piano Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Pleyel makes the piano associated with Chopin that later becomes part of the Cobbe Collection and is restored by Winston.

• 1817

  Beethoven Broadwood piano is made

  [1]Period Piano Companyen.wikipedia.org

  John Broadwood & Sons makes the piano later associated with Beethoven and restored by David Winston. The instrument is subsequently held in the Collection of the Hungarian National Museum.

A specialist, craft-led conservator and restorer of historic pianos, serving the preservation needs of museums, collections, institutions, and owners of historically important instruments.

• Professional restoration service · 1976

  Historic piano conservation and restoration

  The company’s central offering is the conservation and restoration of antique and historically important pianos. The work is associated with instruments whose musical, material, and provenance characteristics require specialist treatment rather than routine servicing. Documented examples include pianos connected with Beethoven and Chopin, as well as instruments associated with Mendelssohn and Liszt.

• 2012

  David Winston receives royal warrant as conservator and restorer of pianos to Her Majesty[1]Period Piano Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  David Winston, owner of Period Piano Company, was granted a royal warrant recognizing his role as a specialist conservator and restorer of pianos.

1. 1Period Piano Companyen.wikipedia.org