Excerpt from the program:
"Begun in October, 1985, the Historical Piano Concerts Series is built around the collection of more than twenty grand pianos owned by Edmund Michael and Patricia Frederick of Ashburnham. The pianos in the collection were built between 1790 and 1907, in cities sustaining serious musical activity: Vienna, Paris, London, and to a lesser degree, Leipzig and New York City.
The Frederick Collection, begun in 1975, is focused on grand pianos by major makers, wherever possible the makes of pianos most highly regarded by the greater pianist-composers of the late 18th through early 20th centuries. The Fredericks have imported most of the pianos, although some were already in this country. Mr. Frederick does all the restoration and maintenance work himself."
The concert series is held in fall and spring, when the weather is most likely to be temperate, both for the comfort of the audience, and to avoid tuning stability problems caused by sudden fluctuation in temperature and humidity. The wooden framing of older pianos is particularly susceptible to such changes.