A Time-Machine from 1781 – An afternoon with a Square Piano

Mon 19 July | Crown Hotel | 2.30pm

British pianist and BBC broadcaster David Owen Norris has an international solo career that has taken him from Munich, America, Vienna, Australia and now… Harrogate!

The square piano, invented in London in 1766 by the Saxon immigrant Johannes Zumpe, was a run-away commercial success, dominating the market in England and France for decades. The details of its easily-visible mechanism are fascinating. So too are the resourceful ways in which it was exploited by the composers of the time, including such great names as Bach and Mozart. Spend an afternoon in David’s company as the Gilmore award-winning artist tunes, plays, displays, talks and sings in praise of the piano. After discussing and demonstrating the mechanism, the music, musicians and the migrants, David will end with a performance of songs, poems and diary extracts that together present a picture of 1780’s England.

Tickets: £10 Unreserved