Piano maker, inlayer, music publisher and seller initially at 22 Broad Street moving to 47 Broad Street, Soho and also at 48 Broad Street from the early 1780’s. From 1779, Ganer made very elegant inlaid square pianos on a “French” frame stand.

Although, the French frame stand was used as early as 1777 or 1778, Ganer may be considered as one of the first makers to produce highly elegant cross-banded and inlaid square pianos reflecting the neo-classical taste of the period. His skill as an inlayer gave him the opportunity to develop the plain case of the 1770’s instrument into an object of elegant beauty.  A fine example of his work, dated 1779, is at the Colt Clavier Collection, in Kent, UK.

I have not seen two Ganer square pianos that are identical in decoration and ornamentation.  Every instrument appears to be slightly different in treatment.  Some continuity existed in the nameboard decoration and the early instruments used a double garland of inlaid bell flowers with an Robert Adam style segmented  inlaid medallion in the cheeks of the keywell.  Instruments from about 1782 used a single garland of bell flowers but without decoration in the cheeks and an enamel oval plaque for the nameboard inscription was adopted from about 1790. His square pianos were dated up to 1784 with Latin nameboard inscription.

His birth and death dates are given as c1750 and 1811 respectively but he may have been born earlier about 1740 and there is evidence that died after 1811, possibly in 1814. In the late 1790’s his output of pianos declined and Ganer sub-let 48 Broad Street until 1813.

1780 Ganer square piano on a French frame stand

This fine example of an early Christopher Ganer square piano has two pedals used for lid swell and buff stop and two stops used for split dampers.  This square piano is currently under restoration in our workshop.