The Chopin Foundation of the United States is proud to announce it is now the owner of the Pleyel piano, model E #13555, built in 1847 in Paris. Frederic Chopin’s signature is inscribed on the piano, thought to have been at the request of the purchaser, Mme de Reymont, a student of Chopin. The composer himself selected the piano and received a commission from Pleyel. This much-traveled piano is unique in musical history. Shipped from Paris to the Reymont home in Romania, in the mid-twentieth century it was then sent to Milan, Italy, to be sold. Bought by Stephen B. Tanner, the American Consul in Milan at the time and brought to the US, the piano was purchased lately by Professor William W. Langebartel (emeritus, Temple University, 1980).

Immediately following the purchase, Professor Langebartel donated it to the Chopin Foundation of the U.S. on behalf of himself and his late wife Imelde Della Valle, who died in 2008. Imelde was the author of Riflessi, Italian Lyric poems (Rome, 1949), with a reproduction of a portrait of Imelde painted by the noted artist-writer Carlo Levi in 1943, and his preface (written later) to Riflessi. Levi also began writing his first book, Cristo si e fermato a Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli) while staying with Imelde and her father, as he was one of the persons being sought by the Fascist police and the Nazis. Imelde collaborated with the Italian Resistance in finding “safe houses” for such persons.

Prof. Langebartel is staying in Onno, Italy, preparing Imelde’s second book of poems, Affioramenti/Outcroppings, for publication later this year. It will contain 45 English and 55 Italian lyric poems, written 1949-2007.

The Chopin Foundation is loaning the Pleyel piano to the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw for showing at a special exhibit in its new Chopin Museum. “There is no better place for the piano touched by great Frederic than his hometown, Warsaw,” said Mrs. Blanka Rosenstiel, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland and Founder of the Chopin Foundation. “I am happy that, thanks to the generosity of Prof. Langebartel, we are able to contribute to the worldwide celebrations of the 200th Anniversary of Chopin’s birth.”

This website was transferred to the Chopin Foundation upon its donation. We decided to leave most of the original writing and documentation prepared by Stephen Tanner, the owner of the piano from 1977 to 2009.