George Ulshoefer

Biography

George Ulshoefer was a German-born musician who also worked as a harpsichord and pianoforte tuner in New York. In 1785 he exhibited a pianoforte of his own construction, which he styled his 'patent high-strung pianoforte,' in the coffee-room of the City Tavern during a benefit concert held for the elderly musician Philip Harrison. Ulshoefer claimed to have made every part of the instrument himself, a claim Spillane regards as improbable. His 1785 exhibition is cited by Spillane as evidence that pianofortes were being made in New York as early as that date.

Highlights

• Exhibited a pianoforte of his own make, the 'patent high-strung pianoforte,' at a City Tavern concert in 1785
• The concert was a benefit for the aged musician Philip Harrison
• Claimed to have made every part of the instrument himself, though Spillane doubts this

Source

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 70.

Public domain.