Donate

Slider_donate_hands

The Cobbe Collection of Historic Keyboard Instruments

Includes the largest group of instruments owned or played by famous composers to be seen together anywhere in the world.

What is especially magical is that the collection is maintained in playing order to allow artists and audiences to experience the sounds that inspired composers. We are most grateful to the generous donors who have contributed to our Adopt an Instrument scheme.
We are especially grateful to The Chopin Society, London, for their generous undertaking to adopt Chopin’s piano for fifteen years and to The Elgar Society for their continuing adoption of Elgar’s piano.

Donate online

Keeping instruments in playing order is an expensive business. We feel that it is vital that The Cobbe Collection Trust continues with this ideal, support us and donate today.

Donate with PayPal

Adopt

Adopt an Instrument invites you to underwrite the maintenance and tuning of a particular instrument for one or more years.

Download the form

Donations for Annual Maintenance during 2023

  1. Virginals by Annibale or Ferrante Rossi c. 1580-90 - Adopted by Ms R. Bailey
  2. Zenti Harpsichord, 1622 £400
  3. Ruckers Harpsichord, 1636 - Adopted by Mrs C. Rolls in memory of Rev’d. T. Rolls
  4. Virginals by John Player, 1664 - Adopted by Mr Peter Gillman
  5. Italian Virginals, c. 1680 (loaned) £300
  6. Spinet by Tisserand and Slade c. 1690-1700 (loaned) £300
  7. Harpsichord by Ferdinand Weber, 1746 - Adopted by anonymous donor
  8. Spanish or Portuguese clavichord, c.1750-75 £400
  9. Snetzler Organ, 1759 £400
  10. Zumpe Piano, 1769 £400
  11. Piano by Ferdinand Weber, 1774 £400
  12. Zumpe/JC Bach Piano, 1777-78 - Adopted by Miss A. Hennegan
  13. Spinet by Ferdinand Weber, 1780 - Adopted by an anonymous donor
  14. Harpsichord by Jacob & Abraham Kirkman, London, 1781 £500
  15. Deception Pier Table Piano Forte, c.1782-85 £450
  16. Hoffmann Clavichord, 1784 - Adopted by Mr Christoper Gold
  17. Marie Antoinette’s Piano, c.1786-7 - Adopted by Lady Lipworth
  18. Square Pianoforte by Longman & Broderip, c. 1789 £350
  19. Grand piano by ‘pupil’ of Stein, c.1795 £600
  20. Hancock Piano, ‘Warranted by Mr Dibdin’, c.1790 £350
  21. Small Piano Forte by Christopher Ganer, 1790-95 £300
  22. Southwell Square Piano, c. 1793-94 - Adopted by Mr Christopher Goode
  23. Piano by John Bland, 1794 £350
  24. Haydn’s Longman&Broderip piano, c.1794-5 - Adopted by Mrs S. Pursley
  25. Square Pianoforte John Broadwood & Sons, London, 1795 £250
  26. Napoleon's Erard, 1810 (loaned) - Adopted by Dr A Gunning
  27. Anton Walter Piano, 1815 £600
  28. Broadwood Piano signed by Cramer, 1816 £450
  29. Grand Piano by Conrad Graf, Vienna, c. 1819-20 - Adopted by Mr M Drury
  30. Nanette Streicher grand piano, 1823 - Adopted by Kingston and District Chamber Music Society
  31. Mahler’s Piano, 1836 - Adopted by Mr S Dennison
  32. Jane Stirling’s Erard piano, 1843 £900
  33. Elgar’s Broadwood piano, 1844 - Adopted by the Elgar Society
  34. Erard piano, signed by Thalberg, 1845 £450
  35. Broadwood, 1847, played by Chopin - Adopted by Lady Lipworth
  36. Chopin’s Pleyel piano, 1848 - Adopted by the Chopin Society
  37. Bizet’s composing table piano, 1855 - Adopted by Mr Peter Brown
  38. Steinway Grand Piano, 1864 £700
  39. Royál' by J. Becker, c.1886-7, belonged to Sir Percy Hull £650
  40. Grand Piano by Steinway, Model 'O', 1904, played on by Grieg, Elgar, Strauss and Debussy - Adopted by Mr S Dennison
  41. Grand Piano by Steinway, 1920, owned by Vaughan Williams £800

If you should decide to take part in this scheme, your adopted instrument will be displayed to the public with a notice stating that you have supported its maintenance and you will receive a complimentary pair of tickets to a concert of your choice (subject to availability).
Your name will appear as the adopter of the instrument in the succeeding published list of concerts and in the programme of any concert in which it is used.