giraffe piano

English

Giraffe piano

Etymology

From the resemblance of the case to a giraffe.

Noun

giraffe piano (plural giraffe pianos)

1. A piano that is built like a grand piano on its side with the small end at the top, often with a scroll at the top to suggest a giraffe's head;
   • 1940, Albert Ernest Wier, The Piano: Its History, Makers, Players and Music, page 55:

     The giraffe piano was made during the first fifty years of the nineteenth century, and was named from its obvious resemblance to the well-known animal.

   • 1968, Franz Josef Hirt, Stringed Keyboard Instruments, 1440-1880, page 147:

     The upright pianoforte by Domenico del Mela in 1739 is the unique example at that time of the upright giraffe piano.

   • 2001, Jiri Rak, Guido Lagomarsino, Biedermeier: Art and Culture in Central Europe, 1815-1848, page 178:

     His known pieces include a pyramid piano in Vienna in the “Sammlung alter Musikinstrument", two grand pianos and this giraffe piano; they were all made in Bohemia.