Mount Vernon and its associations, historical, biographical and pictorial . had introducedit, with many improvements, between twenty and thirty yearsbefore, the piano had by no means supplanted its parent theharpsichord, and the latter instrument, or the spinet, mightbe found in almost every family of wealth in the kingdom. The best teachers were employed to instruct Nelly in the useof the harpsichord, and her grandmother made her practiseupon it four or five hours every day. Tlie poor girl, saysher brother, the late Mr. Custis, would play and cry, and cryand play, for long hours, under the im
Mount Vernon and its associations, historical, biographical and pictorial . had introducedit, with many improvements, between twenty and thirty yearsbefore, the piano had by no means supplanted its parent theharpsichord, and the latter instrument, or the spinet, mightbe found in almost every family of wealth in the kingdom. The best teachers were employed to instruct Nelly in the useof the harpsichord, and her grandmother made her practiseupon it four or five hours every day. Tlie poor girl, saysher brother, the late Mr. Custis, would play and cry, and cryand play, for long hours, under the immediate eye of hergrandmother, a rigid disciplinarian in all things. That harpsichord, according to the inscription upon a plateabove the keys, was manufactured by Longman and Brode-rip, musical instrument makers, No. 26 Cheapside, and Haymarket, London. It was carefully packed and taken 268 MOUNT VERNON to Mount Yemon when Washington retired from office thelast time. It was used there until his death, for Nellyand her husband resided at Mount Vernon for more than. NKLLY CUHTISS HARPSICHORD. a year after their marriage in February, 1779. It is now(1859) in the possession of Mrs. Lee, of Arlington House^ whointends to present it to the Mount Yemon Ladies Associa-tion, when the home of Washington shall have passed intotheir absolute possession, that it may take its ancient place inthe parlor of the hallowed mansion. Tlie instrument was one of the most elegant of its kind. Itis about eight feet long, three and a half feet wide, and three AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 269 feet in length, with two hanks, containing one hundred andtwenty keys in all. The case is mahogany. On the 4th of March, 1793, Judge Gushing, of Massachu-setts, administered to Washington, in the senate chamber, inPhiladelphia, the oath of office as President of the UnitedStates, he having been, by unanimous vote of the electoralcollege, speaking the will of the people, re-elected to theexalted station of chief magi
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlossingb, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookyear1859
