The pianoforte has revolutionized music since its creation in the 1770s, largely because it was one of the first easily accessible instruments with the ability to be expressive in volume.

Within the past year, two of these valuable instruments have been generously donated to Birmingham-Southern College’s music department. While these pianos both hold the important quality of expression, they also have unique stories to tell.

The Steinway

Jimmie Hess’s love for music ran in her family. Her father, Sidney Seidenman, was a well-known violinist as well as an orchestra leader for presidential inaugural balls and other major social events in Washington, D.C. Jimmie herself was an accomplished pianist who moved to Birmingham after World War II with her husband, Emil Hess. Together, they built the family’s Birmingham department store, Parisian, into a major retail force with stores throughout the Southeast.

They also became known as active and generous supporters of many good causes in Birmingham, including BSC’s fine and performing arts program.

“We always had a piano in the house,” says her son, former BSC trustee Donald Hess. “I remember her playing all the time, usually Broadway show tunes or Frank Sinatra.”

On her 65th birthday, Emil Hess gave her a Steinway Model L Grand Piano, for which she created an intricate needlepoint bench cushion in shades of black, gold and green. After she passed away in 2013, Donald Hess inherited the piano, and in 2019 called family friend Lester Seigel ’79, in hopes of finding it a new home.

Seigel, the Joseph Hugh Thomas Professor of Music and Department Chair, as well as the director of Birmingham-Southern’s Concert Choir, was overjoyed for the College to receive such a valuable gift.

“What makes a Steinway so valuable is their limited production,” says Jon McClaran, director of education and institutional sales at Alabama Piano Gallery. “It takes about 14 months to build a Steinway grand piano, which means they are built to a standard.”

The walnut piano currently is housed in Seigel’s teaching studio, where it is being used for coaching and personal lessons, as well as the personal time Seigel spends playing. The needlepoint cushion crafted by Jimmie Hess is proudly displayed beside the Steinway.

“Mrs. Hess had an unmatched enthusiasm for Birmingham-Southern, and a great love for music,” says Seigel. He hopes that she would be happy to see how the piano is currently being used and loved by the music department.

“We have great satisfaction and great joy from giving it to somewhere that it would be used,” says Donald Hess on the family’s decision to donate the piano. “Birmingham-Southern’s focus on liberal-arts is an important piece of the educational landscape in our state.”

The previous Steinway housed in Seigel’s studio, which is speculated to be the piano Birmingham-Southern President Daniel B. Coleman practiced on as a child, has been moved to a different room in Hill Music Building, where students will use it for ensemble work.

The Antique

Jay McKinney ’86 was attending an  auction when something that no one else seemed interested in caught his eye. With the help of Terry Tindol, an Irondale piano restorer, McKinney was able to return the antique – believed to have been built in a small Austrian town in the 1840s – to its past glory.

Original ivory and ebony keys, an ornate music rack with candle holders, and deer skin hammers are just a few of the details that make the piano unique. The softer, muted sound it creates is another indicator of its age.

During a move earlier this year, McKinney made the difficult choice to part with the priceless piece, but knew exactly where he wanted it to go.

“I was so incredibly happy when the College was interested, because it is something that needs to be appreciated and loved,” McKinney said.

As a student, McKinney was impressed by the leadership and guidance of the faculty and staff at BSC as they helped students with figuring out their direction in life. Now, McKinney has been able to give back to the College in a big way.

The piano sits in the lobby of Hill Music Building, directly in front of a wall filled with neatly hung photographs of notable musicians who have attended or graduated from BSC, including Seigel’s former teachers Joseph Hugh Thomas and Lois Greene Seals ’28. This wall is also home to photographs of composer Hugh Martin, who wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and Edna Gockel-Gussen, owner of the Birmingham Conservatory of Music from 1920-1930 who is remembered for putting to music Julia S. Tutwiler’s poem “Alabama,” which is now the state song.

Seigel uses the antique piano in music history classes to illustrate the evolution of the piano. Additionally, students use the piano to play period music, as the authenticity of the instrument deepens their experience.

For more information on giving to the College, visit the website here, or email an Advancement staff member at [email protected].