History

In 1857 the Forsyth brothers settled in Manchester to help Charles Hallé set up the Hallé orchestra having learned their trade with their father - the factory manager for Messrs Broadwood in Golden Square, described by Beethoven as the "prince of piano makers". Forsyth is still run by the same family (4th and 5th generation) 150 years later. During our 150th anniversary year we have been researching our archives and found a wealth of fascinating information about Forsyth's history and our customers. This includes an article that was written about the firm in 1905 for the London Musical Chronicle which is available to view and read here.

In the January 2008 issue of Music Teacher Magazine their is a two page in-depth article about our history and current plans etc. view and read here.

For 150 years the name of Forsyth has been synonymous with the supply of musical merchandise, particularly pianos, not only the length and breadth of the United Kingdom but to many parts of the world also. Whatever your requirement you can trust us for advice and after sales service. In Manchester we have a large shop on three floors in total covering over 15,000 sq ft. We have well over 200 quality acoustic pianos and 40 digital pianos for you to choose from including Steinway, Bechstein, Ibach, Eavestaff, Boston, Schimmel, Yamaha, Kawai, Kemble, Opus, May Berlin, Vogel etc. Of course we provide pianos for Concerts, Weddings and Parties. Just talk to us, it will be worth it.

We have, over recent years, added automatic pianos to our list of specialties and are able to provide a variety of alternatives at exceptional prices. We stock a range of Disklaviers and a variety of other automated instruments. Indeed we can automate almost any piano such that it will perform when you press play on a CD player or disc drive!

In addition to pianos we have a comprehensive Instruments and Accessories department with over 300 Guitars, many String, Wind, Brass Percussion instruments, plus many other instruments and accessories. We also have a very large Sheet Music department and a classical Recorded Music Department all backed up by our efficient Mail Order service and friendly expert staff- nothing is too much trouble.

In the summer of 2007 we celebrated our 150th anniversary. To celebrate we are undertaking the comprehensive refurbishment of our Manchester premises including reinstatement of a dedicated performance space for recitals and demonstrations. This is due to be completed by the end of 2008. We very much hope that our customers both new and old will join us in celebrating the continued success of this well respected business by attending concerts and events which will be taking place in our new recital space when it is ready. For more information on up coming events please visit our events page.