Broadwood, John (1732–1812)

English piano manufacturer and music editor. He married Barbara, daughter of the Swiss-born harpsichord maker Burkat Shudi, in 1769, and was sole proprietor of Shudi & Broadwood from 1782. By 1781 he had built the first Broadwood grand piano, developed from the square pianos of Johannes Zumpe.

His son, James Shudi Broadwood (1772–1851), was taken into partnership in 1795, when the firm became John Broadwood & Son. James's brother, Thomas Broadwood, was taken into partnership in 1807, when the name became John Broadwood & Sons. By the middle of the 18th century, 2,500 pianos were manufactured per year, but the firm declined towards the 1880s. The present company was formed in 1951.