author
Cynthia A. (Cynthia Adams) Hoover
A longtime Smithsonian curator and historian of musical instruments, she helped bring the story of the piano and other instruments in American life to a wide audience. Her work blends scholarship, museum practice, and a deep interest in how music connects with everyday culture.
1 Audiobook
Harpsichords and Clavichords
by Cynthia A. (Cynthia Adams) Hoover
About the author
Born in Nebraska in 1934, Cynthia Adams Hoover studied at Wellesley College, Radcliffe College, and Brandeis University before beginning her career at the Smithsonian in 1961. She went on to spend more than four decades at what is now the National Museum of American History, eventually becoming Curator Emeritus of Musical Instruments.
Her work has centered on the cultural, social, and technological history of musical instruments, especially the piano in America. Alongside exhibitions, research, and publications, she also helped found the American Musical Instrument Society and served as president of the International Council of Museums committee for museums and collections of instruments and music.
Hoover is known for making instrument history feel lively and human, showing how objects such as pianos carry stories about craft, performance, and daily life. That combination of careful research and public-facing storytelling has made her an important figure in the study of American musical culture.