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'C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG' () (also known as 'Bechstein') is a German manufacturer of pianos, regarded for concert grand pianos^[1] as well as upright pianos.^[2] Bechstein has been making pianos since 1853. ^[3]

Contents

History

Before Bechstein

C. Bechstein

First World War

Between the wars

Second World War

After the WWII

After the fall of the Berlin Wall

Art case pianos

Performers

Awards

Competition

Today

References

Further reading

External links

History

Before Bechstein

Young Carl Bechstein studied and worked in France and England as a piano craftsman, before he became and individual piano maker. His first pianos were made for the companies that do not exist today.^[4]

C. Bechstein

C. Bechstein piano factory was founded on 1 October 1853 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin, Germany.^[5]
Carl Bechstein set out to manufacture a piano able to withstand the great demands imposed on the instrument by the virtuosi of the time, such as Franz Liszt. In 1857, Hans von Bülow (Liszt's son-in-law) gave the first public performance on a Bechstein grand piano by performing Liszt's b-minor sonata in Berlin.⁵
By 1870, with the endorcements by Feanz Liszt and Hans von Bulow, Bechstein pianos became a staple at many concert halls, as well as in private mansions. By that time three pianomakers became established as the industry leaders across the world: Bechstein, Bluthner and Steinway & Sons.^[6][7]
By 1890 branches were opened in Paris, Saint Petersburg and London, where the company spent £100,000 to build Bechstein Hall, adjacent to the London showroom on Wigmore Street. It opened on 31 May 1901. Between 1901 and 1914, C. Bechstein was the largest piano dealership in London. At that time, Bechstein was the official piano maker for the Tsar of Russia, Kings of Belgium, Netherlands, and Denmark, as well as other royalty and aristocracy.

First World War

C. Bechstein suffered huge property losses in London, Paris, and St. Petersburg during World War I. The largest loss was in London, because all Bechstein property, including the concert hall and showrooms full of pianos, were arrested as "enemy property" and closed. In 1916 the hall was sold as alien property at auction to Debenhams for £56,500. It was renamed Wigmore Hall, and then re-opened under the new name in 1917. All 137 Bechstein pianos at the Bechstein showrooms were confiscated too, and became property of the new owner of the Hall.^[8]

Between the wars

Eventually the Bechstein factory resumed full scale production during the 1920s. At that time, technical innovations, inventions of new materials and tools, as well as improvements in piano design and construction, had allowed Bechstein to become one of the leading piano makers again.
The most successful models were the updated "A"-185 and "B"-208 grand pianos. The upright pianos became more popular after the war, and C. Bechstein made success with the upright pianos Model-8 and Model-9, both models has been considered the finest upright pianos.^[2][3]
In 1930 the company collaborated with German electrical goods manufacturer Siemens under Nobel laureate Walther Nernst to produce one of the first electric pianos, the "Neo-Bechstein" or "Siemens-Bechstein" electric grand, using electromagnetic pickups.

Second World War

The Bechstein piano factory in Berlin was completely destroyed during the air-bombing of Berlin in 1945. The air-bombings and fire had also destroyed the Bechstein storages with valuable select wood, including the precious Alpian spruce for soundboards. The Bechstein company had also lost many of their experienced craftsmen, because of the war. For several years after the Secone World War, Bechstein could not resume full scale production of pianos, making only a few pianos per year.^[7]

After the WWII

C. Bechstein eventually increased piano production to about a thousand pianos per year during the 1950s and 1960s. However, the new economic situation in the post-war world was hard for the piano business. In 1961 the Bechstein piano factory was affected by the construction of the Berlin Wall. The ownership of C. Bechstein had changed several times. Up until the reunification of Germany, the company was making fewer pianos, albeit the quality of craftsmanship and the sound of Bechstein pianos remained high.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall

Due to reunification of Germany and elimination of the Berlin Wall, the land which formerly belonged to the Bechstein factory was now taken by the new construction in the capital. However, Karl Schulze, a piano enthusiast and co-owner of Bechstein, had continued the legacy of fine pianomaking. The new Bechstein factories began production of several brand names under the Bechstein group. Hoffmann was the mid-level brand while C. Bechstein remained the flagship brand.

Art case pianos

Bechstein has been known as the maker of "one of a kind" artcase pianos since the 19th century. Art case pianos were commissioned by interior designers for royal palaces and fancy mansions. Bechstein was the official piano maker for the Tsar of Russia, Kings of Belgium, Netherlands, and Denmark, as well as other royalty and aristocracy. Artists and craftsmen were hired by C. Bechstein to make special pianos decorated with gold, hand-carved details and hand painted art on the piano case. Some of the art case Bechsteins are now museum items, others are sometimes traided at music instruments auctions, mainly in London and New York.

Performers

Since Hans von Bulow and Franz Liszt, their students and followers also developed loyalty with the C. Bechstein pianos.
Alexander Scriabin owned a concert-size Bechstein at his Moscow home, which is now a national museum, and Scriabin's piano is still played at scheduled recitals. Tatiana Nikolaeva preferen the Bechstein for her acclaimed recordings of the music of Bach. Sviatoslav Richter grew up studying piano on a C. Bechstein, and remembered his experience with the Bechstein as the most stimulating and rewarding.
Dinu Lipatti had played various pianos in concerts, however, for his studio recording of the music of Chopin and Beethoven he used the C. Bechstein piano.
Edwin Fischer chose a Bechstein piano for his pioneering recording of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, as did Artur Schnabel for his cycle of Beethoven's thirty-two piano sonatas. Both artists were very fond of Bechstein's pianos, as were many of last century's leading pianists, such as Wilhelm Kempff and Wilhelm Backhaus.
Serg van Gennip plays a C. Bechstein B 210 grand piano in his studio.

Awards

In 1862, C. Bechstein receiwed the Gold Award at the London International Exhibition.
In 2007, C. Bechstein was awarded the iF Gold Award for C, Bechstein Piano Modell Millennium.

Competition

Bechstein was always in competition with Steinway & Sons, although the Bechstein sound is very different from Steinway's. Today, Bechstein's upright pianos are especially revered — and are considered by some aficionados to sound better than many mid-range grand pianos.

Today

Bechstein is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Major shareholders are Karl Schulze and Samick of South Korea. In addition, Bechstein and Samick have a joint venture factory in Shanghai, China.

References

1. Larry Fine. The Piano Book (4th edition 2001; Jamaica Plain, MA: Brookside Press; ISBN 1-929145-01-2).
2. Page 57, The Piano. The New Grove musical instruments series. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 1988. ISBN 0-393-30518x
3. Oxford music dictionary
4. Piano. Barnes & Noble, 1995.
5. "Bechstein", ''Grove Music Online'', 2007. Accessed June 2 2007.
6. Page 60, The Piano. The New Grove musical instruments series. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 1988. ISBN 0-393-30518x
7. Encyclopedia of the Piano (Music - Reference) (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) 521 pages, 1996. ISBN-10: 0815325827 (Warning: This book weights 2 pounds)
8. "Wigmore Hall - A Short History", ''Wigmore Hall Official Website'', 2007. Accessed June 1 2007.
9. Page 57, The Piano. The New Grove musical instruments series. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 1988. ISBN 0-393-30518x
10. Oxford music dictionary
11. Encyclopedia of the Piano (Music - Reference) (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) 521 pages, 1996. ISBN-10: 0815325827 (Warning: This book weights 2 pounds)

Further reading

Hagen W. Lippe-Weißenfeld: ''Das Klavier als Mittel politischer Distinktion im Zusammenhang mit der Entwicklung des Klavierbaus in London und Berlin an den Beispielen Broadwood und Bechstein. The piano as medium for political distinction in connection with the development of piano manufacturing in London and Berlin based on the examples of Broadwood and Bechstein''. Dissertation Berlin 2006. Online-Version

External links

★ Bechstein website, in English

★ Bechstein company reports: [1]