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Short Biographies of Selected Quality Piano Builders
Bosendorfer
The name Bosendorfer is firmly linked to the city of Vienna, the great cultural center of the 19th century and home to so many important musicians and composers. Ignaz Bosendorfer officially began his company in 1828 after several years of apprenticeship with the noted early piano builder, Joseph Brodmann. He was 33 when he was granted a license to begin the manufacture of his own pianos and in a short time his instruments would become world famous.
It was during the 1820's that the teenage Franz Liszt was receiving much acclaim for his dazzling and dynamic piano concerts. Unfortunately, such was the power of Liszt's technique and so great was his enthusiasm when performing that no piano in Vienna was able to withstand his musical demands. He regularly shattered the instruments he was playing. Friends of Liszt recommended that he consider the new pianos being made by Bosendorfer, and so he tried one of Bosendorfer's original instruments. Liszt not only found the piano strong enough to withstand his forceful playing style, but he also found its tone and colors superior to all others he had played. He immediately took up the instrument and overnight the House of Bosendorfer became famous for its high caliber pianos.
Bosendorfer is known as the slowest piano manufacturer in the world; including the two-and-a-half years taken to season an instrument's wood, the total time taken to make a Bosendorfer grand is just over four years. It also is one of the world's most expensive pianos. The company's flagship instrument is the 9' - 6" Imperial Concert Grand which has a full 8 octave range extending down to the very low CCCC vibrating at only 16 cycles per second. The quality of design and the high caliber of workmanship cannot be stressed enough when speaking of this firm. It deserves the reputation it has achieved over the past 174 years and counting.
Erard
Sebastian Erard was born in France in 1752. He first worked in Paris as an apprentice to a harpsichord builder, but as some early English square pianos flooded into Paris he detected a trend and in 1777 set about building his own pianoforte. He subsequently evolved his own designs for which he won favor not only from French piano buyers but also from Louis XVI, and was granted a license to produce pianos.
Erard's greatest contribution to the evolution of the piano is the patented escapement action of 1808, which dramatically improved the performance of his instruments. The invention was essential in the development of the modern piano and helped to put the Erard company at the forefront of piano-makers.
Broadwood
This British based company may have been the most important piano manufacturer of the 18th and early 19th centuries. John Broadwood found work with the great English harpsichord builder, Shudi, and was found to be an accomplished employee. The sure way to get ahead was to fall in love with the boss's daughter and marry her. Shudi soon found that Broadwood was more competent to run the company and signed over the business to him in 1771.
In 1774 Broadwood made his first square piano and patented several major improvements in 1783. By 1784 orders for pianos exceeded those for harpsichords. In that year the company sold over 130 pianos and built its last harpsichord in 1793. Throughout the first half of the 19th century Broadwood was a name associated with innovation and quality. Several famous musicians played and endorsed his pianos. In 1817 Broadwood built a special piano for Beethoven with four strings per note for extra volume, in hopes that the almost deaf Beethoven might be able to hear it. Also, in 1848 Chopin played a Broadwood concert piano in London shortly before his death the following year.
The great musician, Muzio Clementi, was a very strong supporter of Broadwood's instruments until he bought his own piano firm and started making pianos with his name on them in 1799 until his death in 1832.
From the mid 19th century on Broadwood would not change with the new developments in the piano and was getting further and further behind in design. They have since come into line with most quality builders and are the oldest piano company in existence today. They were the official builders for much of the royalty throughout Europe.
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