Bösendorfer

About

Bösendorfer, formally L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, is a prolific Austrian piano manufacturer established in 1828. Still making instruments by hand at the original Viennese factory, it's the second-oldest piano company in the world after John Broadwood & Sons (est. 1808), operating as an independent wholly-owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation since 2008. Bösendorfer is renowned for ultra-low range Imperial Grand piano models, featuring extended keyboards with 92 or 97 keys (full eight octaves). The company began in July 1828, when a 34-year-old piano maker, Ignaz Bösendorfer (1794—1859), gained all necessary permits from the city council of Vienna to launch his independent workshop. New venture soon proliferated, renowned for the impeccable build quality and rich, sonorous tone of Bösendorfer's instruments. In 1859, his son, Ludwig Bösendorfer (1835—1919), inherited the family business, further growing and evolving the company. Ludwig was married twice but had no children; in 1909, he sold the company to a banker and musician, Carl Hutterstrasser (1863—1942). After his death, Carl's sons, Wolfgang and Alexander (1894—1977), inherited Bösendorfer. In 1966, an American furniture and woodwork company from Jasper, Indiana, Kimball International (formerly Jasper Corporation), purchased the "Bösendorfer." Between 2001 and 2007, the company belonged to an Austrian banking group, -, before Yamaha bought 100% of the assets and intellectual property. Circa 1909, a renowned Italian composer and pianist, Ferruccio Busoni (1866—1924), ordered unusual customization from Bösendorfer. He was working on Das Wohltemperierte Klavier, a multi-volume collection of J.S. Bach's piano transcriptions, and requested nine additional bass strings and keys to replicate the sounds of a 32-foot pedal organ. A hinged panel on the right covered the extra keys to prevent accidental strokes. The modification became so popular that Bösendorfer made it a standard feature on the Imperial Grand Model 290, with 97 keys and full eight octaves. Later on, Bösendorfer introduced a more compact Model 225 with 92 keys. In June 1978, Bösendorfer (owned at the time by ) delivered the first automatic reproducing piano Model 290SE ("SE" stood for Stahnke Edition, after the mechanism's inventor, ). The instrument was rigged with electro-mechanical actuation for reproduction and custom electronics to capture and record the performance on magnetic tape. Bösendorfer produced around 40 automated pianos between 1984 and 1986, with the flagship Model 290SE priced at $90,000 (over $252,000 in today's currency). Two additional models were sold, 225SE and 275SE, and conversion kits for pre-existing Model 290s. In 2006, Bösendorfer introduced CEUS, a new computerized automatic reproducing piano system developed in collaboration with TVE Elektronische Systeme and and featuring a computer-controlled mechanism that captures and stores high-precision keyboard velocity data on digital medium. Many notable pianists favored and endorsed Bösendorfer pianos, starting with Franz Liszt (1811—1886), arguably one of the greatest virtuosi of all times, as well as Wilhelm Backhaus (1884—1969), Anton Rubinstein (1829—1894) and his namesake, Arthur Rubinstein (1887—1982), renowned American composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein (1918—1990), Danish pianist and comedian, Victor Borge (1909—2000), Sviatoslav Richter (1915—1997), even though he endorsed Yamaha in later years, claiming the superior pianissimo control, an iconic American jazz pianist Oscar Peterson (1925—2007), Keith Jarrett, who recorded 26241 on Bösendorfer before endorsing in 1981, renowned jazz vocalists Nina Simone and Shirley Horn, free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, and singer-songwriter Tori Amos. Charlemagne Palestine spent decades obsessively exploring the lower depths and Bösendorfer 290s, starting with his seminal 43482 in 1974 and later heard on numerous live performances and recordings. Other reputable pianists and composers who favored Bösendorfer over the years include András Schiff, Alfred Brendel, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Wolfgang Rübsam, Friedrich Gulda, Walter Klien, Paul Badura-Skoda, Leon McCawley, John O'Conor, Valentina Lisitsa, and Stephen Schwartz.