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C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG (FWB: BEP) (also known as Bechstein) is a German manufacturer of pianos. Bechstein has been making pianos since 1853, the same year as Steinway & Sons.

History

Before Bechstein

Young Carl Bechstein studied and worked in France and England as a piano craftsman, before he became an independent piano maker. His first pianos were made for other companies.

C. Bechstein

C. Bechstein piano factory was founded on 1 October 1853 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin, Germany.

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 Piano Sonata in B minor in Berlin.

By 1870, with endorsements from Franz Liszt and Hans von Bülow, Bechstein pianos had become a staple in many concert halls and private mansions. By that time three piano makers became established as the industry leaders across the world: Bechstein, Blüthner and Steinway & Sons.

In 1885 Bechstein began supplying pianos to Queen Victoria. A gilded art-case piano was delivered to Buckingham Palace, followed by several more Bechstein pianos to Windsor Castle and other royal residences. By January 1886 they were among the piano manufacturers holding a Royal Warrant as a supplier to the Queen. Several British embassies across the world acquired Bechstein pianos.

In 1885, Bechstein opened a branch in London, that eventually grew to become the largest showroom and dealership in Europe. By 1890 showrooms had been opened in Paris, Vienna, and Saint Petersburg. On 31 May, 1901, Bechstein Hall, built at a cost of £100,000, was opened next to the company's London showroom at 36-40 Wigmore Street. Between 1901 and 1914, C. Bechstein was the largest piano dealership in London. At that time, Bechstein was the official piano maker for the tsars of Russia, the royal families of Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Denmark, and other royalty and aristocracy. The list of royal clients of Bechstein may be found on the soundboard of vintage Bechstein pianos made before the Second World War. The list is part of the original Bechstein trademark logo; it can be seen under the strings in the center of a piano's soundboard.

The years from the 1870s through 1914 brought Bechstein their most dramatic increase in sales. In 1880 a second Bechstein factory was opened in Berlin, and the third factory was opened in 1897 in Berlin Kreuzberg. By 1900 - 1910 production reached five thousand pianos per year, making Bechstein the largest maker of high-end pianos in the world. At that time, about three quarters of production went to international markets, especially Britain and the Commonwealth, and Russia.

Carl Bechstein died in 1900, and the Bechstein company continued to operate under the management of his sons.

Between 1900 and 1914 C. Bechstein was one of the leading piano makers in the world with 1100 craftsmen and workers, making five thousand pianos per year.

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. Although the company's position in the United Kingdom was initially unaffected, with the company still listed as holding a Royal Warrant in January 1915, Warrants to both King George V, and his wife Queen Mary were cancelled on 13 April 1915. Bechstein was not the only musical concern to be affected by growing anti-German sentiment: there were earlier attempts, led by William Boosey, to boycott German music altogether. In 1915, despite being a Baronet and Privy Counsellor, Sir Edgar Speyer, who was then funding the Proms, was forced to leave the country. Following the passing of the Trading with the Enemy Amendment Act 1916 the British arm of the company was wound-up on 5 June 1916, all Bechstein property, including the concert hall and showrooms full of pianos, were seized 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. After a dispute with his brother, Edwin Bechstein left the company and was paid off.

Between the wars

Eventually the Bechstein factory resumed full-scale production during the 1920s. At that time, technical innovations and 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 were successful with its upright pianos Model-8 and Model-9, both of which have been considered the finest upright pianos.

As the company was changed into a joint-stock company 1923, Edwin Bechstein and his wife Helene, bought themselves back into the company as shareholders.

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.

Edwin Bechstein and his wife, Helene Bechstein, who was an ardent admirer of the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, bestowed many gifts on Hitler including his first luxury car, a red Mercedes costing 26,000 marks.Helene Bechstein and her friend Elsa Bruckmann introduced Hitler to Germany’s cultural elite in Berlin and Munich. "I wish he were my son," she said.

After Edwin Bechstein died in 1934 in Berchtesgaden, where he had a villa named "Bechstein" in a short distance to the Obersalzberg, his body was transferred to Berlin. He was buried following a state funeral attended by Adolf Hitler and NSDAP politicians, including Wilhelm Frick and Max Amann.

Second World War

In 1945, allied bombing raids destroyed the Bechstein piano factory in Berlin, along with the firm's stores of valuable wood, including the precious Alpine spruce used to make soundboards. The war also cost the company many of its experienced craftsmen. For several years after the war, Bechstein could not resume full-scale production of pianos and made only a few pianos per year.

After World War II

After de-Nazification of the C.Bechstein Company, all the shares were sold to the Baldwin Piano Company, They started in 1948 to produce pianos again. C. Bechstein eventually increased piano production to about a thousand pianos per year during the 1950s and '60s. 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, although the quality of craftsmanship remained high.

In 1953, the centennial of Bechstein was celebrated by the Berlin Philharmonic under Wilhelm Furtwängler and Wilhelm Backhaus. Many entertainers and concert pianists, such as Leonard Bernstein, Jorge Bolet, and Wilhelm Kempff, favored Bechstein pianos. The State Ministry of Culture of the Soviet Union made a contract to supply major state philharmonic orchestras and concert halls across the USSR with three brands of pianos - Steinway, Bluthner, and Bechstein. Bluthner and Bechstein were also made the staple practice pianos at the Leningrad Conservatory and Moscow Conservatory, while most other music schools of the USSR were limited mainly to the Soviet-made pianos. Concert pianists, such as Dinu Lipatti, Shura Cherkassky, Tatiana Nikolaeva, Vladimir Sofronitsky, and Sviatoslav Richter, among others, often chose Bechstein pianos for their studio recordings.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall

Due to reunification of Germany and elimination of the Berlin Wall, the land formerly belonging to the Bechstein factory was used for 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.

In 1992 Bechstein started a new factory in Saxony with investment of 15 million Euros. In 1996 C. Bechstein went public. By 2006 the company opened eight upscale showrooms, increasing the number of Bechstein dealerships in major cities across Europe, North America and Asia. Since 2003, Bechstein formed partnership with Samick with the samick's participation in Bechstein limited to 39%. In 2005 the Bechstein/Samick joint venture opened their new piano factory in Shanghai, China. In 2006 a new Bechstein/Hoffman joint factory was opened in Bohemia, Czech Republic, and a new Bechstein center with a showroom and a concert hall is planned to be built in Moscow, Russia.

Artcase pianos

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Bechstein has been known as a maker of one-of-a-kind artcase pianos since the 19th century. Artcase pianos were commissioned by interior designers for royal palaces and fancy mansions. 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 artcase Bechsteins are now museum pieces, while others are sometimes traded at musical-instrument auctions, mainly in London and New York.

Performers

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Students and followers of Hans von Bülow and Franz Liszt also developed loyalty to 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 preferred the Bechstein for her acclaimed recordings of the music of Bach. Sviatoslav Richter grew up studying piano on a Bechstein and remembered his experience with that piano as stimulating and rewarding.

For his studio recording of the music of Chopin and Beethoven, Dinu Lipatti used a 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 32 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.

Freddie Mercury of the British pop band Queen played a Bechstein piano on the best-selling album A Night at the Opera.

The Beatles used a Bechstein concert grand piano for recording Hey Jude and the White Album tracks Dear Prudence, Honey Pie, Savoy Truffle and Martha My Dear, I Want You (She's So Heavy) for the album Abbey Road, all at the Trident Studios.

Elton John recorded "Your Song" and many other tracks on a handmade Bechstein concert-sized instrument that was over one hundred years old at the Trident Studios in London. Its classic sound was much sought after.

Awards

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

Competition

Bechstein was always in competition with Steinway & Sons, although the Bechstein sound is very different from Steinway's.

Today

Bechstein is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Major shareholders are Karl Schulze and Samick (19.5%) of South Korea. In addition, Bechstein and Samick have a joint venture factory in Shanghai, China.

References

1. Oxford music dictionary
2. Piano. Barnes & Noble, 1995.
3. ^ "Bechstein", Grove Music Online, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007.
4. Page 60, The Piano. The New Grove musical instruments series. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 1988. ISBN 0-393-30518x
5. Encyclopedia of the Piano (Music - Reference) (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) 521 pages, 1996. ISBN-10: 0815325827
6. Bechstein. Tradition. Timeline for year 1885
7. C. Bechstein 1896 trademark
8. ^ Liste von Empfängern Bechsteinscher Flügel finden sich Majestäten und Fürstlichkeiten aus vielen Ländern: insgesamt 62 Persönlichkeiten aus Deutschland (darunter auch der Herzog von Sachsen- Coburg-Gotha, der Heimat Bechsteins), Englang, Rußland und Schweden. In London, Paris und St. Petersburg entstanden Auslieferungszentren, in London gab es -wie in Berlin- sogar einen Bechstein-Konzertsaal ( Bechstein-Hall, heute Wigmore-Hall). Lieferungen erfolgten in insgesamt 153 inner- und außereuropäische Länder und Städte; Bechstein durfte sich Hoflieferant für 16 Herrscherhäuser in Deutschland, England, Italien, Spanien, Rumänien, Schweden und Norwegen nennen. Bernd Rühle: Carl Bechstein (1826-1900) Über Leben und Lebenswerk eines grossen Klavierbauers...
9. "No. 25546". The London Gazette. 5 January 1886.
10. C. Bechstein 1896 trademark
11. "No. 29026". The London Gazette. 1 January 1915.
12. "No. 29127". The London Gazette. 13 April 1915.
13. The Proms: A new history, Chapter 2, Leanne Langley, edited Jenny Doctor, David Wright and Nicholas Kenyon, pp.62 and 67, published 2007, ISBN 0-500-51352-X
14. "No. 29613". The London Gazette. 6 June 1916.
15. "Wigmore Hall - A Short History", Wigmore Hall Official website, 2007. Accessed June 1, 2007.
16. Page 57, The Piano. The New Grove musical instruments series. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. 1988. ISBN 0-393-30518x
17. Oxford music dictionary
18. Chicago Tribune: Article April 30. 2008
19. Clark, Christopher (2009-04-09). "Vases, Tea Sets, Cigars, His Own Watercolours". London Review of Books. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
20. Hitler Biographer Konrad Heiden: [http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/h/hitler-adolf/oss-papers/text/oss-sb-heiden-02.html ]. Book " Hitler" by Konrad Heiden
21. Ernst Klee: Das Kulturlexikon zum Dritten Reich. Wer war was vor und nach 1945. S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2007, S. 36.
22. Encyclopedia of the Piano (Music - Reference) (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) 521 pages, 1996. ISBN-10: 0815325827
23. Chigago Tribune: . Article April 30. 2008
24. Bechstein Website Company Reports

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 America
• Bechstein company reports

• Manufacturing companies of Germany
• Piano manufacturing companies
• Musical instrument manufacturing companies