Founded in 1827 in Austria, it is a well-known piano brand, now owned by Yamaha Co., Ltd. of Japan, which is characterized by the production of 92-key and 97-key grand pianos
Bösendorfer Piano Factory GmbH is an Austrian piano manufacturing company whose parent company is Yamaha Co., Ltd. of Japan. Unlike other piano manufacturers, Bösendorfer was the only manufacturer to produce 92-key and 97-key grand pianos (88 keys for normal pianos). The Bösendorfer Piano Factory is one of the oldest piano manufacturers in the world, and the brand was founded in Vienna, Austria in 1827 by Natz Bösendorfer. The grand pianos he manufactures are known for their top quality. In 1839, the company received a royal commission from Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria to provide top-quality grand pianos for the royal family.
After Natz's death, his son Ludwig Bösendorf took over the company's operations in 1859 and moved the company to a new location in 1860, which later became the Bösendorfer Concert Hall. From 1872 until its closure in 1913, it was Vienna's premier concert hall. In 1909, the company was bought by a businessman named Carl Hutterstraser and sold to Jingbao International in 1966. It was not until 2002 that the company was purchased by the Austrian bank Bawag P.S.K. and the shares of the company were returned to Austrian hands. However, on December 20, 2007, Bawag P.S.K. sold all of its shares to Yamaha Corporation of Japan.
Bösendorfer & Co. was founded in 1828 in Vienna, the "capital of music" where great musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt were produced. The founder, Ignac Bösendorfer, was born in Vienna as a master carpenter, and at the age of 19 he was taught by the organ-builder Josef Brodmann, who is said to be the best of all his disciples. In 1830, the King of Austria conferred the title of "Royal Piano Maker" on Ignac Bösendorfer, the first piano maker to receive this title.
Bösendorfer, who was born in the capital of music, was the result of continuous research and refinement on the advice of many great composers and pianists, and produced a beautiful sound called "Viennese Tone". Among the many musicians who made Bösendorfer's piano famous was the pianist Franz Liszt, who became famous in Europe for his passionate and ultra-high technique. Liszt has high requirements for the piano, and his way of playing is extremely passionate, and the piano he plays 2~3 pieces can basically no longer be used. But the only piano that withstood his passion was Bösendorfer. Since then, Bösendorfer has spread all over the world along with Liszt's fame.
Later, in order to cope with the large size of concert halls and the large scale of symphony orchestras, Bösendorfer focused on the issues of volume increase and instrument intensity, and although the demand for "strong sounds" increased by performers and audiences, Bösendorfer continued to focus on the extremely weak sounds that captured the hearts of the audience. Do not get lost in the torrent of commerce, and continue to adhere to the handmade manufacturing of fine workmanship.
In Bösendorfer's 180-year history, only 48,000 pianos have been made, and now only 350 pianos are made each year. This is because Bösendorfer attaches great importance to traditional timbre and technique, and the excellent craftsmen give up mass production and spend enough time on each piano to produce a "work of art". The manufacturing time for a piano is about 62 weeks. After that, it takes about 8 weeks to make final adjustments such as tuning and retuning. It's a business that is part of the soul of the maker, and it's why it's still loved by people all over the world today.
