Bösendorfer
Encyclopedia
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha
. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone. Bösendorfer is unusual in that it produces 97- and 92-key
models in addition to instruments with standard 88-key keyboards
.
. It has a history of producing highly respected instruments; in 1830, it was granted the status of official piano maker to the Emperor of Austria
. Ignaz's son Ludwig Bösendorfer (15 April 1835 – 9 May 1919) took over in 1859, operating from new premises from 1860. Between 1872 and its closure in 1913, the associated Bösendorfer-Saal was one of the premier concert halls of Vienna. In 1909, the company was sold to Carl Hutterstrasser, who was succeeded by his sons Alexander and Wolfgang in 1931. In 1966 Bösendorfer was taken over by the Jasper Corporation (later renamed Kimball International
), parent company of Kimball Pianos, where it remained before returning to Austrian hands when it was purchased by BAWAG PSK Gruppe in 2002. BAWAG signed an agreement to sell all stock in Bösendorfer to Yamaha
on 20 December 2007.
Bösendorfer pioneered the extension of the typical 88-key keyboard
, creating the Imperial Grand (Model 290)
, which has 97 keys. This innovation was originally ordered as a custom built piano for Ferruccio Busoni
who wanted to transcribe an organ piece that went to the C below the standard keyboard. This innovation worked so well that this piano was added to regular product offerings and quickly became one of the world's most sought after concert grands. Because of the 290's success, the Model 225 was later added to Bösendorfer's regular line of instruments. This model has 92 keys. The extra keys, all at the bass end of the keyboard, were originally hidden beneath a hinged panel mounted between the piano's conventional low A and the left-hand end-cheek to prevent their being struck accidentally during normal playing; more recent models have omitted this device and simply have the upper surface of the extra natural keys finished in matte black instead of white to differentiate them from the standard 88.
The Bösendorfer sound is usually described as darker or richer than the purer but less full-bodied sound of other pianos like the Steinway & Sons
or Yamaha
. On the Imperial Grand, this characteristic tonal quality in part derives from the inclusion of 9 additional bass notes below bottom A. These extra 9 keys were originally added so that pianists could play Busoni
's transcriptions of J.S. Bach's organ works that required the 32' bass pipes (usually played on the pedal organ). As very little other music makes direct use of the extra strings, they usually contribute to the piano's sonic character not through being played directly but by resonating when other strings in the piano are struck, contributing additional body to the tone. Moreover, the bass notes of the Bösendorfer, including the extra bass keys, are very powerful, adding volume in demanding literature.
Music written to include rich harmonic colorations, such as bebop
, often calls for the player to sound the upper parts of a musical chord's harmonic series
(3rds, 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths, for example) without playing the fundamental pitch. In these cases, it is up to the listener's ear to "replace" the missing fundamental. When such music is played on a large Bösendorfer, however, the additional strings generate, albeit at low volume, the fundamental by vibrating sympathetically with the played notes, contributing further to the fullness of the sound. The extra strings' contribution to classical music typically is more subtle, as compositions in that literature typically do not omit the fundamental, at least for long.
The latest development in the Bösendorfer range is CEUS – a computer controlled grand piano. The requisite equipment can be fitted to most Bösendorfer pianos to allow the direct recording of pieces whilst capturing all the subtle nuances of a performance data as a .boe file. Since Yamaha acquired the Bösendorfer company in 2008 the future marketing and support of the CEUS equipped instruments is not well understood.
Bösendorfer makes seven models of grand piano (from 5'8" to 9'6") and one vertical piano (52" upright). The 9'6" Imperial Grand is one of the world's largest pianos.
The rim of a Bösendorfer grand piano is built quite differently from that of all other grands. Instead of veneers bent around a form, the rim is made in solid sections of spruce and jointed together. Spruce is better at transmitting sound than reflecting it. This is perhaps why Bösendorfers tend to have a more delicate treble and a bass that features the fundamental tone more than the higher harmonics. There are also two other features of Bösendorfers that are shared with only a few other piano brands. One is a removable capo d'astro bar
in the treble, which facilitates rebuilding of the instrument and, Bösendorfer says, provides greater acoustic separation from the plate, decreasing tonal absorption. The other is single-stringing, providing each string its own individual hitch pin on the plate instead of connecting it to a neighboring string. This design may slightly improve tuning stability and is an advantage in case of string breakage.
and Frédéric Chopin
, as well as pianos designed for special occasions, such as Bösendorfer's 170th and 175th anniversaries.
A small number of 290SE automatic reproducing pianos were built and sold when Bösendorfer was under the ownership of Kimball. The 290 was fitted with electronics and mechanics to record to magnetic tape and playback through electro-mechanical actuation of the piano. Later the 290SE was able to be attached to a PC computer running the then-current Microsoft Windows v3.1
operating system for recording, editing, and playback. The 290SE system was the first commercially available computer controlled "player piano
" capable of accurately reproducing both the notes and intensity of a performer's playing, but it was not patented, and other companies soon introduced patented reproducing piano technologies. 'SE' stands for Stahnke Engineering, for Wayne Stahnke, the inventor of this mechanism. These pianos are still quite actively used and sought after when appearing for sale.
Crystal Grand piano. Three of these special pianos were produced in 2003 in honor of Bösendorfer's 175th anniversary. Each piano's case is encrusted with 8000 crystals and layers of gold.
Three notable architects who have designed Bösendorfer piano models are Theophil Freiherr von Hansen
(1866), Josef Hoffmann
(1909) and Hans Hollein
(1990). There were only two Hans Hollein 225 models produced in 1990; one can be found in the lounge of the Westin Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
, who at least once opined that Bösendorfer and Bechstein
pianos were the only instruments capable of withstanding his tremendously powerful playing. Renowned twentieth-century American composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein
has also played a Bösendorfer when he performed. Another great pianist who championed Bösendorfer pianos was Wilhelm Backhaus
.
In his memoirs, Arthur Rubinstein
recounts having insisted on a Bechstein instead of the hall's Bösendorfer before a recital in Austria. After the performance, the then-head of the Bösendorfer company came backstage to meet this young artist who refused to play a piano highly cherished by his Russian namesake, Anton Rubinstein
; Rubinstein claims he thereafter always sought out Bösendorfers when in Austria.
In the late 1970s following a concert performed in Vienna
, jazz pianist Oscar Peterson
turned to his impresario, Norman Granz
, with the words: "Dammit, Norman, where does this box go? I also gotta have such a thing!" Such was his reaction to playing a Bösendorfer 290. Musician/comedian Victor Borge
also played Bösendorfer pianos.
More recent examples of notable artists who have played the Bösendorfer include Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter
(who in later years chose to promote Yamaha
claiming it had a preferable pianissimo sound and control, according to his own interview); Hungarian pianist Andras Schiff
, American pianists Cecil Taylor
and American singer-songwriter Tori Amos
; German pianist Wolfgang Rübsam
; Austrian pianist Walter Klien
; British pianists Leon McCawley
and Mark Gasser
as well as the Irish pianist John O'Conor
. Ukrainian-American pianist Valentina Lisitsa
has recorded DVDs of Chopin and Schubert-Liszt on a 1925 model Bösendorfer, and has released a new video set of a recital using the 97-key Bösendorfer Imperial.
Minimalist composer Charlemagne Palestine
chose a nine-foot Bösendorfer as the vehicle on which to perform his 1974 composition Strumming Music, released as his first compact disc in 1991; it features in excess of 45 minutes of Palestine forcefully playing two notes in rapid alternation, slowly expanding into clusters, with the sustain pedal depressed throughout. As the music swells (and the piano gradually detunes), the harmonics build and the listener can hear a variety of timbres rarely produced by the piano.
The jazz pianist Keith Jarrett
, who performed solo improvisations (his Köln Concert
) at the Cologne Opera House in Cologne
on 24 January 1975.
The jazz pianist Nina Simone
, performed on Bösendorfers many times throughout her career.
In a recent interview for Broadway.com, Academy Award winning composer Stephen Schwartz
stated that he purchased a Bösendorfer after the initial success of his musical Wicked
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone. Bösendorfer is unusual in that it produces 97- and 92-key
Key (instrument)
A key is a specific part of a musical instrument. The purpose and function of the part in question depends on the instrument.On instruments equipped with tuning machines, violins and guitars, for example, a key is part of a tuning machine. It is a worm gear with a key shaped end used to turn a cog,...
models in addition to instruments with standard 88-key keyboards
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
.
History
Bösendorfer, one of the oldest piano manufacturers, was established in 1828 by Ignaz BösendorferIgnaz Bösendorfer
Ignaz Bösendorfer was an Austrian musician who founded the Bösendorfer piano manufacturing company in 1828....
. It has a history of producing highly respected instruments; in 1830, it was granted the status of official piano maker to the Emperor of Austria
Emperor of Austria
The Emperor of Austria was a hereditary imperial title and position proclaimed in 1804 by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and continually held by him and his heirs until the last emperor relinquished power in 1918. The emperors retained the title of...
. Ignaz's son Ludwig Bösendorfer (15 April 1835 – 9 May 1919) took over in 1859, operating from new premises from 1860. Between 1872 and its closure in 1913, the associated Bösendorfer-Saal was one of the premier concert halls of Vienna. In 1909, the company was sold to Carl Hutterstrasser, who was succeeded by his sons Alexander and Wolfgang in 1931. In 1966 Bösendorfer was taken over by the Jasper Corporation (later renamed Kimball International
Kimball International
Kimball International is a manufacturer of furniture and electronic assemblies, serving customers around the world. Kimball International consists of two groups: the Furniture Segment and the Contract Electronics Segment. It is the successor to W.W...
), parent company of Kimball Pianos, where it remained before returning to Austrian hands when it was purchased by BAWAG PSK Gruppe in 2002. BAWAG signed an agreement to sell all stock in Bösendorfer to Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
on 20 December 2007.
Characteristics
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, creating the Imperial Grand (Model 290)
Imperial Bosendorfer (piano)
The Imperial Bösendorfer is the largest model of pianos that Bösendorfer manufactures at 290 centimeters long, or 9½ feet. For 90 years, the only concert grand piano in the world with 97 keys, in 1990 it was joined in this tradition by the instruments of Stuart & Sons, Australia...
, which has 97 keys. This innovation was originally ordered as a custom built piano for Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
who wanted to transcribe an organ piece that went to the C below the standard keyboard. This innovation worked so well that this piano was added to regular product offerings and quickly became one of the world's most sought after concert grands. Because of the 290's success, the Model 225 was later added to Bösendorfer's regular line of instruments. This model has 92 keys. The extra keys, all at the bass end of the keyboard, were originally hidden beneath a hinged panel mounted between the piano's conventional low A and the left-hand end-cheek to prevent their being struck accidentally during normal playing; more recent models have omitted this device and simply have the upper surface of the extra natural keys finished in matte black instead of white to differentiate them from the standard 88.
The Bösendorfer sound is usually described as darker or richer than the purer but less full-bodied sound of other pianos like the Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
or Yamaha
Yamaha (manufacturer)
is a multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, electronics, motorcycles and power sports equipment.-History:...
. On the Imperial Grand, this characteristic tonal quality in part derives from the inclusion of 9 additional bass notes below bottom A. These extra 9 keys were originally added so that pianists could play Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
's transcriptions of J.S. Bach's organ works that required the 32' bass pipes (usually played on the pedal organ). As very little other music makes direct use of the extra strings, they usually contribute to the piano's sonic character not through being played directly but by resonating when other strings in the piano are struck, contributing additional body to the tone. Moreover, the bass notes of the Bösendorfer, including the extra bass keys, are very powerful, adding volume in demanding literature.
Music written to include rich harmonic colorations, such as bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, often calls for the player to sound the upper parts of a musical chord's harmonic series
Harmonic series (music)
Pitched musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously. At these resonant frequencies, waves travel in both directions along the string or air column, reinforcing and canceling...
(3rds, 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths, for example) without playing the fundamental pitch. In these cases, it is up to the listener's ear to "replace" the missing fundamental. When such music is played on a large Bösendorfer, however, the additional strings generate, albeit at low volume, the fundamental by vibrating sympathetically with the played notes, contributing further to the fullness of the sound. The extra strings' contribution to classical music typically is more subtle, as compositions in that literature typically do not omit the fundamental, at least for long.
The latest development in the Bösendorfer range is CEUS – a computer controlled grand piano. The requisite equipment can be fitted to most Bösendorfer pianos to allow the direct recording of pieces whilst capturing all the subtle nuances of a performance data as a .boe file. Since Yamaha acquired the Bösendorfer company in 2008 the future marketing and support of the CEUS equipped instruments is not well understood.
Models
The rim of a Bösendorfer grand piano is built quite differently from that of all other grands. Instead of veneers bent around a form, the rim is made in solid sections of spruce and jointed together. Spruce is better at transmitting sound than reflecting it. This is perhaps why Bösendorfers tend to have a more delicate treble and a bass that features the fundamental tone more than the higher harmonics. There are also two other features of Bösendorfers that are shared with only a few other piano brands. One is a removable capo d'astro bar
Capo
A capo is a device used on the neck of a stringed instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is frequently used on guitars, mandolins, and banjos. G.B...
in the treble, which facilitates rebuilding of the instrument and, Bösendorfer says, provides greater acoustic separation from the plate, decreasing tonal absorption. The other is single-stringing, providing each string its own individual hitch pin on the plate instead of connecting it to a neighboring string. This design may slightly improve tuning stability and is an advantage in case of string breakage.
Standard Black Models
Each numerical Bösendorfer model directly corresponds to its length in centimeters. For example, a Model 170 is 170 centimeters long (approximately 5'7"). The following table describes the current Bösendorfer models:| Model | Length | Keys |
|---|---|---|
| 130CL | Upright | 88 |
| 170 | 5' 8" | 88 |
| 185 | 6' 1" | 88 |
| 200 | 6' 7" | 88 |
| 214 | 7' | 88 |
| 225 | 7' 4" | 92 |
| 280 | 9' 2" | 88 |
| 290 "Imperial" Imperial Bosendorfer (piano) The Imperial Bösendorfer is the largest model of pianos that Bösendorfer manufactures at 290 centimeters long, or 9½ feet. For 90 years, the only concert grand piano in the world with 97 keys, in 1990 it was joined in this tradition by the instruments of Stuart & Sons, Australia... |
9' 6" | 97 |
Conservatory Series
In order to appeal to a wider market, Bösendorfer designed the Conservatory Series for colleges and universities that could not afford Bösendorfer's standard black model pianos. The production of the two CS Series pianos spends less time in "non-critical areas," cutting down costs of production and purchase, making them more affordable than standard models. The cases and frames are of satin finish, rather than polished, and initially, the pianos were loop-strung rather than single-strung but that difference has since been abandoned.Special and Limited editions
Bösendorfer has produced a number of specially designed pianos named after famous composers such as Franz SchubertFranz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
and Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, as well as pianos designed for special occasions, such as Bösendorfer's 170th and 175th anniversaries.
A small number of 290SE automatic reproducing pianos were built and sold when Bösendorfer was under the ownership of Kimball. The 290 was fitted with electronics and mechanics to record to magnetic tape and playback through electro-mechanical actuation of the piano. Later the 290SE was able to be attached to a PC computer running the then-current Microsoft Windows v3.1
Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bit operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during March 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0...
operating system for recording, editing, and playback. The 290SE system was the first commercially available computer controlled "player piano
Player piano
A player piano is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano action via pre-programmed music perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in...
" capable of accurately reproducing both the notes and intensity of a performer's playing, but it was not patented, and other companies soon introduced patented reproducing piano technologies. 'SE' stands for Stahnke Engineering, for Wayne Stahnke, the inventor of this mechanism. These pianos are still quite actively used and sought after when appearing for sale.
Designer Models
Bösendorfer produces a limited number of Artisan Models annually, each available for order only during the calendar year in which it was developed. An example of a designer model is the Bösendorfer SwarovskiSwarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
Crystal Grand piano. Three of these special pianos were produced in 2003 in honor of Bösendorfer's 175th anniversary. Each piano's case is encrusted with 8000 crystals and layers of gold.
Three notable architects who have designed Bösendorfer piano models are Theophil Freiherr von Hansen
Theophil Freiherr von Hansen
Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen...
(1866), Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann was an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods.- Biography :...
(1909) and Hans Hollein
Hans Hollein
Hans Hollein, is an Austrian architect and designer.Hollein achieved a diploma at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1956, then attended the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1959 and the University of California, Berkeley in 1960...
(1990). There were only two Hans Hollein 225 models produced in 1990; one can be found in the lounge of the Westin Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
Noteworthy events
- On 10 April 2007, a second-hand Bösendorfer Model 275 concert grand worth £45,000, but insured for half that amount, was damaged when it was dropped 2.5 meters from a delivery truck. The piano was to feature at the "Two Moors Festival" in DevonDevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. Bösendorfer replaced the piano with one valued at £85,000, and delivered it personally.
- In 2006, a Model 214 was built as a gift in memory of Ward Virts to The College of Southern Maryland for its future Fine Arts department. Ward Virts was a talented concert pianist and hailed from Southern Maryland. The piano, now on campus in a humidity and temperature controlled room, is valued at over $85,000.
Bösendorfer Artists
Among the earliest artists to be associated with Bösendorfer was Franz LisztFranz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, who at least once opined that Bösendorfer and Bechstein
C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik
C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG is a German manufacturer of pianos, established in 1853 by Carl Bechstein.-Before Bechstein:...
pianos were the only instruments capable of withstanding his tremendously powerful playing. Renowned twentieth-century American composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
has also played a Bösendorfer when he performed. Another great pianist who championed Bösendorfer pianos was Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus
Wilhelm Backhaus was a German pianist and pedagogue.Born in Leipzig, Backhaus studied at the conservatoire there with Alois Reckendorf until 1899, later taking private piano lessons with Eugen d'Albert in Frankfurt...
.
In his memoirs, Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
recounts having insisted on a Bechstein instead of the hall's Bösendorfer before a recital in Austria. After the performance, the then-head of the Bösendorfer company came backstage to meet this young artist who refused to play a piano highly cherished by his Russian namesake, Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
; Rubinstein claims he thereafter always sought out Bösendorfers when in Austria.
In the late 1970s following a concert performed in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, jazz pianist Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
turned to his impresario, Norman Granz
Norman Granz
Norman Granz was an American jazz music impresario and producer.Granz was a fundamental figure in American jazz, especially from about 1947 to 1960...
, with the words: "Dammit, Norman, where does this box go? I also gotta have such a thing!" Such was his reaction to playing a Bösendorfer 290. Musician/comedian Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
also played Bösendorfer pianos.
More recent examples of notable artists who have played the Bösendorfer include Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
(who in later years chose to promote Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
claiming it had a preferable pianissimo sound and control, according to his own interview); Hungarian pianist Andras Schiff
András Schiff
András Schiff is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist, who has won a number of awards including the Grammy and made numerous recordings.- Biography :...
, American pianists Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
and American singer-songwriter Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
; German pianist Wolfgang Rübsam
Wolfgang Rübsam
Wolfgang Friedrich Rübsam is a German-American organist, pianist, composer and pedagogue.-Biography:...
; Austrian pianist Walter Klien
Walter Klien
Walter Klien was an Austrian pianist.-Career:Klien was born in Graz. His mother was the artist Erika Giovanna Klien . She emigrated to the United States in 1929, and their only further contact was by correspondence.Klien studied piano with Josef Dichler at the Music Academy in Vienna and with...
; British pianists Leon McCawley
Leon McCawley
Leon McCawley is a British classical pianist.He studied with Heather Slade-Lipkin at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and with Eleanor Sokoloff at The Curtis Institute of Music in the United States, and latterly pianist Nina Milkina was a source of inspiration.He won the first prize in the...
and Mark Gasser
Mark Gasser
-Career:Gasser is a fellow of the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music. He studied with John Humphreys at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and with Frank Wibaut at the Royal Academy of Music...
as well as the Irish pianist John O'Conor
John O'Conor
John O'Conor is an Irish pianist and pedagogue, and former director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He is frequently cited as the greatest living interpreter of the piano music of Beethoven, having recorded his entire repertoire, including the sonatas, concerti, and bagatelles...
. Ukrainian-American pianist Valentina Lisitsa
Valentina Lisitsa
Valentina Lisitsa is a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. Lisitsa resides in North Carolina in the USA. Her husband, Alexei Kuznetsoff, is also a pianist and her partner in a number of piano duets.- Biography :Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1973...
has recorded DVDs of Chopin and Schubert-Liszt on a 1925 model Bösendorfer, and has released a new video set of a recital using the 97-key Bösendorfer Imperial.
Minimalist composer Charlemagne Palestine
Charlemagne Palestine
Charlemagne Palestine is an American minimalist composer, performer, and visual artist...
chose a nine-foot Bösendorfer as the vehicle on which to perform his 1974 composition Strumming Music, released as his first compact disc in 1991; it features in excess of 45 minutes of Palestine forcefully playing two notes in rapid alternation, slowly expanding into clusters, with the sustain pedal depressed throughout. As the music swells (and the piano gradually detunes), the harmonics build and the listener can hear a variety of timbres rarely produced by the piano.
The jazz pianist Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
, who performed solo improvisations (his Köln Concert
The Köln Concert
The Köln Concert is a recording by the pianist Keith Jarrett of solo piano improvisations performed at the Cologne Opera House in Cologne on January 24, 1975 before a live audience...
) at the Cologne Opera House in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
on 24 January 1975.
The jazz pianist Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, performed on Bösendorfers many times throughout her career.
In a recent interview for Broadway.com, Academy Award winning composer Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz may refer to:*Stephen Schwartz , American musical theater and film lyricist and composer*Stephen Suleyman Schwartz , journalist, political author, and historian...
stated that he purchased a Bösendorfer after the initial success of his musical Wicked
Wicked
Wicked is generally used as an adjective to mean evil or sinful.Wicked may also refer to:* Wicked Pictures, an American pornographic studio...
Classical
- Aldo CiccoliniAldo CiccoliniAldo Ciccolini , is an Italian-French pianist.-Biography:Aldo Ciccolini was born in Naples. His father, who bore the title of Marquis of Macerara, worked as a typographer. He took his first lessons with Maria Vigliarolo d'Ovidio, and entered Naples Conservatory in 1934 at the age of 9, by special...
recorded his second traversal of the piano music of Eric Satie on a Bösendorfer; his first traversal was on a Steinway. Both are included in French EMI set 50999685824 2 5, offering record listeners an unusual opportunity for direct comparison of the two instruments. - Peter HillPeter Hill (pianist)The British pianist and musicologist Peter Hill is a world-renowned authority on the works of French composer Olivier Messiaen, with whom he was acquainted...
recorded Havergal BrianHavergal BrianHavergal Brian , was a British classical composer.Brian acquired a legendary status at the time of his rediscovery in the 1950s and 1960s for the many symphonies he had managed to write. By the end of his life he had completed 32, an unusually large number for any composer since Haydn or Mozart...
's complete piano music on a Bösendorfer Imperial at the Northern College of Music for Cameo Classics. John OgdonJohn OgdonJohn Andrew Howard Ogdon was an English pianist and composer.-Biography:Ogdon was born in Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, and attended Manchester Grammar School, before studying at the Royal Northern College of Music between 1953 and 1957, where his fellow students under Richard Hall...
highly praised the recordings in his review for Tempo. - Gerhard OppitzGerhard OppitzGerhard Oppitz is a German classical pianist.He studied with Paul Buck, Hugo Steurer and Wilhelm Kempff. In 1981 he was appointed professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München - the youngest in the history of the institute - where he still teaches. As a soloist he has appeared with...
in 1989 recorded a complete traversal of the solo piano music of Johannes BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
on an Imperial Grand. - Awadagin PrattAwadagin Pratt- Life :When he was 3 years old, Pratt moved with his parents to Normal, Illinois, where Illinois State University had offered his mother a position as a professor of social work and his Sierra Leone-born father, Theodore, one as a physics professor...
more recently recorded MussorgskyMussorgskyMussorgsky can refer to:*The Mussorgsky family of Russian nobility;*Modest Mussorgsky, a Russian composer belonging to that family.*Mussorgsky , a 1950 Soviet film about the composer...
's Pictures at an ExhibitionPictures at an ExhibitionPictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...
, his own transcription of BachBạchBạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor is an organ piece by Johann Sebastian Bach. Presumably composed early in Bach's career, it is one of his most important and well-known works, and an important influence on 19th and 20th century passacaglias: Robert Schumann described the variations of the...
, and Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by HandelVariations and Fugue on a Theme by HandelThe Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24, is a work for solo piano written by Johannes Brahms in 1861. It consists of a set of twenty-five variations and a concluding fugue, all based on a theme from George Frideric Handel's Harpsichord Suite No...
on an Imperial Grand. - Sviatoslav RichterSviatoslav RichterSviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
recorded Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier on a Bösendorfer. - Carol RosenbergerCarol RosenbergerCarol Rosenberger - is a classical pianist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Carol studied in the U.S. with Webster Aitken and Katja Andy; in Paris with Nadia Boulanger; and in Vienna with harpsichordist/ Baroque scholar Eta Harich-Schneider and Schenker theorist Franz Eibner...
recorded music of Liszt, GriffesCharles GriffesCharles Tomlinson Griffes was an American composer for piano, chamber ensembles and for voice.-Musical career:...
, Ravel, and Debussy and BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's AppassionataPiano Sonata No. 23 (Beethoven)Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 is a piano sonata. It is considered one of the three great piano sonatas of his middle period . It was composed during 1804 and 1805, and perhaps 1806, and was dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick...
and op. 111Piano Sonata No. 32 (Beethoven)The Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111, is the last of Ludwig van Beethoven's piano sonatas. Along with Beethoven's 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli, op. 120 and his two collections of bagatelles—Opus 119 and Opus 126 —this was one of Beethoven's last compositions for piano. The...
sonatas on an Imperial Concert Grand. - Moritz Rosenthal played a Bösendorfer for his celebrated series of recordings for HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
. - Terry Riley'sTerry RileyTerrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
1986 minimalistMinimalismMinimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
piano piece written in Just intonationJust intonationIn music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series...
, The Harp of New Albion, was recorded on a Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano, specially tuned for Riley himself. - Robert Silverman committed a complete Beethoven sonata cycle to computer hard drive on a Bösendorfer 290SE reproducing piano. John Atkinson of StereophileStereophileStereophile is a monthly magazine that focuses on high end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news, such as online audio streaming. It was founded in 1962 by J. Gordon Holt....
magazine then recorded a similar piano at the Maestro Foundation recital hall in Santa Monica, California replaying the files; the resulting CDs were issued as a 10-disc set. - Robert EkelundRobert EkelundRobert Burton Ekelund, Jr. is an American economist.-Education:Originally from Galveston, Texas, Ekelund attended St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, earning his B.B.A. in economics in 1962 and his M.A. in economics and history the next year...
– Two albums of piano pieces performed by economist and pianist Robert Ekelund, performed on the Murray N. and JoAnn B. Rothbard Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano in the Mises Institute's Conservatory. Ekelund also performed Brahms Rhapsody Op. 79, No. 2; J.S. Bach, Gigue, French Suite No. 5 (G-major). - Valentina LisitsaValentina LisitsaValentina Lisitsa is a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. Lisitsa resides in North Carolina in the USA. Her husband, Alexei Kuznetsoff, is also a pianist and her partner in a number of piano duets.- Biography :Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1973...
Chopin's 24 Études D.V.D. track. Op. 10 and Op. 25 Études. - Igor StravinskyIgor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's Le Sacre du Printemps, The FirebirdThe FirebirdThe Firebird is a 1910 ballet created by the composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor....
and PetrushkaPetrushkaPetrouchka or Petrushka is a ballet with music by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, composed in 1910–11 and revised in 1947....
played by Dag AchatzDag AchatzDag Achatz is a Swedish virtuoso pianist and composer. His recording for BIS of his own transcription, for piano 2 hands, of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is widely acknowledged to be one of the great recordings of the 20th century...
and Roland PöntinenRoland PöntinenRoland Peter Pöntinen is a Swedish pianist and composer.He is the son of a Finnish-speaking father, a native of the Russian district of Ingria who emigrated from the Soviet Union to Sweden in 1945...
on BIS RecordsBIS RecordsBIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden.BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings....
was played on a BosendorferBösendorferBösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone...
Model 275
Popular
- Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
used Bösendorfer almost exclusively from 1977 until 2006. - Brian MayBrian MayBrian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
and Freddie MercuryFreddie MercuryFreddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
of the band QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
employed the Bösendorfer in the song FlashFlash (song)"Flash" is a song by British rock group Queen. Written by guitarist Brian May, "Flash" is the theme song of the 1980 film Flash Gordon. The soundtrack released to coincide with the film contained only the music composed and performed by Queen....
. - Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
in his album Punch the ClockPunch the ClockPunch the Clock is an album released in 1983 by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It was Costello's eighth album, his seventh with the Attractions since 1978. The album featured Costello's first U.S...
. - Peter GabrielPeter GabrielPeter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
in his album UpUp (Peter Gabriel album)Up is the seventh studio and 13th album overall released by the British progressive rock musician Peter Gabriel.-Pre-release:In the Spring of 1995, Gabriel began work on the album. Its name was Up from the start, though at one point it was considered to be called I/O...
. - Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
chose a Bösendorfer grand piano "9-foot-six, please" as his luxury item on Desert Island DiscsDesert Island DiscsDesert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
, though only after he was denied a satellite link to watch Arsenal Football Club matches. - Rick AstleyRick AstleyRichard Paul "Rick" Astley is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and radio personality. He is known for his 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries...
playing a Bösendorfer grand piano in Cry For Help videoclip. - Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
in his album RaptureRapture (Bradley Joseph album)Rapture is the second album by Bradley Joseph, and his debut album on the Narada label, released in March 1997 . This is an instrumental album in which Joseph wrote and conducted all of the scores. In addition to incorporating a core band including violinist Charlie Bisharat and drummer Charlie...
. - Giovanni AlleviGiovanni AlleviGiovanni Allevi is an Italian pianist and composer.-Education:Allevi attained a first-class diploma both in piano at the "F. Morlacchi"'s conservatoire in Perugia and in composition at the "G...
in his album 13 Dita13 Dita13 dita is the first solo album by Italian pianist Giovanni Allevi, released in 1997 by Soleluna Records.-Track listing:# Il nuotatore – 3:15# Parole – 3:17# Cassetto – 5:46# Scherzo n°1 – 4:22# Room 108 – 3:10...
. - According to composer Jim SteinmanJim SteinmanJames Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
, Roy BittanRoy BittanRoy Bittan is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, which he joined on August 23, 1974...
played a Bösendorfer on the Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
album Bat out of HellBat out of HellBat Out of Hell is the second album by American rock musician Meat Loaf, and his first collaboration with composer Jim Steinman, released in October 1977 on Cleveland International/Epic Records #PE-34974. Selling approximately 200,000 copies per year as of 2010, it is the fifth best-selling album...
in 1977, which was a deviation from Steinman's preference for Yamaha pianos. - Dr Evil plays a Bösendorfer in the Austin PowersAustin Powers (film series)The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema...
movies. - The Greek composer VangelisVangelisEvangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
used a Bösendorfer grand piano on his albums Heaven and HellHeaven and Hell (Vangelis album)Heaven and Hell, released in 1975, is the fifth solo album by Greek electronic composer and artist Vangelis. It got worldwide recognition through the use of "Movement 3" as the theme for the television documentary series Cosmos....
(1975) and ChinaChina (album)China is a 1979 album by the Greek artist Vangelis. Although he had never been to China, he employed Chinese instruments and compositional styles on this concept album.- Track listing :# "Chung Kuo" – 5:31# "The Long March" – 2:01...
(1979). - Singer/songwriter Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
has recorded and toured exclusively with Bösendorfers since 1993. - Keith JarrettKeith JarrettKeith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
in the Köln Concert.
External links
- L. Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH
- BosendorferImperial.com – site about the Imperial pianos, the CEUS system, with complete audio files of songs, images, etc.