Vienna Based Piano Company Bought by Yamaha
If you've never heard a Bosendorfer piano, you owe it to yourself to take a listen. The Bosendorfer is arguably the best built and best sounding piano on the planet today and has been for over 150 years. Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, the piano company can claim Franz Liszt as an early and enthusiastic supporter. The world's greatest musicians will sometimes request a Bosendorfer instead of a Steinway for their public performances. Despite its hefty price tag, what would make this piano the choice for many professionals? In a word: sound.The Bosendorfer Company was first established in Vienna in 1828. Despite over 150 piano builders in the city, Ignaz Bosendorfer decided he could build a better one. After working as a gifted apprentice for the Joseph Brodman company for fourteen years, Ignaz bought out Mr. Brodman's company and started to build his own unique pianos.
One of the first proponents of the Bosendorfer piano was Franz Liszt. Liszt could be very hard on a typical Viennese wood frame piano. He found they couldn't hold up to his powerful playing. When he encountered his first Bosendorfer, Liszt was hooked. He promoted the instrument among his fellow musicians and after first playing one could never settle for anything less. The company took off and received gold medals and an endorsement from the Austrian Emperor, Ferdinand I. Bosendorfer was also named as the royal family's exclusive piano supplier for court.
Upon the death of Ignaz, his son, Ludwig, took the reins and promoted the piano and made friends with the premier musicians of the time. After his tireless efforts in the late 1800s, Bosendorfer was the preferred piano for European and Russian royalty.
Allied bombing at the end of World War II destroyed much of the company's factory and supply of aged wood. Shamefully, Allied soldiers used new Bosendorfers for firewood, destroying much of the inventory. After the war, Bosendorfer fell on hard times and went through two different owners before Yamaha bought them out in 2007, bringing them much needed marketing expansion and recognition.
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