Pianos Toronto: Used Pianos Sale, Pianos for Sale
February 22, 2012, 15:58
Bosendorfer
Bosendorfer (L. Bosendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH) is an Austrian piano manufacturer, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone. Bosendorfer is unusual in that it produces 97- and 92-key models in addition to instruments with standard 88-key keyboards.
History
Bosendorfer, one of the oldest piano manufacturers, was established in 1828 by Ignaz Bosendorfer. From the outset, it has had 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 Bosendorfer (April 15, 1835 - May 9, 1919) took over in 1859, operating from new premises from 1860. Between 1872 and its closure in 1913, the associated Bosendorfer-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 Bosendorfer 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 Bosendorfer to Yamaha on December 20, 2007. Yamaha subsequently explained on the Bosendofer website that they bought the company to find out how to make a quality instrument.
Characteristics
Bosendorfer 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 Bosendorfer'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 Bosendorfer sound is usually described as darker or richer than the more pure 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 Bosendorfer, 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 Bosendorfer, 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 Bosendorfer range is CEUS - a computer controlled grand piano. The requisite equipment can be fitted to most Bosendorfer 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 Bosendorfer company in 2008 the future marketing and support of the CEUS equipped instruments is not well understood.
Models
Bosendorfer 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 Bosendorfer 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 Bosendorfers 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 Bosendorfers 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, Bosendorfer 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.
Conservatory Series
In order to appeal to a wider market, Bosendorfer designed the Conservatory Series for colleges and universities that could not afford Bosendorfer'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 the pianos are loop-strung rather than single-strung.
Special and Limited editions
Bosendorfer has produced a number of specially designed pianos named after famous composers such as Franz Schubert and Frederic Chopin, as well as pianos designed for special occasions, such as Bosendorfer's 170th and 175th anniversaries.
A small number of 290SE automatic reproducing pianos were built and sold when Bosendorfer 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.
Designer Models
Bosendorfer 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 Bosendorfer Swarovski Crystal Grand piano. Three of these special pianos were produced in 2003 in honor of Bosendorfer's 175th anniversary. Each piano's case is encrusted with 8000 crystals and layers of gold.
Three notable architects who have designed Bosendorfer 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.
Taken from Wikipedia