Talk:Julius Blüthner
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[edit] Competition between Blüthner, Bechstein, Bosendorfer, and Steinway, and how their rivalry contributed to improvements in piano industry.
This is where opinions of attending public may differ from what the pianist feels, because sound perception is very subjective due to individual variations of the inner ear anatomy, various exposure and experience in perception of sound, level of musical education, and personal taste.
Blüthner pianos were chosen by such musicians as Gustav Mahler and Dmitri Shostakovich among many others. Here is a clear photo of Sergei Rachmaninoff with a Bluthner grand piano. The setting with a metronome on top of the Blüthner may indicate that the piano was used for practice, rehearsals, and/or accompanement to singers. Rachmaninoff played piano accompaniment for singer Nina Koshetz who preferred a Blüthner piano for its mellower, softer tone.
Piano makers has been wooing major stars, because of the fact that public would be more interested in buying a piano that is associated with their favorite celebrity.
Blüthner had a steady success with musicians and general public; however, the main rivalry was for the place on a concert stage, because of visibility to all classes of society. The battle of piano makers did not stop since 1885, when Bechstein became the supplier of Queen Victoria. A gilded art-case piano was first delivered to the Buckingham Palace in 1885, then several more Bechstein pianos were delivered to the Windsor Castle and to other royal residences. Many other mansions and salons in London were following the royal example. Steinway was losing sales to private customers, however, Bechstein could not win the battle for concert halls; most concert pianists preferred (and still do) playing a Steinway D-274 on stage, because Bechsteins are less clear and less powerful on fortissimo than Steinways, and this is also true for most other pianos, none can perform like a D-274 on stage with a full orchestra. Unlike D-274, a Bechstein grand cannot be heard clearly through a full orchestral tutti, no matter how much power a pianist can strike. That's why many concert halls and top pianists use a D-274: [1] and [2]
Blüthner factory and business in Germany had suffered because of both WWI and WWII, and piano production was slower due to unsteady demand between the two wars. However, in piano sales for upper middle class customers Bechstein and Steinway & Sonsremained strong for many deacdes up until WWII. Bechstein dominated in the segment of the market for "parlor grands" and private homes, while Steinway remained the most powerful sounding piano and thus preferred by most major concert halls. However, Blüthner and Bechstein has been a good choice for smaller concert venues, for schools, and for private homes. Bosendorfer pianos had some success in London during the 1930s, due to well publicized acquisition of several Bosendorfer pianos for the BBC studios and other concert venues.
Today the music market is changing fast, mainly due to new cultural trends, so affordable electronic keyboards cut into the segment of affordable acoustic pianos. Worldwide piano sales are down 40% in the last decade. Still some high-end pianos, like Bluthner, Bechstein, Fazioli, Steinway, Bosendorfer, Yamaha and Kawai are in demand among certain groups of customers, as one Bechstein specialist stated "It is now becoming harder to survive making many mediocre instruments, than if you are making fewer but superior pianos." That's why hundreds of piano makers went out of business during the last few decades.Steveshelokhonov 18:07, 10 March 2008 (UTC)
