| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Founder(s) | Julius Blüthner |
| Headquarters | Großpösna near Leipzig, Germany |
| Key people | Ingbert Blüthner-Haessler (CEO) |
| Products | Grand pianos and upright pianos |
| Website | bluethner.de |
Blüthner, formally Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik GmbH, is a piano-manufacturing company founded by Julius Blüthner in 1853 in Leipzig Germany.[1]
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Julius Blüthner established his workshop in Leipzig, Germany in 1853. This accomplishment was only achieved after a long and difficult campaign to gain Leipzig citizenship. Julius started his endeavor with himself and three other craftsman. A deeply religious man, Julius spoke the defining words that would allow his company to survive and flourish for the next 158 years, "May God Prevail".
By 1900 Blüthner had become the largest piano maker in Germany, producing some 5,000 instruments annually. Innovations such as the Aliquot string, a fourth string that vibrated sympathetically and that is tuned in unison as well as the cylindrical soundboard and angle cut hammers, created a unique voice for the Blüthner instrument.
Today Blüthner pianos come in several sizes of grands from 5 ft to 9 ft in size. They also make several sizes of vertical pianos. They make pianos with most any style of cabinets and veneers with custom orders.
They also make several models of Haessler pianos in their German factory.
They also make two lines of Irmler pianos.
The one-of-a-kind Blüthner piano of particular interest was the special lightweight instrument, made for use on the Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg. The piano had its harp plate made of aluminum, that saved about 100 kg of weight versus a regular cast iron plate of the same size piano. This was the first piano used in flight, and it was used in an "air-concert" radio broadcast.[2] It was removed in 1937 to save weight so it survived the Hindenburg's infamous crash, only to be destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.[2] A replica of this piano was also featured in the 1975 film The Hindenburg where Reed Channing (Peter Donat) sings. Since the film is set during the airship's final flight, the piano's presence is an historical error.[3]
Blüthner has made many special pianos. They have made a few pianos with the design reversed so that a left-handed person can play the tenor with their left hand and the bass with their right hand. In 2008 they designed and built a special keyboard for a customer in Spain which had the Janko keyboard design.
Numerous royals, composers, conductors, artists, authors and performers have owned Blüthner pianos. They include Willhelm II, Emperor Franz Joseph I, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, Liberace, Béla Bartók, Claude Debussy, Dodie Smith, Max Reger, Richard Wagner, Johann Strauss, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich.[4] Sergei Rachmaninoff commented that "There are only two things which I took with me on my way to America...my wife and my precious Blüthner".[3] Blüthners have been used in popular music. One Blüthner piano owned by the Abbey Road Studios in London was used on some tracks of The Beatles' Let It Be album, most notably, in the hits "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road". One was also used in the film The Sting. Another (stunt piano) was destroyed in Iron Man.