Carl Bechstein
| Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Bechstein | |
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Carl Bechstein
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| Born |
June 1, 1826 Gotha, Germany |
| Died | March 6, 1900 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Piano manufacturer |
| Known for | Maker of C. Bechstein pianos and founder of C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik. |
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Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Bechstein (June 1, 1826 – March 6, 1900) was the maker of C. Bechstein pianos and the founder of C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik.
Carl Bechstein was born on June 1, 1826, in Gotha, Germany. He studied and worked in France and England as a piano craftsman, before he became an individual piano maker. His first pianos were made for other companies. From 1844 to 1848 he worked in Dresden for a local piano maker, then moved to Berlin and worked at Klavierfabrik Perau in Behrenstraße 56. In 1849 he worked as a hired contractor for piano makers in Paris. Back in Berlin he worked again for Klavierfabrik Perau in 1852-53.
C. Bechstein piano factory was founded on 1 October 1853 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin, Germany.
Carl Bechstein set out to manufacture a piano able to withstand the great demands imposed on the instrument by the virtuosi of the time, such as Franz Liszt. In 1857, Hans von Bülow (Liszt's son-in-law) gave the first public performance on a Bechstein grand piano by performing Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor in Berlin.
By 1870, with the endorsements by Franz Liszt and Hans von Bülow, Bechstein pianos became a staple at many concert halls, as well as in private mansions. By that time three pianomakers became established as the industry leaders across the world: Bechstein, Blüthner and Steinway & Sons.
In 1880 the second piano factory was opened in Berlin, and the third factory was opened in 1897 in Berlin Kreuzberg. The years from the 1870s through 1914 brought Bechstein their most dramatic increase in sales.
In 1885 Bechstein first supplied a piano to Queen Victoria. A gilded art-case piano was first delivered to the Buckingham Palace, then several more Bechstein pianos were delivered to the Windsor Castle and to other royal residences. By January 1886 they were among the piano manufacturers holding a Royal Warrant as a supplier to the Queen. Many other mansions and salons in London were following the royal example. Several British embassies across the world acquired Bechstein pianos to replace lesser instruments.
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Wikipedia