Ignaz Bösendorfer

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Ignaz Bösendorfer, lithograph by Josef Kriehuber , 1859

Ignaz Bösendorfer (born July 27, 1794 in Vienna ; † April 14, 1859 there ) was a master piano maker . The piano factory Bösendorfer , which he set up and initially located in Vienna's Josefstadt , achieved world fame.

Life

Ignaz Bösendorfer was the son of a master carpenter. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna . His father sent the boy to an apprenticeship with Joseph Brodmann (1763–1848), who, as a well-known piano maker, ran a renowned craft business.

Ignaz took a liking to this profession and did his apprenticeship and journeyman time as an organ and piano builder. Brodmann was obviously convinced of the young man's abilities, because in 1828 his established company was taken over. Ignaz Bösendorfer had to apply to the City of Vienna for permits. On July 28, 1828 he received permission to practice the "piano making trade " and at the same time he was granted civil and master rights immediately in this document. The date is therefore considered to be the foundation of the Bösendorfer piano factory.

His advice as an expert was asked by the board of the Academy for Tonkunst and in the specialist committee “Imperial and Royal Chamber Pianoforte Manufacturers” in Vienna. According to the obituary, Bösendorfer was simple, honest, fair to everyone, warm and open to his friends and generous and noble towards the artists.

Social environment

After the Congress of Vienna, playing the piano enjoyed increasing popularity in courtly and civil salons. The concert grand became a status symbol that was no longer reserved for aristocratic circles. The piano quickly developed into the favorite instrument of the middle and upper class. Its sound has been continuously improved through increasing experience in production and repairs.

The fact that the demand for a piano must have been high as early as the 1820s is indicated by the number of more than 140 piano makers around 1825 in Vienna alone.

Performing house concerts or public concerts became fashionable. Piano rooms experienced a heyday and required permanently installed musical instruments for regular performances. Under these circumstances, the piano making trade offered a relatively secure livelihood, provided that the pianoforte convinced the customers and their praise laid the seed for further demand.

Business success

Bösendorfer was a win for the music world, because with his ideas he made major progress in piano construction. Its products have been characterized by the highest quality and excellence since the beginning. He wanted to give piano playing a stronger, fuller sound with the "Viennese Mechanics", which he succeeded.

It is said that the fame of Bösendorfer's pianos is primarily due to Franz Liszt . The composer regularly managed to ruin the usual musical instruments to the point of uselessness with his extravagant piano playing. Bösendorfers pianos, on the other hand, were so robust and stable that they could withstand the master's attacks without damage. From then on Liszt swore by these products and word quickly got around in Viennese society. The good reputation of the craftsman gradually spread throughout Europe and also overseas.

Bösendorfer's company performed extremely well with its production at two important industrial exhibitions in Vienna:

  • In 1839 he received a gold medal for his pianos and
  • In 1845 again first place in piano manufacturing.

The fact that Ignaz Bösendorfer became purveyor to the imperial family in 1839 contributed to the increase in demand. He was awarded the title of "KK Hof- und Kammerklavierverfertiger" from Emperor Ferdinand I. In 1858 he was awarded the title of chamber supplier, which was an increase in court supplier.

The company enjoyed constant and increasing demand beyond the experts. Orders came in from Germany, England, France, the Ottoman Empire, Egypt and Brazil. In 1857 the previous production facilities had become too small and the construction of a new piano factory in Vienna-Alsergrund was initiated by Ignaz Bösendorfer. However, he did not live to see its completion; he died in 1859.

His son Ludwig Bösendorfer continued the inherited business. Instructed by his father in the secrets of piano making and equipped with a good ear by nature, he succeeded in continuing the entrepreneurial success story.

In the pin Millstatt in Carinthia is one of the first built by Ignaz Bösendorfer. It is owned by the "Association of International Music Weeks" and is regularly used for concerts. The Salzburg pianist Wolfgang Brunner made numerous CD recordings on this grand piano together with his Salzburg court music .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Baptismal register of the parish of St. Karl Borromaeus 1790–1799, p. 0112, digitized version at matricula-online.eu
personal data
SURNAME Bosendorfer, Ignaz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian instrument maker
DATE OF BIRTH July 27, 1794
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH April 14, 1859
Place of death Vienna