RA Diederichs (Pianofortefabrik)
RA Diederichs (other trade names: Russian: Братья Дидерихс, Gebrüder Diederichs or Diederichs Freres) is a former manufacturer of concert pianos and grand pianos from Saint Petersburg . It was Russia's oldest piano factory, founded in 1810 and production ceased in 1918. His last technical director Ernst Ihse later founded the Estonia piano factory in Tallinn .
history
Russia's first piano factory was founded in St. Petersburg in 1810. The craftsman Friedrich Diederichs (1779 to 1846), who came from the Duchy of Braunschweig , initially only ran a small workshop with one worker. This was in house number 47/13 (now house number 41) at the intersection of the 2nd line with the central prospect of Vasilyevsky Island .
From the successful beginnings in piano making and the increased sales, it only took two years to increase the number of employees to 15. Diederichs was able to acquire his building in 1822.
The first instruments by Friedrich Diederichs were exact copies of the Viennese models, as they were built by Johann Andreas Stein in the tradition of Silbermann . They were more delicate in design than the English pianos. They had a narrow, elongated body , a couple of struts and a metal plate to attach the rear ends of the strings. In addition to the type of Viennese pianos in the first half of the century, Diederich's work produced rectangular or table pianos with horizontal action. One of these instruments is archived under inventory number 284 in the Museum of the Petersburg Institute of Theater, Music and Camera.
In May 1829 Diederichs exhibited a piano at the first All-Russian Fair in St. Petersburg. The price of his instrument was well below that of its peers.
In 1840 Diederichs expanded its production facilities. In addition to the two existing buildings along Middle Avenue, a four-story building and a building in the back yard were built.
In 1846, after the death of F. Diederichs, his widow took over the business for 22 years. In 1868 she handed the company over to the eldest son Robert Fedorovich Diederichs (1836–1893), who had received a technical training at the time. Robert Diederichs immediately made improvements to the tools and work processes produced. Soon he was able to successfully take part in the national exhibition in 1870.
Then Robert's younger brother, Andrew F. Diederichs (1838–1904), who was also an expert on piano production, joined the company and made significant contributions to improving the quality of the instruments.
In 1878 Diederichs piano factory was renamed to Gebrüder R. and A. Diederichs. This renaming can be seen as a turning point in the company's development. Product quality has been continuously improved and obsolete models have been discontinued. This contributed to the increase in demand. Finally, it was decided to expand the production and business premises. From then on there was a representative shop on Vladimirsky Prospect 8. At the same time, the brothers acquired a neighboring factory building and a piece of land on the 13th line of Vasilyevsky Island.
In the early 1870s, the brothers managed to produce 40 to 50 instruments a year; in 1881 the number increased to 200 grand and upright pianos and more than 50 employees. At the same time, the company switched to a steam engine with a capacity of 6 horsepower.
In 1882, the company began producing concert grand pianos with seven and a half octaves (common form of the Viennese models), but in a modern American design with cross strings, and at the same time also produced salon and table pianos.
Until the end of the 1880s, the instruments of the Diederichs brothers repeatedly won three gold, three silver and one bronze medals at domestic and international exhibitions.
Robert Diederichs died in August 1893 and the company became the sole property of his younger brother Andre.
Between 1895 and 1898 the company was completely rebuilt. The main production building was expanded and renovated; a new four-story factory building was built and a number of offices, barns and sheds for storing materials were built. The power of the steam engine was doubled in 1895. A. Diederichs appointed a very experienced master of piano production, FE Kalninga, as the company's technical director.
In 1893 production rose to 600 instruments per year. The focus was on saving costs in order to win the market for the masses of consumers. These achievements of the company after the restructuring were appreciated at a number of industrial exhibitions. In 1896, at the National Industrial Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod, the company received the highest award for achievements in the field of domestic industry - they were now allowed to depict the Russian double-headed eagle on their pianos. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, the factory was awarded the Grand Prix.
After Andre Diederichs' death, his sons Andrei and Fedor took over the factory. The technical side of the work was still up to FE Kalning.
Over the next ten years, up to the beginning of the First World War, the Diederichs company successfully continued its activities. The factory's turnover in 1908 was 245 thousand rubles, and in 1913 it was 280,000 rubles. In 1908 there were already 200 workers.
In 1910, Andrei Diederichs left the company in order to set up his own business and rent higher quality pianos under the brand name Andrei Diederichs . This shop was on Liteiny Prospect number 60. In addition to selling and renting keyboards, musical instruments, a workshop and even a small concert hall were located here.
In the last few years of the company, an experienced master, Ernst Ihse , managed the factory. Despite the short creative period at Diederichs, Ihse largely ensured an improvement in production. Production in the factory was significantly reduced during the First World War. In 1917 there were only 27 employees left. Like other renowned piano manufacturing companies in Saint Petersburg, for example the Mühlbach piano factory, Diedrichs closed the production forever in 1918, after which Ihse moved to Tallinn. Russia, and especially Saint Petersburg, found itself in the Russian Civil War .
Awards
- 1882: Silver medal at the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition in Moscow under the patronage of the Russian Emperor Alexander III.
- 1883: Silver medal at the Remëslennaya exhibition in Riga under the patronage of the Russian Emperor Alexander III.
- 1883: Silver medal at the International Trade Fair in Amsterdam, Holland
- 1884: Gold medal at the International Exhibition in Nice, France
- 1885: Gold medal "For diligence and art" at the Remëslennaya exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia under the patronage of the Russian Emperor Alexander III.
- 1885: Gold medal at the Antwerp World Exhibition, Belgium under the patronage of King Leopold II of Belgium
- 1885: Bronze medal at the International Exhibition for Innovation in London, Great Britain
- 1896: All-Russian Industrial Exhibition, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Empire. State stamp (right to use the Russian double-headed eagle).
- 1900: Grand Prix and a gold medal at the Paris World Exhibition
Individual evidence
- ↑ Makers of the Piano: 1820-1860 - Martha Novak Clinkscale - Google Books
- ↑ Фортепианная фабрика «Братья Р. и А. Дидерихс »
- ↑ Отюгова Т.А., Галембо А.С., Гурков И.М. Рождение музыкальных инструментов. Из истории Ленинградского производственного объединения по изготовлению музыкальных инструментов. - Л .: Музыка, 1986. - С. 23-26. - 187 с.