5 Great European Piano Manufacturers
In this day and age, piano builders who manufacture exemplary instruments are scarce. Being the birthplace of the piano and steeped in the tradition of western classical music, it should come as no surprise that European piano manufacturers consistently produce some of the finest instruments in the world today. Pianists from around the globe, at the highest level of their craft, will time and time again choose European made instruments as their vehicle for expression. Here are a few of the great European piano manufacturers (in no particular order) that still, to this day, produce pianos that come second to none around the world.
Founded by Friedrich Grotrian and Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg in 1935, the Grotrian piano company was known as Grotrian-Steinweg until Heinrich Steinweg took his family to the United States to found the world renowned Steinways and Sons piano company. Over the years, Grotrian has continued to build an untarnished reputation for quality craftsmanship and exceptional instruments sought after by the greatest musicians around the world and to this day remains one of the few companies to manufacture their instruments 100% in Germany.
Founded in 1828 in Vienna, Austria, Bosendorfer is one of the few piano manufacturers that, in addition to the standard 88-key model, produce a 92 and 97 key model. In 1930 Bosendorfer was given the status of official piano maker to the Emperor of Austria and has since supplied pianos for the most prestigious concert halls in Vienna. Legendary musicians such as Leaonard Bernstein, Arthur Rubinstein, Oscar Peterson and many others have appeared playing Bosendorfers and many world renowned artists will choose Bosendorfer as their instrument of choice.
The oldest piano company in the world and one of the last remaining few that craft their instruments entirely in-house, using parts only manufactured in Germany, Sauter is still one of the most well-respected piano builders in the world today. In addition to the unprecedented experience and mastery of the piano building tradition, the Sauter piano company is a pioneer in the design of modern-day pianos. By cultivating a relationship with acclaimed interior designers such as Peter Maly, Sauter has managed to produce some of the most creative and unique approaches to piano building as seen in models such as the Sauter Rondo, Rhapsody and Vivace.
Currently the largest producer of grand pianos in Europe, the Petrof piano company has produced roughly 630,000 instruments since their founder Antonin Petrof built his first piano in 1864. Based in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, to this day, Petrof remains a piano company that produces instruments to the highest possible standards of craftsmanship and supplies countless performers with some of the finest instruments in the world today.
Established in 1835 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin, Germany, C. Bechstein pianos are still some of the most commonly chosen pianos by professionals around the world today. With a myriad of world renowned performers and composers who have famously chosen C. Bechstein as their instrument of choice, such as Alexander Scriabin, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussey, The Beatles and Elton John to name a few, these pianos have cultivated a reputation of almost unprecedented endorsement in the world of piano manufacturing.
