Geschichte

In the middle of the 19th century, the city of Leipzig was one of the cultural centres at the heart of Europe equal to Paris, London or Vienna. The enlightened and affluent middle-class of Leipzig was very ambitious, self-confident and open-minded, and the city itself was already well known for its international trade and its university. Changing social conditions due to the industrial revolution meant that scientific and cultural education was no longer reserved for the aristocracy. The people of Leipzig prospered. It permitted the city to maintain the University, the St. Thomas Choir, the Opera, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Academy of Music, founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. The Blüthner family was part of the musical tradition of the city and inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit in Leipzig.

These were convincing reasons for Julius Blüthner to open his piano factory, which became a highly successful enterprise. On 18th November 1853, having acquired a sound knowledge of piano-making, Julius Blüthner started his pianoforte factory. The Blüthner instruments achieved acclaim and rose to prominence amongst the myriad of competitive piano makers of the day remarkably quickly. Julius innovations set his instruments apart, and his theoretical drawings were published and studied by countless piano building masters throughout Germany.

Soon the instruments captured the attention of experts, top pianists and musical authorities. Around the world interested people were speaking about the unbelievable instruments built by Julius Blüthner in the city of Leipzig. Well known artists like Brahms, Jadason, Liszt, Mahler, Moscheles, Nikisch, Rachmaninov, Schumann, and Tschaikovsky were welcome guests in the Blüthner house. During their musical tours the artists reported about these most marvellous instruments. The appointment as purveyors to the court of Queen Victoria, the Russian Tsar Nicolas II, the Danish King, the German Emperor, the Turkish Sultan and certainly to the King of Saxony, underlines the approval bestowed on Blüthner instruments by the nobility..

Motivated by his success, Julius Blüthner started in 1868 to build an international sales and distribution network that soon spanned the world and can still be seen to flourish today. He used his participation at trade fairs and exhibitions in Brussels, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Paris, Philadelphia, Sydney and Vienna to present his latest instruments and innovations. The pianos received great acclaim for being serious concert instruments. All first prizes, gold medals and any decorations obtained subsequently in the history of the firm are still listed on the soundboard of every Blüthner instrument.

Soon the instruments captured the attention of experts, top pianists and musical authorities. Blüthner pianos won top prizes at world exhibitions around the globe, including the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876 where Julius remarkable 4th string Aliquot design won a gold medal and would influence the Golden Tone of Blüthner pianos evermore.

Around the world, music lovers became aware of the instruments built by Julius Blüthner in Leipzig. Initially, Blüthner's strong connections to the artistic world came through the fortuitous prominence of the renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig. Many famous composers and pianists of the day premiered their works in Leipzig and were thus welcome guests at the Blüthner factory and villa. These relationships provided a constant source of feedback and inspiration for Julius as he continued to pursue absolute perfection in piano tone and performance. His hard work and vision were rewarded, as Blüthner's own widening reputation for musical greatness carried the Blüthner instrument out to famous artists well beyond Leipzig.

During their musical tours, the artists spread the word about these marvellous instruments. Within a few short years, the likes of Brahms, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Mahler, Moscheles, Nikisch, Rachmaninov, Schumann, and Tschaikovsky would be performing and composing primarily on Blüthner pianos. Debussy fell in love with his first Blüthner when he heard the resonance of the 4th string Aliquot. He would compose all his works on his Blüthner. Rachmaninov composed the larger body of his works in his younger years at the bench of his famous Blüthner grand.

Since Julius Blüthner's initial, hard-won establishment of such a remarkable success, each subsequent generation of the Blüthner family has had the incredible task of continuing the vision of Julius Blüthner and steering the enterprise through well over a century of world events. Blüthner's crowning achievements and tireless dedication to crafting peerless performance pianos has thrived in every era.

After the death of Dr. Rudolph Blüthner-Haessler on June 16, 1966, his son Ingbert Blüthner-Haessler took over the management. However, in 1972 the unlawful leadership and nationalization of East Germany by the government took place. His decision to stay in the company as managing director, in spite of the inherent pressure and doubt, was economically sound and crucially important for the future. After the fall of the wall in 1989, Ingbert Blüthner Haessler reorganised the traditional company back into a family business and, like the Blüthner generations before, expanded the production capacity. From 1994 to 1997 the family built a new factory in Störmthal near Leipzig.

From 1995 Ingbert Blüthner-Haessler shared the management of the company with his two sons, Dr. Christian Blüthner-Haessler, who studied medicine and economics and Knut Blüthner-Haessler, who studied piano making and mastered every aspect of piano production.