C. Bechstein C Concert Grand Piano
The Trinity Lutheran 1903 C. Bechstein C Concert Grand piano was been donated by Carrie Anderson Loewe in loving memory of her late husband, William Lowe in November of 2007. William Loewe had studied piano, with the intent of becoming a concert pianist, in Germany. He had found and purchased the instrument in the course of his studies in 1973. The Bechstein Concert Grand was brought back to the United States after he finished his training where he lovingly cared for it. William Lowe subsequently went on to receive an under graduate degree in Psychology and a PhD in Strategic Marketing. William Lowe was employed at General Motors, where he met his wife Carrie. He passed away due to a brain tumor in 1999.
Carrie Anderson Lowe is the daughter of Stephen and Linda Anderson. She was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in the 1990s, while attending high school in Traverse City and living here with her parents. It is Carrie’s wish that the piano, built in Germany, should send the rest of its life serving God in a Lutheran congregation of German heritage in Bill’s memory.
1902-3 C. Bechstein Model C Concert Grand Piano
On October 1, 1853 the Bechstein Piano Factory opened its doors in Berlin, Germany. Its founder, Carl Bechstein, had studied and worked for various piano builders of that period throughout England and France. Bechstein’s goal was to produce a piano capable of withstanding the physical demands placed on them by the virtuosi of the day, such as Franz Liszt. In 1857, Hans von Bulow, Liszt’s son-in-law, gave the first public performance on a Bechstein piano in Berlin performing Liszt’s b-minor sonata.
In 1862, C. Bechstein was awarded the gold medal at the London International Exhibition. The piano was cited for its freshness and freedom of tone” and its “agreeable playing action”. In 1870, with endorsements from Liszt and von Bulow, Bechstein pianos became the principal instrument in many concert halls and grand homes throughout Europe. There were at that time three great acknowledged piano makers in the world: Bechstein, Bluthner, and Steinway and Sons. Bechstein established successful branches in St. Petersburg, Paris and London. In 1905, Bechstein succeeded Bluthner as the world’s largest piano builder.
A feature of the London sales operations was the building and opening of the Bechstein Hall in 1901 adjacent to the London showroom on Wigmore Street. Bechstein was the largest piano dealership in London between 1901 and 1914 (the start of WW I).
Brass C. Bechstein name plate inset in keyboard lid
The Bechstein Company suffered huge losses in WWI at its St. Petersburg, Paris, and London operations. In London, the Bechstein Hall and adjacent showrooms and pianos were confiscated as “enemy property” in 1916 and sold in auction (with all 137 pianos). The concert hall reopened at the Wigmore Hall in 1917.
C. Bechstein resumed building pianos after WW I using new technology, design and building materials. The company had reassumed its place as the leading piano builder of the time by the 1920s. The upright piano became more popular after the war, and C. Bechstein’s upright pianos Model-8 and Model-9 were considered among the finest made. In 1923, the company, with conflict among the Bechstein family members, issued stock.
The 1930s saw a much weakened company due to continued conflict among the Bechstein heirs. The C. Bechstein Company, during this time, developed the first electronic piano prototype called the Neo-Bechstein. By the late 1930s, sales fell due to anti-German emotions outside of Germany and the emigration of Jews under persecution from the Nazis. Bechsteins were the favorite piano among highly educated Jewish families.
The Bechstein factories were destroyed in 1945 with the Allied bombing of Berlin. The company also suffered the loss of many of its craftsmen due to the service in the war. The Bechstein factories were in the American sector of Berlin, but were confiscated by the Americans in 1945. The company struggled in the post-war era to produce pianos and rebuild its operations.
By the 1950s and 60s, C. Bechstein had increased its piano production to around a thousand per year. The period was difficult for piano manufacturers in general. In 1961, the company was further affected by the construction of the Berlin Wall. During the period of the Cold War, the company continued its struggle to produce pianos, although the quality of their construction and their tone remained high. Ownership of the company passed through several different parties.
Piano harp showing C. Bechstein seal and gold leaf
With the reunification of Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall, land and factory facilities which had belonged to Bechstein were taken over for new construction in the restored capital. Part owner of the company, Karl Schulze, remained committed to the construction of quality pianos and under his leadership, the Bechstein Group began to build pianos at new factories under several different brand names with “Bechstein” remaining the name of the top quality line.
The C. Bechstein Concert Grand piano (serial number 59,391) was built in Berlin between 1902 and 1903. It is a Model C, with dimensions of 7’6” long and 5’ wide at the keyboard. Its original ivory covered keys remain. The harp is overlaid with gold leaf. The piano has had some restoration work performed on it, most likely in the 1970s.
The piano was formally dedicated to the glory of the most holy Trinity on Sunday afternoon January 6, 2008 (The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord) at 4 pm by pianist Anna Wehr. Miss Wehr will perform works by J. S. Bach, Poulenc, Schubert, Schuman and Beethoven. She will be assisted by pianist, Leslie Haskin and organist, Bruce Ahlich performing duets for piano and organ by Jules Massenet, Gordon Young, Flor Peeters, and Joel Raney.