|
Baldwin Pianos: A History of Strength and Perseverance |
|
|
|
|
Written by Amy Nutt
|
|
Saturday, 29 November 2008 |
|
The majority of piano companies began in foreign countries, such as Japan or Germany. Baldwin Pianos, however is a 100% American company, founded right here in the US.
by AmyNutt
The majority of piano companies began in foreign countries, such as Japan or Germany. Baldwin Pianos, however is a 100% American company, founded right here in the US.
From Humble Beginnings In 1862, a music teacher named Dwight Hamilton Baldwin began a small retail company in Cincinnati. The Baldwin company sold pianos and organs, but at the outset, was only for retail. However, all that changed in 1973 when Baldwin formed a partnership with one of his employees, Lucien Wulsin. Together, the two men expanded the company, setting up little shops in various cities.
By 1980, the partners weren`t satisfied with simply selling other manufacturers` instruments and began to design and plan their own. A year later, the first Baldwin upright piano appeared on the market and four short years later, they had also come out with a grand piano.
Moving On In 1899, both Baldwin and his wife died. They left their share of the company, 80%, to a church, but it was quickly bought up by Baldwin`s business partner, Lucien Wulsin. Under his leadership, the Baldwin Piano Company thrived and a year later, a Baldwin grand piano garnered the Grand Prix award.
Despite the fact that radio appeared and the Great Depression hit causing many piano stores to go bankrupt, Baldwin not only managed to continue on thanks to an emergency fund that had been gathering for years, the company actually began to do sound research. With the help of the University of Cincinnati, Baldwin worked on investigating new techniques for sound-production.
Pausing for the War Like other factories, Baldwin stopped producing pianos and focused on aircraft production, instead. It was something that many businesses were forced into, doing their part for the American war effort. This wasn`t a bad thing, however, since the techniques used to make wooden wings for aircraft ended up teaching Baldwin better techniques that would later be used to improve the construction of their pianos.
Once World War II ended, the economy was robust and Baldwin found itself in the middle of a rush of orders for organs and pianos. Churches were looking for new musical instruments after years of frugality and people wanted pianos in their own homes. It was an excellent time to be one of the few piano manufacturers that had made it through the Depression.
As time progressed, the company moved production further south, establishing factories in Arkansas and Mississippi before moving down into Mexico where costs were cheaper. New electronic organs were being produced now, as well and the company was doing very well. But it wouldn't last for long.
In 1961, Lucien`s grandson, Lucien Wulsin III, took over the company from his father, Lucien Wulsin II. It would mark the beginning of a roller coaster ride for the small business that nearly ended in bankruptcy in 2001. Despite this, Baldwin pianos has bounced back and today is stronger than ever. They`ve produced over 1,000,000 vertical pianos over the years, established various patents, won awards for their fine piano construction and are bounding into the future with high hopes. Famous Baldwin Artists have included Liberace and composer Aaron Copland and it has been remarked that if Beethoven had the option of playing a piano, music would have changed drastically.
Continuing to produce handmade pianos, Baldwin is proving that it can stand the test of time. An all American company that has worked hard to maintain its original standards of high quality and constantly improving and expanding, Baldwin Pianos is certainly not giving up any time soon.
About the Author:
View our stunning lineup of the best pianos in the world. Renowned piano retailer offers the prestigious Fazioli piano, Baldwin, Kawai or Grotrian.
From the Webmaster:
"Having the opportunity to share my hobbies and interests with so many people around the world gives me great satisfaction. As a bonus, I blog and produce websites about topics that interest me and receive ad revenue from the websites and Blogs."
You can live like this too. Get your domain name and set up a blog on your favorite place or topic. No come-ons. No "Get-Rich-Quick" promises. The results are worth the time and effort needed to build a REAL business.You can start your first or your fiftieth Blog or website to build long- term, ever-growing profits that can take you where you want to go.
For less than $10 dollars a year for a domain name and $3.95 a month for basic blog hosting you can start to earn from your hobby or interest.
To begin, Click here to sign up for a domain name and Blog hosting .
Or, Click here to learn more about starting a blog or website for profit.
|
|
