Technological muses: Piano builders in Russia, 1810-1881

Abstract

The history of the cultural connections between piano builders and their purchasers in nineteenth-century Russia explores a ripe period in Russian culture after the advent of piano manufacturing in 1810 and illuminates the ways in which artisans and entrepreneurs transformed the music industry into an instrument of social change. After 1850 entrepreneurs sought to change the industrial landscape into an advanced cultural beacon as they gradually introduced noveishii, or modern, technical improvements in the instrument's construction and design. The number of piano manufacturers in Moscow and St. Petersburg increased almost tenfold, from four to more than thirty between 1810 and 1860. The piano's growing popularity rests primarily on three developments taking place in culture and society, namely : (1) the achievements of domestic manufacturers ; (2) imperial patronage of music and institutions ; and, (3) the successful marketing of the piano as a symbol of wealth and social status. After 1881, Russian manufacturers began to lose their leadership in the manufacture of pianos, as America, England, and Austria offered greater resources and opportunities for the sale and promotion of the instrument. © 2010 Cairn.info.