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The History and Development of the Modern Piano

Importance of the Piano Action

The piano owes its emancipation to Gottfried Silbermann, a superlative craftsman and genius in both the building of organs and piano-making. By 1730, Silbermann had made two pianofortes, and by the end of the decade had produced instruments regarded as completely successful and supported by the leading musicians and theorists of the day, even to the point that Silbermann was for many years regarded as the inventor of the piano! His instruments finally met with the approval of Bach who tested the Silbermann pianoforte at the Potsdam court of Frederick the Great at the wish of the Monarch in 1747. While composers at the beginning of the 18th century concentrated on the harpsichord and clavichord, it was the Bach sons, Philipp, Emanuel, and Christian, as well as Mozart and Clementi, who learned to exploit and appreciate the advantages of the piano, and contributed to its successful introduction around the world.

Evolution of the Piano

The Beginnings of the Supply Industry

The Beginnings of the Supply Industry

The piano models became more and more uniform as a result of the demands made by industrial production aiming at large piece output. The new models, their production in large quantities and the wide distribution led to a steadily increased specialization in manufacture. Division of labor prevailed and the supply industry began to develop. Companies were set up with the sole purpose of manufacturing individual parts. This was a significant development since all instruments had previously been constructed as a whole, i.e. mechanics, cases and wiring. The suppliers became more and more important. Specialization made it possible to produce large quantities at lower costs, since the production of the mechanism, for example, an expensive and time consuming process, had become too costly and labor-intensive for the individual pianoforte producer, calling for a high standard of skilled workers, materials and instrument-making know-how. Although the piano manufacturers had tried since the beginning of the industrial revolution to incorporate new developing technologies in their production, inevitable limits became apparent and could only be developed and utilized through the emergence of the sub-supply companies.

Specializing in Germany

Labor-intensive Manufacture

The complicated extent of mechanism production is particularly apparent if it is considered that over 8,000 sections and small parts, springs and strips have to be put together for one single piano mechanism. It is scarcely possible to enumerate the number of motions and works stages leading to the end-product. Renner is a typical example of German precision industry as it is acknowledged throughout the world. The most modern machinery ensures the highest possible standard of precision and the reliability of the individual sections.

The factory was almost completed destroyed in 1944, but action mechanisms were already being manufactured again in 1948, initially for the German-speaking area, and later for international use. Piano manufacturers all over the world were relying again on Renner products. To supply this increasing demand, Renner has continued to expand its wood storage and manufacturing operations as demand for their products has warranted. All production continues to be done exclusively in Germany by highly skilled craftsmen employing the finest, state-of-the-art, precision machinery, in their recently expanded production operations located near Stuttgart, where the company was founded, and Leipzig Germany.

Renner Expands into the After-Market for Replacement Parts

Renner Found in All Top Quality Pianos

Electronically Controlled Production

Summary