Piano "Red October"

The instruments of the legendary Becker factory were applauded by the whole world. The history of the fate of the famous Leningrad factory and the technical characteristics of its products can be found in this article.

Any intelligent family of the Soviet era dreamed of having a piano at home. A coveted but expensive instrument was a source of pride, and not only that. At that time, the young generation did not wipe their pants near computers, but learned the basics of musical literacy at the piano. Some with ardent and sincere desire, and some from under the parental stick. A piano with good sounding was in great demand, especially the instruments of the famous "Red October" factory with a long glorious past.

In 1841, a talented master of musical instruments, Dutch German Yakov Davidovich Becker, who lives in St. Petersburg, opened a small production of keyboard instruments on Italyanskaya Street.

Yakov Davydovich conjured over the sound of the instrument, bringing its mechanism to perfection. His efforts were not in vain. From 1844 to 1851, he registered 3 patents for new technologies for the manufacture of keyboard instruments developed by him:

• to eliminate key knocking and improve tone;
• on a piano "with a low tuning", which gives a special exquisite sound;
• to the new "English mechanism", improved by the master.

And his earliest invention - a quadrangular piano and a grand piano with metal strings and a special method of attaching them above the resonant soundboard of the instrument - was patented by the young Becker even before the workshop opened in 1839. Gradually, it turned into a full-fledged factory.

The pianos and grand pianos of Jacob Becker favorably differed from other instruments in many ways:

• fullness, richness and brightness of sound;
• scrupulousness of assembly of parts and internal mechanisms;
• quality and perfection of appearance;
• durability and strength;
• the ability to keep in line for a long time.

Becker's instruments were highly appreciated by world-renowned musicians. Among them:

• K. Saint-Saens;
• M. Balakirev;
• F. Liszt;
• P. Tchaikovsky;
• Taneyev;
• Rimsky-Korsakov.

In 1867, the Becker Factory received the well-deserved title of supplier of musical instruments for the Imperial Court and the Grand Dukes. Gradually, the glory of the factory goes beyond the borders of the Russian Empire. Its buyers are European states. The master's illness did not allow him to continue to work with full dedication in production. Frans, Jacob's brother, took over the management of the factory, and in 1871 it was bought by Becker's competitors - Peterson and Bitepage, who continued to successfully develop the piano business in Russia, but under the same famous brand - Becker. In 1903, Karl Schroeder became the owner of the factory, who put a lot of effort into its development.

The production successfully produced grand pianos and pianos until the First World War, and then the October Revolution, intervened in the course of history. In 1981, the factory became the property of the socialist state, and the production of unique instruments was discontinued. The first-class grand pianos that were created before the revolution have become a real rarity. 6 years later, the People's Commissariat for Education remembered the former glory of "Becker". From all over Leningrad, they gathered old masters of the piano business, capable of passing on their experience to the younger generation. In 1924, the scattered and ruined firms of manufacturers producing musical instruments, for the first time after Soviet nationalization, were united on the basis of a factory and were now called, romantically and resonantly in the spirit of the era, "Red October". The country again learned to make good pianos and grand pianos.

Strengthening ties with pre-war Germany also helped to develop music. The plant received German equipment, educational literature, and introduced German production technology. In 1933, an experimental laboratory was created at the plant, the purpose of which was to develop a model of a new concert grand piano. Year of release of the first grand piano of the "Red October" brand - 1934. To evaluate the sound and quality of the instrument, the Leningrad Philharmonic even held a competition between the new grand piano and the famous "Bechstein". For the purity of the experiment, the famous performers P. Serebryakov and A. Kamensky played on stage with the curtain down. With its amazing sound, power and clarity of the range "Red October" amazed the members of the commission and delighted everyone present.

In the first years of the Great Patriotic War, the production of instruments was suspended. Instead of pianos and grand pianos, production began to produce boxes for shells, covers for radio receivers, and skis. Only after the liberation of besieged Leningrad, in 1943, the factory returned to the production of pianos, and after 3 years the production of pianos resumed. "Red October" gradually gained popularity. In 1958, at the World Industrial Exhibition in Brussels, the grand piano "Russia" received the highest award - the Grand Prix. And in 1965 he also took the gold medal of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements. The Leningrad plant managed to bypass even the famous European competitors. Grand pianos "Leningrad" and "Mignon", pianos "Sonata" and "Seagull", "Sonnet" and "Rhapsody" were imported to Italy, Holland, Israel.

The changes taking place in the country could not but affect the fate of the factory. In the year of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the factory celebrated its 150th anniversary and ended its existence as a state institution. The collapse of the Soviet economy came at a time when electronic strings and keyboard instruments became a priority in European society. The sales market abroad has sharply decreased, and the purchasing power of compatriots has decreased significantly.Instead of "Red October", JSC "Becker" appeared. To resume the import of products abroad, it was decided to return the factory to its original name, known on the world market.

But all attempts to revive the enterprise were unsuccessful. The former trade ties were lost, the number of products was reduced. In 1997, JSC "Becker" went bankrupt. The new external management extended the existence of Becker for another 7 years. But in 2004, the famous factory ceased to exist, and its pianos and pianos still serve people. Instruments under the name "Becker" are now produced in Germany.

This concept includes several parameters that are important when describing a tool.

"Red October" is a heavy weight instrument. The weight of the piano ranges from 350 to 370 kg. This is slightly more than the weight of tools from other factories. The explanation is simple. A heavy cast-iron frame is installed in the inside of the piano, on which the strings are stretched.

Piano dimensions in cm:

• length - 145;
• depth - 62;
• height - 120.

Each piano model, in addition to an individual number, has its own article. It can be used to determine all the characteristics of the tool:

• year of issue;
• sizes;
• Colour.

Many piano models differ only in color and finish. The model with part number 102 is black and the 104 is finished with walnut veneer. Nocturne models come in mahogany and brown colors.

It is worth mentioning the parameters of the piano. Its weight, length and width depend on the type of tool. The smallest grand piano - "Mignon":

• length - from 140 to 160 cm;
• weight - from 200 kg.

Small in size - a cabinet grand piano;

• height - 125 cm;
• length - 160 - 190 cm;
• weight - 250 kg.

The salon grand piano is larger and heavier:

• height - 130 cm;
• length - 227 - 247cm;
• weight - 330 kg.

The largest and heaviest are concert grand pianos:

• length - from 274 to 308 cm;
• weight - from 500 kg.