Blüthner Julius Ferdinand, *11 March 1824 Falkenhain (near Merseburg), †13 April 1910 Leipzig, German piano maker. At first, he worked at the Hoelling & Spangenberg piano factory in Zeitz, where he learnt the profession. In 1853, he established a piano workshop in Leipzig, building instruments according to his own design principles from the very beginning. In 1856, he patented an improved repetition action of his own design, characterised by exceptional precision. From 1863, he also began building upright pianos. In 1873, he patented a piano design featuring additional strings, known as “Aliquot strings,” whose sympathetic vibration enriched the timbre of the sound. He published the results of his work and research together with H. Fretzchel in Lehrbuch des Pianofortebaues (Leipzig 1872, 3rd edition 1909). Blüthner’s pianos were highly regarded by world-famous pianists (J. Moscheles, K.H. Reinecke, F. Liszt and others). Even today, they are counted among the finest instruments. They were presented at various exhibitions, receiving numerous awards, including a silver medal at the Paris World Exhibition in 1867. Before 1939, the company produced 3,000 instruments a year, mainly pianos; the factory was destroyed during the war; after the war, it was rebuilt and resumed production.
