J. Becker

Becker
Company typePrivate
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1841 (1841) in Saint Petersburg
FounderJakob Becker
Defunct1917
SuccessorRed October
Websitebeckerpiano.ru

Jakob Becker, also known as Becker is a Russian piano company founded in 1841 in Saint Petersburg by the piano builder Jakob Becker.[1][2][3]

The pianos featured modern technology for its time, including resonant sound, flexible keyboard action and solid construction. [3] Becker was the first Russian piano maker to make Érard style double escapement and American style cross stringing.[3]

In 1917, during the Soviet era, the company was nationalised[4] and transferred to state ownership without proper compensation to the firm and changed name to Red October. It ceased operations in 2004.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Wayback Machine". monderusse.revues.org. Archived from the original on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2026-01-14. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  2. ^ Swartz, Anne (2014-08-01). Piano Makers in Russia in the Nineteenth Century. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 106. ISBN 978-1-61146-159-6.
  3. ^ a b c Bernstein, Martin (1977). A Musical Offering: Essays in Honor of Martin Bernstein. Pendragon Press. p. 726. ISBN 978-0-945193-83-8.
  4. ^ Roberts, Sophy (2020-08-04). The Lost Pianos of Siberia. Grove Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-4930-5.
  5. ^ Swartz, Anne (2014-08-01). Piano Makers in Russia in the Nineteenth Century. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-61146-503-7.