{"id":24615,"date":"2023-02-13T12:41:01","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T11:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=179732"},"modified":"2023-02-13T15:33:43","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T14:33:43","slug":"10-most-famous-pianos","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/10-most-famous-pianos\/","title":{"rendered":"10 most famous pianos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our guide to the most famous pianos in the world <\/p>

By Hannah Nepilova\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 13 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Buying a piano is never a small investment. But exactly how big can it get? Here is our guide to the greatest and grandest of pianos \u2013 though, technically speaking, a few of these are actually uprights.<\/p>\n

Most famous pianos in the world<\/h2>\n

1. Casablanca \u2018As Time Goes By\u2019 Piano<\/h3>\n
The most expensive piano<\/a> <\/strong>ever sold at auction (for $3.4 million), this wooden upright with only 55 keys is a hugely symbolic part of the film Casablanca: <\/i>it\u2019s the piano that Dooley Wilson\u2019s Sam is playing when Ingrid Bergman utters that unforgettable line \u2018Play it Sam, play \u2018As Time Goes By\u2019.<\/p>\n
With its intricate gold and green Moroccan design \u2013 complete with chewing gum stuck under the keyboard (a souvenir from one of the actors apparently) \u2013 it looks very distinctive. Its sound, however, remains a mystery, given that the piano has never actually been played: while Dooley Wilson was a talented musician, the piano music was played by the offstage pianist Elliot Carpenter while Wilson acted out his part.<\/p>\n\n<h2><strong>2. Steinway & Sons \u2018Pictures at an Exhibition\u2019 Piano<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Carrying a $2.5 million price tag, this is the first <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/who-invented-the-steinway-piano\/"\">Steinway<\/a><\/strong> & Sons piano inspired by a musical composition: <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/modest-musorgsky\/"\">Mussorgsky<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Pictures at an Exhibition. Designed by Paul Wyse, it is decorated with images of figures from Russian musical history and folklore, the aim being to tell the story, not only of Mussorgsky\u2019s piano suite, \u2018but of everything surrounding it,\u2019 as Wyse put it.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"'The\" making=\"\" of=\"\" at=\"\" an=\"\" exhibition=\"\" steinway=\"\" piano=\"\" by=\"\" paul=\"\" wyse=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y7tueqBhH5A?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"><div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/what-is-the-most-expensive-piano-in-the-world\/"\"><b>What is the most expensive piano in the world?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/piano-parts\/"\"><b>What are the different parts of the piano?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/a-z-piano-13\/"\"><b>What is the longest piece of piano music?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section><h3>3. Steinway & Songs Fibonacci Piano<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Celebrating its 600,000th piano, Steinway decided to make a splash. The result was this 9 foot concert grand, by New-Jersey-based custom furniture maker Frank Pollaro, handcrafted from Macassar ebony and decorated with the iconic Fibonacci spiral, which is itself made from six individual logs of Macassar ebony. It was priced at $2.4 million.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Keilani\" plays=\"\" the=\"\" fibonacci=\"\" piano=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r0vW_jYH8Ss?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>4. Steinway & Sons Sound of Harmony Piano (pictured)<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">One of the most ornate and opulent pianos in the world, this concert grand, sold for $1.63 million, is decorated with inlays of 40 different kinds of wood, among them ebony, ash wood, tulip wood, amboyna burl, olive ash, birdseye maple and rosewood. Conceived and commissioned by the Chinese art collector and music lover Guo Qingxiang, it features the inlaid image of Peacock, a traditional painting by the Chinese artist She Qi, and took four years to make.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Galaxy piano<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">One of the oddest pianos ever made, this instrument \u2013 valued at $1.36 million \u2013 is crafted from fibreglass, plated with gold and finished off with an automatic lid and curved piano keys. I\u2019m not sure how easy it is to play, but it is intended as more than just an instrument: it is a luxury item. And anyone who had trouble playing it manually, can turn on the auto-play system, which is controlled via iPad.<\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"><div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-piano-child-prodigies\/"\"><b>Best child piano prodigies of all time<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/first-piano-recording\/"\"><b>What were the first piano recordings?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/it-shouldnt-happen-piano\/"\"><b>Terrible treatments of the piano<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section><h3>6. John Lennon\u2019s Steinway & Sons Piano<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This brown upright might look fairly unremarkable, yet it was on this piano that John Lennon composed some of his first solo albums, including \u2018Imagine\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">He bought it in 1970 for just $1300 and looked upon it as his favourite piano, keeping it in his Berkshire studio. On a film made while composing \u2018Imagine\u2019, Lennon can be heard saying in reference to the instrument: \u2018That\u2019s the one I like best\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">So it\u2019s no surprise that this piano \u2013 which even bears burn marks left by Lennon\u2019s cigarettes<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>\u2014 is one of the world\u2019s most treasured. It was last sold for $2.37 million.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Very\" rare=\"\" steinway=\"\" sons=\"\" model=\"\" z=\"\" john=\"\" lennon=\"\" imagine=\"\" with=\"\" kris=\"\" nicholson=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B3pUdjG2EpM?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>7. C. Bechstein Sphinx Piano<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">In 1886, Bechstein made a one-off piano for an exhibition in London. They called it the Sphinx and with its flamboyant trimmings, which paid homage to the great Empire style period dating back to the time of Napol\u00e9on Bonaparte, it looked like something from a Disney castle. 130 years later, Bechstein decided to make a present day version. The result was this formidable $1.12 million beast.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"'Improvisations\" on=\"\" c.=\"\" bechstein=\"\" sphinx=\"\" grand=\"\" piano=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IOfb8vteyB8?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>8. Alma Tadema Steinway<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Commissioned in 1884, this instrument by the artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema was considered by some to be the grandest grand piano of all time. Adorned with over 2000 pieces of mother-of-pearl, it featured an elaborately hand-carved case, top lid and legs as well as a rendering of Sir Edward J. Poynter\u2019s oil painting: \u2018The Wandering Minstrels.\u2019 Over 100 years later, Steinway made a replica. It sold for $1.2 million.<\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handlercontainer\" image-handler__container--aspect=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=171%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=171%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=203%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=203%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=231%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=231%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=317%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=317%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=355%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=355%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=233%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=233%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=318%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=318%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-179871\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handlerimage=\"\" image-handlerimage--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/24\/2023\/02\/Alma-Tadema-1Photos-courtesy-of-Steinway-Sons-21a39c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=355%2C413"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<h3>9. Bl\u00fcthner Lucid EXO<\/h3>\n<p>Another space-age example, this is one of the world\u2019s first fully 3D-printed pianos. Made from composite alloy and panelled with reinforced acrylic, it questions all assumptions about what a grand piano should look like and is priced at about $1 million.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""LUCID\" exo=\"\" piano=\"\" printed=\"\" grand=\"\" modern=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S7N5r89piPU?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">10. Marilyn Monroe\u2019s piano<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This white lacquered baby grand piano was one of the most prized possessions of the legendary Marilyn Monroe. \u2018One day a grand piano arrived at my home. It was out of condition. My mother had bought it secondhand. It was for me. I was going to be given piano lessons on it,\u2019 the star recalled in her autobiographical book <i>My Story<\/i>. Sometime afterwards, when Monroe\u2019s mother, Gladys, was institutionalised at the Norwalk Mental Hospital, all of their belongings, including the piano, were taken away. But years later, Monroe tracked it down in an old auction room and bought it. \u2018I have it in my home now in Hollywood. It\u2019s been painted a lovely white, and it has new strings and plays as wonderfully as any piano in the world,\u2019 said Monroe at the time. The piano was sold in 1999 to the singer Mariah Carey \u2013 a huge Monroe fan \u2013<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>who paid $662,500 for it. \u2018It\u2019s my prized possession,\u2019 she told Vogue magazine.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Mariah\" carey=\"\" talks=\"\" about=\"\" and=\"\" plays=\"\" marilyn=\"\" monroe=\"\" piano=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gSjj-MlNco8?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p><strong><em>Photos courtesy of Steinway & Sons.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Our guide to the most famous pianos in the world <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24616,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos.jpg",1359,1020,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos-1024x769.jpg",800,601,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos.jpg",1359,1020,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/10-most-famous-pianos.jpg",1359,1020,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Our guide to the most famous pianos in the world","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24615"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}