Where it all started
Johann Carl Gottlieb Rönisch was born on November 28th, 1814 into a poor family in Goldberg Silesia. At the age of 10, he began work as an apprentice in a machine shop and learned the trades of mechanic, joiner and turner. Between the age of 16 and 20 he learnt how to build pianos in the City of Naumburg, which is close to Leipzig. In late 1834, Carl Rönisch gained further experience and knowledge as a mechanic in a spinning machines factory in Goldberg and in Vienna Austria.
Early in 1845, Carl Rönisch started building pianos in his own workshop, and thus the great Rönisch Piano was born. Carl Rönisch produced the first baby grand piano in Saxony in 1857 and after having delivered three grand pianos to the court of the King of Saxony, he was named Official Purveyor to the Court in 1859. Rönisch was one of the first German manufacturers to export overseas. Rönisch instruments were held in high esteem in Southern Africa, California, Mexico, Australia, the East Indies, and in all of the English colonies and they won gold medals in the world exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne and Amsterdam. At the turn of the century, Rönisch had become a leading brand known the world over. Famous artists including Hans von Bülow, Richard Strauss, Edvard Grieg, Giacomo Puccini, Anton Rubinstein, Sergej Rachmaninow and others played Rönisch grands and uprights.
Rönisch in Australia
The long and successful Australian history of Rönisch began in 1879 as Rönisch exhibited two pianos at the Australian International Exhibition in Sydney. One year later Rönisch was represented again by its fine instruments at the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880 - 1881. Ten years later in 1888 - 1889, the now well-established Rönisch Company attended the Centennial International Exhibition in Melbourne and displayed one grand piano and two upright pianos on the stand of his agent Nicholson & Co., who then held the sole agency for the Australian mainland colonies, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Today, this Rönisch Concert Grand with the serial number 8461 can be admired at the Australian National University of Canberra (ANU). As part of Australia’s musical history it is the centerpiece of the Keyboard Institute’s collection at the School of Music.
The export to Australia grew due to the great demand for Rönisch. New agencies had to be established. Rönisch was represented by Nicholson & Co. in Perth; Paling in Sydney; Carnegie & Sons and Allans in Melbourne. Allans maintained the Rönisch agency until World War II. According to an entry in a still existing invoice book, the first 6 pianos to Allans were shipped in August 1883 (photos below). Ronisch pianos are now proudly displayed and distribute through Allans Billy Hyde stores in four states across Australia.
The economic crisis of the thirties and the World War II almost brought to an end the production of pianos. On 13th February 1945 the Rönisch factory in Dresden was destroyed during bombing raids and was not rebuilt after the war. The original factory of Ludwig Hupfeld in a suburb of Leipzig, which escaped the war almost unscathed, became the new home for Rönisch pianos. The company started again from scratch on 5th June 1945 with the production of containers for marmalade, pasteboard suitcases and handcarts, under the direction of the Allied Military Command.
After decades of mass-production, Rönisch turned back to its origins by emphasizing creativity, quality and the extra care one still expects from a German made piano. In 1992, the reorganisation of the production process and the re-designing of the product range were completed. An unparalleled marketing campaign secured stable market shares in both the domestic and international markets. Instruments made by Rönisch have again become a quality brand and this is recognized in all countries of Western and Southern Europe as well as Scandinavia.
Nine years after the German Unification the export of Rönisch to Australia was resumed. Allans ordered their first container shipment in 1999 which consolidated the relationship of more than 116 years. Both the Allans Group (SA, VIC, NSW, QLD) and Zenith Music (WA) became Rönisch sole agents, the position they both proudly hold to this day.
In 2008, Rönisch, as with all piano manufacturers, was affected by the economic downturn during the global financial crisis. One year later, Rönisch separated from its parent firm “Carl A. Pfeiffer” and the long-planned merger with the world-famous “Julius Blüthner Pianofortefabrik GmbH”, the other quality piano manufacturer in Leipzig, took place. In October 2009, the “Carl Rönisch Pianofortemanufaktur GmbH” was established. Both Blüthner and Rönisch now produce quality German made pianos under the same roof. Today, this joint expertise and experience is most productive in the purchasing, sales, technological and marketing departments and thus allows the German high quality to continue.
The “Carl Rönisch Pianofortemanufaktur GmbH” continues the tradition of the famous name: Rönisch. By living through the good and the bad times and by maintaining quality and an innovative approach the legacy of Carl Rönisch is fulfilled. Carl Rönisch would be very proud of his successors who are maintaining the German tradition of piano making in the production of quality German made pianos in the twenty first century.
Allans Billy Hyde is the home of quality German made Rönisch in Australia. |