Pleyel

Paris, France

"The production of Pleyel pianos was begun by Ignace Pleyel in 1807. It is one of the oldest French piano manufacturers. Pleyel is known for its expertise having been sought by artists such as Frédéric Chopin, Camille Saint-Saëns, Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla. In 1853 Auguste Wolff went into business with Camille Pleyel. The business was then known as Pleyel Wolf Lyon & Cie. Wolff made exceptional pianos and helped develop the business. He was responsable for numerous innovations. He came from a family of musicians, and devised a strategy of producing pianos that would become known for their tone and their elegance. In 1865, Wolff built a large factory equipped with mechanised machines, with production at 2,500 pianos in 1887. From 1883 onwards, Gustave Lyon, Wolff’s son-in-law, took over Pleyel’s factory. He won a gold medal during the 1889 World’s Fair, during which he exhibited a specially-made harpsichord. In 1925, Lyon ordered construction to begin on the Pleyel concert hall, in rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris. But the Great Depression of 1929 was fatal for the Pleyel group: Pleyel pianos filed for bankruptcy in 1933 and the concert hall was seized by their bank, Crédit lyonnais, in 1934. When Gustave Lyon died, Pleyel Pianos and the Pleyel concert hall were separated. The company merged with Erard and Gaveau in 1965 and was leased to Schimmel from 1970 to 1990. It was bought back and a small number of pianos were made in Alès but this met with little success. A series of problems followed, and despite a final restructuring with modern workshops in Saint Denis, the company finally closed in 2013.

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