Gaveau of Paris was a French

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

manufacturer. The company was established by Joseph Gabriel Gaveau in 1847 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and was one of the three largest piano makers in France (after Érard and Pleyel). Its factory was located at

Fontenay-sous-Bois Fontenay-sous-Bois () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Name The name Fontenay was recorded in the Middle Ages as ''Fontanetum'', meaning "the spring ...

. Some Gaveau pianos were constructed with art cabinets. Many pianos have been equipped with

pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek 'wind, breath') is the use of gas or pressurized air in mechanical systems. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located a ...

systems (Odeola,

Ampico American Piano Company (Ampico) was an American piano manufacturer formed in 1908 through the merger of Wm. Knabe & Co., Chickering & Sons, Marshall & Wendell, and Foster-Armstrong. They later purchased the Mason & Hamlin piano company as their ...

and Welte). In 1960, Gaveau merged with Érard. From 1971 to 1994 Gaveau pianos were made by pianoforte manufacturing company

Wilhelm Schimmel Schimmel is a German piano maker with factories in Braunschweig, Germany and Kalisz, Poland. Their product line has been described as "the most highly awarded German piano". The company was founded 1885 by Wilhelm Schimmel in Leipzig, Germany. ...

. The brand is currently owned by Manufacture Française de Pianos, the same company that owns the Pleyel and Erard brands. Today, Manufacture Française de Pianos manufactures certain models under the Gaveau name.

Family competition

Joseph Gabriel Gaveau had six children, and Étienne Gaveau received competition from his brothers. Gabriel Gaveau was established in 1911. Gabriel Gaveau made some pianos with pedal or Duo-Art systems, and was located in 1919, 55-57 Av. Malakoff, 75016. (This part is now Av. Raymond Poincaré, near the Trocadéro.) This plant was requisitioned by the Germans in 1939. Also in 1911, Augustin Gaveau created his own piano company with his own style of upright pianos. Histoire Famille Gaveau(French)
/ref> In his autobiography ''My Young Years'',

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein Order of the British Empire, KBE OMRI (; 28 January 1887 – 20 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

recounts how he was contracted to play Gaveau pianos in concert. He writes of their "stiff unresponsive action" and "coldness of tone". Artists such as

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

and

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot ( , ; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his po ...

enjoyed playing their Gaveau, interpreting composers including Chopin,

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

and Satie.

Salle Gaveau

A large building, including the manufacturer's headquarters and a 1,020-seat concert hall named Salle Gaveau, was built for Gaveau by the architect Jacques Hermant in 1906.Simeone, Nigel (2000).
Paris: A Musical Gazetteer
'. New Haven: Yale University Press. . p. 189. The concert hall, located at 45, Rue la Boétie in the 8th arrondissement, is active with classical and jazz music. The Salle Rostropovitch is a smaller hall or reception room that can accommodate about 250 people seated or 800 standing.

Recordings made with instruments by Gaveau

François Dumont François Dumont may refer to: *François Dumont (sculptor) (1688–1729), French sculptor *François Dumont (painter) (1751–1831), French painter of portrait miniatures *François Dumont (pianist) (born 1985), French classical pianist {{DEFAUL ...

. Gabriel Fauré. Complete Nocturnes. Label: Piano Classics. Played on a Gaveau piano from 1922. * Aline Piboule. Gabriel Fauré. Nocturnes & Barcarolles. Label: Harmonia Mundi. Played on a Gaveau piano from 1929.

References

External links

Salle Gaveau site
{{Authority control Musical instrument manufacturing companies based in Paris Piano manufacturing companies French companies established in 1847