Johann Strauss II's piano to be auctioned Sept. 9 in San Francisco Bay Area
Aug. 31 , 2007
OAKLAND, Calif. - Since 1950, the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna (Museen Der Stadt Wien) in Vienna, Austria, has been searching for descendants of Johann Strauss II, the famed composer and conductor known as "The King of the Waltz." Much of the Strauss family, very wealthy and renowned in Austria, fled the country with the rise of the Nazis and the inevitability of World War II. Almost 60 years later, through the admirable determination of the museum to reunite the famous piano with its rightful heirs, both Johann Strauss' great-grandson and great-great grandson will stand with pride on the tarmac in late August at San Francisco International Airport to watch the wheels touch down on the plane that has finally brought the piano back to the family.
The story of 'the piano" as Redge Martin, president of Clars Auction in Oakland reverently refers to it, begins in 1896. Johann Strauss II, started composing and conducting at an early age, stepping in when his father, famed composer and violinist Johann Strauss I, died at an early age of scarlet fever. The young Strauss went on to achieve worldwide recognition as both composer and conductor, creating hundreds of the most famous waltzes such as The Blue Danube, hundreds of polkas and dozens of operettas. His close friends included the likes of Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner and Ludwig Bosendorfer, owner of the Bosendorfer Piano Co. in Austria.
In 1896, Ludwig Bosendorfer presented his dear friend Johann with the gift of a Bosendorfer grand piano. The piano was custom designed for Strauss by Ludwig Bosendorfer. Amazingly, the original paperwork from the Bosendorfer Piano Co., along with Strauss' signature confirming receipt of the gift, has remained with the piano. In 1986, the bill of receipt/sale that accompanied the piano stated the value was 1,200 deutschmarks.
Strauss kept "the piano" in his music room in his fine home in Vienna. On the instrument, he composed his last two operettas and numerous polkas, until his death in 1899. At that time, his wife, Adele, moved the piano into the parlor, where it remained until the 1920s. Adele Strauss, foreseeing the Nazi threat and their greed for national treasures, wisely placed "the piano" in hiding in a warehouse in Vienna. In the 1940s, with the war over and the Nazi regime toppled, the piano was brought out of its secret spot by the Vienna National Museum. It was put on display in the museum in the early 1950s and has not been played since. In 1978, when the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna opened, this Austrian treasure was moved to the institution and has remained there until now - as it makes its way to San Francisco, home to the heirs of Johann Strauss.
The Historical Museum of the City of Vienna never gave up hoping to find the heirs, knowing that the fate of such an important piece of history should reside with direct family members. With the world getting smaller through the wonders of the Internet, the direct heirs were finally located in 2001. It's not everyday you discover "the piano" from your famous great-grandfather still exists, the piano upon which he played and composed the music that has crossed cultures and countries for over 100 years. The family decided to bring the piano to the United States. Realizing the historical value of a piece such as this, they decided to make it available for the world to have the opportunity to own.
On Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, Johann Strauss II's famous Bosendorfer piano will be sold at auction at Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland as part of the company's Premier Auction of Art and Antiques. In a perfect world, the piano will then become the valued and prized possession of an organization or individual who shares the same passion for music as Strauss did, the composer and conductor who brought the world together - then and now - through the elegance of the waltz.
Johann Strauss' piano will be available for personal previewing on Friday, Sept. 7 and Saturday, Sept. 8 at Clars Auction Gallery. Bidding will be available in person, by phone, absentee and via the Internet through eBay Live Auctions/LiveAuctioneers.com. The presale estimate is available upon request.
Clars Auction Gallery is located at 5644 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, Calif. For more information or to register to bid on the Strauss piano, contact the gallery at (510) 428-0100 or visit the Web site at www.clars.com.
