The 6 most expensive pianos in the world are each a work of art by themselves and all of them surely are worth every dollar of their price be it through their design, acoustic quality or both. The piano is an instrument with a short but very eventful history which took over all sorts of music ever since its invention. Its success is in its concept which in its very own core is quite simple but astonishingly effective. This does not, however, mean that you will find it in the list of the 10 easiest instruments to learn how to play. This instrument is quite easy as far as the basics go but from then on there is literally not a learning curve but a ninety degree angle up.
Even so, let’s take a look at how the instrument we know as a piano (actually shortened from pianoforte) came to be. There is a comparatively long line of ancestors of the piano, which itself is a cross between a string instrument and a percussion one. The closest thing to a piano we can see in the past is the harpsichord which is an instrument that plucks a string with each key press. However, after its inventor – Bartolomeo Cristofori – introduces the piano and its more gentle and gracious timbre, the harpsichord and the clavichord,then only used for practice and composition,were replaced. The biggest breakthrough was not the sound this instrument produced but instead – the mechanism it employs to do that. The main concern here is that when a leather mallet strikes one of the strings, it should not remain in contact with the string but nor should it return on the string aggressively and bounce around. This was achieved by a complex system of levers which control a mallet and a damper head. The mallet strikes the string, bounces back and stays there on a key press while the other is raised off the string. When the key is released, the damped head touches the string so it stops producing sound. This is all achieved by carefully padding certain parts with soft materials and balancing the levers perfectly.
Knowing all that now, let’s take a look at the 6 most expensive pianos in the world.
6. Kuhn Bosendorfer Grand Piano
Price: $1.20 million
The Kuhn Bosendorfer Grand Piano starts off our list of the six most expensive pianos in the world. This work of art and exceptional craftsmanship is a collaboration between renowned piano makers Bosendorfer and the incredible glass sculptor – Jon Kuhn. A hundred thousand jewels are embedded in various places and geometrical patterns all over the piano.
5. The Galaxy Piano
Price: $1.36 million
This piano is made by a company of the same name which is based in the Arab Emirates. This, by itself, should be a big enough hint as to what the piano is like – fully gold plated fiberglass body with gold plated inlaid figurines and the world’s only curved keyboard. It also features an automatic cover and specially manufactured flight cases for shipping out to customers across the world.
4. Sound of Harmony Concert Grand Piano
Price: $1.63 million
Another museum worthy entry on this list in the Steinway & Sons “Sound of Harmony” concert grand piano. This one was specifically designed and made only for a Chinese art collector by the name of Guo Qingxiang and took three years to make. The body of the instrument itself carries intricate artworks and pure golden inlays.
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3. Red Pops for (RED)
Price: $1.92 million
The third entry in our list of the 6 most expensive pianos in the world is the Red Pops for (RED) charity piano which is the result of a collaboration between U2’s Bono, Steinway & Sons and a couple of globally renowned designers. The instrument was auctioned for close to two million dollars part of which went to fighting disease in developing countries.
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2. John Lennon’s Steinway & Sons Model Z
Price: $2.37 million
John Lennon’s piano is not at all special. It doesn’t have any gold or precious minerals embedded in it or the best sonic qualities money can buy. However, it carries the spirit of a musical revolutionary and the privilege of having had his hands on its keys. The only cost Lennon a bit over two thousand dollars but ended up costing over two million for its current owner.
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1. Heintzman Crystal Piano
Price: $3.22 million
The Heintzman Crystal Piano takes the crown in our list of the 6 most expensive pianos in the world with a price of over three million. Initially designed and constructed with a transparent crystal body by the Canada’s Heintzman Pianos, this instrument has its debut at the Beijing Olympics of 2008 and was later on auctioned off to an anonymous bidder.
