Chappell of Bond Street
Encyclopedia
Chappell of Bond Street is a piano
, musical instrument
, musical equipment and sheet music
retailer incorporating the Yamaha London store in Wardour Street
, Soho
, London
.
, was founded. Chappell & Co. also published music, but in 1980 Chappell's piano manufacturing and retail business was sold to Kemble & Company who then continued to run the premises under the same name "Chappell of Bond Street". The publishing business of Chappell Music was later taken over by Warner Brothers becoming Warner/Chappell Music
. The Bond Street premises were completely refurbished in 1986 to mark the 175th year of trading.
Kemble & Company, a family business, commenced building pianos in the early 1900s and developed into Britain’s largest piano manufacturers, moving to a modern factory in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. In 1966 Kemble & Company became distributors for Yamaha electronic organs. As Yamaha became dominant in other product areas a joint venture company, Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd , was set up to further develop sales in the U.K. market of Yamaha pianos, electronic keyboards, guitars and hi-tech equipment.
In July 2007 the minority Kemble family shareholding was bought out by Yamaha
and the company was renamed Yamaha Music (U.K.) Ltd in autumn of 2007. Kemble Music Ltd which owns Chappell of Bond Street is a subsidiary of Yamaha Music (U.K.) Ltd .
The landmark, Grade II listed building has recently been restored, with three floors of retail space and houses one of the world’s most extensive collections of printed music and the most comprehensive display of Yamaha
instruments in the U.K.
In the basement the printed music department stocks around 50,000 sheet music
titles with 30,000 additional digital sheet music titles available online. The printed music department was awarded the "Printed Music Retailer of The Year" in 2006 at the Music Industries Association Awards.
The ground floor displays Yamaha Guitars, Brass and Woodwind, Keyboards, Digital Pianos, Electronic Percussion, Music Technology and Pro Audio products, with trial rooms.
On the first floor there is an oak-panelled piano hall, where customers can try Yamaha pianos ranging from small uprights to a full 9 ft. Concert Grand Piano. A series of lunchtime recitals in the performance space within the historic Piano Hall at Chappells commenced on September 26, 2007 and continued till June, 2008.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, musical equipment and sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
retailer incorporating the Yamaha London store in Wardour Street
Wardour Street
Wardour Street is a street in Soho, London. It is a one-way street south to north from Leicester Square, up through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street.-History:...
, Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
Chappell of Bond Street have been trading in London since 1811, when the original company, Chappell & Co.Chappell & Co.
Chappell & Co. was an English company that published music and manufactured pianos.-History:It was founded in 1810 by Samuel Chappell in partnership with music professors Francis Tatton Latour and Johann Baptist Cramer. Cramer was also a well-known London composer, teacher and pianist...
, was founded. Chappell & Co. also published music, but in 1980 Chappell's piano manufacturing and retail business was sold to Kemble & Company who then continued to run the premises under the same name "Chappell of Bond Street". The publishing business of Chappell Music was later taken over by Warner Brothers becoming Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
. The Bond Street premises were completely refurbished in 1986 to mark the 175th year of trading.
Kemble & Company, a family business, commenced building pianos in the early 1900s and developed into Britain’s largest piano manufacturers, moving to a modern factory in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. In 1966 Kemble & Company became distributors for Yamaha electronic organs. As Yamaha became dominant in other product areas a joint venture company, Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd , was set up to further develop sales in the U.K. market of Yamaha pianos, electronic keyboards, guitars and hi-tech equipment.
In July 2007 the minority Kemble family shareholding was bought out by Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
and the company was renamed Yamaha Music (U.K.) Ltd in autumn of 2007. Kemble Music Ltd which owns Chappell of Bond Street is a subsidiary of Yamaha Music (U.K.) Ltd .
Relocation to Wardour Street
In November 2006, Chappell of Bond Street closed its doors at 50, New Bond Street for the final time, reopening on November 11, 2006 at 152-160 Wardour Street. The new store incorporates the Yamaha London store which functions as Yamaha’s national showcase.The landmark, Grade II listed building has recently been restored, with three floors of retail space and houses one of the world’s most extensive collections of printed music and the most comprehensive display of Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
instruments in the U.K.
In the basement the printed music department stocks around 50,000 sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
titles with 30,000 additional digital sheet music titles available online. The printed music department was awarded the "Printed Music Retailer of The Year" in 2006 at the Music Industries Association Awards.
The ground floor displays Yamaha Guitars, Brass and Woodwind, Keyboards, Digital Pianos, Electronic Percussion, Music Technology and Pro Audio products, with trial rooms.
On the first floor there is an oak-panelled piano hall, where customers can try Yamaha pianos ranging from small uprights to a full 9 ft. Concert Grand Piano. A series of lunchtime recitals in the performance space within the historic Piano Hall at Chappells commenced on September 26, 2007 and continued till June, 2008.