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Steinway & Sons
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{{Short description|German-American piano company}}{{Redirect|Steinway}}{{Use American English|date=April 2015}}{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
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History
Foundation and growth
File:Henry-E.-Steinway.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1|Photograph of Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg ]]Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg first made pianos in the 1820s from his house in Seesen, Germany.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 17, He made pianos under the Steinweg brand until he emigrated from Germany to America in 1850 with his wife and seven of his nine children.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 14–15,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/14, The eldest son, C. F. Theodor Steinweg, remained in Germany, and continued making the Steinweg brand of pianos, partnering with Friedrich Grotrian, a piano dealer, from 1856 to 1865.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 23 and 26–27, In 1853, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg founded Steinway & Sons. His first workshop in America was in a small loft at the back of 85 Varick Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.BOOK, Susan, Goldenberg, Steinway: From glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano, Oakville, Ontario, Mosaic Press, 1996, 978-0-88962-607-2, 20, The first piano made by Steinway & Sons was given the number 483 because Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg had built 482 pianos in Germany. Number 483 was sold to a New York family for $500, and is now on display at the Städtisches Museum Seesen,WEB,www.barnebys.co.uk/blog/article/2613, Sounds like a rich history: Behind Steinway & Son[s], May 19, 2015, Barnebys, February 13, 2016, February 24, 2016,web.archive.org/web/20160224014706/https://www.barnebys.co.uk/blog/article/2613/, dead, WEB,www.klavierschule-osterode.de/steinway-ausstellung.html, Steinway Ausstellung von Dirk Stroschein – “William Steinway in New York” im Städtischen Museum Seesen, Klavierschule Osterode, de, Steinway exhibition by Dirk Stroschein – “William Steinway in New York” in Städtischen Museum Seesen, February 13, 2016, February 7, 2016,klavierschule-osterode.de/steinway-ausstellung.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160207183248klavierschule-osterode.de/steinway-ausstellung.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160207183248klavierschule-osterode.de/steinway-ausstellung.html, dead, the town in which Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg began his career as a piano maker.JOURNAL, Daniel, Spillane, Musical Instruments – The Piano-Forte, The Popular Science Monthly, 40, 31, 1892, 0161-7370, 489, A year later, demand was such that the company moved to larger premises at 82–88 Walker Street. It was not until 1864 that the family anglicized their name from Steinweg to Steinway.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 17,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/17, By the 1860s, Steinway had built and moved into a factory at Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Street (the present site of the Seagram Building) where it covered a whole block. With a workforce of 350 men, production increased from 500 to nearly 1,800 pianos per year. The employees were mostly German immigrants and the official language of the company was German.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 39–40, The pianos themselves underwent numerous substantial improvements through innovations made both at the Steinway factory and elsewhere in the industry based on emerging engineering and scientific research, including developments in the understanding of acoustics.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 26–27, Almost half of the company’s 139 patented inventions were developed by the first and second generations of the Steinway family. Steinway’s pianos won prizes at exhibitions in New York City, London, and Paris. By 1862, Steinway pianos had received more than 35 medals. Part of Steinway’s early reputation arose from its successes in trade fairs.In 1865, the Steinway family sent a letter to C. F. Theodor Steinweg asking that he leave the German Steinweg factory (by then located in Braunschweig (Brunswick)) and travel to New York City to take over the leadership of the family firm due to the deaths of his brothers Henry and Charles from disease. C. F. Theodor Steinweg obeyed, selling his share of the German piano company to his partner Wilhelm Grotrian (son of Friedrich Grotrian) and two other workmen, Adolph Helfferich and H. G. W. Schulz. The German factory changed its name from C. F. Theodor Steinweg to Grotrian, Helfferich, Schulz, Th. Steinweg Nachf. (), later shortened to Grotrian-Steinweg. In New York City, C. F. Theodor Steinweg anglicized his name to C. F. Theodore Steinway. During the next 15 years of his leadership, he kept a home in Braunschweig and traveled often between Germany and the United States.(File:Steinway fab 4th ave nyc.jpg|thumb|Steinway’s factory in Manhattan, 1876)Around 1870–80, William Steinway (born Wilhelm Steinweg, a son of Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg) established a company town called Steinway Village in what is now the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City. Steinway Village was built as its own town, and included a new factory (still used today) with its own foundry and sawmill, houses for employees, kindergarten, lending library, post office, volunteer fire department, and parks. Steinway Village later became part of Long Island City. Steinway Street, one of the major streets in the Astoria and Long Island City neighborhoods of Queens, is named after the company.In 1876, Steinway participated in the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The competition among piano makers principally involved Steinway, Chickering, and Weber. According to journalist James Barron’s account of Steinway’s participation in the competition, the company was able to secure success by bribing one of the judges. William Steinway denied to the exposition’s organizers that a judge had been paid directly, although Barron states that the judge was bribed through an intermediary, the pianist Frederic Boscovitz.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 102–109,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/102, According to freelancer Isabel Wolff, William Steinway admitted in his diary that under his leadership the New York City arm of the company bribed judges at trade fairs to favor Steinway pianos.NEWS, Wolff, Isabel, Lifting the lid on the Steinways,www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4707546/Lifting-the-lid-on-the-Steinways.html,www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4707546/Lifting-the-lid-on-the-Steinways.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150518174602www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4707546/Lifting-the-lid-on-the-Steinways.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150518174602www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4707546/Lifting-the-lid-on-the-Steinways.html, dead, May 18, 2015, The Daily Telegraph, February 15, 1997, October 26, 2015, According to musicologist Donald W. Fostle, it is untrue that Steinway repeatedly bribed judges at trade fairs, and in the one documented case it is unclear if Steinway were enmeshed, along with others, in bribery or were the target of attempted extortion.NEWS, Fostle, Donald W., The Steinway Story,www.nytimes.com/1996/01/21/books/l-the-steinway-story-056782.html, The New York Times, January 21, 1996, October 26, 2015, (File:Steinway factory Schanzenstrasse Hamburg Germany.jpg|thumb|Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany, 1915)To reach European customers who wanted Steinway pianos, and to avoid high European import taxes, William Steinway and C. F. Theodore Steinway established a new piano factory in the free German city of Hamburg in 1880.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 46, The first address of Steinway’s factory in Hamburg was at Schanzenstraße in the western part of Hamburg, St. Pauli. C. F. Theodore Steinway became the head of the German factory, and William Steinway went back to the factory in New York. The two factories regularly exchanged experience about their patents and techniques despite the large distance between them, and they continue to do so today. C. F. Theodore Steinway was a talented inventor who made many improvements in the construction of the piano.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 45,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/45, About a third of Steinway’s patented inventions are under the name of C. F. Theodore Steinway.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 74, The Steinway factory in Hamburg was part laboratory, part factory. Much of the precision cutting and drilling machinery installed in the New York factory was tried in the Hamburg factory first.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2003/08/27/nyregion/steinways-with-german-accents-pianos-made-in-queens-have-cousins-in-hamburg.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm, Steinways With German Accents; Pianos Made in Queens Have Cousins in Hamburg, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), August 27, 2003, The New York Times, February 15, 2015, C. F. Theodore Steinway died in Braunschweig in 1889, having successfully competed against the Grotrian-Steinweg brand – both the Hamburg-based Steinway factory and the Braunschweig-based Grotrian-Steinweg factory became known for making premium German pianos.Meanwhile, the 1880s saw the company embroiled in a series of labor disputes between the New York City factory’s management and workers. Back then, industrialists faced labor strikes frequently.BOOK, Beckert, Sven, The Monied Metropolis: New York City and the Consolidation of the American Bourgeoisie, 1850–1896, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 978-0-521-52410-0, 274–275, BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 6,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/6, One dispute, in 1880, saw the company lead an industry-wide lockout of piano workers in New York City. In later disputes in the decade, the company hired detectives to spy on its workers, paid police to take management’s side in the dispute and to protect company property, and evicted strike leaders from company housing.In 1883, the Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt wrote in a letter to Steinway: “...The new Steinway grand is a glorious masterpiece in power, sonority, singing quality, and perfect harmonic effects, affording delight even to my old piano-weary fingers. Ever continuing success remains a beautiful attribute of the world-renowned firm of Steinway & Sons. ...Owing to my ignorance of the mechanism of piano construction I can but praise the magnificent result in the volume and quality of sound.“BOOK, Michael, Saffle, James, Deaville, New Light on Liszt and His Music: Essays in Honor of Alan Walker’s 65th Birthday, Franz Liszt Studies Series, 6, Pendragon Press, 1997, 978-0945193739, 316,archive.org/details/newlightonliszth00walk_0/page/316, In 1890, Steinway received its first royal warrant, granted by Queen Victoria.BOOK, David, Wainwright, The Piano Makers, Humanities Pr, 1975, 978-0-09-122950-4, 119, BOOK, Arthur, Loesser, Men, Women and Pianos: A social History, University of California, 1954, 978-0-486-26543-8, 553,archive.org/details/menwomenpianosso00loes_0/page/553, The following year the patrons of Steinway included the Prince of Wales and other members of royalty and nobility. In subsequent years Steinway was granted royal and imperial warrants from the rulers of Italy, Norway, Persia, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.BOOK, Susan, Goldenberg, Steinway: From glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano, Oakville, Ontario, Mosaic Press, 1996, 978-0-88962-607-2, 58,Steinway Halls
File:Buying tickets for a Charles Dickens reading at Steinway Hall, New York, New York, 1867.jpg|thumb|Crowd of spectators buying tickets for a Charles Dickens reading at the Steinway HallSteinway HallFrom 1864 to 1866, William Steinway, who is credited with establishing Steinway’s success in marketing,BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 29, oversaw the construction of Steinway Hall on East 14th Street in Manhattan, New York City. Steinway Hall had cost $200,000 to build.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 109, It included the second largest concert hall in New York City as well as showrooms for Steinway pianos.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 48,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/48, To enter the concert hall concertgoers had to pass through the showrooms, a way to advertise Steinway pianos. Sales increased by more than 400 pianos in 1867.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 51,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/51, Steinway Hall quickly became one of New York City’s most prominent cultural centers, housing the New York Philharmonic for the next 25 years until Carnegie Hall opened in 1891.BOOK, Christopher, Winn, I Never Knew That About New York, Ebury Press, 2013, 978-0-09-194524-4, 160, In 1925, the Steinway Hall on East 14th Street was closed and a new Steinway Hall on West 57th Street was opened. In 2013, Steinway sold the Steinway Hall on West 57th Street for $46 million and moved out of the building at the end of 2014.WEB,commercialobserver.com/2013/07/steinway-halls-final-movement-begins-after-131-m-sale, Steinway Hall’s Final Movement Begins Following $131 M. Sale, July 29, 2013, Commercial Observer, The New York Observer, February 1, 2015, In 2016, a new Steinway Hall opened on Sixth Avenue.NEWS,www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/news/g2193/steinway-hall-tour, Take a Tour of the New Steinway Hall, April 12, 2016, Town & Country, Sam, Dangremond, April 19, 2016, A second Steinway Hall was opened in London in 1875. It was located first on Wigmore Street, in 1924 it moved to St. George Street, and later it moved to its current address on Marylebone Lane.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 56,Expansion
File:Piano in Entrance Hall.jpg|thumb|left|The White House’s SteinwayWEB,www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/treasures-of-the-white-house-steinway-grand-piano, Treasures of the White House: Steinway Grand Piano, The White House Historical Association, August 5, 2015, art case piano from 1938 in the Entrance HallEntrance HallIn 1857, Steinway began to make a line of art case pianos, designed by artists.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 149, JOURNAL, Prettejohn, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Prettejohn, March 1, 2002, Lawrence Alma-Tadema and the modern city of ancient Rome, The Art Bulletin, 84, 1, 115–129, 10.2307/3177255, 3177255, In 1903, the 100,000th Steinway grand piano was given as a gift to the White House;BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 158, it was decorated by the artist Thomas Wilmer Dewing.BOOK, Elizabeth, Carr, Shura Cherkassky: The Piano’s Last Czar, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006, 978-0-8108-5410-9, 21,archive.org/details/shuracherkasskyp00carr_0/page/21, The 100,000th Steinway grand piano was replaced in 1938 by the 300,000th,BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 167, which remains in use in the White House.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15036571, Playing the White House: Entertaining with the US president, Paul, Gambaccini, September 29, 2011, BBC News Magazine, February 14, 2015, The piano is normally placed in the largest room of the White House, the East Room.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2004/04/02/nyregion/piano-born-needing-practice-full-grandness-k0862-may-take-several-concerts.html?pagewanted=3&src=pm&pagewanted=all, A Piano Is Born, Needing Practice; Full Grandness of K0862 May Take Several Concerts to Achieve, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), April 2, 2004, The New York Times, February 14, 2015, File:Steinway piano - Duo-Art.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=2:30|Harold Bauer playing Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22, an excerpt of 3rd movement. Duo-ArtDuo-ArtLater, Steinway diversified into the manufacture of player pianos. Several systems such as the Welte-Mignon, Duo-Art, and Ampico were incorporated.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 76, During the 1920s, Steinway had been selling up to 6,000 pianos a year. In 1929, Steinway constructed one double-keyboard grand piano. It has 164 keys and 4 pedals. (In 2005, Steinway refurbished this instrument).NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/arts/music/15barr.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/C/Caramoor%20Center%20for%20Music%20and%20the%20Arts, Let’s Play Two: Singular Piano, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), July 15, 2007, The New York Times, February 14, 2015, (File:Steinway advertisement 1922.jpg|thumb|left|Steinway & Sons advertisement in 1922)During World War II, the Steinway factory in New York received orders from the Allied Armies to build wooden gliders to convey troops behind enemy lines. Steinway could make few normal pianos, but built 2,436 special models called the Victory Vertical or G.I. Piano. It was a small piano that four men could lift, painted olive drab, gray, or blue, designed to be carried aboard ships or dropped by parachute from an airplane to bring music to the soldiers.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 49–55, The factory in Hamburg, Germany, could sell very few pianos during World War II. No more than a hundred pianos per year left the factory. In the later years of the war, the company was ordered to give up all the prepared and dried wood their lumber yard held for war production. In an air raid over Hamburg, several Allied bombs hit the factory and nearly destroyed it. After the war, Steinway restored the Hamburg factory with help from the Marshall Plan.NEWS,articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-04-30/features/0804280403_1_steinway-sons-piano-making-factory, Aftermath favored Steinway, Tom, Hundley, April 30, 2008, Chicago Tribune, February 14, 2015, In the late 1960s, Steinway brought countersuit against Grotrian-Steinweg to stop them from using the name Steinweg on their pianos.WEB,ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19731001_0000302.SNY.htm/qx, Grotrian v. Steinway & Sons, MacMahon, Lloyd Francis, Lloyd Francis MacMahon, October 1, 1973, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, February 14, 2015,ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19731001_0000302.SNY.htm/qx," title="web.archive.org/web/20150205081431ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19731001_0000302.SNY.htm/qx,">web.archive.org/web/20150205081431ny.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19731001_0000302.SNY.htm/qx, February 5, 2015, Steinway won the case on appeal in 1975, forcing their competitor to use only the name Grotrian in the United States.JOURNAL, Initial Interest Confusion: Standing at the Crossroads of Trademark Law,cardozolawreview.com/Joomla1.5/content/27-1/ROTHMAN.FINAL.VERSION.pdf, February 14, 2015, Jennifer E. Rothman, Rothman, Jennifer E., Cardozo Law Review, 114–116, 27, 1, October 2005, Yeshiva University, March 4, 2016,cardozolawreview.com/Joomla1.5/content/27-1/ROTHMAN.FINAL.VERSION.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304001424cardozolawreview.com/Joomla1.5/content/27-1/ROTHMAN.FINAL.VERSION.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20160304001424cardozolawreview.com/Joomla1.5/content/27-1/ROTHMAN.FINAL.VERSION.pdf, dead, The case set a precedent and established the concept of Initial Interest Confusion, in which consumers might be initially attracted to a similarly named but lesser-known brand because of the stronger brand’s good reputation.BOOK, Intellectual Property and Information Wealth: Trademark and Unfair Competition, Yu, Peter K., 2007, Praeger Publishers, Greenwood Publishing Group, 3, Intellectual Property and Information Wealth: Issues and Practices in the Digital Age, 978-0-275-98885-2, 87–88,The 500,000th Steinway
(File:Steinway No.500000.jpg|thumb|left|Steinway piano No. 500,000 from 1988)In 1988, Steinway made its 500,000th piano. Designed by artist Wendell Castle,BOOK, Silas, Kopf, A marquetry odyssey: Historical objects and personal work, Hudson Hills, 2008, 978-1-55595-287-7, 169, it carries inscriptions of the names of the 832 pianists and 90 ensembles on the Steinway Artist roster of 1987,BOOK, Elizabeth, Carr, Shura Cherkassky: The Piano’s Last Czar, Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006, 978-0-8108-5410-9, 204,archive.org/details/shuracherkasskyp00carr_0/page/204, including Van Cliburn, Vladimir Horowitz and Billy Joel.NEWS,www.tallahassee.com/story/life/2014/11/28/devoe-moore-adds-world-famous-steinway-museum/19613185, DeVoe Moore adds world-famous Steinway to his museum, December 4, 2014, Tallahassee Democrat, February 6, 2015, Six years later the company launched C. F. Theodore Steinway Academy for Concert Technicians, known simply as Steinway Academy, at Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany. There, experienced piano tuners and piano technicians from all over the world receive further training in piano tuning and maintenance.JOURNAL, Musikhandel, Steinway gründete die erste Akademie für Konzert[t]echniker, de, Steinway founded the first academy for concert technicians, 45, Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband, 1994, 180, By 2000, Steinway had made its 550,000th piano.WEB,www.mainstreet.com/article/10-things-still-made-america/page/7, 10 Things Still Made in America, Joe, Mont, October 18, 2011, MainStreet, TheStreet, Inc., February 6, 2015, BOOK, Roy F., Kehl, David R., Kirkland, The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, United States, Amadeus Press, 2011, 978-1-57467-198-8, 127, File:One of John Lennons Steinway pianos, MIM PHX.jpg|thumb|John Lennon’s Steinway upright piano, used to write his 1971 song “Imagine”, sold at auction to George Michael in 2000 for £1.67 million. It was subsequently used in the Imagine Piano Peace ProjectImagine Piano Peace ProjectIn 2003, Steinway celebrated its 150th anniversary at Carnegie Hall with a three-day concert series with performances by Peter Cincotti, Art Garfunkel, Herbie Hancock, Ben Heppner, Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis, Randy Newman, Roger Williams, Nancy Wilson, Yundi Li and Eroica Trio, among others. The first concert featured classical music, the second jazz, and the third pop.WEB,www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294994946, Carnegie Hall Congratulates Steinway & Sons on 160 Years of Greatness, March 15, 2013, Carnegie Hall, February 5, 2015, February 29, 2016,www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294994946," title="web.archive.org/web/20160229073427www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294994946,">web.archive.org/web/20160229073427www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294994946, dead, MAGAZINE,www.billboard.com/articles/news/72096/stars-to-celebrate-steinway-anniversary, Stars To Celebrate Steinway Anniversary, June 3, 2003, Billboard, January 11, 2016, WEB, Bernard Holland, MUSIC REVIEW; A Tribute Not to Artists But to the Piano They Play,www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/arts/music-review-a-tribute-not-to-artists-but-to-the-piano-they-play.html, The New York Times,web.archive.org/web/20150527231850/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/09/arts/music-review-a-tribute-not-to-artists-but-to-the-piano-they-play.html, 27 May 2015, June 9, 2003, As part of the 150th anniversary, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld created a commemorative Steinway limited edition grand piano.NEWS,observer.com/2006/07/a-truly-grand-monopoly-how-steinway-calls-the-tune, A Truly Grand Monopoly: How Steinway Calls the Tune, Benjamin, Ivry, July 31, 2006, New York Observer, January 11, 2016, In 2005, Steinway celebrated the 125th anniversary of the establishment of its factory in Hamburg, Germany. The celebration featured a concert at the Laeiszhalle concert hall in Hamburg with performances by Vladimir and Vovka Ashkenazy, Lang Lang, and Detlef Kraus. 1,800 people from 33 countries attended the concert.NEWS,www.welt.de/print-welt/article665939/125-Jahre-Steinway-Festakt-fuer-eine-Ikone.html, 125 Jahre Steinway – Festakt für eine Ikone, de, 125 years Steinway – Celebration for an icon, Matthias, Iken, April 19, 2005, Die Welt, January 12, 2016, NEWS,www.welt.de/print-welt/article665433/So-weit-die-Fluegel-tragen-125-Jahre-Steinway.html, So weit die Flügel tragen – 125 Jahre Steinway, de, Helmut, Peters, April 16, 2005, Die Welt, January 12, 2016, As part of the celebration, a 125th anniversary Steinway limited edition grand piano was designed by Count Albrecht von Goertz.NEWS,www.press.bmwgroup.com/deutschland/pressDetail.html?title=designer-albrecht-graf-goertz-verstorben&outputChannelId=7&id=T0002987DE&left_menu_item=node__5249, Pressemeldung: Designer Albrecht Graf Goertz verstorben, de, Press release: Designer Albrecht Count Goertz dead, November 3, 2006, BMW Group, January 12, 2016, Until his death on September 18, 2008, at the age of 93, Henry Z. Steinway, the great-grandson of the Steinway founder, still worked for Steinway and put his signature on custom-made limited-edition pianos. At several public occasions, Henry Z. Steinway represented the Steinway family.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2003/06/06/arts/fanfare-for-the-uncommon-piano.html?pagewanted=all, Fanfare for the Uncommon Piano, Diane, Cole, June 6, 2003, The New York Times, February 14, 2015, He started at the company in 1937 after graduating from Harvard University. He was president of the company from 1956 to 1977 and was the last Steinway family member to be president of Steinway.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/arts/music/19steinway.html, Henry Z. Steinway, Piano Maker, Dies at 93, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), September 18, 2008, The New York Times, February 14, 2015,Changes in ownership
In 1972, after a lengthy strike, a long-running financial struggle, high legal expenses, and a lack of business interest among some of the Steinway family members, the firm was sold to CBS.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 61, At that time, CBS owned many enterprises in the entertainment industry, including electric guitar and amplifier maker Fender, drum maker Rogers, electro-mechanical piano maker Rhodes, and the baseball team New York Yankees. CBS had plans to form a musical conglomerate that made and sold music in all forms and through all outlets, including records, radio, television, and musical instruments.BOOK, Nicholas J. Sr., Giordano, Physics of the Piano, Oxford, United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2010, 978-0-19-954602-2, 148, This new conglomerate was evidently not as successful as CBS had expected, and Steinway was sold in 1985, along with classical and church organ maker Rodgers and flute and piccolo maker Gemeinhardt, to a group of Boston-area investors led by Robert and John P. Birminghamwww.upi.com/Archives/1995/04/19/Steinway-sold-for-100-million/7542798264000/|Steinway sold for $100 million|UPI Archives April 19, 1995NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1985/09/14/business/cbs-steinway-sale.html, CBS Steinway Sale, September 14, 1985, The New York Times, February 14, 2015, In order to acquire Steinway, the investors founded the musical conglomerate Steinway Musical Properties.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 308,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/308, In 1995, Steinway Musical Properties was acquired by Selmer Industries to form the musical conglomerate Steinway Musical Instruments.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 188, In June 2013, private equity firm Kohlberg & Company offered to buy Steinway parent company Steinway Musical Instruments for $438 million.NEWS,www.reuters.com/article/us-steinway-takeover-kohlberg-idUSBRE9600TT20130701, Kohlberg to buy grand piano maker Steinway for $438 million, Greg, Roumeliotis, Reuters, July 1, 2013, January 4, 2016, Two months later hedge fund Paulson & Co. Inc. made a higher offer, $512 million, to take the company private. The Steinway Musical Instruments board recommended that shareholders accept this, and in September 2013 Paulson announced completion of the acquisition.NEWS,www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-08-14/paulson-co-to-buy-piano-maker-steinway-for-512-million, Steinway Agrees to Be Bought by Paulson for $512 Million, Ring, Niamh, Murphy, Lauren S., Klein, Jodi Xu, Bloomberg L.P., August 14, 2013, February 19, 2015, NEWS,www.cnbc.com/2013/10/08/for-john-paulson-steinway-deal-means-more-than-profts.html, For John Paulson, Steinway deal means more than profits, Greene, Kerima, CNBC LLC, October 8, 2013, August 5, 2015,Recent history
After the 2008 economic downturn, Steinway grand piano sales fell by half, and 30 percent of the union employees were laid off at the New York factory between August 2008 and November 2009.WEB,www.thelastamericangrand.com/recessionsimpact.html, Recession’s Impact, Paula, Neudorf, Weilun, Soon, The Last American Grand, February 14, 2015,www.thelastamericangrand.com/recessionsimpact.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20101206073709www.thelastamericangrand.com/recessionsimpact.html,">web.archive.org/web/20101206073709www.thelastamericangrand.com/recessionsimpact.html, December 6, 2010, dead, Sales were down 21 percent in 2009 in the United States. But sales began increasing a little in 2010, and they continued to improve the following year.WEB,www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/105173Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments%20Inc.%2010-K%202010.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20131004213451www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/105173Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments%20Inc.%2010-K%202010.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20131004213451www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/105173Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments%20Inc.%2010-K%202010.pdf, October 4, 2013,www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/105173Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments%20Inc.%2010-K%202010.pdf, Steinway Musical Instruments 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K, March 14, 2011, Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc., 3, February 18, 2015, WEB,www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/150875Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments,%20Inc.%2010-K%202011.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20131004214114www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/150875Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments,%20Inc.%2010-K%202011.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20131004214114www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/150875Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments,%20Inc.%2010-K%202011.pdf, October 4, 2013,www.steinwaymusical.com/images/newsfiles/150875Steinway%20Musical%20Instruments,%20Inc.%2010-K%202011.pdf, Steinway Musical Instruments 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K, March 14, 2012, Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc., 3, February 18, 2015, In 2015, Steinway went back to the player piano industry from around the 1920s by introducing a digital player piano series called Spirio.MAGAZINE, Stinson, Liz, Steinway’s New Piano Can Play a Perfect Concerto by Itself,www.wired.com/2015/04/steinways-new-piano-can-play-perfect-concerto, Wired, April 1, 2015, April 7, 2016, NEWS, Kessler, Ken, Steinway’s self-playing piano,www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/technology/69041/steinway-spirio-self-playing-piano.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/technology/69041/steinway-spirio-self-playing-piano.html, January 12, 2022, subscription, live, The Daily Telegraph, April 22, 2015, April 7, 2016, {{cbignore}} The technology in the Spirio pianos was created in 2007 by Wayne Stahnke, an Austrian engineer who has previously made digital player piano systems for other piano companies, like Yamaha and Bösendorfer.WEB,www.live-performance.com/about.html, About Us, Live Performance, Inc., April 7, 2016, Wayne Stahnke’s technology, originally called Live Performance Model LX, was sold to Steinway in 2014 and re-branded as Spirio.WEB,grandpianohaus.com/news/live-performance-model-lx, Live-Performance Model LX High Resolution Retrofit Piano Player System, Grand Piano Haus, August 2, 2014, April 7, 2016,grandpianohaus.com/news/live-performance-model-lx," title="web.archive.org/web/20160419055549grandpianohaus.com/news/live-performance-model-lx,">web.archive.org/web/20160419055549grandpianohaus.com/news/live-performance-model-lx, April 19, 2016, dead, In contrast to player pianos by other brands available at the time, a recording option was not originally available in the Steinway Spirio.BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Spring 2016, Brookside Press LLC, 2016, 978-1-929145-41-6, 154, In 2018, a recording option was made available in Steinway Spirio pianos, known as the Spirio r. The Spirio technology is referred to as “non-parasitic”, meaning that the recording and playback equipment do not interfere with the sound or feel of the piano. The pianist is recorded by over 20 grey-scale optical sensors mounted behind the piano’s keyboard. With over 1000 levels of sensitivity and the ability to record 800 measurements/second, they sense the speed at which the hammers strike the strings. In 2024, the Spirio library contained more than 4,000 recordings. WEB, The world’s most famous concert pianos got a major tech upgrade,www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/28/1088268/steinway-spirio-concert-pianos-performance-upgrade/, 2024-03-13, MIT Technology Review, en, In 2015, Steinway made its 600,000th piano. The piano features the Fibonacci spiral and Macassar ebony veneer. It took 6,000 hours of work over 4 years to make, and was priced at $2.4 million.NEWS,www.luxuo.com/luxury-trends/steinway-piano-the-fibonacci.html, Steinway & Sons unveils its 600,000th piano, Luxuo, June 15, 2015, December 31, 2015, NEWS,www.apetogentleman.com/2015/06/30/steinway-fibonacci, Steinway & Sons “The Fibonacci”, Jones, Graham, Ape to Gentleman, June 30, 2015, December 31, 2015, As of early 2021, Paulson & Co. remains the ultimate parent of Steinway & Sons, with head office at 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.Models
Steinway pianos are sold by a worldwide network of around 200 authorized Steinway dealers who operate around 300 showrooms. The primary differentiation between Steinway models is simply their size (which is indicated by their model letter), which is also one of the most important indicators of their relative prices.Steinway pianos are also sold in the secondary market. The price of a used Steinway can vary tremendously, depending on the model (size), age, condition, and the quality of any restoration work that has been done.WEB, Ross, Joshua, Cost of a Steinway Piano,joshuarosspiano.com/cost-of-a-steinway-piano/, Joshua Ross Piano, February 26, 2019, NEWS, Lewis, Al, July 15, 2013, The Music Never Stops for Steinway, Denver Post, from Dow Jones News Wire,www.denverpost.com/2013/07/15/lewis-the-music-never-stops-for-steinway/, Additionally, Steinway offers certified pre-owned pianos, using Steinway-approved parts.Grands and uprights
(File:Steinway & Sons concert grand piano, model D-274, manufactured at Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany.png|thumb|Steinway & Sons concert grand piano, model D-274, manufactured at Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany)Steinway makes the following models of pianos:The Hamburg factory makes seven models of grand pianos and two upright models. (The numerical portion of each model designation represents the length of the grand pianos and the height of the upright pianos, in centimetres).The New York factory makes six models of grand pianos and one model of upright piano. (Steinway has previously made upright pianos in different dimensions.)Grand Pianos
- Hamburg factory
- S-155
- M-170
- O-180,
- A-188
- B-211
- C-227
- D-274BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Fall 2015, Brookside Press LLC, 2015, 978-1-929145-42-3, 247 and 249,
- New York factory
- S (5’1“)
- M (5’7“)
- O (5’{{frac|10|3|4}}“)
- A (6’2“)
- B (6’11“)
- D (8’{{frac|11|3|4}}“)BOOK, Fine, Larry, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Fall 2015, Brookside Press LLC, 2015, 978-1-929145-42-3, 247–248,
Upright Pianos
- Hamburg factory
- V-125
- K-132
- New York factory
- K (52” high).
Designer cases
File:Clark Art Institute - piano a.JPG|thumb|Steinway art case piano designed by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema on display at the art museum Clark Art InstituteClark Art InstituteDesigners and artists such as Karl Lagerfeld, Dakota Jackson, Walter Dorwin Teague, Arthur Blackmore, Joseph Burr Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany,WEB,www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2006/louis-comfort-tiffany/tiffany-in-new-york, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist’s Country Estate, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 6, 2015, WEB,www.antiquesandfineart.com/articles/article.cfm?request=726, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall, Frelinghuysen, Alice Cooney, Monica, Monica, Antiques and Fine Art, February 15, 2015, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema,BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 156 and 158, George Schastey, and the Herter Brothers have created original designs for Steinway pianos. These specially designed pianos fall under the art case piano line or the limited edition piano line.Steinway began creating art case pianos in 1857 and the making of art case pianos reached its peak in the late 19th century. Today, Steinway only builds art case pianos on rare occasions. The art case pianos are unique. Some of Steinway’s most notable art case pianos are the Alma-Tadema grand piano from 1887, the 100,000th Steinway piano from 1903, the 300,000th Steinway piano from 1938, and the Sound of Harmony from 2008. The Alma-Tadema grand piano was designed by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and received great public acclaim when it was exhibited in London.WEB,www.clarkart.edu/Collection/10373, Designed by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema – Model D Pianoforte and Stools, Clark Art Institute, February 6, 2015, January 16, 2017,www.clarkart.edu/Collection/10373," title="web.archive.org/web/20170116150239www.clarkart.edu/Collection/10373,">web.archive.org/web/20170116150239www.clarkart.edu/Collection/10373, dead, The piano is made of ebony, inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl, with carved case, lid, and legs, and painted in the inside lid by artist Edward Poynter. It was bought by financier Henry Gurdon Marquand for his New York City mansion.WEB,www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/102964.html, A Reading from Homer – British Painting in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, August 5, 2015, In 1997, it was sold at Christie’s auction house in London for $1.2 million, setting a price record for a piano sold at auction.NEWS,www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/06/netnotes.arts, Steinways, June 6, 2003, The Guardian, February 18, 2015, It is now on display at the art museum Clark Art Institute. The 100,000th Steinway piano was given as a gift to the White House in 1903 and is made of cherry tree with gold leaf. It is decorated with coats of arms of the thirteen original states of America and painted by Thomas Dewing with dancing figures representing the nine Muses. The 100,000th Steinway piano was replaced in 1938 by the 300,000th Steinway piano. The gold gilded mahogany legs of the 300,000th piano are carved as eagles and are molded by sculptor Albert Stewart. The piano remains in use in the White House. The Sound of Harmony is decorated with inlays of 40 different woods, including the lid, which replicates artwork by Chinese painter Shi Qi.WEB,www.topnews.in/steinway-sons-unveils-most-expensive-piano-284306, Steinway & Sons unveils most expensive piano, Mohit, Joshi, May 11, 2008, Topnews, Manas Informatics Pvt. Ltd., February 15, 2015, It took about four yearsWEB,www.shme.com/today/2008/november.htm, November: ‘Art’ piano is Expo musical key, Shme – Today’s Shanghai, February 15, 2015,www.shme.com/today/2008/november.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20150501210834www.shme.com/today/2008/november.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20150501210834www.shme.com/today/2008/november.htm, May 1, 2015, dead, to build the grand piano and it was priced at €1.2 million. The piano was chosen for use at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China.Examples of limited edition pianos include The Steinway Limited Edition by Karl Lagerfeld created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Steinway company in 2003, and the 125th-anniversary grand piano by Count Albrecht von Goertz designed to celebrate the 125th anniversary in 2005 of the founding of the Steinway factory in Hamburg, Germany.In 1993, Steinway introduced a new line of specially designed cases, the Steinway Crown Jewel Collection.WEB,www.eatlovesavor.com/steinway-crown-jewels-sought-musical-gem, The Steinway Crown Jewels. A Sought After Musical Gem., January 20, 2015, Eat Love Savor, Tunner Media, February 6, 2015, The collection consists of grand and upright pianos in Steinway’s regular models, but instead of the traditional black finish the pianos of the Steinway Crown Jewel Collection have veneers of rare woods from around the world.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 238,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/238, The collection includes Macassar ebony, East Indian rosewood, and kewazinga bubinga.Brands
(File:Boston piano.jpg|thumb|Boston grand piano)In addition to the Steinway & Sons brand, Steinway markets two other brands: Boston for the mid-level market and Essex for the entry-level market. Boston and Essex pianos are made using lower-cost components and labor. Pianos of these two brands, made with Steinway owned designs, are manufactured in Asia by suppliers.BOOK, Fine, Larry, Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Fall 2014, Brookside Press LLC, 2014, 978-1-929145-39-3, 162, Larry Fine (pianos), BOOK, Fine, Larry, Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Fall 2014, Brookside Press LLC, 2014, 978-1-929145-39-3, 166, Larry Fine (pianos), Steinway allows only its authorized Steinway dealers to carry new Boston and Essex pianos.WEB,www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/911583/000104746913002752/a2213507z10-k.htm, Steinway Musical Instruments 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, March 14, 2013, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 3, February 18, 2015,- Boston: made for the general mid-ranged piano market at lower prices than Steinway’s name brand. Boston pianos are manufactured by Kawai Musical Instruments in Hamamatsu, Japan and Karawang, Indonesia. There are five sizes of Boston grand pianos and three sizes of Boston upright pianos available in a variety of finishes. Grand piano models are GP-156 PE, GP-163 PE, GP-178 PE, GP-193 PE, and GP-215 PE. Upright piano models are UP-118 PE, UP-126 PE, and UP-132 PE. Boston pianos incorporate some of the features of Steinway pianos such as a wider tail design (a feature of the Steinway piano models A-188, B-211, C-227, and D-274) resulting in a larger soundboard area than conventionally shaped pianos of comparable sizes, a maple inner rim, and Steinway’s patented Octagrip pinblock.
- Essex: made for the entry-range market and is lower priced than Steinway and Boston pianos. Since 2005, Essex pianos are made at the Pearl River piano factory in Guangzhou, China. Prior to 2005, they were made by Young Chang in Korea. There are two sizes of Essex grand pianos and four sizes of Essex upright pianos available in a wide variety of finishes and furniture designs. Grand piano models are EGP-155 and EGP-173. Upright piano models are EUP-108, EUP-111, EUP-116, and EUP-123. Like the Boston pianos, Essex pianos incorporate some of the features of Steinway pianos as well: a wider tail design, an all-wood action with Steinway geometry with rosette-shaped hammer flanges, and reinforced hammers with metal fasteners.
Piano bank
Steinway maintains a worldwide “piano bank” from which performing pianists, especially Steinway Artists, can select a Steinway piano with the touch and tonal characteristics they prefer for use in a certain concert, recording, or tour.WEB,www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/911583/000104746913002752/a2213507z10-k.htm, Steinway Musical Instruments 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, March 14, 2013, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 6, February 18, 2015, Steinway prepares, tunes, and delivers the piano of the performer’s choice to the designated concert hall or recording studio at the performer’s expense.BOOK, Franz, Mohr, Edith, Schaeffer, My Life with the Great Pianists, Baker Books, 2nd, 1996, 978-0-8010-5710-6, 50, The “piano bank” consists of approximately 250 Steinway pianos valued collectively at $12.5 million in 2019.NEWS, Quillman, Catherine, Science teacher wins U.S. grant for school Father of the year named Up and Coming,articles.philly.com/2002-04-14/news/25339936_1_volunteer-honors-three-local-students-fund-raising, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 14, 2002, January 18, 2016,Manufacture
German and American factories
{{multiple image| align = left| direction = vertical| image1 = Helene Grimaud Roque-d Antheron 2004.jpg| width1 = 218| caption1 = Hélène Grimaud at a Steinway grand piano made in Hamburg| image2 = BruuuceHead.jpg| width2 = 218| caption2 = Bruce Hornsby at a Steinway grand piano made in New York}}Some pianists and technicians have expressed a preference for pianos from Steinway’s Hamburg factory over those made in New York, or vice versa. Emanuel Ax, concert pianist and piano teacher at the Juilliard School,WEB,www.juilliard.edu/faculty/emanuel-ax, Emanuel Ax, The Juilliard School, February 7, 2015,www.juilliard.edu/faculty/emanuel-ax," title="web.archive.org/web/20150207212626www.juilliard.edu/faculty/emanuel-ax,">web.archive.org/web/20150207212626www.juilliard.edu/faculty/emanuel-ax, February 7, 2015, dead, has said that “... the differences have more to do with individual instruments than with where they were made.” Larry Fine, American piano technician and author of The Piano Book, considers Hamburg Steinways to be of higher quality than those from New York.BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Spring 2017, Brookside Press LLC, 2017, 978-192914544-7, 37 and 40, In 2010, the New York factory made some changes in its manufacturing processes and materials to improve quality, and Fine was invited to tour the factory to see some of the changes. Fine wrote in his Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer of Spring 2011 that the changes have improved the quality of the New York pianos,BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Spring 2011, Brookside Press LLC, 2011, 978-1-929145-31-7, 81–87, but that the Hamburg pianos are still of higher quality.BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Spring 2011, Brookside Press LLC, 2011, 978-1-929145-31-7, 44, Steinway has two sales areas: the factory in New York supplies North and South America, and the one in Hamburg supplies the rest of the world. At all main Steinway showrooms across the world, customers can order pianos from either factory. The Hamburg and New York factories exchange parts and craftsmanship, and the parts for both factories come from the same places: Canadian maple is used for the rim, and the soundboards are made from Sitka spruce from Alaska. Both factories use similar crown parameters for their diaphragmatic soundboards. To maintain quality, Steinway has acquired some of its suppliers. Steinway bought the German manufacturer Kluge in Wuppertal, which supplies keyboards, in December 1998, and in November 1999 purchased the company that supplies its cast iron plates, O. S. Kelly Co. in Springfield, Ohio.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 189, A majority of the world’s concert halls own at least one Steinway piano,BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 62, and some (for example Carnegie Hall) have model D-274s from both the Hamburg factory and the New York factory to satisfy a greater range of preferences.JOURNAL, Jude, Stewart, Just about perfect: The dichotomy of Steinway piano design, STEP Inside Design, 19, November/December, 2003, 68,Components
{{See also|#Patented inventions}}{{external media| video1 = The New York Times: Where It’s Made: A Steinway Grand Piano, 360-degree video of the making of Steinway pianos in the factory in Hamburg, Germany, November 15, 2017}}File:Steinway grand piano interior.JPG|thumb|Interior of a Steinway grand piano showing the rim, plate, soundboard, bridges, keys, and strings ]]Each Steinway grand piano has more than 12,000 individual parts.BOOK, Tina, Grant, International Directory of Company Histories, 19, St James Press, 1998, 978-1-55862-353-8, 427, A Steinway piano is handcraftedBOOK, Ellen, Freudenheim, Queens, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2006, 978-0-312-35818-1, 34,archive.org/details/queenswhattodowh00freu/page/34, and takes nearly a year to build.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 14,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/14, Steinway maintains its own lumber yards at both the Hamburg and New York factories, aging and drying lumber from nine months to five years. Less than 50 percent is finally used in the making of Steinway pianos. More than 70 percent of the walnut stock is discarded. The woods are purchased when they are available rather than when they are needed.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 86,Rim
The rims of Hamburg-made Steinways are made of layers of hard rock maple and mahogany; the New York-made rims use layers of hard rock maple only. The layers are glued and pressed together into one piece in one operation using rim-bending presses that C. F. Theodore Steinway invented in 1880. After the rim-bending process, the rim has to rest from the stress of being bent. It is placed in a conditioning room for a month or more to reduce the moisture content of the wood to approximately six percent.Plate
Inside the piano, a cast iron plate provides the strength to support the string tension, which ranges from 16 tons to 23 tons depending on the model.BOOK, Susan, Goldenberg, Steinway: From glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano, Oakville, Ontario, Mosaic Press, 1996, 978-0-88962-607-2, 26, The iron plate is installed above the soundboard and is bronzed, lacquered, polished, and decorated with the Steinway logo. Steinway fabricates plates in its own foundry.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 119,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/119,Soundboard and bridges
Steinway makes its soundboard from solid spruce,BOOK, Susan, Goldenberg, Steinway: From glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano, Oakville, Ontario, Mosaic Press, 1996, 978-0-88962-607-2, 202, which allows the soundboard to transmit and amplify sound.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 73–74,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/73, The soundboard in Steinway pianos are double-crowned with Steinway’s diaphragmatic design. The diaphragmatic soundboard, which was granted a patent in 1936,BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), The Piano Book,archive.org/details/pianobookguide00fine, registration, Brookside Press LLC, 1987, 0-9617512-1-5, 151, tapers in thickness from the center to the edges, which permits more freedom of movement resulting in a richer and more lasting tonal response.BOOK, Franz, Mohr, Edith, Schaeffer, My Life with the Great Pianists, Baker Books, 2nd, 1996, 978-0-8010-5710-6, 103, Steinway bridges are made of vertically laminated hard rock maple with a hard rock maple cap. The bridges are measured for specific height requirements for each piano and are hand notched.BOOK, Franz, Mohr, Edith, Schaeffer, My Life with the Great Pianists, Baker Books, 2nd, 1996, 978-0-8010-5710-6, 104,Keys and action
File:Keyboard of grand piano - Steinway & Sons (Hamburg factory).jpg|thumb|Keys of a Steinway grand piano]]Steinway keys are made of Bavarian spruce.BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Fall 2015, Brookside Press LLC, 2015, 978-1-929145-42-3, 193, The surface of the white keys is made of polymer; earlier, they had been made of elephant ivory. Around the 1950s, Steinway switched from using ivory,BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 164,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/164, and some years later use of ivory for piano keys was outlawed.BOOK, Miles, Chapin, 88 keys: The making of a Steinway piano, New York, Potter, 1997, 978-0-517-70356-4, 71–72,archive.org/details/88keysmakingofst00chap/page/71, The action parts are mounted on Steinway’s tubular metallic frame. The Steinway hammers are cut from virgin wool felt, containing no admixture of other materials.In 1962, the New York factory introduced the Permafree action for its grand pianos, using Teflon parts in place of cloth bushings. Using Teflon was less expensive for the company, was intended to withstand wear and humidity changes better than cloth, and eliminated the factory’s reliance on a kind of cloth that might not be exactly the same from batch to batch. However, the Teflon bushings (which are relatively rigid and unaffected by humidity) were tightly installed inside parts made of wood, which does expand and contract according to humidity. This made the action become too tight or too loose, especially after changes in the weather, and caused annoying clicking noises while playing. The Teflon bushings were discontinued in 1983, and existing pianos that had them were retrofitted with cloth. The Hamburg factory never implemented the Teflon bushings in its pianos.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 160–161,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/160,Strings and pinblock
The pianos have steel strings in the midsection and treble, with bass strings made of copper-wound steel. The strings are uniformly spaced with one end coiled around the tuning pins, which in turn are inserted in a laminated wooden block called the pinblock or wrestplank. The tuning pins keep the strings tight and are held in place by friction. Steinway also employs front and rear duplex scales, in which the main vibrating section of the string is augmented by a much smaller vibration in the two ends of the string which are fastened in place. Steinway was a friend of the German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz,BOOK, Edwin M., Good, Giraffes, black dragons, and other pianos: a technological history from Cristofori to the modern concert grand, Stanford University Press, 2002, 978-0-8047-4549-9, 197,archive.org/details/giraffesblackdra00good/page/197, and this friendship led to the development and Steinway patent in 1872 of front and back aliquots, allowing the traditionally dead sections of strings to vibrate in sympathy with the main string. The result is a fuller, more complex sound.BOOK, Robert, Palmieri, The Piano: An Encyclopedia,archive.org/details/pianoencyclopedi00palm, limited, 2nd, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2003, 0-415-93796-5, 22, BOOK, Alexandra, Hui, Alexandra Hui, The Psychophysical Ear: Musical Experiments, Experimental Sounds, 1840–1910, MIT Press, 2013, 978-0-262-01838-8, 73–75, BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 61,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/61, The pinblock, also known as wrestplank, in Steinways is made of seven layers of hard-textured wood that are glued together, set at a 45° angle to the run of the grain. It is designed to keep the piano in tune longer.BOOK, Murray, Campbell, Clive, Greated, Arnold, Myers, Musical Instruments: History, Technology, & Performance of Instruments of Western Music, Oxford University Press, 2004, 978-0-19-816504-0, 364,archive.org/details/musicalinstrumen00dona/page/364,Affiliates
Steinway Artists
File:Rachmaninoff playing Steinway grand piano.jpg|thumb|left|Sergei RachmaninoffSergei RachmaninoffFile:Keith Jarrett-commons.jpg|thumb|left|Keith JarrettKeith JarrettFile:Yundi 2019 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|YundiWEB, “My first choice is Steinway.” YUNDI LI,www.steinway.com/artists/yundi-li, (Steinway & Sons]],web.archive.org/web/20200803232852/https://www.steinway.com/artists/yundi-li, 3 August 2020, 2001, at a Steinway grand piano)File:Opening of Chopin Year in Warsaw 2010.jpg|thumb|left|(Lang Lang]]NEWS, Church, Michael, Lang Lang: The people’s pianist,www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lang-lang-the-peoples-pianist-458284.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lang-lang-the-peoples-pianist-458284.html, May 24, 2022, subscription, live, The Independent, July 23, 2007, January 8, 2016, NEWS, TROY professor named as official Steinway & Sons Artist,troy.edu/news/articles/2015/02/troy-professor-named-as-official-steinway-and-sons-artist.html, Trojan News Center, Troy University, February 13, 2015, January 8, 2016, next to a Steinway grand piano)In contrast to other piano makers, who presented their pianos to pianists, William Steinway engaged the Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein to play Steinway pianos during Rubinstein’s first and only American concert tour from 1872 to 1873, with 215 concerts in 239 days.BOOK, Arthur, Loesser, Men, Women and Pianos: A social History, University of California, 1954, 978-0-486-26543-8, 515,archive.org/details/menwomenpianosso00loes_0/page/515, It was a success for both Rubinstein and Steinway.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 58,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/58, Thus, the Steinway Artist program was born.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 44, Later the Polish pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski toured America playing 107 concerts on Steinway pianos in 117 days.BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 113,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/113, {{As of|2018|10|df=US}}, around 2,000 pianists worldwide are official Steinway Artists,NEWS,nypost.com/2018/10/11/steinway-delivers-pianos-to-some-seriously-wacky-places, Steinway delivers pianos to some seriously wacky places, Raquel, Laneri, October 11, 2018, New York Post, April 23, 2024, which means that they have chosen to perform on Steinway pianos exclusively, and each owns a Steinway.NEWS, Piano manufacturers – Making the sound of music, The Economist, 367, 8327–8330, The Economist Newspaper Limited, June 7, 2003, 78, None is paid to do so.BOOK, Cynthia, Wilson, Always Something New to Discover: Menahem Pressler and the Beaux Arts Trio, Paragon Publishing, 2011, 978-1-908341-25-9, 183, Steinway Artists come from different genres: classical, jazz, pop, and rock. A few examples of Steinway Artists are Daniel Barenboim, Harry Connick Jr., Billy Joel, Evgeny Kissin, Diana Krall, Yundi Li and Lang Lang.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 201, 203, 205, and 206, BOOK, Nicholas J. Sr., Giordano, Physics of the Piano, Oxford, United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2010, 978-0-19-954602-2, 146, Some examples of Immortal Steinway Artists are Irving Berlin, Benjamin Britten, George Gershwin, Vladimir Horowitz, Cole Porter, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 202, 204, 205, and 208, Steinway expects Steinway Artists to perform on Steinway pianos where they are available and in appropriate condition.NEWS,www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/arts/music-piano-versus-piano.html?pagewanted=all, MUSIC; Piano Versus Piano, May 9, 2004, The New York Times, February 4, 2015, Artur Schnabel complained once that “Steinway refused to let me use their pianos [i.e., Steinway pianos owned by Steinway] unless I would give up playing the Bechstein piano – which I had used for so many years – in Europe. They insisted that I play on Steinway exclusively, everywhere in the world, otherwise they would not give me their pianos in the United States. That is the reason why from 1923 until 1930 I did not return to America. ... [in] 1933, Steinway changed their attitude and agreed to let me use their pianos in the United States, even if I continued elsewhere to play the Bechstein piano ... Thus, from 1933 on, I went every year to America.“BOOK, Artur, Schnabel, My Life and Music, Dover Publications and Colin Smythe, 1988, 0-486-25571-9, 84 and 111, In 1972, Steinway responded to Garrick Ohlsson’s statement that Bösendorfer was “the Rolls-Royce of pianos” by trucking away the Steinway-owned grand piano that Ohlsson was about to give a recital on at Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Ohlsson ended up performing on a Bösendorfer piano borrowed at the eleventh hour, and Steinway would not let him borrow Steinway-owned pianos for some time. Ohlsson has since made peace with Steinway. Angela Hewitt was removed from the Steinway Artist roster around 2002 after she purchased and performed on a Fazioli piano. After the Canadian pianist Louis Lortie was removed from the Steinway Artist roster in 2003,BOOK, Brendan, Ward, The Beethoven Obsession, 24: Revealing the piano’s full set of teeth, University of New South Wales Press, 2013, 978-1-74223-395-6, he complained in a newspaper article that Steinway is trying to establish a monopoly on the concert world by becoming “the Microsoft of pianos”. A Steinway spokesman said, in response to Lortie’s decision to perform a concert on a Fazioli piano, that Steinway does not want anyone on the Steinway Artist roster who does not want to play the Steinway exclusively.According to musicologist Stuart de Ocampo, “That Steinway aggressively sought out and paid (in various forms) for artist endorsements must be stressed in order to combat an idealistic notion that the greatest flocked to Steinway simply because it was the best.” More generally, Stuart de Ocampo endorses the view of Donald W. Fostle, who wrote in a company history of Steinway that “the genius of Steinways ... ultimately lay in their ability to persuade millions of persons across decades and continents that in this realm of supreme subjectivity, individual variation, incertitude, and ever-changing conditions, there was an absolute best. The assertion, repeated often enough, took on the coloration of fact”, but Stuart de Ocampo concludes that “Innovations in piano construction carved out a unique sound for the Steinway pianos in the mid-nineteenth century. Medals at fairs and international exhibitions were the basis of Steinway & Sons’ early reputation.“JOURNAL, de Ocampo, Stuart, Review: The Steinway Saga: An American Dynasty by Donald W. Fostle; Steinway & Sons by Richard K. Lieberman, American Music, 1997, 15, 3, 409, Paying for pianists’ endorsements back then was not specific to Steinway. As there were financial incentives for testimonials, several famous pianists had no qualms about endorsing more than one piano brand. Franz Liszt endorsed Steinway, Bösendorfer, Chickering, Erard, Ibach, Mason & Risch, and Steck at the same time.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 42, Today, no pianist is paid by Steinway, and when Steinway Artists loan pianos from Steinway for a concert or recording session the artists do have to pay Steinway for preparing, tuning, and delivering of the piano. According to management academic David Liebeskind, the Steinway Artist program “... is one of the only pure product endorsements programs, as no artist is paid to play on or endorse a Steinway piano.“The Steinway Artist program has been copied by other piano companies,BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 294–295,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/294, but Steinway’s program is unique in that a pianist must promise to play pianos of the Steinway brand only. The Steinway Artist designation restricts a pianist’s use of pianos by other makers and implies an obligation to perform on Steinway pianos.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 133,All-Steinway Schools
(File:All-Steinway School - Logo.jpg|thumb|Logo of All-Steinway Schools)The All-Steinway School designation is given by Steinway to educational institutions of music in which not less than 90 percent of the pianos are designed by Steinway.BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Spring 2013, Brookside Press LLC, 2013, 978-1-929145-36-2, 90,archive.org/details/acousticdigitalp0000fine/page/90, Steinway does not offer the pianos free of charge but requires that the institutions buy them. Performance venues, teaching studios, and practice rooms for piano students must be equipped with Steinway pianos. Teaching studios and practice rooms for other students may be equipped with Boston or Essex pianos; some All-Steinway Schools have chosen to have Steinway pianos in these rooms also. It is required that the pianos are kept in performance-quality condition and All-Steinway Schools must have piano technicians that participate in Steinway’s technical training programs. If the pianos are not maintained in performance-quality condition, Steinway can withdraw the All-Steinway School designation.BOOK, Larry, Fine, Larry Fine (pianos), Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer – Spring 2013, Brookside Press LLC, 2013, 978-1-929145-36-2, 91,archive.org/details/acousticdigitalp0000fine/page/91, The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio holds the longest partnership with Steinway. They have used Steinway pianos exclusively since 1877, 24 years after Steinway was founded.WEB,www.oberlin.edu/con/connews/fall99/steinway.html, Oberlin and Steinway: A 122-Year Partnership, Fall 1999, Oberlin Conservatory News, February 1, 2015, In 2007, they obtained their 200th Steinway piano, a model D-274 manufactured at Steinway’s factory in Hamburg, Germany.NEWS,new.oberlin.edu/home/news-media/press/detail.dot?id=155439, A Major Gift to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music Supports the Purchase of the Renowned School’s 200th Steinway Piano, Oberlin College, March 21, 2007, January 12, 2016, Other examples of All-Steinway Schools are the Yale School of Music at Yale University in Connecticut,NEWS,www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/03/western_michigan_university_be_1.html, Western Michigan University becomes first All-Steinway Music School in Michigan, Yvonne, Zipp, MLive, Kalamazoo Gazette, March 26, 2013, January 12, 2016, the Curtis Institute of Music in Pennsylvania,WEB,www.curtis.edu/giving/planned-giving/musical-instruments, Musical Instruments, Curtis Institute of Music, January 12, 2016,www.curtis.edu/giving/planned-giving/musical-instruments/," title="web.archive.org/web/20151211083558www.curtis.edu/giving/planned-giving/musical-instruments/,">web.archive.org/web/20151211083558www.curtis.edu/giving/planned-giving/musical-instruments/, December 11, 2015, dead, Royal Holloway, University of London,NEWS,www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/university-of-wolverhampton-given-all-steinway-school-status/015676, University of Wolverhampton given All-Steinway School status, Adam, Savage, Musical Instrument Professional, August 11, 2011, January 12, 2016, August 7, 2016,www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/university-of-wolverhampton-given-all-steinway-school-status/015676," title="web.archive.org/web/20160807000040www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/university-of-wolverhampton-given-all-steinway-school-status/015676,">web.archive.org/web/20160807000040www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/read/university-of-wolverhampton-given-all-steinway-school-status/015676, dead, the University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA and MCM in Australia,NEWS,wmot.org/post/mtsu-school-music-s-all-steinway-status-gets-attention-10th-year, MTSU School of Music’s ‘All-Steinway’ Status Gets Attention in 10th Year, WMOT, January 12, 2016, and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.In 2007, the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York, was added to the All-Steinway School roster, receiving 141 pianos in one $3.8 million order.NEWS,sbpress.com/2008/07/sbu-art-dept-aims-to-step-in-line-way-with-steinway, SBU Art Dept. Aims To Step In-Line-Way With Steinway, Frank, Loiacono, The Stony Brook Press, July 20, 2008, January 12, 2016, In 2009, the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music in Ohio became designated an All-Steinway School, based on a $4.1 million order of 165 new pianos, one of the largest orders Steinway has ever processed.NEWS,www.cbsnews.com/news/a-grand-plan-for-pianos, A Grand Plan for Pianos, Martha, Teichner, CBS, September 20, 2009, January 12, 2016, {{As of|2024|df=US}}, there are approximately 200 All-Steinway Schools around the world.WEB,www.southalabama.edu/colleges/music/steinwayinitiative.html, South’s All-Steinway Initiative, University of South Alabama, April 23, 2024,Piano competitions
Several international piano competitions use Steinway pianos. Since the Cleveland International Piano Competition chose to use only Steinway pianos in 1999, Steinway has been selected exclusively by such competitions as the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah, the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig, Germany, the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Belgium, the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy, and the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 190,Awards
File:Sudden Mania to Become Pianists created upon hearing Steinway’s Piano at the Paris Exposition.jpg|thumb|“Sudden Mania to become Pianists created upon hearing Steinway’s Pianos at the Paris Exposition.“This lithograph by Amédée de Noé conveys the popularity of the Steinway piano, the musicality of which had just been demonstrated by pianist Désiré Magnus at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris. ((Harper’s Weekly]], August 10, 1867, reporting on the world exposition).BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6, 53,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb/page/53, )The Steinway company and its leaders have won numerous awards, including:- In 1839, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg exhibited three pianos at the state trade exhibition in Braunschweig, Germany, and was awarded a gold medal.JOURNAL, Cynthia Adams, Hoover, The Steinways and Their Pianos in the Nineteenth Century, Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, 7, Shreveport, Louisiana, American Musical Instrument Society, 1981, 0362-3300, 51,
- In 1855, Steinway attended the Metropolitan Mechanics Institute fair in Washington, D.C. and won 1st prize.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 100,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/100, BOOK, Donald W., Fostle, The Steinway Saga: An American Dynasty, New York, Scribner, 1995, 978-0-684-19318-2, 55,
- In 1855, Steinway exhibited at the American Institute Fair in the New York Crystal Palace in what is now Bryant Park in New York City. Steinway won a gold medal. A reporter wrote the following about Steinway: “Their square pianos are characterized by the great power of tone, depth and richness in the bass, a full mellowness in the middle register and brilliant purity in the treble, making a scale perfectly equal and singularly melodious throughout its entire range. In touch, they are all that could be desired.“BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 67–68,
- From 1855 to 1862, Steinway pianos received 35 medals in the United States alone, since which time Steinway entered their pianos at international exhibitions only.
- In 1862, for the International Exhibition in London, Steinway shipped two square pianos and two grand pianos to England (two to Liverpool and two to London) and won 1st prize.
- In 1867, Steinway won three awards at the International Exposition in Paris: the Grand Gold Medal of Honor, the Grand Annual Testimonial Medal, and honorary membership of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. These awards won in Europe increased the demand for Steinway pianos, thus the reason the family looked into opening a store in London. The International Exposition of 1867 established Steinway as the leading choice for pianos in Europe.
- In 1876, at the Centennial Exposition in the United States, Steinway received the two highest awards and a certificate of the judges showing a rating of 95.5 of a possible 96.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 108–109,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/108,
- In 1885, Steinway received the gold medal at the International Inventions Exhibition in London and the grand gold medal of the Royal Society of Arts in London.
- In 2007, the National Medal of Arts was awarded to Henry Z. Steinway and presented by US President George W. Bush in an East Room ceremony at the White House. Henry Z. Steinway received the award for “... his devotion to preserving and promoting quality craftsmanship and performance, as an arts patron and advocate for music and music education; and for continuing the fine tradition of the Steinway piano...“WEB,www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/about-the-foundation/national-humanities-medal, National Humanities Medal – Transcript from Award Ceremony, Monuments Men Foundation, February 12, 2015,
- In 2014, Steinway received the Red Dot product design award for the Arabesque limited edition grand piano. The jury wrote: “The design of the Arabesque impresses through elegance and individuality. It thus excellently complements the high-class product line of this renowned manufacturing house.“WEB,red-dot.de/pd/online-exhibition/work/?code=09-01514-2014&y=2014&c=170&a=0&lang=en, Arabesque Limited Edition by Dakota Jackson, Red Dot, February 2, 2015,
Patented inventions
{{multiple image| align = right| direction = vertical| header = Steinway’s patent No. 229,198 of June 22, 1880| image1 = Steinway Rim Patent.jpg| width1 = 218- Patent No. 26,532 (December 20, 1859):BOOK, Roy F., Kehl, David R., Kirkland, The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, United States, Amadeus Press, 2011, 978-1-57467-198-8, 133, The bass strings are “overstrung” above the treble strings to provide more length and better tonal quality.BOOK, Roland, Jackson, Performance Practice: A Dictionary-Guide for Musicians, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2005, 978-0-415-94139-6, 308, The invention won 1st prize medal at the 1862 International Exhibition in London.BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 102,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/102, Today, the invention is a standard feature of grand piano construction.AV MEDIA, November 7, 2011, The Piano Will Never Be the Same,www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRCn3dkO5D4,www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRCn3dkO5D4," title="web.archive.org/web/20131101232053www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRCn3dkO5D4,">web.archive.org/web/20131101232053www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRCn3dkO5D4, 2013-11-01, dead, July 8, 2016, Smithsonian Channel, official YouTube channel of Smithsonian Channel,
- Patent No. 126,848 (May 14, 1872): Steinway invented the duplex scale on the principle of enabling the freely oscillating parts of the string, directly in front of and behind the segment of the string actually struck, also to resound. The outcome is a large range and fullness of overtones – one of the characteristics of the Steinway sound.BOOK, Robert, Palmieri, The Piano: An Encyclopedia,archive.org/details/pianoencyclopedi00palm, limited, 2nd, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2003, 0-415-93796-5, 111,
- Patent No. 127,383 (May 28, 1872): In a Steinway piano, the cast iron plate rests on wooden dowels without actually touching the soundboard. It is lightly curved, creating a large hollow between the plate and the soundboard. This cavity acts as a reinforcement of the resonant properties.BOOK, Theodore E., Steinway, Theodore E. Steinway, People and Pianos: A Pictorial History of Steinway & Sons, 3rd, Pompton Plains, New Jersey, Amadeus Press, 2005, 978-1-57467-112-4, 68,archive.org/details/peoplepianospict00stei/page/68,
- Patent No. 156,388 (October 27, 1874): Steinway claims the invention of the middle piano pedal. The sostenuto pedal gives the pianist an ability to create what is called an organ pedal point by keeping a specific note’s damper, or notes’ dampers, in their open position(s), allowing those strings to continue to sound while other notes can be played without continuing to resonate. The sostenuto pedal was previously perfected, with a patent application, by M. Waldo Hanchett of Syracuse, New York. However, Steinway succeeded in patenting the device, despite Hanchett’s five-months-old application. WEB, The Invention of the Sostenuto Pedal,www.researchgate.net/publication/320188655, 25 July 2023,
- Patent No. 170,645 (November 30, 1875): Steinway’s Regulation Action Pilot, also known as Capstan Screw, lifts the parts that drive the hammer toward the string. The Steinway device was easily adjustable, but more importantly allowed the action to be quickly separated from the keys, an advance that greatly simplified servicing the piano. BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron (journalist), Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7, 105,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr/page/105,
- Patent No. 233,710 (October 26, 1880):BOOK, Roy F., Kehl, David R., Kirkland, The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, United States, Amadeus Press, 2011, 978-1-57467-198-8, 135, BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 199, The bridge transmits the vibration of the strings to the soundboard. In a Steinway piano, the bridge consists of vertically glued laminations in a quartersawn orientation. With this continuity of grain, the sound traverses the bridge along its entire length, a principle that ensures that vibrations are easily developed and forwarded.BOOK, Miles, Chapin, 88 keys: The making of a Steinway piano, New York, Potter, 1997, 978-0-517-70356-4, 60,archive.org/details/88keysmakingofst00chap/page/60,
- Patent No. 314,742 (March 31, 1885): The rims of Hamburg-made Steinways are made of layers of hard rock maple and mahogany; the New York-made rims use layers of hard rock maple only. The layers are glued and pressed together into one piece in one operation.BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 80 and 85,
- Patent No. 2,051,633 (August 18, 1936):BOOK, Roy F., Kehl, David R., Kirkland, The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, United States, Amadeus Press, 2011, 978-1-57467-198-8, 136, The soundboard resembles a membrane. The special molding, gradually tapering from the center to the edge, provides great flexibility and freer vibration across the board.BOOK, Dominic, Gill, The Book of the Piano, Phaidon Press, 1981, 978-0-7148-2036-1, 37,
- Patent No. 3,091,149 (May 28, 1963):BOOK, Roy F., Kehl, David R., Kirkland, The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, United States, Amadeus Press, 2011, 978-1-57467-198-8, 137, BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9, 200, A pinblock designed to keep the piano in tune longer. Seven layers of hard maple are glued together, each successive layer at a 45° angle to the one before it.
Acquisitions{| class“wikitable sortable”
Music
Steinway pianos have appeared in numerous records and concerts. A few examples include:{{Gallery
|File:Paderewski - Steinway grand piano.ogg|Ignacy Jan Paderewski performing on a SteinwayAV MEDIA NOTES, Paderewski plays Chopin, 1, CD booklet, Pearl, Steinway grand., grand piano waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64, No. 2, composed by Frédéric Chopin. (Studio recording from 1917).
|File:Rachmaninoff - Chopin Waltz E flat major - Steinway grand piano.ogg|Sergei Rachmaninoff performing on a SteinwayAV MEDIA NOTES, Sergej Rachmaninov Piano Recital, CD booklet, Piano: Steinway & Sons Grand Piano., grand piano waltz in E flat major, Op. 18, composed by Frédéric Chopin. (Studio recording from 1921).
|File:2009.05.12 Poetry Jam at the White House - Lin-Manuel Miranda - Alex Lacamoire - Steinway grand piano.ogg|The White House’s SteinwayWEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/lin-manuel-miranda-performs-white-house-poetry-jam-8-8?category=93, Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: 8 of 8, May 12, 2009, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, December 5, 2017, AV MEDIA, May 12, 2009, Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: (8 of 8),www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE,ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/WNFf7nMIGnE, 2021-11-18, live, July 8, 2016, The White House, official YouTube channel of the White House, {{cbignore}} art case grand piano from 1938. Lin-Manuel Miranda (rapping) and Alex Lacamoire (piano) performing “The Hamilton Mixtape”, composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word. (Concert recording from 2009).
|File:When the Saints Go Marching In - Harry Connick Jr. playing Steinway grand piano.ogg|Harry Connick Jr. and his band performing “When the Saints Go Marching In”. Harry Connick Jr. plays on a SteinwayWEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/harry-connick-jr-white-house?category=93, Harry Connick, Jr. at the White House, February 21, 2010, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, February 15, 2015, AV MEDIA, February 21, 2010, Harry Connick, Jr. at the White House,www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNfWTd-pTE,ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/pJNfWTd-pTE, 2021-11-18, live, July 8, 2016, 15:35, The White House, official YouTube channel of the White House, {{cbignore}} grand piano. (Concert recording from 2010).Problems listening to these files? See (Pseudopedia:Media help>media help).}}
|File:Rachmaninoff - Chopin Waltz E flat major - Steinway grand piano.ogg|Sergei Rachmaninoff performing on a SteinwayAV MEDIA NOTES, Sergej Rachmaninov Piano Recital, CD booklet, Piano: Steinway & Sons Grand Piano., grand piano waltz in E flat major, Op. 18, composed by Frédéric Chopin. (Studio recording from 1921).
|File:2009.05.12 Poetry Jam at the White House - Lin-Manuel Miranda - Alex Lacamoire - Steinway grand piano.ogg|The White House’s SteinwayWEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/lin-manuel-miranda-performs-white-house-poetry-jam-8-8?category=93, Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: 8 of 8, May 12, 2009, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, December 5, 2017, AV MEDIA, May 12, 2009, Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: (8 of 8),www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE,ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/WNFf7nMIGnE, 2021-11-18, live, July 8, 2016, The White House, official YouTube channel of the White House, {{cbignore}} art case grand piano from 1938. Lin-Manuel Miranda (rapping) and Alex Lacamoire (piano) performing “The Hamilton Mixtape”, composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word. (Concert recording from 2009).
|File:When the Saints Go Marching In - Harry Connick Jr. playing Steinway grand piano.ogg|Harry Connick Jr. and his band performing “When the Saints Go Marching In”. Harry Connick Jr. plays on a SteinwayWEB,obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/harry-connick-jr-white-house?category=93, Harry Connick, Jr. at the White House, February 21, 2010, NARA, National Archives, whitehouse.gov, February 15, 2015, AV MEDIA, February 21, 2010, Harry Connick, Jr. at the White House,www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNfWTd-pTE,ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/pJNfWTd-pTE, 2021-11-18, live, July 8, 2016, 15:35, The White House, official YouTube channel of the White House, {{cbignore}} grand piano. (Concert recording from 2010).
See also
- (Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037)
- Pianomania
References
{{Reflist|25em}}Further reading
- BOOK, James, Barron, James Barron, Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand, New York, Holt, 2006, 978-0-8050-7878-7,archive.org/details/pianomakingofste00barr,
- BOOK, Miles, Chapin, 88 keys: The making of a Steinway piano, New York, Potter, 1997, 978-0-517-70356-4,archive.org/details/88keysmakingofst00chap,
- BOOK, Donald W., Fostle, The Steinway Saga: An American Dynasty, New York, Scribner, 1995, 978-0-684-19318-2,
- BOOK, Susan, Goldenberg, Steinway: From glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano, Oakville, Ontario, Mosaic Press, 1996, 978-0-88962-607-2,
- JOURNAL, Cynthia Adams, Hoover, The Steinways and Their Pianos in the Nineteenth Century, Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, 7, Shreveport, Louisiana, American Musical Instrument Society, 1981, 0362-3300, 47–89,
- BOOK, Roy F., Kehl, David R., Kirkland, The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos, Montclair, New Jersey, Amadeus Press, 2011, 978-1-57467-198-8,
- BOOK, Richard K., Lieberman, Steinway & Sons, New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 1995, 978-0-300-06364-6,archive.org/details/steinwaysons00lieb,
- BOOK, Max, Matthias, Steinway Service Manual: Guide to the care and maintenance of a Steinway, 3rd, Bergkirchen, Germany, PPV-Medien/Bochinsky, 2006, 978-3-923639-15-1,
- BOOK, Ronald V., Ratcliffe, Steinway, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2002, 978-0-8118-3389-9,
- BOOK, Theodore E., Steinway, Theodore E. Steinway, People and Pianos: A Pictorial History of Steinway & Sons, 3rd, Pompton Plains, New Jersey, Amadeus Press, 2005, 978-1-57467-112-4,archive.org/details/peoplepianospict00stei,
External links
{{Sister project links |wikt=Steinway |commons=Category:Steinway & Sons |b=no |n=no |q=no |s=Special:Search/Steinway |v=no |voy=no |species=no |d=Q156391}}Company websites Articles- Article about Steinway & Sons in The Brander
- Series of nine articles following the production of a Steinway grand piano in The New York Times
- {{PM20|FID=co/043602|TEXT=Documents and clippings about|NAME=}} {{in lang|de}}
- Steinway & Sons Collection {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622182617www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/COLLECTIONS.aspx?ViwType=1&ColID=4 |date=June 22, 2020 }} in the La Guardia and Wagner Archives
- Steinway grand piano from 1868 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- William Steinway’s diary, family tree of the Steinway family, photos, and more in the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution
- Steinway & Sons collection, 1853-1997 from the Watson Library Special Collections, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
- Steinway Bros. Oral History collection at Oral History of American Music
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