A Short History of Steinway Pianos - By: Andrew Davies

Steinway Pianos was founded in 1853 by a German immigrant master cabinetmaker called Henry Engelhard Steinway, in Manhattan, New York. Henry was a skilled craftsman who had already built his first piano when living in Seesen, Germany. Prior to establishing Steinway & Sons, Henry had already built 482 pianos. Therefore, it seemed the most natural name for the first piano created through Steinway & Sons to be called 483. During the time, this piano cost $500 and can currently be seen at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
For the next 40 years since the company's inception, Henry and his son's, Charles, William, C.F. Theodore, Albert and Henry Junior, continued to develop not only the company but also the mechanisms found inside the piano. It was during these 40 or so years, up until the turn of the century in 1900, that many of the 114 patented inventions were designed, invented and developed. Many of which are still used today.

Due to Henry's perfectionist craftsmanship, Steinway Pianos almost immediately started receiving awards for their designs and workmanship. Just 2 years after forming the company, Steinway Pianos were awarded numerous gold medals at European and American exhibitions. The ultimate award came 14 years later in 1867, when the company was awarded the prestigious Grand Gold Medal of Honour for excellence and engineering at the Paris Exhibition. Never before had an American company received this award and as a result, Steinway pianos became the pianist's choice not only for Royalty but also prominent pianists.

The prominence of leadership from C.F. Theodore and William helped to ensure that Steinway Pianos remained the most sought after pianos following the death of Henry Steinway in 1871. C.F. Theodore was involved with all technical engineering aspects of the piano responsible for 41 patents including one for the concert grand in 1875. His success in this field is sometimes considered to being an accomplished and highly proficient pianist. William concentrated on the name and business and helped establish showrooms globally and a Hamburg factory in 1880 known as the Steinway-Haus. By 1891, Steinway had moved to its current location in Queens, New York, to an area commonly known as Steinway Village. Previously, Steinway was based on 14th Street which became the home of the New York Philharmonic until they moved to the Carnegie Hall.

Today, approximately 5,000 pianos are crafted by Steinway & Sons globally. That equates to almost 14 per day for every day of the year. The company boasts over 1300 prominent recording artists and ensembles who carry the prestigious 'Steinway Artist', however, it is important to note that no artist or ensemble is paid to promote, endorse or play a Steinway Piano. It is solely a choice. Each Steinway Artist owns a Steinway Piano and has chosen to perform on a Steinway Piano including Alfred Brendel, Billy Joel, Diana Kraal, Radu Lupu. When purchasing a Steinway Piano, pianos are selected from the unique "Piano Bank" which contains over 300 types of pianos. The total inventory cost of the 300 types is $15 million.

About the Author

Andrew writes articles about head lice remedies and using piano learning software for those interested in learning piano online.

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