| Revision as of 08:23, 12 October 2005 editShawnc (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers12,115 edits npov← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:42, 12 October 2005 edit undoShawnc (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers12,115 edits tone; sloganNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| '''Steinway & Sons''' is a ] maker based in ] and ], ]. Steinway pianos are |
'''Steinway & Sons''' is a ] maker based in ] and ], ]. Steinway pianos are among the most famous pianos in the world and are frequently used by professional pianists. | ||
| The firm was founded in ] in Seesen, ], by ], who emigrated to America in 1851 and changed his surname to Steinway. By the 1860s they were the leading piano manufacturer in America. The innovations introduced by Steinway, including the ] frame and overstringing, have become a model for other piano manufacturers worldwide. | The firm was founded in ] in Seesen, ], by ], who emigrated to America in 1851 and changed his surname to Steinway. By the 1860s they were the leading piano manufacturer in America. The innovations introduced by Steinway, including the ] frame and overstringing, have become a model for other piano manufacturers worldwide. | ||
| In 1866, Henry Steinway built Steinway Hall on 14th Street in ]. It housed the company's offices and showrooms on the first floor, and a large auditorium on the second floor, which became a center of culture and music. | In 1866, Henry Steinway built Steinway Hall on 14th Street in ]. It housed the company's offices and showrooms on the first floor, and a large auditorium on the second floor, which became a center of culture and music. In 1880, son William established a company town, Steinway, in Queens County, New York, which later became part of ], to build piano factories and worker housing. | ||
| ⚫ | Their success is reflected by their presence on concert stages around the world. Steinway was for a time nearly the exclusive provider of high-end pianos. Their production now has been outnumbered by ] and ], with each brand having its loyalists. At the top of their success in the 1920s they sold more than 6,000 pianos a year. Steinway's long established reputation and hand-crafting, particularly for those produced in Hamburg, set them apart from others. | ||
| In 1880, son William established a company town, Steinway, in Queens County, New York, which later became part of ], to build piano factories and worker housing. | |||
| ⚫ | Their success is reflected by their presence on |
||
| After long-time financial woes, the firm was sold to ] in ]. CBS sold Steinway to Steinway Musical Properties Inc., which finally sold it to Selmer in ]. Only one member of the Steinway family still works for Steinway. | After long-time financial woes, the firm was sold to ] in ]. CBS sold Steinway to Steinway Musical Properties Inc., which finally sold it to Selmer in ]. Only one member of the Steinway family still works for Steinway. | ||
| Line 16: | Line 14: | ||
| Covered in the Harvard Business School case 9-500-028. | Covered in the Harvard Business School case 9-500-028. | ||
| == Official Website == | |||
| == External Links == | == External Links == | ||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | * | ||
| == Trivia == | == Trivia == | ||
| * "''The Instrument of the Immortals''" is an advertising slogan for Steinway pianos. It is attributed to Raymond Rubicam who used the phrase in 1919. | |||
| The '']'', set in a distant future, mention the Steinway as being one of the mythical music instruments, along with ] violins. | * The '']'', set in a distant future, mention the Steinway as being one of the mythical music instruments, along with ] violins. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 08:42, 12 October 2005
Steinway & Sons is a piano maker based in New York City and Hamburg, Germany. Steinway pianos are among the most famous pianos in the world and are frequently used by professional pianists.
The firm was founded in 1839 in Seesen, Germany, by Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, who emigrated to America in 1851 and changed his surname to Steinway. By the 1860s they were the leading piano manufacturer in America. The innovations introduced by Steinway, including the cast iron frame and overstringing, have become a model for other piano manufacturers worldwide.
In 1866, Henry Steinway built Steinway Hall on 14th Street in New York City. It housed the company's offices and showrooms on the first floor, and a large auditorium on the second floor, which became a center of culture and music. In 1880, son William established a company town, Steinway, in Queens County, New York, which later became part of Astoria, Queens, New York, to build piano factories and worker housing.
Their success is reflected by their presence on concert stages around the world. Steinway was for a time nearly the exclusive provider of high-end pianos. Their production now has been outnumbered by Yamaha and Kawai, with each brand having its loyalists. At the top of their success in the 1920s they sold more than 6,000 pianos a year. Steinway's long established reputation and hand-crafting, particularly for those produced in Hamburg, set them apart from others.
After long-time financial woes, the firm was sold to CBS in 1972. CBS sold Steinway to Steinway Musical Properties Inc., which finally sold it to Selmer in 1995. Only one member of the Steinway family still works for Steinway.
Most pianists have a preference for either Hamburg-built Steinways or New York Steinways. While the differences are preferential and not qualitative, each has its loyalists. Influential artists such as the late Vladimir Horowitz insisted on the New York Steinway, with its clearer and more penetrating timbre, whereas others, including Marc-André Hamelin, Alfred Brendel and Arcadi Volodos, prefer the Hamburg Steinway for its more mellow, rich, warm tone. The differences in tone are determined by the quality of the construction, as well as piano's hammer manufacture (the New York Steinway uses considerably softer felt hammers (using a Texas-Australian composite) than their Hamburg counterparts). Despite the insistence by the Steinway management that there is no difference between the two, there are substantial differences in the manufacturing process, and the in skill level of the labor, resulting in dramatic differences between them.
Covered in the Harvard Business School case 9-500-028.
External Links
- Official website
- Steinway & Sons Collection at the La Guardia and Wagner Archives in New York
- Steinway in the pianoforte - photoarchive
Trivia
- "The Instrument of the Immortals" is an advertising slogan for Steinway pianos. It is attributed to Raymond Rubicam who used the phrase in 1919.
- The Hyperion Cantos, set in a distant future, mention the Steinway as being one of the mythical music instruments, along with Stradivarius violins.