Steinway Pianos
Considered by many to be the best pianos in the world. Many of the top pianists perform on these great pianos.
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.
Steinway was founded in 1853 in New York City by Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, who emigrated to America in 1851 and anglicised his name to Henry E. Steinway. By the 1860s they were the leading piano manufacturer in America. The innovations introduced by Steinway, including the cast ironframe 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 community, Steinway, in Queens County, New York, to build piano factories and provide worker housing. It later became part of Long Island City, Astoria, Queens, New York.
Steinway’s long established reputation and hand-crafting set them apart from others and 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. Production was greatest in the 1920s when they sold more than 6,000 pianos a year. Their total production now has been outnumbered by Yamaha and Kawai, though the Japanese manufacturers have catered more towards the mid-range piano market. At its peak, Yamaha manufactured more pianos in a year that Steinway had in its history.
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. The new combined company was renamed Steinway Musical Instruments, though Steinway’s management has remained the same. Henry Ziegler Steinway, the great-grandson of the founder, still works for Steinway.
Today
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 and Van Cliburn insisted on the New York Steinway, with its mellower timbre and powerful bass, whereas others, including Marc-André Hamelin, Mikhail Pletnev, Krystian Zimerman, Alfred Brendel and Arcadi Volodos, prefer the Hamburg Steinway for its brighter treble and sweeter tone. Each is designed to be most appropriate for the venues in its home continent.
Today, more than 98 percent of the world’s active concert pianists — over 1,300 artists — bear the title “Steinway Artist,” which means that they all choose to perform on Steinway pianos exclusively. None of the artists is paid to do so, but each owns a Steinway.
Steinway is the exclusive piano at some of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions, such as the Gina Bachauer Competition and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Brands
Other than “Steinway and Sons,” Steinway carries a few other brands all marketed by Steinway.
Boston: Steinway’s Boston brand is targeted for the traditional general piano markets, the same as the Steinway brand, but at lower prices. Boston pianos are designed by Steinway using Steinway patents, but manufactured by Kawai in Hamamatsu, Japan. As of 2006, the Boston model line offers five sizes of grands and four uprights, with the usual finish variations. Boston grands feature a fatter or boxier tail end design resulting in a larger sound board area than conventionally shaped pianos of comparable sizes, which Boston claims to produce richer sound resonance, equivalent to 4 to 5 inch longer pianos of other brands.
Essex is Steinway’s 21st century’s first line of pianos. Steinway Essex features geometrically carved cabinetry that evokes the art-deco period, while showcasing 21st century technology and celebrated Steinway design. Using state-of-the-art acoustical-engineering software, designers shaped the soundboard and distributed braces and ribs for superior touch and sound. Article by Wikipedia.