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====Second World War====
====Second World War====
{{Unreferencedsection}}
[[Image:Archivesnormandie39-45 P000461.jpg|thumb|left|Soldiers of the [[U.S.]] armed forces playing the Steinway vertical piano named ''Victory Vertical'', [[Normandy]] ([[1944]])]]
[[Image:Archivesnormandie39-45 P000461.jpg|thumb|left|Soldiers of the [[U.S.]] armed forces playing the Steinway vertical piano named ''Victory Vertical'', [[Normandy]] ([[1944]])]]
During WWII the Steinway factory in New York received orders from the Allied Armies to build wooden gliders to convey troops behind enemy lines. Few normal pianos could be made, but one particularly special model was built, the Victory Vertical. It was a small olive green piano with matching stool, designed to be launched from an airplane with a parachute, in order to bring music to the [[GI (military)|GI]]s. The factory in Hamburg, Germany, being American-owned, made very few pianos during WWII. No more than a hundred pianos per year left the factory. In the later years of the war the company was ordered to give away all the prepared and dried wood from the lumber yard for war production. In an air raid over Hamburg the factory was hit by several Allied bombs and was nearly destroyed.
During WWII the Steinway factory in New York received orders from the Allied Armies to build wooden gliders to convey troops behind enemy lines. Few normal pianos could be made, but one particularly special model was built, the Victory Vertical. It was a small olive green piano with matching stool, designed to be launched from an airplane with a parachute, in order to bring music to the [[GI (military)|GI]]s.<ref>[http://www.economy-point.org/s/steinway.html "Steinway"], ''Economy-point.org''. Accessed [[April 12]], [[2009]].</ref> The factory in Hamburg, Germany, being American-owned, made very few pianos during WWII. No more than a hundred pianos per year left the factory. In the later years of the war the company was ordered to give away all the prepared and dried wood from the lumber yard for war production. In an air raid over Hamburg the factory was hit by several Allied bombs and was nearly destroyed.


====After The War====
====After The War====

Revision as of 22:19, 11 April 2009

Steinway & Sons
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1853
FounderHenry E. Steinway (born Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg) (1797-1871)
HeadquartersNew York City, USA and Hamburg, Germany
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Dana D. Messina
CEO (since 1996)
Thomas Kurrer
President Worldwide (since 2008)
Kyle R. Kirkland
Chairman of the Board (since 1996)
ProductsGrand pianos and upright pianos
Number of employees
More than 2,300 (2008)
SubsidiariesConn-Selmer
Websitewww.steinway.com www.steinway.de www.steinwaymusical.com

Steinway & Sons (pronounced IPA: [ˈstaɪnweɪ ænd sʌnz]) (often called Steinway (pronounced IPA: [ˈstaɪnweɪ])) is a world-known American and German manufacturer of handmade[1] pianos, founded in 1853 in New York City, United States. Steinway's second factory was established in 1880, in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Both Steinway factories have undergone great updates and renovations, and are still making Steinway pianos today.

Founded by the Steinweg family of German piano manufacturers, which arrived in the United States from Germany in 1850, the company grew quickly after its founding in 1853. It was forced to move to new premises within a year, and occupied its own factory by the early 1860s. In 1880, a Steinway Village was founded as its own town in what is now Astoria, providing a new factory with its own foundries, post office, parks, and housing for employees. Its early successes have been credited both to the high quality of its instruments as well as to brilliant marketing, including its showrooms and the Steinway Halls. Steinway Street, one of the major streets in the Astoria and Long Island City neighborhoods of Queens, is named after the company.

The company has, since its founding in 1853, worked to improve the construction of pianos, and today has more than 125 registered patents, more than any other piano company.[2][failed verification]

The company is currently known as one of the world's premier manufacturers of high-quality pianos.[3][4] The founder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg's dedication was: To make the finest pianos in the world. His three basic principles were "Build to a standard, not a price", "Make no compromise in quality" and "Strive always to improve the instrument". Today the company still follows these principles.[5]

After merging with the Selmer Company in 1995, its current affiliates include the Boston and Essex lines of pianos. The Selmer Company (today named Conn-Selmer) is a subsidiary of Steinway.

History

Immigration

Steinway family members (1890)

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (1797-1871), piano maker of the Steinweg brand, emigrated with his family from Germany to America in 1850.[6] One son, Christian Friedrich Theodor Steinweg, remained in Germany, and continued making the Steinweg brand of pianos. In 1853, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg founded Steinway & Sons. His first workshop was in a small loft at the back of 85 Varick Street in Manhattan, New York City.[7] The first piano produced by Steinway & Sons was given the number 483 (Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg had built 482 pianos before founding Steinway & Sons). It was sold to a New York family for $500, and is now displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[8] Only a year later demand was such that the company was forced to move to larger premises at 82-88 Walker Street. It was not until 1864 that the family anglicized their name to "Steinway".[9]

Steinway Factory

Steinway's factory in New York City, United States (1876)

By the 1860s Steinway had built a new factory and lumber yard. Now 350 men worked at Steinway and production increased from 500 to 1800 pianos in a year. Steinway pianos 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 science of acoustics.[10] Almost half of the company's 125 patented inventions were developed by the first and second generations of the Steinway family. Soon Steinway's pianos won several important prizes at exhibitions in New York City, Paris and London.[11]

Steinway Hall

Crowd of spectators buying tickets for a Charles Dickens reading at a Steinway Hall in Boston, Massachusetts, United States (1867)

Steinway Hall is the name of a building housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway pianos. In 1864, the son of Henry E. Steinway, William Steinway, who is credited with establishing Steinway's remarkable success in marketing, built a set of elegant new showrooms housing over 100 pianos on East 14th Street in New York City. Two years later he oversaw the construction of Steinway Hall to the rear of the showrooms. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866. It seated over 2,000 and quickly became an important part of New York's cultural life, housing the New York Philharmonic for the next 25 years, until Carnegie Hall opened in 1891.[12] Concertgoers had to pass first through the piano showrooms, which had a remarkable effect on sales, increasing demand for new pianos by four hundred in 1867 alone.[13] The Steinway factory was then located on 4th Avenue (now Park Ave.) and East 55th Street in Manhattan. Today Steinway Halls are located in New York City, London, Hamburg, Tokyo and Shanghai. Other than the Steinway Halls, the company has Steinway Houses, Homes of Steinway, Steinway Galleries, Steinway Rooms and Steinway Salons. These buildings are like the Steinway Halls but smaller.

New Steinway Factories

In 1880, William Steinway established a professional community, Steinway Village, in the Astoria section of Queens County, New York. The Steinway Village was built as its own town, which included a new factory (still used today) with its own foundries, post office, parks and housing for employees. Steinway Village later became part of Long Island City. To reach European customers who wanted Steinway brand pianos and to avoid high European taxes, William Steinway and Theodore Steinway established a new piano factory in the free German city of Hamburg in 1880.[14] Also in 1880, the "Steinway-Haus" was established in Hamburg. Then, in 1909, another Steinway-Haus opened in Berlin. In the 1900s Steinway had established itself in major cultural centers: New York City, London, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg.

New century

Steinway art case piano No. 128343, built at Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany (1908)
Steinway-Welte Upright No. 194722, built at Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany (1919)

By 1900, both Steinway factories produced more than 3,500 pianos a year, finding their place in many concert halls, schools, and private homes across the world. In 1857 Steinway began to produce a line of highly lucrative art case pianos, designed by well-known artists, which became popular among the rich and famous. These pianos today sell for vast sums of money in auctions around the world. In 1903 the 100,000th Steinway grand piano was given as a gift to the White House. This was replaced in 1938 by the 300,000th, which remains in the White House to this day.[15] Later Steinway diversified into the manufacture of reproducing pianos. Several systems such as the Welte-Mignon, Duo-Art, and American Piano Company (Ampico) were incorporated. During the 1920s Steinway had been selling up to 6,000 pianos a year. In 1929, Steinway made a double-keyboard grand piano - they made only one. It has 164 keys, four pedals and two keyboards. (In 2005, Steinway refurbished this double-keyboard grand piano).[16] After 1929 piano production went down, and during the Great Depression Steinway produced just over 1,000 pianos a year. In the years between 1935 and WWII, demand rose again.

Second World War

Soldiers of the U.S. armed forces playing the Steinway vertical piano named Victory Vertical, Normandy (1944)

During WWII the Steinway factory in New York received orders from the Allied Armies to build wooden gliders to convey troops behind enemy lines. Few normal pianos could be made, but one particularly special model was built, the Victory Vertical. It was a small olive green piano with matching stool, designed to be launched from an airplane with a parachute, in order to bring music to the GIs.[17] The factory in Hamburg, Germany, being American-owned, made very few pianos during WWII. No more than a hundred pianos per year left the factory. In the later years of the war the company was ordered to give away all the prepared and dried wood from the lumber yard for war production. In an air raid over Hamburg the factory was hit by several Allied bombs and was nearly destroyed.

After The War

A modern Steinway-decal

Steinway completed restoration of the Hamburg factory with some help from the Marshall Plan. Eventually, the post-war cultural revival boosted the demand for entertainment, and Steinway increased piano production at both New York and Hamburg factories from 2,000 in 1947, to 4,000 pianos a year by the 1960s. During the years of the Cold War, Steinway remained one of the very few products of the Free world purchased by the Soviet Union, and Steinway pianos were found at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow Conservatory, St. Petersburg Conservatory, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, among other schools and symphony orchestras in the USSR.

In 1973, Steinway found itself in the corridors of power when then-British Prime Minister Edward Heath bought one with the £450 he had won in the Charlemagne Prize for leading Britain into the European Economic Community and put the Steinway piano in 10 Downing Street.

Transformations

In 1972, after long-running financial struggle, legal issues with the Grotrian-Steinweg brand, which were eventually finalized, and a lack of interest regarding the business among some of the Steinway family, the firm was sold to CBS. In 1985, CBS sold Steinway, along with Rodgers (classical organs) and Gemeinhardt (flutes and piccolos) to a group of investors, Steinway Musical Properties, Inc.[18]

Steinway piano No. 500.000 (1988)

In 1987 Steinway made their 500,000th piano, making a milestone in the history of musical instruments. The piano was built by the Steinway factory in New York with some participation from the Steinway factory in Hamburg. The 500,000th Steinway was designed by artist Wendell Castle and was named "The grand of the artists".[citation needed] All the 800-plus Steinway Artists signed the piano with their names, including Vladimir Horowitz and Sir Elton John.[19] It is still on its concert tour around the world.

In 1995 Steinway Musical Properties, parent company of Steinway, merged with the Selmer Company, and formed Steinway Musical Instruments, which acquired the flute manufacturer Emerson in 1997, then piano keyboard maker Kluge in 1998, and the Steinway Hall in 1999.[20] The new combined company made more acquisitions in the following years. Since 1996 Steinway Musical Instruments is traded at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the name LVB (Ludwig van Beethoven).

In the 1990s, Steinway became a member of The Luxury Marketing Council. Steinway is the only piano manufacturer which is a member of The Luxury Marketing Council.[21] This council is for the world's most luxurious brands only. Membership is only by invitation.[22]

New Millennium

Steinway Artist Lang Lang playing a Steinway grand piano at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in 2008

By the year 2000, Steinway had made its 550,000th piano. The company updated and expanded production of its two other brands, Boston and Essex pianos, in addition to the flagship Steinway & Sons. More Steinway Halls, Steinway Houses, Homes of Steinway, Steinway Galleries and Steinway Salons opened across the world, mainly in Japan, Korea and China.

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 had put his signature on custom-made limited edition pianos. In 2003 Steinway celebrated their 150th anniversary at Carnegie Hall, Henry Z. Steinway represented the family.[23]

In April 2005, the Steinway factory in Hamburg celebrated their 125th anniversary. Steinway employees together with so-called Steinway Artists, dealers and friends from around the world celebrated at the Laeiszhalle (former Music Hall Hamburg). There was a big anniversary concert, which culminated in a showcase performance by Steinway Artist Lang Lang. As part of the celebration, the 125th anniversary limited edition Steinway Art-Case piano by renowned designer Count Albrecht von Goertz was presented to the public. The 125th anniversary of the Steinway factory in Hamburg was marked by a large-scale festival of music, held on April 17, 2005.

Today

Steinway concert grand piano model D-274 at the inauguration ceremony for US President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009

Pianos

Steinway produces the following models of grand pianos and upright pianos:[24]

Steinway's factory in New York City, United States, produces six models of grand piano and three models of upright piano.[25]

  • grand pianos: S-155, M-170, O-180, A-188, B-211, D-274
  • upright pianos: Sheraton Model P/45 Sketch 4510, Professional Model P/45 Sketch 1098, Professional Model K-52

Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany, produces seven models of grand piano and two models of upright piano.[26]

  • grand pianos: S-155, M-170, O-180, A-188, B-211, C-227, D-274
  • upright pianos: V-125, K-132

Brands

Other than the "Steinway & Sons" brand Steinway markets two budget brands: Boston and Essex. These pianos are made using lower-cost components and labor. These pianos are designed by Steinway but manufactured at other piano factories.

A Boston grand piano
  • Boston: Made for the general piano market at lower prices than Steinway's name brand. Boston pianos are manufactured at the Kawai factory in Hamamatsu, Japan - the same city in which rival maker Yamaha still maintains its global headquarters. Approximately 5,000 Boston pianos are built every year. There are five Boston grands and four Boston uprights available in a variety of finishes. Boston grands feature a wider tail design (a feature of the Steinway models A, B, C and D) resulting in a larger soundboard area than conventionally shaped pianos of comparable sizes.
  • Essex: Cheaper than Steinway and Boston pianos, grand piano models EGP-161 and 183 are made in Korea at the Young Chang factory, models EGP-155 and 173 are currently made at the Pearl River factory in China.

New York & Hamburg

Adam Makowicz with a Steinway concert grand piano model D-274 (Hamburg, 2006)

Many of the great pianists of the past (called "Immortals" by Steinway) and many active concert pianists today have expressed a preference for either the Steinway pianos produced at the New York factory or the Steinway pianos produced at the Hamburg factory. Vladimir Horowitz played a New York model D; Arthur Rubinstein preferred the Hamburg model D. Sergei Rachmaninoff owned two New York models in his Beverly Hills home and one New York model D in his New York home; however, he chose a Hamburg model D for his new Villa Senar in Switzerland.[citation needed] The difference between the New York and Hamburg Steinway pianos is less noticeable today, although some objective differences are well known,[27] for example: the New York models have a black satin finish and square or Sheraton corners; Hamburg models have a high gloss polyester finish and rounded corners.[27]

At present, 2,500 Steinway pianos are built in New York every year, and 1,500 are built in Hamburg. The market is loosely divided into two sales areas: the New York Steinway factory supplies North and South America, and the Hamburg Steinway factory supplies the rest of the world. At all main Steinway showrooms across the world, pianos can be ordered from both factories. The New York and Hamburg factories exchange parts and craftsmanship in order to "make no compromise in quality", in the words of Steinway's founder Henry E. Steinway.[28] Steinway 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. Steinway has acquired some of its suppliers in order to maintain high quality: The German manufacturer Kluge in Wuppertal, which supplies the keyboards, was bought in December 1998; in November 1999, it purchased the company which supplies its cast-iron plates, O.S. Kelly Co. in Springfield.[29]

Art-Case

Steinway Artist Duke Ellington and US President Richard Nixon in front of a Steinway Art-Case piano owned by the White House (1969)

Designers such as Dakota Jackson, Karl Lagerfeld, Count Albrecht von Goertz and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema have created original designs for limited edition Steinway pianos. In 2006, Steinway introduced a reproduction of the first piano of its "Legendary Collection", the Art-Case Alma-Tadema Re-Creation, the original of which was sold at auction in New York City in 1997 for a record $1.2 million,[30] and which is now in the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.[31][32] A second reproduction of the "Legendary Collection" is soon to be made, an exact copy of the piano No. 100,000 (model D), the first Steinway piano in the White House.[citation needed]

Steinway's "Crown Jewel Collection" is a serie of pianos veneered in woods such as Amber Wood (The Malachite), Burl Walnut (The Jasper), Kewazinga Bubinga (The Opal), Macassar Ebony (The Ruby) and Pommelé Mahogany (The Topaz).[33]

Steinway Artists

Steinway Artist Sergei Rachmaninoff

In contrast to other makers, who presented their pianos to pianists, William Steinway engaged the great Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein to play an American concert tour in 1872, with 215 concerts in 239 days.[34] It was a triumph for both Rubinstein and Steinway. Later Ignacy Jan Paderewski played 107 concerts in the time of 117 days, travelling through America with his own railroad car and a Steinway concert grand piano. The Steinway Artists program was born.

Steinway Artist Lang Lang playing a Steinway concert grand piano (2008)

According to Steinway, 98 % of the world's piano soloists chose to play publicly on a Steinway piano during the 2007-2008 North American concert season,[35] and 99 % during the 2002-2003 worldwide concert season.[36] The majority of the world's concert halls have one or more Steinway concert grand pianos model D, some have model Ds from both the New York factory and the Hamburg factory to satisfy a greater range of performing artists.[citation needed] Today over 1,500[37] concert artists and ensembles bear the title "Steinway Artist", which means that they have chosen to perform on Steinway pianos exclusively and each owns a Steinway.[38] While none are paid to do so,[39] the company provides pianos for artists' use at concerts.[40] Steinway Artists come from every genre: From classical pianists, to jazz stars, to pop icons, to "immortals". A few examples on Steinway Artists are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Billy Joel, Evgeny Kissin, Diana Krall, Lang Lang, Maurizio Pollini, Roger Williams;[41] and a few examples on "immortals" are Benjamin Britten, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Vladimir Horowitz, Franz Liszt, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff.[42] Well known piano competitions such as the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition[43] and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition[44] are sponsored by Steinway and use Steinway instruments exclusively.[45] Also music festivals like Montreal Jazz Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival use Steinway instruments exclusively.[46] In 2009, Steinway developed a new program for young artists, "Young Steinway Artists". The title of Young Steinway Artist gives talented young pianists between the ages of 16 to 35 years the opportunity of being affiliated with the Steinway Artist family and access to the worldwide resources of Steinway and its network of dealers.[47]

Steinway Artist Randy Newman playing a Steinway concert grand piano at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2008)

The Steinway Artists program has not been without opponents and controversy. Steinway expects "Steinway Artists" to perform the majority of their concerts on Steinway instruments, but accepts deviations.[48][49] 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 elswhere to play the Bechstein. Thus from 1933 on, I went every year to America.".[50] In 1972, Steinway responded to Garrick Ohlsson's statement that Bösendorfer was "the Rolls-Royce of pianos" by trucking away the Steinway owned concert grand piano Ohlsson was about to play in a recital 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 instruments for some time. Ohlsson has since made peace with Steinway.[51] Angela Hewitt was removed from the Steinway Artist roster in 2002 after she purchased and performed on a Fazioli piano.[51] The Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has complained that Steinway is trying to establish a monopoly on the concert world by becoming "the Microsoft of pianos".[51] Mr. Goodrich, of Steinway, says that Steinway naturally does not want anyone on the Steinway Artist roster who does not want to play the Steinway.[51]

Steinway concert piano banks

A Steinway Hall with concert piano bank, 57th Street, New York City (2008)

Steinway was the first piano company in the world to establish a concert piano bank,[citation needed] which is a collection of Steinway concert grand pianos chosen for their superior performance qualities.[52] The first was opened in New York City in 1866, and eventually reproduced at major cultural centers throughout the world.[53][failed verification] The idea was to provide a consistent pool of concert grand pianos of highest quality for top touring artists performances. Steinway took responsibility for preparing, tuning and delivering the piano of the artist's choice to the designated hall or recording studio. Concert piano banks are now established at several Steinway Halls and other Steinway owned buildings in such cultural centers around the world as New York City, London, Los Angeles, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Lausanne, and Vienna, as well as in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Beijing. The pianos for a concert piano bank are selected by the manufacturer's experts and are kept in special rooms with controlled humidity and temperature. Performing artists choose a piano for use at a certain venue after trying each piano at the concert piano bank. This allows a range of pianos with various sound qualities to be available for artists to choose from.[54]

The Steinway concert piano bank in Los Angeles provides Steinway pianos to a wide range of performing artists, from Hollywood stars and touring guest performers, to film composers, songwriters and ensembles, as well as to film and music schools in California. Steinway has a concert piano bank in Los Angeles to provide pianos for use in live performances as well as for studio recordings and other venues related to Hollywood and the entertainment industry in Los Angeles.

All-Steinway Schools

The Juilliard School, an All-Steinway School (New York City, 2008)
Yale University, an All-Steinway School (New Haven, Connecticut, 2006)

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, holds the longest partnership with Steinway.[55] They have used Steinway pianos exclusively since 1877, just 24 years after Steinway was founded. In 2007, they obtained their 200th Steinway piano. Other notable All-Steinway Schools are Union College in Schenectady, New York, The Juilliard School in New York City and the Yale School of Music in New Haven, Connecticut. In 2007, the Crane School of Music, located at the State University of New York at Potsdam, was added to the All-Steinway Schools roster, receiving 141 pianos in one $3.8 million order, one of the largest orders Steinway has ever processed. The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Ohio also will be designated an All-Steinway School, based on a $4.1 million order of 165 new pianos. The pianos will be delivered between December 2008 and June 2009.[56] There are about 100 conservatories, universities, colleges and schools across the world in which students perform and are taught on pianos from Steinway only.[57]

Steinway Societies

A Steinway Society is a local, non-profit society that aims at developing the musical knowledge and talents of disadvantaged youth; providing an opportunity for young piano students to work toward a higher level; encouraging performance experience, audition preparation, and scholarship assistance for further study in classical and jazz piano; and providing talented students with a "loaner piano" and tuition for piano lessons through the establishment of Steinway Piano Galleries. All money raised through memberships, donations, and fundraisers is used to provide scholarships and pianos to young pianists. Steinway Societies also sponsor events such as concerts, recitals, workshops and master classes.

Steinway Societies are for the present in the United States and Canada only, including Florida, New Orleans, Pennsylvania, Texas and Toronto. There are 20 Steinway Societies.[58]

The Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Piano

File:Steinway Virtual Piano.jpg
A screenshot of The Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Piano

The Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Piano from the company Garritan, is a sample-based software instrument developed in collaboration with Steinway.[59] The Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Piano recreates the sound of the Steinway concert grand piano. The software comes in three versions: Professional, Standard and Basic. The Professional version is the Steinway concert grand piano from five different listening perspectives: that of the player from the piano bench; a classical recording; an under-the-lid; a stage; and a close audience perspective. The Standard version gives the under lid and classic perspectives. The Basic version is, according to Garritan, ideal for students, amateur musicians, and educators, and is a light version that gives a single perspective.[59]

The recording of the Steinway concert grand piano chosen for the sample set was made in Troy Music Hall in Rensselaer County, New York, United States.

Gary Green, Vice President Business Development and Customer Satisfaction at Steinway, says that "This was a very important project for Steinway & Sons ... We have long recognized the need for a Steinway sampled sound set that would best reflect the complex architectures of the Steinway sound. We also understand the importance of quality samples and their use by amateur music enthusiasts, as well as prominent producers, composers, recording studios and other venues."[59]

The audio systems "Steinway Lyngdorf"

Steinway Lyngdorf Model D, head unit

Steinway and the Danish professional audio system company Lyngdorf have closely worked together to develop the "perfect audio system". The partnership has resulted in music systems and home theater sound systems. In 2007 the first music system was created: "Steinway Lyngdorf Model D" with the price US$150,000.[60]

They sought to reproduce the sound of a Steinway grand piano so precisely that pianists can not tell whether they are listening to a real piano or a recording. The exterior was inspired by the look of Steinway grand pianos.[61]

Steinway Lyngdorf Model D, head unit

I have always dreamed of developing the ultimate music system, which sets the standard in the audio industry. With the Steinway Lyngdorf Model D, we have created a unique music system because we have been rethinking everything - from the design to the systems smallest component.[62]

— Peter Lyngdorf

Steinway Lyngdorf is the world's first system with digital audio fully integrated.[63] The system include an advanced version of Lyngdorf's "RoomPerfect", which, the company claims, enables it to adapt to the acoustic characteristics of any listening environment.[63] The systems are composed of expensive materials, including large quantities of gold, brass and aluminum.[64] Each loudspeaker weighs 174 kg.[62] The systems are handmade and it takes more than 170 hours to assemble a system.[62]

Frank Mazurco, Executive Vice President at Steinway, says that the systems are "... truly worthy of the Steinway name and will deliver an extraordinary experience.".[65]

ArkivMusic.com

On May 19, 2008 Steinway announced the acquisition of ArkivMusic, LLC, an online retailer which operates ArkivMusic.com. This website is devoted to sales of classical music on the Internet, direct to the consumer. Service delivery of physical media (CDs, DVDs, SACDs and DVD-Audios) is fulfilled from 20 distribution centers. There are currently more than 90,000 titles from over 1,500 labels in the ArkivMusic database.[66] ArkivMusic will continue to operate as an independent contributor, but will consolidate its financial result with other Steinway businesses.

The world's largest solar-powered rooftop system

On January 24, 2009 Steinway installed the world's largest[67] solar-powered rooftop system, at a cost of $875,000, to dehumidify the factory and protect the pianos.[68] It will function as a beta site for the tri-state area.

The system pumps solar-heated water into an 80-ton double-effect absorption chiller that serves as a heat exchanger. The chiller removes the superheated water and leaves cool air for dehumidifying. Lower humidity in the factory provides a more stable environment, with no moisture to threaten the construction of the pianos. In winter, the system will convert water to steam to heat the factory.

"Steinway has always been an innovative and progressive company; it's part of the company's culture," says Andrew Horbachevsky, Steinway's Vice President of Manufacturing, "Our objective is to continue to challenge the status quo, whether in piano performance and quality, product offerings or factory operational efficiency. Using renewable energy sources reflects this same sensibility.".[69]

Steinway pianos

File:Steinway-logo 4.jpg
Steinway's logo

Each Steinway grand piano consists of 12,000 specific parts assembled by 450 people.[70] It takes one full year to build a Steinway piano.[71] Steinway builds yearly around 3,000 grand pianos and 600 vertical pianos. The following is a description of Steinway’s pianos:

The case

A Steinway concert grand piano on stage

A piano's outside cabinetry is known as the case, and it is often the piano's most striking feature. A case adds beauty, strength and support. The most important part of the case is the rim, which, in Steinway pianos, is made of multiple laminations of hard rock maple. Strong beams in the bottom of the grand piano or in the backs of the vertical piano provide additional support.

The patented process used to make the rim was invented by Steinway in 1878; as it did then, this process today yields a rim of strength and tonal quality.

For braces and posts, Steinway pianos use spruce, a wood known for its tensile strength.

The plate

Cast-iron plates of Steinway concert grand pianos model D-274

Inside the piano, a cast-iron plate provides the strength to support the string tension. The plate is often called the "backbone" of the piano; and indeed, it must be exceptionally strong in order to withstand over 20 tons of string tension. The iron plate is installed in the case above the soundboard and is painted gold, polished and decorated with the Steinway logo. In grand pianos, the iron plate, soundboard and strings are horizontal, while in vertical pianos, these three components are upright.

Steinway fabricates plates in its own foundry to exacting standards using a sand-casting method.

The soundboard

The soundboard is below the strings and the gold painted cast-iron plate

The soundboard converts the vibration of the piano string into audible tones. Steinway crafts the soundboard from high-quality solid spruce, which allows the soundboard to transmit and amplify sound better than lesser woods.

The soundboard has a curved crown to provide the proper pressure against the string for maximum sound projection. Ribs are placed on the underside of the soundboard in order to maintain the crown, distribute tone along the soundboard and provide strength.

Steinway soundboards are made of the highest-grade close-grained, quarter-sawn Sitka spruce from British Columbia and Alaska. This wood is chosen for its acoustic qualities and is hand-selected to be free from defects. Individual pieces of spruce are matched to produce soundboards of uniform color and tonal quality.

The soundboards found in Steinway pianos are double-crowned and feature Steinway's Diaphragmatic design. The Diaphragmatic Soundboard, patented by Steinway in 1936, features a soundboard that tapers in thickness from the center to the edges. This design permits freedom of movement and creates a richer, more lasting tonal response.

Bridges

Bridges are glued to the top side of the soundboard to transmit vibrations from the strings to the soundboard.

Steinway bridges are made of vertically-laminated hard rock maple with a solid maple cap. They are bent to a specifically-defined contour to assure optimum sound transmission. The bridge is a specific height for each piano and is hand-notched for precise string bearing. The bridges are then glued and doweled into the ribs to ensure the structural integrity of the entire soundboard.

Strings

A Steinway grand piano has between 230 and 264 strings – between one and three strings for each of the 88 notes. Steinway uses three strings for tenor and treble sections and uses single and double strings for the bass. The bass strings are "overstrung" above the treble strings to provide more length and better tonal quality. On December 20, 1859, Patent No. 26,532 was granted to Steinway's founder, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, for the Overstrung Plate.

Treble strings are made of steel, and bass strings are made of copper-wound steel. The strings are all uniformly spaced with one end coiled around the tuning pins, which in turn are inserted in a laminated wooden block called the pin-block or wrestplank.

The tuning pins keep the strings taut and are held in place by friction. When aligned properly, the hammers will strike only the strings for the note intended.

The strings found on a Steinway piano are made of tensile Swedish steel. The bass string are wound with pure copper, and the tuning pins are steel with rust resistant nickel-plating.

Steinway also employs front and rear duplex scales. Steinway's relationship with Hermann von Helmholtz (the first physicist to study string vibrations) led to the development and Steinway patent in 1872 of front and back aliquots, allowing the traditionally dead sections of strings to vibrate with other strings for a richer tone and longer sustain.

The wrestplank/pin-block

The wrestplank is a multi-laminated block of wood into which the tuning pins are inserted. The wrestplank in Steinway pianos is made of hard rock maple, and the tuning pins are force-fitted into the pin-block to maintain the piano strings under extreme tension. The quality of the wrestplank is important in keeping the piano in tune.

The Steinway Hexigrip Wrestplank/pin-block, patented in 1963, is made from seven thick, quarter-sawn maple planks.

Keys and action

The keyboard of a Steinway grand piano

There are 88 keys on a Steinway piano – 52 white keys and 36 black (the chromatic notes) – spanning seven and one-third octaves. Steinway's keys are made of Bavarian spruce with a polymer surface. The polymer key surfaces are more durable, do not yellow over time and are easier to replace than their ivory predecessors.

Each of the keys transmits its movement to a small, felt-covered wooden hammer which strikes one, two or three strings when the note is played. The hammers are evenly aligned and have the ability to reset quickly and repeat any note rapidly.

Dampers are felt-covered action parts that, when placed against the strings, dampen the vibration. The damper pedal raises all of the dampers, which allows sound to continue even after the key is released.

The quarter-sawn maple action parts are mounted on a Steinway Metallic Action Frame, which consists of seamless brass tubes with rosette-shaped contours, force fitted with maple dowels and brass hangers to ensure the stability of the regulation.

In 1936, Steinway designed Accelerated Action in response to demands for a quicker responding action.

Pedals

The three solid brass pedals of a Steinway grand piano

Steinway grand pianos have three pedals. The rightmost pedal is called the damper pedal (or sustaining pedal) and acts to sustain tone. The left pedal is called the una corda pedal or "soft" pedal. When it is pressed, the keyboard action shifts slightly to the side, causing the hammers to strike the strings differently, thus softening the note. The middle, or sostenuto, pedal sustains a single note or group of notes without sustaining subsequent notes played.

All Steinway vertical pianos feature fully-functional una corda and damper pedals made of solid brass. The vertical pianos built at Steinway's factory in New York City, United States, also have fully-functional sostenuto pedals.

Steinway licence products

Like other luxury brands[72] Steinway has so-called licence products. These products are not produced by Steinway, but made under licence.

Steinway Swiss watches by Fabrizio Cavalca

Steinway watch model C "Seconde Métronomique"

Pianist, designer and watchmaker, Fabrizio Cavalca has launched a line of Steinway Swiss watches. The watches are inspired by the look of Steinway grand pianos.[73]

Steinway watch model D with 140 diamonds

On the models D and M Steinway's logo can be seen on the to right hand corner of the watch dial. The seconds hand is skilled to resemble a tuning fork. The watch dial features a grand piano soundboard shape for the 18ct solid yellow gold, white gold or red gold with 12 hand attached strings on the dial. In the diamond version, instead of strings, the soundboard is decorated with 140 individually set diamonds. The strap is made of alligator or pure silk.

One of the watch models (named "Seconde Métronomique") has a one-second metronome on the dial. The one-second metronome is developed by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht who won the award for "Best Watchmaker" in the 2007 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. The "Seconde Métronomique" is a limited edition of 300 timepieces: 100 in solid yellow gold, 100 in solid white gold, and 100 in solid red gold.[74]

Steinway Fountain Pen by Conway Stewart

The Steinway Fountain Pen by Conway Stewart is hand crafted in England and is a specially styled edition based on Conway Stewart's Churchill Series. The Steinway Fountain Pen is made in classic black only, engraved with individually hallmarked 18ct solid gold nibs and bands.[75] The pen features the Steinway logo engraved on the cap and the Steinway logo and name engraved on the side. The engravings are made of individually hallmarked 18ct solid gold. The pen uses a lever fill ink mechanism. The nibs come in five sizes.

The Steinway Fountain Pen was produced in 2006 in a limited edition of 500 pieces. They have a 100 year guarantee.[76]

Hearing aid - The Verve Steinway Edition by Phonak

The hearing aids, named The Verve Steinway Edition by the Swiss hearing technology group Phonak, are extremely small and are available in high gloss piano black or high gloss piano white and carry the Steinway logo and name.

The Verve Steinway Edition is the world's first hearing aid with so-called "SmartVoice", which delivers status information in a clear, natural voice to the wearer.[77] In addition, the "Self Learning" feature automatically adjusts the audiological performance of the hearing aid according to the user's preference. The digital "SurroundZoom" suppresses background noises, resulting in clearer sound. "SoundCleaning" scans the environment to identify and remove disturbing components.

Phonak CEO, Valentin Chapero Rueda, says "Phonak and Steinway & Sons perfectly complement each other in their desire to enable natural hearing experiences of the highest quality.".[78]

Steinway's price records

  • The world's most expensive grand piano was custom-built by the Steinway factory in Hamburg, Germany, in 2008 for €1.2 million.[79]
  • The world's most expensive grand piano sold at auction was built by the Steinway factory in New York City in 1887; it sold for $1.2 million in 1997.[80]
  • The world's most expensive upright piano sold at auction was built by the Steinway factory in Hamburg in 1970. The piano was previously owned by John Lennon, who composed and recorded "Imagine" and other songs on this piano. It was bought at auction by pop musician George Michael for £1.67 million in 2000.[81] The piano can be seen in the 1971 film footage that features Lennon performing "Imagine" for his wife Yoko Ono at his home in England.[82]

The documentary film "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037"

Main article: Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037

"Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037" is an independent documentary film, that follows the construction of a Steinway concert grand piano over a year, from the search for wood in Alaska to a display at Manhattan's Steinway Hall. The documentary film received its U.S. theatrical premiere at New York's Film Forum in November 2007.

The pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Kenny Barron, Bill Charlap, Harry Connick, Jr., Hélène Grimaud, Hank Jones, Lang Lang and Marcus Roberts, are seen testing and talking about Steinway pianos. The Steinway founder's great-grandson, Henry Z. Steinway, talks about the company's history.

Critics gave the documentary mostly positive reviews. As of February 15, 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93 % of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 14 reviews.[83] The documentary has won 7 awards.[84]

Music

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Pictures

References

  1. ^ "Workmanship", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed March 26, 2009.
  2. ^ "Steinway Patents", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 22, 2009.
  3. ^ Article by "New York University - Leonard N. Stern School of Business", adjunct professor David Liebeskind.
  4. ^ Examples: http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/product-management/6766202-1.html http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-122663198.html http://www.qgazette.com/News/2000/0830/Feature_Stories.html http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM06/Content/Garritan/PR/Steinway-Library.html http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS119164+08-Sep-2008+BW20080908 http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=197906 http://hometheater.about.com/od/ontheroadatcedia/ig/CEDIA-EXPO-2008---The-Best/CEDIA-2008---Steinway-Lyngdorf.-5Qo.htm http://www.ameinfo.com/175977.html http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=prnw.20081222.NE53431&show_article=1
  5. ^ "The World's Finest Pianos", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 22, 2009.
  6. ^ Lieberman: Steinway & Sons. pp. 14-15.
  7. ^ Goldenberg: Steinway. p. 20.
  8. ^ Steinway History, Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 15, 2007.
  9. ^ Lieberman: Steinway & Sons. p. 17.
  10. ^ Steinway patents and Steinway patents acquired from 1850 to 1874
  11. ^ Steinway website for United Kingdom, Accessed September 3, 2008
  12. ^ Lieberman: Steinway & Sons. p. 48.
  13. ^ Lieberman: Steinway & Sons. p. 51.
  14. ^ "Steinway History", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007.
  15. ^ "A Piano is Born, Needing Practice", The New York Times, April 2 2004. Accessed March 23 2008.
  16. ^ "Let’s Play Two: Singular Piano", The New York Times Website.
  17. ^ "Steinway", Economy-point.org. Accessed April 12, 2009.
  18. ^ "CBS Steinway Sale", The New York Times, September 14 1985. Accessed June 1 2007.
  19. ^ Lyra - 150 years Steinway & Sons, p. 15.
  20. ^ "About the company", Steinway Musical Instruments Website. Accessed January 31, 2009.
  21. ^ Members, The Luxury Marketing Council Official Website
  22. ^ "About The Luxury Marketing Council WorldWide", The Luxury Marketing Council Official Website
  23. ^ "Fanfare for the Uncommon Piano", The New York Times, June 6 2003. Accessed March 23 2008.
  24. ^ "Steinway Pianos", Steinway & Sons Official Website (New York), 2009. "Steinway Pianos", Steinway & Sons Official Website (Hamburg), 2009. Accessed January 14 2009.
  25. ^ "Steinway Catalogue", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2008. Accessed October 6 2008.
  26. ^ "Grand pianos", Steinway & Sons Official German Website, 2008. Accessed October 6 2008. "Upright pianos", Steinway & Sons Official German Website, 2008. Accessed October 6 2008.
  27. ^ a b "Steinways with German Accents", The New York Times, August 27 2003. Accessed March 23 2008.
  28. ^ "World's Finest Pianos", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 1 2007.
  29. ^ "About Us", Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc., 2007. Accessed June 2 2007.
  30. ^ See Steinway's price records.
  31. ^ "Alma-Tadema Re-Creation", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 1 2007.
  32. ^ Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Sir Edward John Poynter, Steinway & Sons. "Pianoforte and Pair of Stools", The Clark, 2007.
  33. ^ "The Crown Jewel Collection", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 1 2007.
  34. ^ Lieberman: Steinway & Sons. pp. 56-58.
  35. ^ Poster, Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed February 21 2009.
  36. ^ A Steinway poster and the magazine LYRA 1/04, p. 12.
  37. ^ "The Artists", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009, Accessed March 13, 2009.
  38. ^ "The Artists' Choice", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 17 2009.
  39. ^ "The Artists' Choice", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2008. Accessed June 26 2008.
  40. ^ "Merriam Pianos Blog", Merriam Music Store Website
  41. ^ "The Artists", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 14 2009.
  42. ^ "Immortals Roster", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 14 2009.
  43. ^ "Our Sponsors", The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation, 2007. Accessed June 1 2007.
  44. ^ "Partners", Van Cliburn Foundation, 2007. Accessed June 1 2007.
  45. ^ "Piano Competitions which Use Steinway Pianos Exclusively", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed March 5, 2009.
  46. ^ "Music Festivals which Use Steinway Pianos", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 14 2009.
  47. ^ "Young Steinway Artists", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed March 12, 2009.
  48. ^ For example: Steinway Artist Katia Labèque and Steinway Artist Marielle Labèque played a concert in the city named Randers, Denmark, the grand pianos they played were not Steinway grand pianos. November 3 2002 - The concert hall "Vaerket", 6 Mariagervej, Randers C DK-8900, Denmark, http://www.vaerket.dk, info@vaerket.dk
  49. ^ For example: Ms. Tal recorded works by Schubert on another brand than Steinway before she joined Steinway's ensemble roster with her duo partner, Andreas Groethuysen, in 1997, and she still performs on other brands than Steinway periodically.
  50. ^ "Maestro Music Pianos", Maestro Music Pianos Website, 2009. Accessed January 13, 2009
  51. ^ a b c d "Piano Versus Piano", The New York Times, May 9 2004. Accessed March 23 2008.
  52. ^ "The Concert Piano Bank", Steinway Hall New York Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 24, 2009.
  53. ^ "Steinway History", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 24, 2009.
  54. ^ "The Concert Piano Bank", Steinway Piano Gallery Tucson AZ Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 24, 2009.
  55. ^ “Oberlin and Steinway: A 122-Year Partnership”, Oberlin Conservatory News, 1999. Accessed June 1 2007.
  56. ^ "CCM News" College-Conservatory of Music Website
  57. ^ “All-Steinway Schools”, Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed January 13 2009.
  58. ^ "Steinway Societies", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed April 11 2009.
  59. ^ a b c "Garritan releases Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand Piano - Professional Edition", KVR Audio Plugin Resources Website. Accessed January 22, 2009.
  60. ^ "$150,000 Steinway Lyngdorf Model-D Music System", E-CelebNews.
  61. ^ Steinway Lyngdorf Official Website.
  62. ^ a b c "Here is the audio systems for millionaires", fpn.dk - a Danish website.
  63. ^ a b Article about Steinway Lungdorf, AME Info FZ LLC Website.
  64. ^ "Steinway Pianos and Cooperation Steinway Lyngdorf", Luxe.TV at YouTube.com.
  65. ^ "Steinway & Sons and Peter Lyngdorf...", Steinway & Sons Official Website.
  66. ^ "About ArkivMusic". Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  67. ^ "Steinway installs world's largest solar cooling system", EnergyCurrent News for the Business of Energy Website
  68. ^ "Steinway Solar Cooling System Is Largest In The World", Solar Industry Website
  69. ^ "Steinway Installs World's Largest Solar Cooling System", Steinway & Sons Official Website
  70. ^ "Note By Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (2007)", The New York Times Website, 2007. Accessed March 27, 2009.
  71. ^ "Steinway pianos", Steinway & Sons Official Website, 2009. Accessed March 27, 2009.
  72. ^ Example: Bugatti - a manufacturer of automobiles
  73. ^ "Steinway & Sons Luxury Swiss Watches", Steinway & Sons Luxury Swiss Watches Website, about Fabrizio Cavalca
  74. ^ "Steinway & Sons Luxury Swiss Watches", Steinway & Sons Luxury Swiss Watches Website, about Model C "Seconde Métronomique"
  75. ^ "Conway Stewart Steinway", The Fountain Pen Network Website.
  76. ^ "Steinway Fountain Pen by Conway Stewart", Pianki Website.
  77. ^ "Extraordinary Hearing", Audiology Online. Accessed February 23, 2009.
  78. ^ Steinway Magazine, Winter 2006/2007, p. 64.
  79. ^ "Steinway & Sons unveils most expensive piano", TopNews Website, 2009. Accessed January 13 2009
  80. ^ "Alma-Tadema", Steinway & Sons Website, 2009. Accessed January 13 2009
  81. ^ "BBC News", BBC Website, 2009. Accessed January 13 2009
  82. ^ Antiques and the Arts Editorial Content, Antiques and the Arts Online. Accessed February 23, 2009
  83. ^ "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  84. ^ Official Website of "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037", press

Further reading

  • Susan Goldenberg: Steinway: from glory to controversy; the family, the business, the piano. Oakville, Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1996. ISBN 0-88962-607-3
  • Ronald V. Ratcliffe: Steinway. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1989. ISBN 0-87701-592-9. upd. edition, 2002. ISBN 0-8118-3389-5
  • Richard K. Lieberman: Steinway & Sons. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1995. ISBN 0-300-06364-4
  • Miles Chapin: 88 keys: the making of a Steinway piano. New York: Potter, 1997. ISBN 0-517-70356-4
  • Theodore E. Steinway: People and Pianos, A Century of Service to Music, Steinway & Sons, New York, 1853-1953. 1st edition. New York: Steinway, 1953. OCLC 685863
  • Theodore E. Steinway: People and Pianos: A Pictorial History of Steinway & Sons, 3rd edition. [S.l.]: Classical Music Today; Pompton Plains, N.J. : Amadeus Press, 2005. ISBN 1-57467-112-X , or ISBN 978-1-57467-112-4
  • James Barron, Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand. New York: Holt, 2006; reprint: Times Books, 2007. ISBN 0805078789 , or ISBN 978-0805078787
  • Arthur Loesser: Men, women, and pianos: a social history. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1990. Replication of the work published by Simon and Schuster, New York, 1954. ISBN 0-4862-6543-9
  • Cyril Ehrlich, The Piano: A History, revised edition. Oxford: Clarendon, 1990. ISBN 0-19-816171-9
  • Max Matthias, Steinway Service Manual - Guide to the care of a Steinway, 3rd edition. Bergkirchen: PPV-Medien/Bochinsky, 2006. ISBN 978-3-923639-15-1 (in English and German)
  • Larry Fine, The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano. Jamaica Plain, Mass.: Brookside Press, 2001
  • Larry Fine, 2007-2008 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book. Jamaica Plain, Mass.: Brookside Press, 2007. ISBN 1-929145-21-7 (see pages 13–14, 96-100, 184-187)
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