Steinway Pianos - The Piano Of Choice For Nine Out Of Ten Convert Artists, Pianists, Composers And Performers

The history of Steinway Pianos is long as they date back to 1853 when the first Steinway piano was sold for $500 to a New York family. Steinway and Sons was founded by Henry Engelhard Steinway in New York. Steinway was a German Immigrant who had spent his previous career as a master cabinet maker. He built his first piano in his kitchen in Germany. By the time Steinway sold his first piano he had already produced 482 pianos.

Steinway worked with his sons to develop the modern piano based upon the scientific research and acoustical theories around at the time. Steinway Pianos revolutionized the design of pianos and became synonymous with quality, style, excellence, looks and musical inspiration. Because of this Steinway & Sons began to receive national and international recognition. In 1855, only 2 years after the companies conception, Steinway pianos received gold medals at the US and European exhibitions. The Steinway pianos soon became the piano of choice for royalty and the great pianists of the world. This recognition and admiration has continued to this day.

As the company grew the need for a bigger manufacturing area also grew. This let to Steinway & Sons opening a factory and employee village in Astoria, Queens – where they are still located to this day. A second factory was also build in Hamburg, Germany in 1880. The Steinway pianos continued to experience great success which could be accredited to Steinway’s dedication to building “the best piano possible” by basing his business on three basic principles:

1. “Build to standard, not a price”
2. “Make no compromise in quality”
3. “Strive always to improve the instrument”

These strong principles combined with superior craftsmanship and some clever marketing has seen Steinway & Sons go from strength to strength in the piano industry. The Steinway pianos have also earned more than 125 registered patents which no other piano company has done.

In 1871 Henry Steinway died and his sons took over operation and continued the success of the Steinway pianos that their father had started.  They expanded into showrooms and retail so that more people had access to their beautifully hand crafted pianos.

Today 5000 Steinway pianos are crafter per annum worldwide and many prominent pianists are Steinway artists. When you choose a Steinway piano for your home you are choosing a piece of history as each piano is traditionally handcrafted and takes approximately one year to complete. It is no wonder that Steinway pianos are the piano of choice for nine out of ten convert artists, pianists, composers and performers.