#MUSIC SHELF OF A GRAND PIANO SERIAL#

He sold the estate to William for $127,500.ġ7) The Steinway Mansion was recently put up for sale for $3.5 million in 2011.ġ8) In 1871 Henry Englehard Steinway, founder of Steinway & Sons, died at 74 years of age.ġ9) In 1871, Steinway sold 2,553 pianos, and was making pianos at a rate of 1 piano per hour, or 10 pianos per day.Ģ0) William Steinway engaged the great Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein to play Steinway pianos during an American concert tour in 1872, with 215 concerts in 239 days. The Mansion overlooking Bowery Bay on Long Island Sound was owned by Benjamin T. for the Overstrung Plate, where by the longer bass strings were drawn over sections of other strings.ġ1) By 1859, Steinway's least expensive piano sold for $275.ġ2) In 1863, Henry Steinway became an American Citizen.ġ3) Steinway & Sons opened the first Steinway Hall on 14th Street in 1866, which had an auditorium of 2,000 seats.ġ4) 1867, William Steinway estimated that 90% of American Piano output was square pianos, 5% were uprights and 5% were grand pianos, he also characterized that grand sales were 'scarce as angels' visits.'ġ5) In 1867, Steinway became the first American manufacturer to receive the “Grand Gold Medal of Honor” at the Paris piano exhibition.ġ6) In 1871, William purchased the Steinway Mansion.

#MUSIC SHELF OF A GRAND PIANO SERIAL#

This piano, Serial #1225, is believed to be the first ever Steinway Art Case piano.ġ0) On December 20, 1859, Patent #26532 was granted to Henry Steinway Jr. By 1856, Steinway & Sons sales rose to 208 pianos for the year, from 74 just 2 years before in 1854.ĩ) In 1857, a piano was created with a lavishly carved case and legs. It is now displayed at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.ħ) By 1854, just a year after founding the company, Steinway & Sons was making 2 pianos a week, and sold 74 pianos for the year.Ĩ. 483, was sold to a New York family named Griswold for $500. Ģ) Heinrich would build 482 pianos over the next decade.ģ) Heinrich Engelhard Steinway and his family would emigrate to the United States in 1850.Ĥ) On March 5, 1853, Steinway & Sons was founded, setting up shop on Varrick Street on the West Side of Manhattan, manufacturing square grand pianos.ĥ) In 1853, the family decided to Americanize their name to “Steinway”Ħ) The company’s first piano, serial no. The piano is currently on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona of. Below you will find 166 facts about the men, women, artists, and craftsman who have played a role in making Steinway the world's finest piano.ġ) In 1836 Heinrich Englehard Steinway built his first piano in the kitchen of his home in Seesen, Germany which is commonly referred to as the “Kitchen” piano. will provide this service.166 Years, 166 Facts: Happy Birthday, Steinway! On Wednesday, Mamarks the 166th anniversary of Steinway & Sons, what better way to celebrate that with a little Liszt list. Turning the piano into a functional piece of furniture seems to be a far better solution than putting what is really a piece of art in the garbage. It seems a dreadful waste to throw these pianos out.

The turn of the century craftsmanship would be far too time consuming to be practical in our modern world. These kinds of pianos will likely never be available again. There are many beautiful upright pianos with rare veneers and ornate cases and legs. The result is shown in the picture below. I thought that her idea was an elegant solution to a problem that I encounter frequently. She was referred to me and explained her idea. The client came up with the idea to convert the piano into a desk. The family purchased another piano leaving the old upright piano to take up a corner of their living room. The problem was that the piano did not work well enough for the children to take lessons on. This piano was cherished by the family, and had been moved from place to place as the family moved. She had a piano which had been in her family from the time her parents were children. Recently one of my clients faced this dilemma. The piano could be turned into a desk, a computer station, a stand for keyboards hooked into a midi system, etc.

The cost to restore the piano to usefulness is prohibitive. The case of the piano is beautiful, the piano has sentimental family value, but the piano is no longer a musical instrument which can function properly. Many old family upright pianos present a dilemma.

Music shelf of a grand piano