- Conflict between Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Charles H. Steinway. Paderewski is on the concert tour in San Francisco, and when the usual five Steinway & Sons grand pianos arrive for him, he finds out that his favorite personal tuner, previously sent by Steinway & Sons to wherever Paderewski performed, has not arrived this time. Paderewsky rejects all five pianos as “unplayable”, of which he hastens to inform Charles H. Steinway via a telegram.
- Offended by what he perceives as Paderewski’s arrogance, Charles H. Steinway cables to Paderewski in response: “Have ordered pianos returned to New York. Withdraw our piano service.”
- Having received Charles Steinway’s cable, Paderewski pledges to switch to pianos built by some other manufacturer.
- Leander S. Sherman, a co-owner of San Francisco’s Steinway & Sons dealer Sherman, Clay & Company, assumes the role of the intermediary between the two mutually offended parties. He writes to Charles H. Steinway: “For Paderewski to start with the Steinway and either give it up or have it taken from him would furnish every rival salesman in the country with “Knocking Material” for years to come.” To placate impulsive Paderewski, Leander S. Sherman provides the services of a local tuner, and then, to pacify Charles H. Steinway, sends a series of telegrams to him, stating that the maestro “does not wish to change manufacturers unless you force him to do so”, then that “Ignace thought your instructions to withdraw pianos unnecessarily severe”, and also that by “unplayable” Paderewski did in no way imply that Steinway & Sons made bad pianos in general, but only that the sent pianos were “only unsatisfactory to himself”. He further suggests that Charles Steinway should send Paderewski a telegram, expressing regret over the misunderstanding of the word “unplayable”.
- In a letter to Charles H. Steinway, sent in pursuit of the earlier telegrams, Leander S. Sherman writes: “I have come to the conclusion that personally I never would hold Mr. Paderewski responsible for what he may do or say, I would excuse everything. The man leads an unnatural life. He is awake when he should be asleep, and he sleeps when he should be awake. If you and I had been petted and pampered as much as he has, we would probably be queer too.”
- Charles H. Steinway sends the tuner to meet Paderewski in Portland, Oregon. Paderewski issues an apology for hurting Charles H. Steinway’s feelings – and proceeds with his Steinway & Sons-sponsored concert tour, as if no conflict has ever happened.