Steinway & Sons celebrates its 160th Anniversary.

Robb Report magazine honors the Steinway Lyngdorf S–Series audio system in their 24th annual “Best of the Best” issue.

The Music Department at Utah State University has joined the elite ranks of All-Steinway Schools in a campaign that has culminated with a gift from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation. With that gift and support of earlier donors, USU has recently acquired … Continue reading →

Qatar Music Academy (QMA) receives the first All-Steinway School accreditation in the Middle East.

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright becomes newest Steinway Artist. The announcement coincides with the release of Wainwright’s new album, “Out of the Game”. In the words of Rufus Wainwright: “I grew up playing my grandmother’s 100 year old Steinway. That instrument is … Continue reading →

More than 600 music teachers visit the Steinway & Sons factory as part of the 2012 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) conference.

The Piano for Peace event, organized by DDB Tribal in collaboration with Steinway & Sons and the Hilton Amsterdam, commemorates John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s legendary Bed-In event that took place in 1969. The microsite www.pianoforpeace.com connects the scene with the web … Continue reading →

Jazz pianist, Steinway Artist David Benoit records all of the piano tracks for his new album inside the Steinway Hall Rotunda, set up as a recording studio, marking the first time in the almost 90 year history of the Hall … Continue reading →

Billy Joel becomes the only non-classical performer to date to be honored with a portrait at the Steinway Hall in New York. The portrait has been painted by Dr. Paul Wyse, who is not only a renowned painter, but also an … Continue reading →

Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe release their debut album on the Steinway & Sons label, “When Words Fade”, featuring piano duo arrangements of songs by Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Michael Jackson, Radiohead and Coldplay. The CD is engineered by multi-Grammy-winning … Continue reading →

Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas, holds a whole-day celebration of joining an exclusive group of only 135 prestigious colleges, universities, and conservatories worldwide that hold the title of All-Steinway School. SAGU is the first Assemblies of … Continue reading →

Having invested 2,000,000 pounds into the acquisition of 54 new Steinway & Sons pianos (thanks to government funding and private donations), Leeds College of Music, located in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, becomes an All-Steinway School, and celebrates its new status … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons record label releases its fifth CD, “A Steinway Christmas Album”, a collection of Christmas instrumental pieces by various composers, performed by pianist Jeffrey Biegel.

Steinway & Sons introduces version 2.0 of its Etude app for learning, reading, and buying sheet music on the Apple iPad. This latest version of Etude adds a growing commercial sheet music store, new ways to display and read music, … Continue reading →

Nicholls State University, located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, becomes an All-Steinway School.

The Wall Street Journal publishes a favorable review of the new Steinway Lyngdorf S-Series speakers.

25-year-old pop singer Lady Gaga donates her Steinway & Sons grand piano to Charitybuzz Auction, to be sold for the benefit of Ten O’Clock Classics, an organization that strives to provide classical music venues, outlets for up and coming classical artists … Continue reading →

New York Times publishes a very favorable review by Allan Kozinn of the new album “Musica Callada” (“Silent Music”) of 28 aphoristic piano works by Catalonian composer Federico Mompou, recorded by pianist Jenny Lin for Steinway & Sons record label. … Continue reading →

Pianist Lang Lang performs on the stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London, accompanied by 102 outstanding young British pianists. The event has been organized as a partnership between Lang Lang and the Southbank Centre, with the main goal … Continue reading →

With the purchase of 13 Steinway & Sons pianos for its studios, practice rooms and performance venues, Pellissippi State Community College becomes an All-Steinway School – Tennessee’s first community college to earn this distinction.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History organizes a special exhibition, “A Gateway to the 19th Century: The William Steinway Diary, 1861–1896”, on view in the Albert H. Small Documents Gallery. This display coincides with the launch of the online … Continue reading →

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra acquires a new Steinway & Sons concert grand piano.

James Madison University, located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia joins the elite group of All-Steinway Schools, having invested $2,000,000 in a purchase of 144 Steinway & Sons pianos, including four concert grands, for its Forbes Center for the Performing … Continue reading →

Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia becomes an All-Steinway School with the purchase of new Steinway & Sons instruments from the local dealer, Jacobs Music Company.

The retail price of a new Steinway & Sons Model D grand piano is $123,800.

The William Steinway Diary, on display at the Smithsonian Museum, becomes publicly accessible via an annotated online edition. The first installment of the web site includes Edwin M. Good’s complete transcription of the entire Diary alongside high-resolution scans of each … Continue reading →

BMW presents the special limited-edition BMW Individual 7 Series Composition car, inspired by Steinway & Sons, at the Steinway factory in Hamburg, Germany. This is a part of an exclusive partnership between BMW and Steinway & Sons, in which BMW will … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons introduces Metronome App for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the legendary musician John Lennon, Steinway & Sons introduces the John Lennon “Imagine” Series Limited Edition piano. The Imagine Series Limited Edition is modeled after the white Steinway & Sons grand piano that John … Continue reading →

On the day of its 70th anniversary, the Conservatory of Music, Beijing, receives its All-Steinway School designation. The world-renowned conservatory now owns 127 Steinway & Sons grand pianos and 41 Boston grand pianos.

Steinway & Sons announces the launch of its new Steinway & Sons record label. The first release on this label, “Bach On A Steinway”, has debuted on the preceding week at #3 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Album Chart. “Bach On … Continue reading →

During a three-day sales event Steinway Artist David Benoit helps new Steinway & Sons buyers to select their piano at the Steinway Factory Selection Room.

Belmont University (Tennessee) is officially recognized as an All-Steinway School.

McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, becomes an All-Steinway School, only the third community college in the United States, and also the third school in Texas to receive that distinction. McLennan’s purchase includes one Steinway & Sons concert grand and … Continue reading →

Wellington School in Somerset becomes an All-Steinway School with the purchase of 15 new Steinway & Sons pianos.

The Department of Music at the George Washington University receives an anonymous gift of 28 Steinway & Sons pianos, making the George Washington University a new All-Steinway School.

Seton Hill University becomes an All-Steinway School.

A Steinway Model D concert grand piano “takes flight” over Hamburg, Germany, hoisted by Europe’s tallest crane onto the roof of the 24 -story “Emporio” building. This adventure, closely coordinated between Steinway & Sons Hamburg, Union Investment, and the “Elbphilharmonie … Continue reading →

Florida Gulf Coast University’s Bower School of Music has become the world’s 111th All-Steinway School, having bought 30 Steinway, Boston and Essex Pianos, including 2 concert grand pianos.

Steinway Artist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lang Lang, conductor Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra come together at Carnegie Hall for a benefit concert, aiding UNICEF in their efforts to bring relief to the children surviving the devastating earthquake … Continue reading →

Steinway Artist Harry Connick, Jr. and his band perform at the 2010 Governor’s Ball, hosted by President and Mrs. Obama. Due to a packed East Room of the White House, the usual piano that occupies the room (a 1938 Steinway … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons joins Twitter – @steinwayandsons.

High Point University has become the 110th educational institution in the world, and the first university in North Carolina to be designated an “All-Steinway School”, thanks to the delivery of 14 new Steinway & Sons pianos to the campus.

The Steinway & Sons Art Case grand piano “The Way of Our Ancestors”, a Model B grand piano with the case designed by Coast Salish artist Jody Broomfield, is unveiled at the Chief Joe Mathias Centre in North Vancouver, BC. … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons introduces the Boston Performance Edition piano. Starting that year, all Steinway D Concert Grands are fitted with New York short legs and Hamburg large casters. The first piano fitted like that is Ebony Satin D #584808.

With the $1,230,000 purchase of 61 new Steinway & Sons pianos the University of Florida School of Music becomes an All-Steinway School and the owner of the largest collection of Steinway & Sons pianos in Florida.

World-renowned classical pianist Lang Lang, a Steinway Artist, performs during the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo City Hall in Norway. Lang Lang is one of just a few musicians selected to perform at the prestigious event, during which … Continue reading →

A group of world-renowned performers join President Barack Obama in the 86th National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The group of performers includes Steinway Artist Brad Mehldau. All of the event’s performers who played piano or had piano accompaniment used a Steinway … Continue reading →

The television premiere of Note by Note, the Making of Steinway L1037 – a documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway & Sons Model D concert grand piano.

Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, Tennessee) becomes the 100th All-Steinway School.

With the delivery of 59 new Steinway & Sons pianos, Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music has earned the distinction of being named an “All-Steinway School” by Steinway & Sons.

Robb Report magazine names Steinway Lyngdorf’s Grand Speaker System – Model LS “Best of the Best” for Home Audio in Robb Report’s 21st Annual Best of the Best issue.

The Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, featuring Steinway & Sons pianos exclusively, is streamed live in its entirety at www.cliburn.tv. The Fort Worth, Texas competition features twenty-nine pianists vying for prizes valued at more than $1,000,000. Pianist and arts advocate … Continue reading →

Steinway Artists Lang Lang plays Steinway & Sons Model D grand piano during that year’s National Memorial Day Concert.

Time magazine names pianist and Steinway Artist Lang Lang one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

The Juilliard School receives the delivery of twelve new Steinway & Sons pianos: eleven Model O grand pianos and one Model D concert grand piano. The new instruments have been purchased as part of the Juilliard / Lincoln Center Redevelopment … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons has provided New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse with a Steinway Grand piano for exhibition during performances at the Millburn theater of the production of Terrence McNally’s play “Master Class”, directed by Wendy C. Goldberg.

Santé Auriti, master Steinway & Sons casemaker and craftsman, is seen through the main window of New York’s Steinway Hall rotunda, Monday through Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, fitting the braces, fitting and gluing the case moldings, rough carving the bottom edge of … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons Piano Gallery, the company’s new retail location at 505 Walt Whitman Road in Melville, Long Island, NY, celebrates its grand opening with a series of special musical events.

The 5 Browns, siblings Steinway Artists – Desirae (born 1979), Deondra (born 1980), Gregory (born 1982), Melody (born 1984), and Ryan – perform at the not-yet-open to public Steinway & Sons Piano Gallery on Long Island, to celebrate the release … Continue reading →

Celebrated actor Michael J. Fox conducts a questions and answers session for students from Hastings College (Hastings, NE) on the topic of “Hope and Optimism”, at Steinway Hall in New York. Hastings College, an All-Steinway School, has invited Mr. Fox … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons launches the William E. Steinway Limited Edition piano at the company’s annual convention in Newport Beach, California. This is a reproduction of the Steinway Centennial Piano, which was first introduced in 1876 at the nation’s Centennial Exposition … Continue reading →

The world’s most expensive grand piano is built at Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg, Germany, for €1,200,000. Conceived and commissioned by Chinese art collector and music lover, Guo Qingxiang, the piano has been created by Steinway & Sons in … Continue reading →

New York Times article by James Barron announces that Steinway & Sons’ installs world’s largest solar-powered cooling, dehumidifying and heating system at its Astoria factory. The cost of the system is $870,000. Steinway & Sons has received a $588,000 grant … Continue reading →

The University of Victoria becomes Canada’s first All-Steinway School, after purchasing 60 new Steinway & Sons pianos and Steinway & Sons-designed Boston pianos from Tom Lee Music, Steinway & Sons authorized representative for British Columbia.

The College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati buys 165 new Steinway & Sons pianos for $4,100,000 – the largest unit purchase in the company’s 155-year history. Upon delivery of the pianos, CCM will receive the designation of “All-Steinway … Continue reading →

The School of Music at Kennesaw State University celebrates the purchase of 27 new Steinway & Sons pianos, and its certification as an All-Steinway School, with a piano concert featuring five pianists and the full KSU Orchestra, at the Dr. … Continue reading →

Lock Haven University (Pennsylvania) celebrates its official status as an All-Steinway School with a concert. All of the University’s 21 Steinway & Sons pianos – 15 uprights, four grands and the concert grand – are on display for the celebration … Continue reading →

Having bought 28 new Steinways at a total cost of $567,170, Lindenwood University in St. Charles (Missouri) becomes the new All-Steinway School.

Henry Ziegler Steinway, age 93, dies at his house in Manhattan. The Hoagy Carmichael Landmark Sculpture, by Michael McAuley, is dedicated during a public ceremony in the grand foyer of the Indiana University Auditorium. Indiana’s famous jazz composer and songwriter … Continue reading →

Oklahoma State University becomes an All-Steinway School.

Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music receives the shipment of 66 Steinway & Sons pianos, and places them all temporarily on the Bill Heard Theatre stage. One more piano for the school is still being manufactured at that time … Continue reading →

25-year-old pianist Lang Lang and five-year-old Li Muzi perform a melody from the Yellow River Cantata on a white Steinway & Sons concert grand piano, during the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics. The performance is watched by over 5,000,000,000 people … Continue reading →

Ten Steinway & Sons pianos are chosen at the Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria on that day, for the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, Columbus, GA – and the school’s selection group is treated to VIP … Continue reading →

As reported on that day in a New York Times article by Cynthia Werthamer, the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, New York, in its bid to become an All-Steinway School, has bought 42 Steinway & Sons pianos.

Steinway & Sons receives Belmont University’s School of Music Applause Award, the highest honor given by the school, presented to Steinway & Sons “for their international reputation for excellence in piano making.”

Roger Williams’ “Gold Steinway” grand piano tours the nation for public display and entertainment.

Crane University of New York becomes an All-Steinway School with the purchase of 141 Steinway & Sons pianos, the largest purchase in the history of Steinway & Sons at the time. 98% of all pianists worldwide, performing with orchestras that … Continue reading →

Noted philanthropist, Dr. Bobbie Bailey, donates 32 pianos designed by Steinway & Sons to Kennesaw State University (Georgia), in honor of her mother. Kennesaw State University thus becomes an All-Steinway School. The University Dean Joseph Meeks states, “To be an All-Steinway School … Continue reading →

Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. announces the nomination of Thomas Kurrer as President of Steinway & Sons. Thomas Kurrer, already with Steinway & Sons for 18 years, is the successor of Bruce Stevens, who retires after serving as Steinway & Sons … Continue reading →

Robb Report magazine, the international authority on the luxury lifestyle, names Steinway Lyngdorf’s flagship Model D Music System “Best of the Best” for Home Audio in Robb Report’s 19st Annual Best of the Best issue.

Steinway & Sons gives a Danish firm Lyngdorf exclusive rights to manufacture high quality audio systems under the name Steinway Lyngdorf.

Steinway & Sons factory in New York announces that the Model O will return to production, replacing the Model L. Steinway & Sons unveils the Henry Z. Steinway Limited Edition piano to commemorate the 91st birthday of Henry Z. Steinway … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons in America re-introduces the regular (not Art-Case) Model A (A2), a 6 feet 2 inches grand piano.

Steinway & Sons factory in Hamburg, Germany celebrates its 125th Anniversary. A 125th Anniversary Steinway & Sons grand piano is introduced during the ceremony. The piano has been designed by Count Albrecht von Goertz, the celebrated creator of one of … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons buys back and refurbishes its Model D #51,257, the very first Model D Concert Grand piano (completed on January 31, 1884). The company re-registers the piano as CD-001, and includes it in the Concert & Artists Inventory. … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons’ Roger Williams Limited Edition Golden Piano, a tribute to a famous pop pianist, debuts at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum (Atlanta, Georgia), where on that day both Roger Williams and former President Jimmy Carter celebrate … Continue reading →

The official opening of the subsidiary Steinway Piano (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The new corporation supplies the Chinese dealer network with Steinway & Sons pianos and parts.

In honor of Steinway & Sons’ 150th Anniversary, the company creates two new Art Case pianos: Limited Edition 150th Anniversary (the recreation of the historic Ignacy Paderewski Steinway & Sons grand piano), and the S.L.ED, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, with … Continue reading →

The portrait of Arthur Rubinstein, at the time the latest addition to the Steinway Art Collection, is moved to Room #9, on the second floor in Steinway Hall. The room is renamed “The Arthur Rubinstein Room,” the first Sales room … Continue reading →

“Henry The Steinway”, a children’s book about a young piano student named Ana and her piano named Henry, is published. The book is written by Peter Goodrich, Steinway & Sons’ Vice President of Concert and Artists, and Sally Coveleskie, Steinway … Continue reading →

Steinway Hall is declared a New York City Landmark.

Celebrating the 300th anniversary of the invention of the piano, Steinway & Sons and furniture designer, Dakota Jackson, create the Tricentennial Limited Edition piano. This is the first time since the early 20th century that a 6-foot-2-inches Model A grand … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons announces the introduction of the third line of pianos called the Essex, for the low-cost, entry-level market, designed by Steinway & Sons in collaboration with furniture designer William Faber, to be manufactured by the Korean piano manufacturer, Young … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons announces the opening of the William Steinway University, an in-house Management and Sales Training Educational Wing of Steinway & Sons Management, to support and strengthen the sales and marketing of the Steinway Dealerships.

Steinway & Sons employees Marvin S. Jones, Peter M. Barna, William S. Youse, Anthony C. Arena, and Michael Mohr receive the United States patent #6,020,544, to “an underlever assembly having an underlever arm and an underlever support joining the underlever arm … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons acquires Pianohaus Karl Lang of Munich (Germany’s largest piano dealership). After the purchase, the dealership is renamed “Steinway Hall Munich”. Steinway & Sons buys O.S. Kelly foundry, the largest manufacturer of piano plates in the United States.

Steinway & Sons employees William S. Youse, Marvin S. Jones, and Stephan Knupher receive the United States patent #5,911,167, to “a knuckle assembly for an escapement action of a piano”.

Steinway & Sons buys Kluge, Europe’s largest manufacturer of piano keys, with which Steinway & Sons had been doing business for over a century. Steinway & Sons introduces “Steinway’s Rhapsody”, Limited Edition – a series of only 24 pianos (George … Continue reading →

“88 Keys, The Making of a Steinway Piano”, the book by Miles Chapin, is released. Miles Chapin is a fifth generation descendant of Steinway & Sons’ founder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, and a son of Elisabeth Steinway and Schuyler Chapin (Commissioner … Continue reading →

William S. Youse (a Steinway & Sons employee) receives the United States patent #5,654,515, to the “means for adjusting height of keys”.

A new subsidiary of Steinway & Sons, called Steinway & Sons Japan, Ltd., is founded in Tokyo. This aggressive move is Steinway & Sons counterattack against Yamaha invasion.

Steinway & Sons is named “Company of the Year” by The Music Trades. Steinway & Sons’ president Bruce Stevens, in the presence of the Rubinstein family, unveils the portrait of Steinway Artist, Arthur Rubinstein, created by New York Artist Jacob … Continue reading →

Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. goes public. 3,500,000 shares of the company’s stock are released onto the New York Stock Exchange at a price of $19 per share. The Steinway & Sons share is quoted on Wall Street under the abbreviation … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons employees Marvin S. Jones, Dirk Dickten, Gary M. Green, Paul Oleksy, Gregory R. Sims, Ludwig Tomescu, and Robert C. Berger receive the United States patent #5,511,454, to the “piano escapement action”.

Steinway & Sons employees Salvadore J. Calabrese, Henry A. Scarton, S. Frank Murray, Christopher M. Ettles, Warren C. Kennedy, Saim Dinc, Bessem Jlidi, and William Strong receive the United States patent #5,509,344, to the “Member With Synthetic Surface Replicating a … Continue reading →

“Steinway & Sons”, a book by Dr. Richard Lieberman, is released. The book is based on Steinway & Sons’ archive and Steinway family papers, held at LaGuardia Community College in New York, as well as on interviews with family members … Continue reading →

In a letter to editor of New York Times, dated with this day, Steinway & Sons’ president Bruce Stevens addresses the issues raised by Edward Rothstein in his recent article: “The quality of today’s Steinway pianos, far from being in … Continue reading →

New York Times music critic Edward Rothstein publishes an article titled “Made in U.S.A., Once Gloriously, Now Precariously”, once again expressing concern of the quality of modern Steinway & Sons pianos. The article, however, expresses more optimism: “struck by the … Continue reading →

New York Times reports that Robert and John Birmingham have sold Steinway & Sons for $100,000,000 to Selmer Musical Instruments, maker of clarinets and saxophones, owned by Dana Messina and Kyle Kirkland, former investment bankers. The Birmingham brothers have sold … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons sells 2,829 pianos (260 more than in the previous year). Steinway & Sons makes $125,000,000 in piano sales ($23,000,000 more than in the previous year). The Steinway Academy (a.k.a the C.F. Theodore Steinway School for Concert Technicians), the … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons sells 2,569 pianos.] Steinway & Sons makes $102,000,000 in piano sales. Sanford G. Woodard leaves his position of general manager at Steinway & Sons.

Steinway & Sons employees Salvadore J. Calabrese, Henry A. Scarton, S. Frank Murray, Christopher M. Ettles, Warren C. Kennedy, Saim Dinc, Bessem Jlidi, and William Strong receive the United States patent #5,265,515, to the “Key Covers Formed of Ivory Substitute … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria works two weeks on / two weeks off, building less than 1,000 pianos per year. Steinway & Sons plant in Hamburg also manufactures fewer pianos, as a result of recession in Europe.

Steinway & Sons employees Salvadore J. Calabrese, Henry A. Scarton, S. Frank Murray, Christopher M. Ettles, Warren C. Kennedy, Saim Dinc, Bessem Jlidi, and William Strong receive the United States patent #5,183,955, to the “Piano Key Covers Formed of Ivory … Continue reading →

The New York retail price of Steinway & Sons Model M grand piano is $27,400 (an increase by more than 72%, compared to 1985). Steinway & Sons Model D grand piano sells for $62,300. A used Steinway & Sons piano … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons’ Astoria factory builds 7 or 8 pianos a day, 25% fewer than in 1989.

New oil portrait of Vladimir Horowitz, painted by John Meyer, is unveiled in Steinway Hall to celebrate the pianist’s 89th anniversary.

James M. Lombino (a Steinway & Sons employee) receives the United States patent #5,125,310, to “a method for forming a piano hammer in which the felt is impregnated with an acrylic copolymer”.

New York Times publishes a harsh response to the premiere of the three piano concertos, by music critic Bernard Holland, who lists the composers without much reverence: “Lalo Schifrin, a maker of background music for Hollywood thrillers, Rodion Shchedrin, a top … Continue reading →

In Washington, D.C., at Kennedy’s Center for Performing Arts, three new piano concertos, commissioned by Steinway Foundation (21 Century Piano Project), are performed.

Steinway & Sons introduces to the press its second line of pianos, manufactured at the Kawai Musical Instruments Company for Steinway Musical Properties, and named “Boston Pianos”. The new piano line is to be sold by Steinway & Sons dealers, … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons hires a new head of Concert and Artists Department: Schuyler G. Chapin – a former dean of the Columbia University School of Arts, General Manager of Metropolitan Opera, and a husband of Elisabeth Steinway, Theodore E. Steinway’s … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons workers in Astoria are scheduled to work a four-day workweek.

Wendell K. Castle receives the United States patent “Des. 318,059”, to the “design for the Steinway grand piano serial no. 500,000”.

The Philadelphia Inquirer publishes an article by Michael Vitez, dedicated to Steinway & Sons’ recent soundboard problems. The article includes a photo of a cracked Steinway & Sons piano soundboard. In the article, Michael J. Yaeger, a piano dealer from Waterford, … Continue reading →

New York Times publishes an article by Matthew L. Wald – “Steinway Changing Amid Tradition” – also outlining the list of recent Steinway & Sons problems, and reflecting the general public suspicion of the new Steinway & Sons management. In … Continue reading →

Wall Street Journal publishes an article by Judith Valente, about recent Steinway & Sons challenges: “Sour Notes. In Clash Between Art and Efficiency, Did Steinway Pianos Lose? New Business-Minded Owners Modernized Production, Forced Out Old Managers. Firm Calls Criticism “Hokum”. … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons announces that it will design a line of “mid-priced” pianos to be built by Kawai, the Japanese manufacturer, and sold by Steinway & Sons dealers.

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters conducts the comparative testing of several makes of grand pianos, to determine what makes the sound of Steinway & Sons grand piano special. Baldwin, Bösendorfer, Steinway and Yamaha pianos are tested. The … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons hires a new general manager, Sanford G. Woodard, a nuclear industry quality control expert with Master degree in Business Administration, and experience in strategic planning at General Electric. He has played accordion before, and began to take … Continue reading →

The retail price for a new Steinway & Sons Model D grand piano is $53,400.

“Steinway Repair–Warranty Units” document, marked with this date, indicates that of the 93 pianos brought back to Steinway & Sons’ Astoria factory for warranty work, 39 units suffer from soundboard problems.

Steinway & Sons’ factory in Astoria outputs 10 pianos a day, or roughly 2,400 per year. The glass case at Steinway Hall, containing the Paris Exhibition award, along with several others, has been smashed, and the medals stolen, never to … Continue reading →

In The New Republic magazine, music critic for the New York Times Edward Rothstein publishes a new article about Steinway & Sons, titled “Don’t Shoot the Piano”, where he again interviews Robert P. Birmingham: “It’s really different from selling oil; … Continue reading →

Computer World magazine publishes the interview of Steinway & Sons co-owner John P. Birmingham, where he claims that a new Computer Integrated Manufacturing System is being implemented at Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria. In the same interview John P. … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons Vice President of Sales Frank Mazurko sends an inter-office memorandum to Bruce Stevens, regarding the increased number of warranty problems at Steinert’s (Steinway & Sons dealer in Boston since XIX century): “This particular dealer, who is our … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons’ scrap and rework expenses decline by approximately 23%, compared to the previous year – but they are still 46% higher than in the last year of CBS ownership.  

Edward Rothstein, music critic for the New York Times, publishes in that month’s issue of the Smithsonian Magazine the article called “To Make a Piano of Note it Takes More than Tools”. In the interview, given for the article, Steinway … Continue reading →

In an interview given to Keyboard magazine, Steinway & Sons’ president Bruce Stevens accuses Yamaha of “probably dumping pianos in America at less than they were sold in Japan. […] What they’re merchandizing is the damndest thing I’ve ever seen. … Continue reading →

New York Times reporter Michael Kimmelman publishes an article about the Carnegie Hall concert, performed on the Steinway & Sons piano #500,000, and dedicated to the company’s 135th anniversary.

Steinway Foundation is formed, with the purpose of commissioning new piano compositions for public performance, and, of course, popularizing Steinway & Sons pianos.

Steinway & Sons piano number #500,000 is presented during the gala concert at Carnegie Hall, held in celebration of Steinway & Sons’ 135th anniversary.  Prominent furniture designer Wendell Castle has designed the futuristic case of the 500,000th Steinway & Sons instrument. … Continue reading →

A memorandum from Daniel T. Koenig to Bruce Stevens, dated with this day, describes a number of challenges the new factory manager is facing: “foggy information as to how pianos are built, and we now build pianos by folklore rather than … Continue reading →

Striving to improve the quality of new Steinway & Sons pianos, Robert and John Birmingham and Bruce Stevens send the old Astoria factory manager to retirement. The new manager, Daniel T. Koenig, a former General Electric engineer, initiates the complete … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons sells 1,858 American-built pianos, a 34% increase compared to the previous year, but below the company’s average sales figure during the CBS years. “Steinway & Sons 1986 Failure Costs” indicates the average of $184 of warranty expenses … Continue reading →

The New York retail price for Steinway & Sons Model M (traditionally the most popular Steinway & Sons piano model) is $15,900.

A press-conference, held in Steinway Hall, informs the media that Steinway & Sons no longer belongs to CBS. A new business entity is formed, named Steinway Musical Properties. Together with Steinway & Sons, Steinway Musical Properties include the flute manufacturer … Continue reading →

Lloyd Meyer resigns as the president of Steinway & Sons.

New York Daily News reports that 800 unsold pianos are stored at Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria, where workers layoffs has begun. Steinway & Sons president Lloyd Meyer says in his interview for the article: “Artists tell me we’re … Continue reading →

New York Times publishes the interview of a pianist Eugene Istomin: “We are excruciatingly concerned. Steinway Hall is the center of the piano playing universe. We cringe at the thought that the company could be liquidated, could disappear forever, for … Continue reading →

New York Times reports: “Senator Jesse Helms is helping to organize an effort by conservative investors to buy sufficient stock in CBS to change what the North Carolina Republican says is the “liberal bias” in coverage by CBS news of … Continue reading →

New York Times and The Wall Street Journal publish the CBS announcement of the plans to sell its music division, including Steinway & Sons. Facilitating the sale is James D. Wolfensohn, Inc. – the company named after its owner, James … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons’ gross profit is $7,500,000. Steinway & Sons makes about $50,000,000 in sales.

Walter D. Drasche receives the United States patent #4,386,455, to the “bearings for piano action mechanism employing “permafree” bushing cloth and method of fabricating same”.

New York branch of Steinway & Sons finally stops using Teflon bushings, after William T. Steinway and Walter Drasche invent the method for “impregnation of the felt cloth with a Teflon liquid which coated the fibers of the cloth, and … Continue reading →

New York Times reports that Peter M. Perez is dismissed from the position of Steinway & Sons president, replaced by Lloyd Meyer, former president of Gulbransen piano and electric organ company.

Theodore D. “Teed” Steinway dies.

Steinway & Sons builds and sells a little over 3,000 pianos. Yamaha sells over 20,000 pianos only in the United States. Henry Z. Steinway, 65 years old, retires from the post of the Steinway & Sons chairman (the age of Henry … Continue reading →

New York Times article by Harold Shonberg, published on that day, reports the new tendency among the most notable Steinway artists to avoid Astoria-built Steinway & Sons grand pianos. Virtuoso pianists Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Daniel Barenboim, Horacio Gutiérrez, Maurizio Pollini, … Continue reading →

Peter M. Perez is appointed a president of Steinway & Sons, replacing Robert P. Bull. One of Peter M. Perez’s first directives as Steinway & Sons’ president is to re-instate William T. Steinway to his position at Steinway & Sons’ … Continue reading →

At the industry sales meeting in Philadelphia, Henry Z. Steinway has an opportunity to examine new Yamaha grand pianos. According to notes Henry Z. Steinway has made during the meeting, Yamaha grand piano scales are “all newly designed”, the rims … Continue reading →

New York Times reports: “Job Changes. Robert P. Bull, 50, has been named president of Steinway & Sons, succeeding Henry Z. Steinway, who will become chairman of the piano company that is now a component of the CBS musical instruments … Continue reading →

Robert G. Campbell invites Henry Z. Steinway to his office in Chicago. During the meeting, Robert G. Campbell informs Henry Z. Steinway that he has been removed from the post of Steinway & Sons’ president: a CBS executive named Robert … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons builds 5,442 pianos (the highest number since before the WWII, 21 pianos more than in 1966; notwithstanding the relationship problems between Steinway & Sons and CBS management). However, Steinway & Sons profit is 6% below the budget … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway writes in his memorandum to Robert G. Campbell: “I ask that quality improvement be our most important objective next year – more important than meeting production schedules and inventory levels. We will rise or fall on the … Continue reading →

Joseph J. Pramberger (a Steinway & Sons employee) receives the United States patent #3,942,403, to the “elastomeric resin bushing for piano action”.

Henry Z. Steinway is denied the power to set prices to Steinway & Sons products, after his disagreement with CBS management regarding their idea that people would pay any price for a Steinway & Sons piano. Robert G. Campbell, who is … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway, in his memorandum to Robert G. Campbell, hints that he’s ready to complain to CBS top management: “Let us not forget, as we do not, Chairman Paley’s injunction to put quality first”.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reaches the conclusion of the 100-year-long case of Steinway & Sons versus Grotrian-Steinweg. Grotrian-Steinweg has been asserting that their brand pre-dates Steinway & Sons’ in Germany. Steinway & Sons has argued … Continue reading →

CBS decides to concentrate Steinway & Sons production and sales on the more profitable larger-size grand pianos, abandoning the smaller grand piano market to the competition. The average price of Yamaha piano is $1,730 – more than three times lower … Continue reading →

Memorandum from Henry Z. Steinway to Robert G. Campbell: “the most important mission for the coming year is the improvement of quality in the New York factory”. These lines in the memorandum reflect Henry Z. Steinway’s increasing concern over the … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway reports in his memorandum to Robert G. Campbell that Steinway & Sons sales are at its peak in America and Europe, at nearly $10,000,000, yielding a pre-tax profit of $2,500,000. Despite the long strike in Hamburg, it’s … Continue reading →

Having received instructions from his CBS boss Robert G. Campbell to increase production, reduce inventories as a means of reducing investment, to accelerate the passage of lumber from the yards, shortening the drying time below the required one-year minimum, and to … Continue reading →

A long strike at Steinway & Sons’ Hamburg plant.

To dodge the American import tariff, Yamaha buys Everett piano factory in South Haven, Michigan, thus becoming an American piano manufacturer, and begins to build upright and grand pianos there under Everett and Yamaha names. 90% of Steinway & Sons … Continue reading →

The official end of the United States military involvement in Vietnam.

Yamaha’s president formulates his company new goal: overtake Steinway. As a means to this objective, Yamaha begins to mass-produce copies of Steinway & Sons grand pianos, and sell them wherever possible, even in motorcycle dealerships in South America.

CBS considers moving Steinway & Sons factory out of New York, in the words of Henry Z. Steinway, “down where they appreciate manufacturers” – and ultimately decides against it. Steinway & Sons net profit is $120,000.

In a memorandum dated with this day, Henry Z. Steinway writes to the president of CBS Music Division Robert G. Campbell: “I continue to be concerned by the endless chain of paper and the degree of concentration on its production at … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway has a business lunch with Frank N. Stanton and William S. Paley, the president and CEO of CBS. (He will never have a chance to meet with his new bosses again.)

Wall Street Journal informs its readers that “Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. has acquired Steinway & Sons”.

On the midnight of that day, Steinway & Sons has ceased to be owned by Steinway family, and has become the property of CBS.

Approximately 70 members of extended Steinway family, most of whom hadn’t met for years and even decades, gather at Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria, for the meeting of 228 stockholders that will formally decide the future of the factory. … Continue reading →

In a letter “To the Stockholders of Steinway & Sons”, dated with this day, Samuel and Theodore Chapin – the young twin sons of Elizabeth Steinway, (younger sister of Henry Z. Steinway and John H. Steinway) – refute the statement that the … Continue reading →

In a letter to his nephew Samuel Chapin, dated with that day, John H. Steinway writes: “my own feelings on the CBS acquisition are that it is a bloody shame, but apparently unavoidable… Some… are more interested in making a … Continue reading →

In a letter “To our friends and representatives all over the world”, dated with this day, Walter Günther tells Steinway & Sons dealers, workers and the music instrument making industry that “the family council has come to the decision to accept an offer … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway takes a plane from Hamburg to London. On the way from the airport, in a car, Henry Z. Steinway tells Lionel C. Squibb, Steinway & Sons’ London branch office manager, about the sale of the company to CBS. Lionel … Continue reading →

After Walter Günther picks up Henry Z. Steinway at the airport and drives him to the factory, Henry Z. Steinway briefly addresses a small group of Steinway & Sons’ Hamburg managers, explaining to them the reasons for selling the company, and his … Continue reading →

During the meeting of Steinway & Sons’ Board of Directors, Henry Z. Steinway receives the phone call from CBS. Henry Z. Steinway, too anxious to hold the conversation with the buyers, asks Edward R. Peckerman, one of the company’s directors, … Continue reading →

In the course of negotiations, conducted by Dillon, Read & Co., CBS agrees to exchange 375,000 of its shares, at $54.50 per share, for 55,448 Steinway & Sons shares, at $367 per share (more than three times as much as Steinway & … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway, Helmut Friedlaender and Henry Ziegler hold a meeting, during which they agree “to ask for 500,000 shares of CBS stock in a tax-free exchange for Steinway stock, valued at $23 million.”

At Steinway & Sons approximately 3,400 pianos remain on backorder every year. Taking advantage of Steinway & Sons backorder situation, Yamaha inundates American market with high-quality pianos, sold for half the price of similar Steinway & Sons instruments.

Yamaha, by now Steinway & Sons’ main competitor, sells 200,000 pianos worldwide every year.

Steinway & Sons’ capital in money and assets is estimated at $19,000,000. The company makes 3.6% profit and delivers 7% return on stockholder investment – not a very profitable business.

In Hamburg, Walter Günther suffers non-fatal heart attack.

Steinway & Sons begins negotiations with CBS, organized and managed by Dillon, Read & Co.

Henry Z. Steinway meets with representatives of powerful investment banking firm Dillon, Read & Co., seeking their facilitation of the deal with CBS.

During a lunch meeting at the Oak Room in the Plaza Hotel, Henry Z. Steinway discusses with the president of CBS Columbia Group Harvey Schein and the president of the Musical Instruments Division of the CBS Coumbia Group Robert G. Campbell the possibility of … Continue reading →

The Minutes of the Board of Directors of Steinway & Sons, dated with this day, record the fact that Steinway & Sons’ protests of Yamaha’s efforts to patent pianomaking techniques pioneered by Steinway family over a century ago, have been … Continue reading →

Supported by Steinway & Sons Board of Directors, Henry Z. Steinway, initiates confidential formal inquiries regarding the possibility of selling Steinway & Sons.

Henry Z. Steinway hears Yamaha concert grand piano for the first time, while visiting the international trade show in Frankfurt, Germany. According to Henry Z. Steinway, Yamaha “had a shockingly good sound”.

Steinway & Sons hires a large group of African-American and Hispanic workers, mostly the former employees of Janssen Piano Company, which had gone bankrupt in 1969. The majority of these workers have been hired as polishers and rubbers in the … Continue reading →

The Minutes of the Board of Directors indicate that the visitors of Yamaha piano factory had seen there a dismantled Steinway & Sons grand piano, whose serial number reveals that it had been originally sold by Steinway & Sons to Masaru … Continue reading →

A seven-week strike (one of the longest in Steinway & Sons history) leads to no gain: workers lose their pay for the period of the strike, the owners lose seven weeks of labor, and James Cerofeci loses his position of … Continue reading →

Helmut Friedlaender arranges a confidential private meeting in a downtown New York club between Henry Z. Steinway and managers of the Japanese piano manufacturing company Kawai – to discuss the possibility of selling Steinway & Sons to the Japanese business.

Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. for the first time voices its intent to buy Steinway & Sons.

Henry Ziegler, Henry Z. Steinway’s cousin and the holder of 12.3% of Steinway & Sons’ shares, actively supports the idea of selling Steinway & Sons, taking the side of Helmut Friedlaender and William Rosenwald.

James Cerofeci serves as Steinway & Sons’ union leader. All through these decades, he is praised by Steinway & Sons workers and management alike – for his flexibility, communication skills and commitment to collaboration.

The 10% – 16% price increase doesn’t slow down Steinway & Sons piano sales. New Steinway & Sons pianos are bought by churches, hotels and schools. The American “baby boomers” grow up to become teenagers, whose obsession with rock music … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons gross profit for that year is $314,000 ($583,955 less than the previous year’s net profit!) Paradoxically, the profit drops as the sales continue to grow. The company’s decrease in profitability is the consequence of 48% increase in … Continue reading →

In reaction to recent dramatic increase of piano import, Henry Z. Steinway initiates the attempt by the National Piano Manufacturers Association to persuade President Nixon to reinstate the 40% percent piano import tariff of the 1930. Henry Z. Steinway delivers … Continue reading →

Steinway News publishes the article about the United States President Richard Nixon presenting Steinway Artist Duke Ellington with presidential Medal of Freedom. In the same issue of the in-house quarterly there’s a story about Scott Newhall, the managing editor of … Continue reading →

Numerous Steinway & Sons workers, bound by the long-term union contract, either quit Steinway & Sons to open their own piano repair businesses, or find second jobs in small private piano shops. Old Steinway & Sons workers train the recently hired … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons makes $14,300,000 in piano sales. Steinway & Sons’ net profit is $897,955. Beatrice Foods Company offers to buy Steinway & Sons for $21,000,000, but the offer is declined by Steinway & Sons management. Yamaha’s advertisements begin to … Continue reading →

The Minutes of Steinway & Sons’ Board of Directors indicate that Henry Z. Steinway has borrowed $400,000 from First National Citi Bank, for 3 months at 6% interest. (To return the loan to First National Citi Bank, he will have to request … Continue reading →

That month’s issue of Japan Music Trades contains an article in which Genichi Kawakami pledges that Yamaha will “catch up with, and pass up, Steinway”. The same publication includes a full-page advertisement of Yamaha pianos, claiming the right to some … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons piano builders work 6 days a week (Monday through Saturday), 8 hour a day – this is Steinway & Sons’ attempt to satisfy the demand and eliminate the backlog. Unfortunately, neither additional space, nor overtime solve the … Continue reading →

The Minutes of the Board of Directors of Steinway & Sons register the fact that even top Steinway Artists (such as Artur Rubinstein) now have to pay for repairs done by Steinway & Sons technicians to the pianos they own. … Continue reading →

A party is held at Steinway & Sons Astoria factory in celebration of opening of the two additional floors (60,000 square feet), allowing the increase of piano manufacturing my 20%. Journalists, musicians and local political leaders are given the tour … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria builds 5,421 pianos – the biggest number since before the Great Depression. This record will only be exceeded in 1976. 1,959 of the total pianos built at Steinway & Sons are upright pianos – … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway and the rest of Steinway & Sons management discover that Helmut Friedlaender, the financial advisor to the founder of American Securities Corporation William Rosenwald, has over a period of time secretly bought for Rosenwald 6,999 Steinway & … Continue reading →

Theodore D. Steinway receives the United States patent #3,240,095, to the “fluorocarbon resin (“permafree”) bushing assembly for piano action”.

In this month’s issue of Seiko, Yamaha’s in-house publication, Genichi Kawakami makes a bold announcement: “we have now succeeded in manufacturing a test model of what we believe will be the world’s finest concert grand piano”. Unbeknownst to Henry Z. … Continue reading →

In a letter to Steinway & Sons’ Board of Directors, dated with this day, Henry Z. Steinway states that “the time has come to build more factory space, to assemble more grands”. He reminds the directors that the recently added factory … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons builds 1,711 upright pianos – 61 more than two years previously. Steinway & Sons pianos are used at 1,040 concerts in New York City – 135 more than in 1956. Steinway & Sons grand piano sales have … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway writes in his Memorandum to the Board of Directors: “we are apparently outpacing the industry, a happy reversal of the usual pattern”.

Steinway News publishes the photo of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, the Steinway Artist, “before an enthusiastic audience of 1,600 people in the nave of Coventry’s new Cathedral”. This is the first time a portrait of a black Steinway Artist is … Continue reading →

Before his first public recital in 12 years, pianist Vladimir Horowitz tells a New York Post reporter: “For 20 years I played on the same piano and I wanted most, most, most to choose a new one. I will be playing a … Continue reading →

3,500 U.S. Marines are dispatched to South Vietnam. This event marks the beginning of the American ground war against Northern Vietnam (even though American military support had been provided to South Vietnamese government, and American military “advisors” have been active … Continue reading →

In a letter to Steinway & Sons, dated with this day, Yamaha’s sales manager in America Everett Rowan proposes to sell Yamaha pianos through Steinway & Sons dealers. In exchange of Steinway & Sons approval of the proposal, Yamaha agrees to discourage … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway and Steinway & Sons workers union leader James Cerofeci sign a three-year union contract, giving the workers 10 cents per hour pay increase in the first year, no increase in the second year, and five cents per … Continue reading →

In his letter to Board of Directors dated with this day, Edwin B. Orcutt reports that Steinway & Sons’ bank account contains approximately $1,000,000, and the equivalent amount exists in secure investments. Steinway & Sons is prospering.

Henry Z. Steinway receives from Steinway & Sons’ engineering department the report on the Yamaha grand piano he has bought to evaluate. According to the report, Yamaha grand is a well-made product, but has a generic tone, and is no match for … Continue reading →

David Rubin, a former employee of Baldwin Piano Company, takes charge of Steinway & Sons’ Concert and Artists department.

Frederick Steinway resigns from Steinway & Sons, and launches an artists management firm together with Arthur Judson, his partner Ruth O’Neill, and former Boston Symphony Orchestra Press and Publicity manager Harry Beall. (After a while, Frederick Steinway will resign from that organization, … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons share of the nation grand piano market is 28% (4% higher than in 1958), another indication of success of Henry Z. Steinway presidency. Steinway & Sons builds 1,650 upright pianos, 113 more than in 1961. Steinway & … Continue reading →

During the Board of Directors meeting, Edwin B. Orcutt reports that in the course of the recent period of absence of Henry Z. Steinway from the factory, “Mr. Frederick Steinway indicated his intention to leave the firm Steinway & Sons … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway requests and receives Steinway & Sons’ Board of Directors’ approval for $850,000 budget, allocated for creating the 44,000 additional square feet of rough milling and storage space.

Frank H. Walsh receives the United States patent #3,091,149, to the “hexagrip wrestplank (pin block)”.

By the end of that year, all Steinway & Sons pianos manufactured in the United States use Permafree (Teflon) bushings. Steinway & Sons advertisement begin to mention maintenance-free pianos for any climate. (In reality, it’s precisely Teflon’s lack of response … Continue reading →

During the meeting of Steinway & Sons Board of Directors, the Teflon bushings are mentioned for the first time by their Steinway & Sons brand name: “Permafree Bushings”.

Judging by the Steinway & Sons warranty work expenses, the company is building better pianos than 15 years previously. Warranty expense, that had always been insignificant (less than 0.5% of revenue) has decreased to less than 0.25%. Unfortunately, the situation … Continue reading →

Even though approximately 60% of Steinway & Sons profit is spent on taxes and union-related payments, Steinway & Sons receives $23.71 per-piano dividend (six times as much as in the company’s centennial year). This is the indication that Henry Z. … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway, in his “Report on European Trip, Inter-House Matters, N.Y. Experiments”, mentions the (soon-to-be-infamous) Teflon bushings, invented by Theodore D. Steinway, for the first time. Using synthetic material Teflon instead of natural felt appears at first glance to offer … Continue reading →

In the course of approximately sixty years, throughout the presidencies of nine American presidents – Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower – … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons in America builds 1,537 upright pianos, 367 more than the previous year.

In a letter to the director of Steinway & Sons’ Hamburg branch Walter Günther, dated with this day, Yamaha’s business manager Akio Nagaoka offers that Yamaha should become Steinway & Sons dealer in Japan, to replace the current dealer, Mr. Matsuo, who sells Steinway & … Continue reading →

That month’s issue of Music Trades magazine contains an article, in which William Wallace Kimball, Jr., the president of W.W. Kimball & Company, and also the president of the National Piano Manufacturers Association, expresses his concern that non-American piano manufacturers, … Continue reading →

In reaction to piano market trends, Steinway & Sons introduces a new inexpensive upright piano “Contemporary Vertical”, targeting poor families, interested in teaching their children to play piano. “Contemporary Vertical” proves to be a success, and will add 300 to … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons builds and sells 2,205 pianos (1,035 grands and 1,170 uprights). Union leader James Cerofeci, motivated by instability of Steinway & Sons’ sales, persuades the workers to sign a two-year contract that includes only 1% increase in the … Continue reading →

Walter Günther receives the United States patent #2,911,874, to the “Means for Adjusting the Touch of Keys in Pianos and Like Musical Instruments”.

Walter Günther receives the German patent #1,064,325, to the “Grand Piano Action With Means for Adjusting the Touch Weight Resistance of the Keys”.

Henry Z. Steinway increases the autonomy of separate Steinway & Sons departments by giving each department the yearly expense budget ($126,000 total for all departments). This way the departments no longer need to request the Board of Directors’ approval for … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons builds and sells 1,936 pianos, almost 600 less than two years previously. Steinway & Sons’ net loss in America is $60,000 – however, with money coming now from Hamburg, Steinway & Sons makes profit internationally ($115,406 total), … Continue reading →

New York City gives ticker-tape parade to Steinway Artist Van Cluburn, “the Texan who conquered Russia”. Van Cliburn instantly gains the “teenagers idol” status all through the United States.

Frederick Steinway, age 37, inherits the Concert and Artists department from the late Alexander Greiner. (Frederick will be instrumental in enlisting jazz pianists, such as Ahmad Jamal, as Steinway Artists.)

Steinway & Sons sells Steinway Building to Manhattan Life Insurance Company for $3,000,000 (approximately $100,000 above its market value); the basement, first floor and the mezzanine, however, are leased back to Steinway & Sons for twenty years. No real estate … Continue reading →

Alexander Greiner, Steinway & Sons’ head of concert and artist department, dies in his office at Steinway Hall, a week after Van Cliburn wins the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow.

Van Cliburn wins the Grand Prix of the First Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, playing a Steinway & Sons piano. The competition has been organized at the height of the Cold War, with the intent of proving Soviet cultural superiority in … Continue reading →

Alexander Greiner helps pianist Van Cliburn to receive a $1,000 grant from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Aid to Music program, and encourages him to go to Moscow and take part in the First International Tchaikowski Competition.

Acting on Henry Z. Steinway’s orders, Frank Walsh and his two assistants begin to document the entire production process of Steinway & Sons. Observing every worker, they write down detailed descriptions of every operation, and make drawings of every item in the … Continue reading →

Another one of Steinway & Sons’ remaining two Ditmars avenue factory buildings is sold. In addition to his advertising duties, John H. Steinway begins to serve regularly as the secretary at Steinway & Sons’ Board of Directors meetings. Henry Z. … Continue reading →

Approximately 400 guests meet at the testimonial dinner to honor James Cerofeci, Steinway & Sons’ 51-year-old union leader. Robert F. Wagner, New York’s mayor, is among the officials who have sent their congratulations.

Jerry Lee Lewis performs on The Steve Allen Show, singing “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and playing a Steinway & Sons grand piano. (As legend has it, he also had once set a Steinway & Sons grand piano on fire … Continue reading →

Theodore Edwin Steinway dies.

The years of greatest popularity of Hammond electric organs. They have been sold at Steinway Hall since early 1950s, and constituted up to 40% of total sales. After 1957, at Henry Z. Steinway’s orders, Hammond organs will no longer be sold … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons in the United States builds 2,535 pianos. Steinway & Sons’ makes sales are $4,901,000 (almost $400,000 more than the previous year). Steinway & Sons pianos are used in 905 concerts in New York City during this year. … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway announces that Steinway & Sons will begin to modify its production process to allow the use of plastic for piano keys, instead of traditional ivory. The decision is not motivated by care for animal rights (ivory won’t … Continue reading →

By this time Henry Z. Steinway and several members of Steinway & Sons’ management work from Astoria.

Henry Z. Steinway reports to Steinway & Sons stockholders that the company’s piano sales have increased by more than $500,000, making it profitable again. Henry Z. Steinway also requests the stockholders’ approval for allocating $1,300,000 budget, to add 200,000 square feet to … Continue reading →

Henry Z. Steinway announces his decision to move all Steinway & Sons’ administrative offices, including his own, from Steinway Hall to the Astoria factory (the Ditmars factory is chosen at first, even though eventually the administrative offices will be moved … Continue reading →

Steinway & Sons makes $4,530,000 in sales. Steinway & Sons’ net profit is $90,788. Steinway & Sons’ Hamburg plant recovers to the production / sales level, equal to that of 1930. Vladimir Horowitz begins to record his new repertoire at … Continue reading →