Great Piano Brands Episode 1: Steinway & Sons

Great Piano Brands Episode 1: Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons - Now and Then

In 1853, German immigrant Henry E. Steinway founded Steinway & Sons in New York City with the goal of building the best piano possible. In the pursuit of that goal, he began one of the great American success stories.

Many things have changed outside the walls of the Steinway & Sons factory over the course of more than a century and a half, but most important things have remained exactly the same... Steinway pianos continue to be handcrafted with pride in New York City. Steinway & Sons continues to employ a skilled, local workforce that uses many techniques which have been passed down for generations in creating these magnificent instruments. The original vision and goal of Henry E. Steinway to build the best piano possible continues on as the goal and vision of many.

Music performed on location at the Steinway New York Factory by Steinway Artist Richard Dowling: http://www.richard-dowling.com
Steinway factory footage from 1929 provided by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives.



La Guardia And Wagner Archives Playlist



The Making of a Steinway - A Steinway & Sons Factory Tour Narrated by John Steinway

The making of a Steinway piano is a time-honored process involving the hands of many skilled craftspeople over the course of almost a full year. Steinway & Sons pianos are built in just two factories worldwide - one in Astoria, NY and one in Hamburg, Germany. Both factories have been building pianos for well over a century, and although Steinway has always been at the cutting edge in utilizing and perfecting the latest technology where it could make the piano better, we have found that certain things are simply better when done by skilled craftspeople than by a machine. For that reason, many parts of the process in building a Steinway have remained essentially unchanged for generations. So much so, that we were able to take decades-old audio from a narrated factory tour by the late John H. Steinway (great-grandson of Henry E. Steinway, who founded our great company in 1853) and use it as the narration for footage shot at the Steinway NY factory in 2011 by Ben Niles, producer of the documentary film "Note by Note" (http://www.notebynotethemovie.com).

We hope you enjoy this look inside the Steinway New York factory, narrated in detail by the late, great John Steinway.

Video produced by Plow Productions: http://www.plowproductions.com.



Steinway and Sons: The Features of the Steinway Piano

Since 1853, Steinway pianos have set an uncompromising standard for sound, touch, beauty, and investment value. Steinway remains the choice of 9 out of 10 concert artists, and it is the preferred piano of countless musicians, professional and amateur, throughout the world. In this video, Ron Losby, President - Americas, Steinway & Sons, covers some of the patented features that make a Steinway the world's finest piano.



The Steinway Piano Factory: A Five Minute Tour

It takes over a year to build a single Steinway & Sons piano. ...and James shows you how the process works with unique, "behind the scenes" video - in five minutes!

Watch this incredible - and rare - video footage of American workers building the World's Finest Piano.



Steinway & Sons: New York City Piano Makers
A look inside the Steinway & Sons factory in Queens.

Produced by Kim Nowacki | © WQXR
Camera: Kim Nowacki and Jeff Spurgeon
Steinway factory archival photos courtesy of Steinway & Sons
Jeffrey Biegel "Bach on a Steinway" used with permission of Steinway & Sons



All-Steinway Schools demonstrate a commitment to excellence by providing their students and faculties with the best equipment possible for the study of music. That is why the pianos owned by these institutions — from the practice room to the recital hall — are Designed by Steinway & Sons.

This video represents a sampling of academic leaders from institutions that proudly call themselves "All-Steinway." Listen to their personal accounts of what makes this designation so important to each of their music programs and their schools as a whole.

For more information on the All-Steinway School program, and to see an up to date listing of schools with the designation, please visit: http://www.steinway.com/institutions/all-steinway-schools



Pounding Room at the Steinway Factory

Steinway pianos now go through "pounding" twice at the Steinway factory. A session in the pounding room helps to "break in" a piano and at the same time provides quality assurance by putting the entire action through a rigorous testing - allowing Steinway to spot any potential problems while the piano is still in the factory. Putting pianos through this process on two different occasions takes more time and effort, but the result is a piano that leaves the factory sounding as close as possible to its true tone.


Features of the Essex Piano - Designed by Steinway & Sons

The Steinway-designed Essex piano incorporates the latest design specifications and engineering standards from Steinway & Sons. In keeping with Steinway's commitment to excellence, Steinway & Sons provides technical assistance for the production of Essex pianos, to insure that Essex pianos are made to the specifications established by Steinway. And every Essex instrument is inspected by a team of highly experienced Steinway & Sons trained technicians before it leaves the factory.

View this video to see firsthand the features that make the Essex Piano the best choice in its price range for anyone looking for a quality piano at an affordable price.

To find out more and view all of the available grand and upright models, visit: http://www.steinway.com/essex



Features of the Boston Piano - Designed by Steinway & Sons

The Steinway designed Boston Piano — long unrivaled in its class and unmatched in value — has been significantly enhanced with the introduction of the new Performance Edition. The Boston Performance Edition features improvements in materials, specifications, and performance never before seen in the mid-price range.

View this video to find out the features that elevate the Boston Piano to a class of its own within its price range.

To find out more and view all of the available grand and upright models, visit: http://www.steinway.com/boston

Music performed on a Boston Piano by jazz pianist David Esleck

For more information on Steinway & Sons, please visit: http://www.steinway.com