The Myth of Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons builds pianos and grand pianos with exceptional attention to detail and impressive quality. The guiding principle of the company's founder, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, was “to build the best piano possible” — a motto that remains unchanged to this day. These outstanding instruments can be experienced in all their beauty at the Steinway Piano Galleries at Musik Hug.
The "Myth of Steinway" dates back to 1853, when Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg founded the company in New York together with his sons — a company that would soon become world-renowned. However, the success story actually began around three decades earlier — with a wedding gift.
The Beginnings
Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, who later called himself Henry E. Steinway, was born in 1797 in Wolfshagen in the Harz Mountains as the youngest child of a forester. His youth was marked by great hardship and tragic events. In 1825, Henry E. Steinway settled in Seesen and married Juliane Thiemer. His wedding gift: a square piano with double stringing. The desire to dedicate himself more fully to building keyboard instruments grew stronger, and Steinway eventually set up his own workshop.
Steinway's vision to build the best possible piano had become reality.
The completion of his first grand piano in 1836 must have been one of the most significant events in Henry E. Steinway’s life. He managed to build a grand piano entirely on his own, which, thanks to groundbreaking ideas and innovations, could be played with a significantly more resonant and thus more pianistic sound than any other instrument. With a length of 212 cm, this instrument was considered the largest concert grand of its time. Steinway's vision to build the best possible piano had become reality and set the standard for the generations that followed.
Departure and a New Beginning in America
That Engelhard left his hometown at the age of 53 to start anew in America was not only due to the uncertain political situation and the economic depression. His goal was to continuously further develop his piano-building designs, and he saw great opportunities for this in the USA.
Steinway & Sons Takes the Lead
What began in Seesen led in 1853 in New York to the founding of the global enterprise – the legend began. Steinway and his sons built almost all of the first square pianos themselves, and in 1855 the instruments were awarded for the first time. By 1862, another 35 awards were to follow in America alone. Already two years later, the company was regarded as the world’s largest piano manufacturer and as the founder of modern piano construction.
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