The history of Steinway & Sons

The story begins with Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg. His youth was marked by many tragedies. At the age of 8, he was orphaned and had to fend for himself to survive. In 1822, he began working as a cabinetmaker for an organ builder and discovered his passion for music and instrument making. In 1836, he built his first instrument. However, at that time, you could only become a keyboard maker if you were a member of a guild. Therefore, he built his first instrument in secret, in his kitchen. The instrument earned the fitting nickname "Kitchen piano". In 2006, Piano's Maene built a replica of this first piano. The instrument was built according to the Viennese tradition. The level of finish and build quality of this first instrument were immediately top-notch and comparable to other major builders from that region and time.

The poor political climate in Germany and the patchwork of various regulations in the German regions led Heinrich Engelhard to decide, in 1850, to move to the United States with his five children. On the advice of friends, he changed his name there from von Steinweg to Steinway. In the first three years, Heinrich Engelhard, together with his sons, worked with various piano builders. In 1853, he decided to build his own instruments. The Steinway company was born!

To introduce their new pianos to the general public, Steinway regularly participated in various fairs and exhibitions. In 1855, they won first prize at a fair in New York, and in 1862, they also won first prize in London, competing with the most prominent builders in Europe. This victory was followed in 1867 by a similar success at the World Exposition in Paris. In response to their great success in Europe, a second factory was built in Hamburg in 1880. To this day, Steinway manufactures in New York for the American continent, while the factory in Hamburg supplies instruments for Europe and Asia.  

According to piano legends such as Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, and other piano greats of the time, Steinway did more to promote the durability, mechanics, and tonal quality of their instruments than any other manufacturer in Europe or America. The artistic preference that artists had for Steinway at the end of the 19th and early 20th century has only grown. In fact, the opposite is true: Why 98% of the world's concert halls owns a Steinway concert grand piano!

As Sergei Rachmaninoff so aptly put it: "Dear Mr. Steinway, I am very happy to have the opportunity of using your pianos for my concerts. I consider them to be perfect in every way."