Historical Figures

Henry E. Steinway:The piano pioneer comes from the Harz Mountains

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg built his first grand piano in a laundry room in the Harz Mountains. As Henry E. Steinway, he wrote an unparalleled success story in the USA. The piano builder was born in Wolfshagen on February 22, 1797.

by Kristina Festring-Hashem Zadeh

In 1836, hidden from the strict eyes of the guild representatives, a poor young carpenter named Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg was working on a special construction in the laundry room of his home in Seesen - at least that's what the company legend says. Officially, he is not allowed to build instruments, but Steinweg feels called to do so. He builds a new type of instrument that makes other pianos sound comparatively mean:the first Steinweg grand piano.

This is probably the best-known of the many anecdotes surrounding the founder of the piano empire. Experts doubt that it really happened that way. But one thing is certain:Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg from Lower Saxony, who later became known as Henry E. Steinway, had considerable talent for building pianos and also for marketing his instruments.

Heinrich is the sole survivor of a lightning strike

Steinweg was born on February 22, 1797 in Wolfshagen, a village near Seesen in the Harz Mountains. Childhood and youth are full of deprivation and marked by strokes of fate. There is no money for education. Heinrich supported his father, a poor charcoal burner, from an early age. When the boy is 13 years old, his mother dies. In June 1812, Heinrich experienced another catastrophe:his brother and father died in a thunderstorm - only Heinrich survived the storm that surprised the three Steinwegs in the forest.

As a soldier, Steinweg makes zithers out of spruce wood

Before he became a successful piano maker as Henry E. Steinway, Steinweg was already building zithers to pass the time.

At the age of 17 he joined the troop corps of the Duke of Brunswick, Friedrich Wilhelm. According to stories, he is said to have blown the signal for the Battle of Waterloo - but Steinweg biographers also attribute this to the legend. However, there is evidence that Steinweg uses his free time with the regiment to build his first stringed instruments:zithers made of dried spruce wood, on which he whiles away the time. Although he has never had music lessons before, he is gaining a reputation as a gifted musician by playing simple melodies.

Steinweg builds the first piano out of love

After the end of his garrison, Steinweg initially worked in Goslar as a carpenter and organ builder. His masterpiece:an artistically crafted desk. However, he is said to have built his first piano out of love - for "Jungfer Johanne Juliane Henriette Thiemer", the daughter of a well-off glove maker from Seesen. The courted woman opens her heart to Steinweg as well as the door to social advancement. In May 1825 they marry. Steinweg sets up a carpentry workshop in Seesen. The first son, Theodor, is born in November. All in all, Juliane gave birth to ten children over time.

Steinweg is beating the drum - and giving away two pianofortes

Steinweg's first grand piano, the "Ur-Steinway".

Steinweg is passionate about building pianos. He intensively studies the construction of old English and modern German instruments, whose techniques he brings together and complements. In 1836 he advertised in the "Wochenblatt des Kreises Gandersheim" looking for a buyer for the first grand piano he had made himself. The "Ur-Steinway" will go down in history as the "kitchen piano". In order to make his instruments known to a larger public, he is also giving away two pianofortes.

Over the years he became a recognized piano builder. But the times are politically and economically turbulent. The sluggish German authorities, who repeatedly thwart the upstart's expansion plans, are also a reason why Steinweg is setting off to new horizons.

Steinweg becomes Steinway - and success in America

Christian Friedrich Theodor Steinway was initially the only Steinweg to remain in Germany.

Steinweg sent Karl to America in 1849 to protect his second son Karl from the military and at the same time to let him explore the situation in the USA. Karl describes many positive things about the land of unlimited opportunities - so in May of the following year, 53-year-old Heinrich, Juliane and seven of their children also set off from Hamburg by ship to New York. The eldest son, Theodor, continues the business at home.

In the USA, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg henceforth called himself Henry E. Steinway. Otherwise, the piano builder, who is considered illiterate, is said to have only spoken broken English. In order to get to know American pianoforte construction, he first worked with his sons in various factories. In 1853 they founded their first business as Steinway &Sons in a rear building.

Inventive in manufacturing and marketing

Word quickly gets around about the quality of their instruments. The precisely built, sonorous pianos are coveted and bring the Steinways numerous prizes in addition to new orders. Again and again they make a name for themselves with technical innovations, one patent follows the next - to date there are more than 140.

The Steinways are just as inventive when it comes to marketing their grand pianos as they are in the manufacture of their grand pianos. The company supplies well-known pianists with their instruments, organizes tours - and at the same time uses the stars as advertising media. The strategy works to this day. Artists such as classical pianist Lang Lang or pop star Billy Joel are just two of many examples.

Workers uprisings and death of the founder

But dark chapters also run through the family history. At the beginning of the 1860s, many workers in the USA went on strike because of low wages and long working hours - also at Steinway. The family hires police officers to keep the workers in line and throws many in prison.

When in 1865 his sons Henry jr. and Charles die, Steinweg is deeply affected. Theodor, who has taken care of the German business to date, sells to Wilhelm Grotrian. The company in Braunschweig still builds grand and upright pianos under the Grotrian-Steinweg name.

Theodor also comes to the USA to support the New York business. Together with his brother William, he takes care of the company, from which their father is increasingly withdrawing. The piano pioneer Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg died on February 7, 1871.

From 1880 Steinway produces in Hamburg

Back then on Schanzenstrasse:In 1880, Steinway set up a "piano factory" here.

His work lives on - and expands. A shop opened in London in 1875 proves to be extraordinarily lucrative. Consequently, the family also wants to produce in Europe. The choice falls on Hamburg, which is particularly well connected to the rest of the world with its port. Also, wages at this time are far lower than in New York. In 1880, Steinway opened its factory on Schanzenstrasse.

Initially, the workers mainly assemble parts imported from New York. This changes after the turn of the century. Since metal prices in Germany have fallen sharply, it seems more economical to buy locally.

At the beginning of the First World War, the plants in America and Europe produce independently. To this day, the wings differ in certain properties. The New York Steinway is painted satin black, the Hamburg one is highly polished. US instruments have a rectangular key flap, those from the Hanseatic city have a rounded one. The European ones should also sound brighter than the American ones.

During World War Steinway made rifle butts and coffins

A new Steinway factory was built in Hamburg in the 1920s. Production continues there to this day.

Between 1923 and 1928, the company built a new, larger factory at Rondenbarg in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld. Around 500 employees are still producing the elegant keyboard instruments there - which takes about twelve months per instrument without drying the wood.

During World War II, the Hamburg factory made bunk beds and rifle butts for German soldiers. In the USA, the precious wood is used to make cargo gliders and coffins for the US armed forces.

In 1972 the last descendant sold the family business

The last Steinway descendant and great-grandson of the founder, Henry, sold the family business to the American company Columbia Broadcasting Systems Inc. in 1972. Since then, Steinway has changed hands several times. This was also the case in August 2013 - after a brief bidding war, hedge fund manager John Paulson acquired the company for 512 million US dollars.

Steinway's "Spirio" for your own star concert at home

The indisputably high quality of the instruments should remain in any case, according to the promise made at the time, which will probably be kept. And the digital zeitgeist has also found its way into the Steinway house. Under the motto "play and let play", the piano builder offers die-hard fans a not-so-cheap extra:With "Spirio", various grand piano models become self-playing. Controllable via app, the instrument plays the Chopin, Liszt, Mozart or Beatles interpretations of top-class pianists available in the constantly growing archive without any action on your part - a digitally controlled private concert on your own instrument. Of course you can still play yourself.