Steinway & Sons facts for kids

Steinway grand piano and upright piano

Steinway & Sons, often called Steinway, is a famous piano company. It has roots in both the United States and Germany. A German piano maker named Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg started the company in 1853. He later became known as Henry E. Steinway. The first factory was in Manhattan, New York City. Many of the early workers at Steinway were German immigrants.

As the company grew, new factories opened. One factory is in Queens, New York City. Another is in Hamburg, Germany. The Queens factory makes pianos for North and South America. The Hamburg factory supplies pianos to the rest of the world.

Steinway is known for making very high-quality pianos. They have created many new ideas in piano design. Steinway has received 126 patents for their piano inventions. Their first patent was given in 1857. Steinway sells over 80% of all high-end grand pianos.

Awards and Recognition

Steinway pianos have won many awards. One of their first big wins was a gold medal in 1855. This was at the American Institute Fair in New York. From 1855 to 1862, Steinway pianos earned 35 gold medals. Many more awards followed. For example, they won three medals at the world's fair in Paris in 1867. The European part of Steinway even has a special honor. It holds a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth II. This means they are official suppliers to the British Royal Family.

Types of Steinway Pianos

Steinway pianos are made in their factories in Hamburg and Queens. Besides their main Steinway brand, the company also sells two other piano brands. These are called Boston and Essex. These brands are more affordable.

Boston and Essex Pianos

The Boston brand is for people looking for a good quality piano that costs less than a Steinway. The Essex brand is for those buying their first piano. Steinway engineers design both Boston and Essex pianos. However, they are made in Asia by other piano makers. This helps keep costs lower for parts and labor. Steinway employees still watch over the making of these pianos.

Related pages

• Steinway D-274

Images for kids

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  Engraving of Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg

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  Steinway's factory in Manhattan, 1876

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  Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany, 1915

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  Crowd of spectators buying tickets for a Charles Dickens reading at the Steinway Hall in New York City, 1867

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  The White House's Steinway art case piano from 1938 in the Entrance Hall

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  Steinway & Sons ad 1922

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  Steinway piano No. 500,000 from 1988

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  John Lennon's Steinway upright piano sold at auction to George Michael in 2000 for £1.67 million

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  Steinway & Sons concert grand piano, model D-274, manufactured at Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany

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  Steinway art case piano designed by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema on display at the art museum Clark Art Institute

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  Boston grand piano

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  Interior of a Steinway grand piano showing the rim, plate, soundboard, bridges, keys, and strings

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  Keys of a Steinway grand piano

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  Sergei Rachmaninoff at a Steinway grand piano

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  Keith Jarrett performing on a Steinway grand piano

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  Lang Lang next to a Steinway grand piano

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  Logo of All-Steinway Schools

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  "Sudden Mania to become Pianists created upon hearing Steinway's Pianos at the Paris Exposition." This lithograph by Amédée de Noé a.k.a. Cham conveys the popularity of the Steinway piano, the musicality of which had just been demonstrated by pianist Désiré Magnus at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris. (Harper's Weekly, August 10, 1867, reporting on the world exposition).

See also

In Spanish: Steinway & Sons para niños