Although Henry Steinweg (who changed his name to Steinway soon after arriving in the United States) was just one of many highly skilled piano craftsmen immigrating from Europe during the middle of the nineteenth century, his name would quickly become associated with the highest standards of quality workmanship and state of the art advances in piano design not only in the United States but throughout the world.

And for good reason. In James Barron's research, Barron found that Steinweg had already built by hand close to 500 pianos before he migrated to the United States (the first piano Steinway built in New York was numbered #483. Barron assumes that number to be a sequential continuation of Steinway's work in Germany. That first American made piano reportedly sold for $500.) (See Barron, 26.) Whether folklore or fact, the history of Steinway & Sons is an interesting and compelling study in human ingenuity, determination and technological innovation.

Source: Barron, James (2006).Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand. New York, Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Articles of Interest:

• Excerpt from A Dictionary of Music and Musicians by John Alexander Fuller-Maitland and George Grove (1883)
• Excerpt from History of the Piano by Ernest Closson (1947)
• Short history of Steinway & Sons at sweeneypiano.com