Steinway
Steinway & Sons originates in 1839 in Seesen, Germany, established by Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, a furniture and instrument builder. Heinrich emigrated in 1850 with his family to the United States of America in search of a better life. Son Christian Friedrich Theodore stayed behind to run his fathers business. He, along with Friedrich Grotrian and two employees, continued building pianos. Eventually he sold his shares to Wilhelm Grotrian in 1865 in order to follow his family abroad. After the other owners sold their shares as well, the company continued under the name Grotrian-Steinweg.In the USA Heinrich and his family sought employment at various piano companies and made sure to adopt the language and culture as soon as possible. They also changed their name to Steinway. These were favourable times for piano builders, as the American public gained interest in music and the piano became an appreciated instrument and piece of furniture. In 1853 Henry Steinway and his sons Henry jr. and Charles officially established the company Steinway & Sons.
After the passing of two of his brothers in 1865, C.F. Theodore gave up his business in Germany to assist his father and brothers. In 1880 Theodore and his brother William, who was in charge of commerce, rented an old sewing machine factory in Hamburg in order to turn it into a new Steinway factory. Initially all parts were provided by the mother company in New York, but after a few years a new factory building and several other branches were put into use .
In 1943, during the Second World War, the factory in Hamburg burned down completely after a bombing. Five years later production slowly took back up in Hamburg, while the factory in New York continued to struggle. It took until the 1960’s for the company, led by Henry Z. Steinway, to become profitable again.
