Monday, October L9> 1953 iSTiAN Science Monitor xrtur MUDinscein. worm renownea pianist, one ol tne many Btelnwav artist» Notable among the large family enterprises in America is the Steinway Piano Com­ Piano Jubilee pany now celebrating its 100th anniversary. Harold Rogers re­ By Harold Rogers counts some of the stories of Music Critic of The Christian Science Monitor noted artists who have used the ABOUT 250 YEARS AGO in Cremona, Italy Polonaise in A Major. The program also sched­ A Antonio Stradivari made some violins— uled the premiere of Mr. Gould’s “Inventions,’’ Steinway and adds a few anec­ more than 1,000 of them. He brought some composed for performance on,this occasion by the of these to such perfection that great violin­ First Piano Quartet. dotes of odd adventures pianos ists ever since have sought them out. Some of The sponsors also aimed to feature the dra­ these violins were given nicknames, and have matic elements of such a concert. They planned have had. Jed enviable musical careers as they passed from an impressive display of 10 Steinway grands on the hands of one artist to the next. Though there a platform dais constructed behind the orchestra are several other honored makes of violins, there on the Carnegie Hall stage. They planned a spec­ is none other so notable as the Stradivarius. tacular parade—a parade of Steinway pianos There is no exact counterpart to the Stradi­ and of pianists who endorse the Steinway. on the chance that he knew something about varius in the history of the piano, for the piano pianos. He did. He was John H. Steinway, one of is younger than the violin and has not the same Free Services the younger members of the firm, and by concert longevity. But when one considers the patronage The artists offered their services gratis. Other­ time he had the parts assembled. Mr. Eddy s of great artists, there is one piano that shares wise the cost of such a parade—even to a firm piano was playable. much with the Stradivarius. as prosperous as Steinway & Sons—would have The Steinway piano is one of the last great It is the Steinway. been out of the question. family enterprises in the world today. The house The Steinway is now 100 years old. In 1952, Steinway provided pianos for about is now operated by seven of the Steinways who This season there will be many concerts in 22,000 concerts. While the artist is not charged descended from Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg honor of the Steinway piano, but the first one— for the use of the piano, he is billed for tuning (the R2R1S ii SS held Oct. 19 in Carnegie Hall, New York City- ana tor cartage tg and from the concert halls. Heinrich was an ex-Prussian Army bugler, a for­ should overshadow al! the rest. The array of Last season Artur Rubinstein willingly paid a ester, and cabinet maker in the village of Seesen talent staggers the musical imagination. Thirty- shipping charge that almost canceled his profits in the Harz Mountains. four pianists of distinguished reputation were from a concert in Buenos Aires. His pet Steinway Heinrich began to make a piano for his young to appear with the New York Philharmonic- was tied up in a shipping strike, and he refused son Theodor, but when Theodor reached the age Symphony under its noted conductor, Dimitri to take any of the substitute instruments offered of 14. the piano was still unfinished. So Theodor Mitropoulos. him by a local impresario. He placed a long-dis­ helped his father to complete it, and soon the tance call to Steinway & Sons. The following piano was winning prizes at fairs and stimulating Groups of 10 day he was overjoyed to watch airport attendants orders for similar instruments. haul Steinway concert grand out of a New One seldom hears more than four pianists a York-Buenos Aires plane. play together (the First Piano Quartet, for in­ Lessons—Sale stance), and Arthur Fiedler has shown the temer­ The Steinways have received thousands of glowing testimonials on the merits of their pianos, In 1848, owing to the revolutionary troubles ity to conduct a battery of 50 pianists at one time. but thdte is one they take keen pleasure in of the day, the Steinways considered a new But seldom does one have the opportunity of quoting. It is. a note from Thomas A. Edison home in America. They arrived in the United hearing 34 pianists of high caliber on the same dated June 2, 1890: States in 1850, and in 1853 they opened their new program—artists like Alexander Brailowsky, piano company in a Varick Street barn in New Gents: Robert Casadesus, Eugene List, Guiomar Novaes, York City. Moura Lympany, Jacques Abram, Emo Balogh, I have decided to keep your grand piano. For When a prospective customer, who hao no Ethel Bartlett, Abram Chasins, Ania Dorfman, some reasons unknown to me it gives better knowledge of the instrument, hesitated to buy, it Leonid Hambro, Constance Keene, Menahem1'- results than any so far tried. Please send bill was Doretta Steinway, daughter of Heinrich, who Pressler, Gyorgy Sandor, and Jan Smeterlin, to with lowest price. gave piano lessons to make the sale. name but a few. Yours. William Steinway, brother of Theodor and Since it would be impossible to hear from each Thomas A. Edison Doretta, brought the firm to the prestige it now of these pianists during one evening, Steinway enjoys. In 1860, he moved the factory to Park & Sons hit upon the following plan: Chosen by In 1943, when Nelson Eddy was in Khartoum Avenue and 53d Street, grew a dignified beard, lots, these pianists would perform in three groups on a USO tour, his piano fell from the back of and in 1865 built the first Steinway Hall on 14th of 10. The pieces selected for them were Josef a moving truck and scattered many of its 12,000 Street. Here were heard such noted artists as Hoffmann’s arrangement of “The Star-Spangled pieces about a bazaar. A Special Service officer Adelina Patti, Fritz Kreisler, and Jan Paderewski. Banner,” Morton Gould’s arrangement of Sousa’s remembered that there was a Lieutenant Stein­ Since 1853, the five generations of the Stein­ "Stars and Stripes Forever,” and Chopin’s way in a nearby Air Force unit, and called him way family have built 342,000 pianos. The com­ pany produces only 2 per cent of the 150,000 pianos bought by Americans annually, but it garners 10 per cent of the industry’s yearly gross. Steinway produced more than 25 per cent of the grand pianos sold in 1952. The firm also provided more than 90 per cent of the pianos used at re­ citals and concerts. Steinway pianos are built with loving care and thorough craftsmanship. Four hundred workmen contribute their abilities to a new piano during a period of nine months. The instrument receives six tunings, four action regulations, two tone regulations, and a final checkup by an expert before it leaves the factory. A Steinway concert grand weighs half a ton and is composed of 12,000 parts. Piano Care Do you have a piano? To keep it in the best condition, the Steinway experts recommend that you tune it three times a year, that you leave the keyboard open (since ivory tends to grow yellow in the dark), and that the top be closed to keep out the dust. The insides should be cleaned fre­ quently and demothing agents placed near the felts. The firm has made two pianos for the White House. The first, the “Gold Piano,” was pre­ sented to the White House in 1903. The second, which replaced the gold one, was chosen by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It stands on golden eagles in federal style. The most expensive piano ever built by Stein­ way was decorated with ivory and mother-of- pearl and was painted by Sir Alma-Tadema, noted British artist. It cost $40,000. Today it may be seen in the lobby of the Martin Beck Theater in New York. The Steinways will receive much honor during their 100th anniversary season—honor that is due them for their ability to turn out a quality instrument that is respected and cherished the world over. May this American firm win even greater achievements in the hundreds of years Stringing » to come!.