William Steinway

Biography

William Steinway was born at Seesen on March 5, 1835. A strong, healthy boy who attended the Jacobsohn College, he showed talent for languages and music and, by age 14 in New York, could tune a piano to perfection. Choosing piano making over music study, he apprenticed at William Nunns & Company, later joining his father's firm and working at the bench before being chosen unanimously to head its financial and commercial departments at age 29. He opened Steinway Hall in 1867, launching debut American appearances by virtuosos such as Anton Rubinstein and Teresa Carreno, and financed Theodore Thomas' orchestra's tours. He pursued an unprecedented advertising campaign, opened a London branch (Steinway Hall, London, 1876) and Hamburg factories (1880), and founded the town of Steinway, Long Island, on 400 acres bought in 1880. A former Turn Verein athlete and 14-year president of the Liederkranz, he steered the industry through the panics of 1893 and 1896 before dying prematurely on November 30, 1896; Carl Schurz delivered his funeral oration. William Steinway, of Steinway & Sons (which appeared on the scene in 1855), is credited with far-seeing judgment in building the firm's reputation. Following methods of persistent publicity as revolutionary as those later adopted by Blüthner in Germany, Steinway was not content merely to use printer's ink to advertise fine pianos; he also worked to educate the public's musical taste. He had Steinway Hall erected, generously supported the Theodore Thomas orchestra, and engaged the greatest piano virtuosos of the day, from Rubinstein to Joseffy, for concerts not only in New York but in all the large cities of the United States and Canada. Chickering & Sons followed his example by erecting Chickering Hall in New York and Boston, and other firms such as Knabe, Weber and Steck likewise engaged great soloists, contributing to the piano's growing popularity alongside the growth of American wealth. William Steinway, uncle of Charles H. Steinway, headed Steinway and Sons and was responsible for charging his nephew with early financial oversight duties within the firm, including inventories and balance sheets. William Steinway died on November 30, 1896, and Charles H. Steinway was elected president of the company on December 4 of that year. He was honored by the German Emperor with the Order of the Red Eagle in 1893. William Steinway, uncle of Frederick T. Steinway, is noted in the text as having held the position of trustee of the German Savings Bank of New York, a role described as honorable. Steinway accepted the same trustee position as his 'illustrious uncle' William Steinway's successor at that institution. No further biographical detail about him is given within this portion of the text. William Steinway is named by Dolge, alongside Albert Weber, as one of the exceptions among the piano makers of the pre-1870 era. Dolge states that while most piano makers of that time were far better craftsmen than businessmen, valuing the glory of piano construction above financial success, Steinway and Weber stood apart. No further biographical detail is given in this passage. William Steinway is mentioned as one of the sons of Henry Engelhardt Steinway who, together with Theodore, built upon the factory organization left behind by their brother Charles after Charles's death in 1865. The text credits Charles's managerial foundation as indispensable to the later triumphs achieved by 'these two great men,' Theodore and William. William Steinway visited Richard Gertz's father's home in Hannover in 1880 and, during that visit, encouraged young Richard to come to New York to work at the Steinway factory. Gertz did so after graduating school, arriving in New York in the fall of 1881 and working in various branches of the Steinway factory for two years. William Steinway presided over the great banquet of the New York Piano Manufacturers' Association at which then-President Grover Cleveland was guest and addressed the assemblage; Nahum Stetson, as the association's first secretary, arranged the event. From Spillane (1890): William Steinway, born March 5, 1836, was the fourth son and sixth child of Henry E. Steinway, founder of Steinway & Sons, and became the firm's present head. Raised in Seesen, Germany, amid the family piano business, he attended an excellent school, gained a broad education and several languages, and showed strong musical ability, being able to tune a grand piano for concert use at age fourteen. He emigrated to New York with his family in 1850 at age fourteen and, despite his musical training, was drawn instead toward the practical piano trade, apprenticing to William Nunns & Company in the summer of 1850. He remained there until Steinway & Sons was founded in March 1853 by his father and elder brothers, joining the firm himself once he turned twenty-one. At the time of writing he was described as the only surviving son of Henry E. Steinway and head of Steinway & Sons. William Steinway was granted a U.S. patent for a "resonator," a practical invention for regulating the tension of piano sounding-boards, described as a noteworthy study in piano acoustics. By 1866, when Steinway Hall was inaugurated with a grand concert, he was twenty-nine years old and already a rising figure in the firm; by the time of writing he is described as "the present head of the firm" of Steinway & Sons. His eldest son, George A. Steinway, was also a member of the firm. William Steinway is credited as a "practical inventor" whose resonator work is highlighted among the firm's notable acoustic developments, alongside other patents recorded by the house between 1866 and 1872.

Highlights

• Used aggressive advertising ('printer's ink') in a manner as revolutionary as Blüthner's in Germany
• Built Steinway Hall and generously supported the Theodore Thomas orchestra to help educate the public's musical taste
• Engaged the greatest piano virtuosos, from Rubinstein to Joseffy, for concerts throughout the United States and Canada
• Named by Dolge, along with Albert Weber, as one of the rare piano makers of the era who combined craftsmanship with strong business sense
• With Theodore, built upon the factory organization left by their brother Charles after his 1865 death
• Named as one of 'these two great men' credited with Steinway & Sons' later triumphs
• Built Steinway Hall, opened in 1867, inaugurating a new era in America's musical life
• Financed Theodore Thomas' orchestra's national tours and induced European virtuosos to tour America
• President of the Liederkranz singing society for 14 years; died in 1896 from overwork
• Visited the Gertz family home in Hannover in 1880
• Encouraged young Richard Gertz to come work at the Steinway factory in New York
• Uncle of Charles H. Steinway and head of Steinway and Sons before his death
• Death on November 30, 1896 led to Charles H. Steinway's election as president days later
• Received the Order of the Red Eagle from the German Emperor in 1893
• Held the position of trustee of the German Savings Bank of New York
• Succeeded in that trustee position by his nephew Frederick T. Steinway
• Described in the text as 'illustrious'
• Presided over a New York Piano Manufacturers' Association banquet addressed by President Grover Cleveland
• Could tune a grand piano for concert use at age fourteen.
• Apprenticed to William Nunns & Company in 1850 before joining Steinway & Sons upon turning twenty-one.
• Was, at the time of writing, the only surviving son of Henry E. Steinway and present head of Steinway & Sons.
• Held a patent for a "resonator" system regulating the tension of sounding-boards, called a noteworthy study in piano acoustics.
• Was twenty-nine years old in 1866 when Steinway Hall was inaugurated.
• Described as "the present head of the firm" of Steinway & Sons at time of writing.

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), pp. 175, 306, 308, 309, 310, 311; Vol. II (1913), pp. 147, 177, 178, 182, 190.

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 213, 216, 219, 220, 222, 223.

Public domain.