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WE SEEK HISTORICAL STEINWAY PIANO DOCUMENTATION

   Especially from 1835 to 1892, including

Early squares, early verticals, early grands

 Early “Braunschweig” and Wolfenbuttel” pianos (Th. Steinweg, Nachfolger and early Grotrian) 

All Mangeot “System Steinways” 

Early squares which appear questionable, as the “Steinway and Sons” name is not cast into any plate - these are especially important

Click HERE for basic photo-document directions

Click HERE for a longer list of Steinway pianos we seek to document

While we cannot always know with absolute certainty what is “original,” our experience in piano technology along with a constantly increasing experience in the study of early Steinways increases the probability of an accurate observation.   Even then, it is difficult to find original examples because Steinway grand pianos were not merely furniture, but fine instruments which were practiced on and performed on.  This resulted in the need for string replacement, hammer replacement, complete action replacement (including replacement of the Henry Steinway Jr. action with an Erard Herz action), etc.  Most examples we find do not have many original components;  our first priority is to document original instruments, but we accept all submissions!

COLLECTION OF EARLY STEINWAY GRANDS AND THEIR COMPONENTS

Collecting original parts and components:  We ask for your help in locating  original Steinway grand parts and components.  These will be useful in museum display as well as for teaching and lecturing.   We encourage the collection of both Steinway pianos and piano parts for the  primary purpose of demonstrating early Steinway design and technology;  this is essential to understanding Steinway’s early designs and influence.  Further, many of these components are discarded in rebuilding.  This includes parts for damper and early belly-mounted, fabric-sheathed-wire type sostenuto systems;  iron resonators;  original wire, hammers, keys, also original legs and lyres;  original agraffes, and especially the patent actions of Henry Jr. and Theodore.

Parts for historical action models:   Many rebuilders discard action and damper action parts.   Some even replace keysticks.   While I encourage the archiving of at least sample original parts with the piano owner, I would like to use any available parts which are not archived with the piano for the building of action models, for museum archiving and documentation.  We need parts for each of Henry Steinway Jr’s patent actions (beginning 1856) as well as the 1871 patent action of C.F. Theodore Steinway which was used in the 6’8” grand beginning in 1872.

Gathering string scale and wire material data: We also seek original stringing scales and sample original piano wire,  segments of which can be sampled for metallurgical content:  The time of the principal changes in cast steel wire parallels the time of our Early Steinway Grand study;  we seek documentable examples of original wire for study of carbon content and other elements, to help ascertain qualities of early wire such as tensile strength and ductility.  See http://www.mozartpiano.com/wiretest.html 

DOCUMENTATION OF EARLY STEINWAY PIANOS

DATA COLLECTION EXAMPLES

DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOL

IMPORTANT PIANOS TO LOCATE AND DOCUMENT

CURRENT EXHIBIT: 

19TH CENTURY PIANOS IN THE HOME