New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung, May 15, 1891, p. 10

The Piano Forte. – Speech by the Expert. –

Almost 500 people attended the advertised talk by Mr. William Steinway yesterday at the German Social-Scientific Society [Deutscher Gesellig-Wisschenschaftlicher Verein]. Dr. W. F. Mittendorf introduced the speaker and his topic: „Historical notes about the art of constructing the piano forte, music and German opera in America; and the participation of the German community", which lasted for about an hour and was well done.

After a short history of the piano, the ‘hacking board’ of the 16th Century and the ‘clavichord’, on which Händel, Bach und Gluck had played and composed, William Steinway spoke about the ‘hammer piano’ on display, which Hayden and Beethoven knew. He described the development of the piano in England, France and Germany emphasizing the invention of the grand piano mechanics by Erard in Paris. He then asked Franz Rummel to illustrate two pieces on the 120 year old ‘spinet’.

The second part of his talk described the development of piano manufacturers in America. Johann Jakob Astor was the first, who had imported pianos from England over 100 years ago. – But already in 1812 American pianos were made, due to the invention of the cast iron frame by Alpheus Babcock in Philadelphia. And because of the highly developed cast-iron industry by the emigrants Austrian Protestants in the Mohawk Valley, piano manufacturing enjoyed a remarkable increase in America.

In 1850, when Steinway started as a 14-year-old apprentice at Wm. Nuns’, piano manufacturing was not flourishing. No company produced more than 8 to 10 pianos a week and the workers seldom earned more than $10 a week, from which the Principal often kept two-thirds for food and clothing against the workers will (the Truck-System). This abuse had disappeared in New York by 1857.

The Civil War, destroying all civilian work, limited piano manufacturing in this country. However, after the war it enjoyed a great increase. German workers who in 1850 had hardly amounted to 1% of the total number of workers, increased so that today about 20,000 piano workers about 9/10th are German. Over ? of the manufacturers are of German descent, while in 1850 a total of 3 German companies existed, among them Knabe and Mayer.

Steinway then commented on the success of the upright piano. By 1866 only 5% of the pianos were of the grand style [Tafelklavier]. American pianos with a production of about 80,000 per year dominate the world market, due to their excellent cast-iron frame, the superb American wood and the unsurpassable machinery. It is also known, that imported pianos do not tolerate the weather very well here, whereas American pianos remain the same wherever they are. To compare the tone of a ‘hammer piano’ to a Steinway grand Franz Rummel played Beethoven’s Fuge Sonata apassionata.

In the third part and approaching the end of his talk Mr. Steinway spoke in detail of the business development of music in America. From the first Italian opera troupe at the ‘Astor Place Opera House’ in 1850 and the first German opera performance of The Czar and the Carpenter [Zar und Zimmermann, comic opera - Gustav Albert Lortzing, 1801-1851, composer and libretto] by the Liederkranz , he drew a lively picture of the musical life in America, especially New York, including today. Seemingly never ending applause followed the talk, which obviously had made an enormous impression on the absolutely numerous listeners.

[hhv]