"American Musical Instruments" article by William Steinway

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In late 1895 William wrote an article on the history of the manufacture of pianos (primarily) and other musical instruments (briefly) in America. This article appeared in the volume 1795-1895, One Hundred Years of American Commerce, edited by Chauncey M. Depew, that was published that year.(2) In early 1896, William slightly revised and expanded the article, and it appeared in the Musical Courier.(5) The article was reviewed very positively in the New York press.(6)(4)

1895 marked the 100th anniversary of the Jay Treaty, a treaty that negotiated commercial relations of the new United States with Britain and resolved conflicts of the time. This anniversary was marked by various celebrations, including the preparation and publication of the volume 1795-1895, One Hundred Years of American Commerce, that was edited by Chauncey Depew, a prominent N.Y. attorney.(1) The two-volume book consisted of 100 chapters. The topics included banking, exports and imports, interstate commerce, Wall Street, American railroads, the telephone, various mining and agricultural sectors, a range of manufacturing industries, a range of trade activities in particular goods, and others. Each chapter had a different author, including federal and state officials, senators, numerous corporate presidents, and many other personages. William authored Chapter 78, American Musical Instruments. (2, pp.509-515)

William's article began with a brief review of the earliest days of pianos in Europe in the eighteenth century. He then provided a detailed account of how the American industry of piano manufacture emerged and developed, explaining innovations that improved the tone of the piano and the sturdiness of its construction. Naturally, his text made specific reference to the founding of Steinway & Sons and his own personal history in the industry. William's account explained how American pianos came to equal or even exceed in quality those made in Europe and how American manufacturing of pianos thrived. He included discussions of the impact of the Civil War on piano manufacturing and described a series of labor strikes and their resolutions. He listed twenty-one principle inventions by American piano manufacturers from 1825 to 1895, of which nine were by persons at Steinway & Sons. The article concluded with a brief discussion of other American musical instruments, including reed and church organs, violins, and brass wind instruments.

William mentioned preparation of the original article only briefly in the diary in late 1895.(Diary, 1895-11-10, 11-11, 11-18) Much of the material he included had been featured in a lecture he had given more than four years earlier at the German Social-Scientific Society and that had been reported on in the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung at that time.(Diary, 1891-05-14)(3)

A story about the Depew book appeared in The New York Times in December of 1895, but William's contribution was not mentioned.(1) In March of the following year, The Music Trade Review contained a story about William's chapter in the book.(6) This story summarized much of the content of William's article and praised William's "clever article" and the "literary dress" with which he "clothed" this views on an industry in which he was so involved.. A short note appeared in the same publication later in the month that highlighted one of William's points in the article.(4) In the same month, William noted in the diary that he was working on a revision to the article.(Diary, 1896-03-21) The revised version appeared at the end of the month in The Musical Courier.(5) In this version, William added information on names, dates, and contributions made by various American individuals and firms in the business of producing musical instruments over the preceding 100 years.

To read the full text of William Steinway's article, click here.

Sources:

"Commerce of a Century: An Elaborate Book Showing This Country's Record," The New York Times, December 29, 1895, p. 21.
Depew, Chauncey, ed. 1795-1895, One Hundred Years of American Commerce. New York: D.O. Haynes & Co., 1895. www.books.google.com
"The Piano Forte.Speech by the Expert.," New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung, May 15, 1891, p. 10.
"Reviewings," The Music Trade Review, March 28, 1896, p. 13. www.arcade-museum.com/mtr
Steinway, William, "American Musical Instruments," The Musical Courier, March 25, 1896, pp. 34-36.
Untitled, The Music Trade Review, March 7, 1896, p. 6. www.arcade-museum.com/mtr