Henry E. Steinway

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (* February 15, 1797 in Wolf Hagen in the resin; † February 7, 1871 in New York; Heinrich Engelhardt Steinweg or Henry E. Steinway ) was a German piano maker.

Biography

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg was born on February 15, 1797 in Wolf Hagen in the resin as the son of a master Köhler. He began as a carpenter at the age of 15 years. After the successful completion he went to Goslar, where he worked as an organist and was trained as an instrument maker. In Brunswick, he began the construction of guitars, zithers and mandolins. He then went on to build panel pianos, upright pianos and grand pianos. He gave his first self-built 1825 square piano his bride Juliane to the wedding. 1836 was the first wing in an old, made-up as a workshop laundry in Seesen.

Due to the troubled political situation gave Steinweg 1850 Braunschweiger business to his son Theodor ( 1825-1889 ). On 28 May 1850 he emigrated with four other sons to New York, where she first worked in several piano factories. In 1853 they made their own. Heinrich Steinweg Anglicized 1854 his name to Henry E. Steinway, the company was called since Steinway and Sons. The business quickly took a huge boom after it had 1855 on the New York Industrial Exhibition first prize for his kreuzsaitigen Piano Fortes, a development of Henry Steinway Jr. obtained. In 1856 the first wing was built. 1866 Company built its own concert hall in New York, Steinway Hall, at that time one of their biggest concert halls.

Wilhelm (also William) Steinway, the fourth son, supported the poor of Seesen and donated the park to the east of the city, which is named after him. To thank him for it proclaimed the city fathers in 1888 an honorary citizen.

Theodor Steinweg sold in 1865 the Brunswick company to Wilhelm Grotrian ( it still exists today under the name Grotrian -Steinweg ) and entered the New York store on after his brothers Henry on March 11, 1865 in New York and Karl on March 31, 1865 had died in Brunswick; Steinweg Albert died in 1876 in New York.

Afterlife

• Henry E. Steinway is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
• In the Municipal Museum Seesen informed a permanent exhibition about the family and the company Steinway. The focus of this exhibition is the first built in the United States square piano by Steinway & Sons.
• In Wolf Hagen in the Harz Mountains, the birthplace of Heinrich E. Steinweg, each year five concerts with music from all eras - held at the Festhalle - from classical to jazz. In every three years, the Wolf Haeger Steinweg Days will take place. Organizer of this concert series is the wolf Haeger Steinway V. The center of the concerts is an antique Steinway piano, the e of the wolf Haeger Steinway club V. was purchased for this purpose.
• The tourist office Wolf Hagen in the Harz eV organizes addition, every two years in February, the traditional birthday concert in honor of the world famous piano maker.