Heinrich engelhard steinweg biography wikipedia

The company is based in Braunschweig , Germany, commonly known as Brunswick in English. Grotrian-Steinweg makes premium grand pianos and upright pianos. In , Friedrich Grotrian became a partner; in his son Wilhelm Grotrian and two associates bought the factory and the right to market their pianos as successors to the Steinweg brand. Ensuing generations of Grotrian family members led the company to become one of the finest piano manufacturers in Germany.

Grotrian-Steinweg pianos were preferred by some famous pianists, and they received accolades at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Grotrian-Steinweg operated an orchestra and a concert hall, and established sales rooms in a half dozen major cities in Germany, and by , in London as well.

Steinway family tree

At its peak in the late s, Grotrian-Steinweg employed 1, people and made 3, pianos per year. Economic depression in the s and war in the s caused Grotrian-Steinweg to decline severely and then lose its factory completely. The family rebuilt the factory and re-established its reputation for quality work. In the s, an annual piano-playing competition was founded by the company, to identify promising young piano students.

Grotrian-Steinweg sought to expand into the US in the mids.