A combination of notes taken from various resources and my own insights.
Quick, basic facts:
Insights:
Rob: Well, Steinways are still made in the U.S., each one handcrafted. In other words each soundboard is cut precisely to match the outer rim, it's not just a cookie-cutter soundboard placed into the next rim on the assembly line…. If there is a decline in specs, which I'm not currently aware of, much of it would be due to foreign competition, rather than decline of musical culture. We can thank a much lower level of entertainment thresholds thrust upon us by promoters, as well as us being equally responsible for accepting and supporting such a standard of entertainment.
Me: Hm, interesting. I was thinking kind of vice versa (like how does quality of Steinway parallel with quality of today's music). So far I haven't found any significant decline in Steinway quality, but the recent sale of the company is worrying artists that quality/novelty will go down because the company that bought Steinway is from Wall St.
Rob: Over the last two decades Steinway HAS diversified. It introduced a secondary line, the Boston series, and a third line, the Essex series, both produced outside the USA to fill price points, and sell more quantity than they could produce in New York with handcrafted pianos.
Me: So what if the three tiers, which came about in different years, represent an era of music? Like Steinway represents the most meaningful songs, Boston represents the somewhat meaningful songs, and Essex represents the repetitive, predictable, and meaningless songs of today? I mean, appealing to a bigger crowd became the priority rather than creating a quality product that has meaning to people. I mean no harm against the third tier (*in that I didn't mean to sound stuck-up)!
Rob: So much deeper than that! Sometimes, people who have NO budget issues only desire to spend as little as possible on a piano, because they don't value it as highly as a china/crystal display case or just one week in Disney World! Perceived value and importance to the person writing the check.
- Born Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg
- Made his first piano in Germany
- Emigrated to U.S. in 1850
- Americanized name: Henry E. Steinway
- Founded Steinway & Sons in 1853
- Started the trend of getting celebrity endorsements to promote his product
- Basically lived the American Dream
- Company makes the world's finest pianos
Insights:
- Steinway's incorporation of 2nd and 3rd tier quality piano lines (with quantity in mind) parallels to how music's lyrical quality (as in meaning) seems to have decreased.
- Steinway worries about reaching a bigger audience and being popular (compete against foreign piano companies) much like how today's popular music tries to garner more sales; focuses on how the song sounds rather than the song's meaning (i.e. repetitive lyrics).
- Helene Grimaud: "It spoke to me immediately," top tier quality resonates with players, has meaning to them. Similarly, meaningful song lyrics are ones that people can relate to.
- Interview with a piano teacher named Rob (I paraphrased it because the whole thing is pretty long)
Rob: Well, Steinways are still made in the U.S., each one handcrafted. In other words each soundboard is cut precisely to match the outer rim, it's not just a cookie-cutter soundboard placed into the next rim on the assembly line…. If there is a decline in specs, which I'm not currently aware of, much of it would be due to foreign competition, rather than decline of musical culture. We can thank a much lower level of entertainment thresholds thrust upon us by promoters, as well as us being equally responsible for accepting and supporting such a standard of entertainment.
Me: Hm, interesting. I was thinking kind of vice versa (like how does quality of Steinway parallel with quality of today's music). So far I haven't found any significant decline in Steinway quality, but the recent sale of the company is worrying artists that quality/novelty will go down because the company that bought Steinway is from Wall St.
Rob: Over the last two decades Steinway HAS diversified. It introduced a secondary line, the Boston series, and a third line, the Essex series, both produced outside the USA to fill price points, and sell more quantity than they could produce in New York with handcrafted pianos.
Me: So what if the three tiers, which came about in different years, represent an era of music? Like Steinway represents the most meaningful songs, Boston represents the somewhat meaningful songs, and Essex represents the repetitive, predictable, and meaningless songs of today? I mean, appealing to a bigger crowd became the priority rather than creating a quality product that has meaning to people. I mean no harm against the third tier (*in that I didn't mean to sound stuck-up)!
Rob: So much deeper than that! Sometimes, people who have NO budget issues only desire to spend as little as possible on a piano, because they don't value it as highly as a china/crystal display case or just one week in Disney World! Perceived value and importance to the person writing the check.
- My Poppop said that there is there is nothing like the Concert Steinway piano.