Grotrian

The History Of Grotrian-Steinweg Piano

Grotrian-Steinweg, known as the Grotrian piano in the US, is one of the world's finest most respected piano brands. Among a handful of top German manufacturers of luxury pianos.

The Grotrian 192 (6'4') model was the piano chosen in a well documented odyssey for the perfect piano in the New York Times best selling book "Grand Obsession" by Perri Knize. Grand Obsession Book

Why Hollywood Piano loves Grotrian-Steinweg pianos.

1. - Exceptional Tone - Grotrian pianos are famous for their deep warm singing tone and exceptional clarity. Unlike pianos manufactured in Asia with short sustain from non-traditional manufacturing methods and materials, Grotrian pianos have long sustaining tones with a complex and unique range of dynamics.
2. - Commitment to hand made excellence - The Grotrian factory makes just 200 uprights and 100 grands per year. Some famous high end piano builders boast of making more than 2500 per year.
3. - Passionate management committed to making the best pianos in the world. Former head of the Kluge key company Stepehn Gretzka is in charge with one goal, to build the best pianos in the world.
4. - All lines of their pianos are designed by the engineers in Germany
5. - German precision manufacturing

Steinweg Founds Steinway & Sons

In 1835 Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg later known as Steinway (founder of Steinway & Sons, NY) built the world's very first Steinweg piano factory. Fifteen years later in 1850, H.E. Steinweg took most of his large family to New York City, leaving the piano factory to his eldest son, C.F. Theodor Steinweg, who stayed behind to run it under his own name. Six years later Friedrich Grotrian became his partner. Grotrian-Steinweg pianos were praised universally and were the choice of judges 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 1920, in London as well. At its peak in the late 1920s, Grotrian-Steinweg employed 1,000 people and made 3,000 pianos per year.

JUDGE LEGISLATES GROTRIAN-STEINWEG TO BE KNOWN AS ONLY GROTRIAN IN NORTH AMERICA

Baldwin Factory During the 1970′s, the American based Steinway & Sons Piano Makers sued Grotrian-Steinweg to keep them from importing pianos using their international trademark (Grotrian-Steinweg) into the USA. They succeeded in getting an American judge to agree with them that somehow smart high level Grotrian-Steinweg buyers would have brand confusion and believe Grotrian-Steinweg was still associated with Steinway or vice versus. That is why the name for the USA and Canada is Grotrian. Until the advent of the internet this history was easily obscured. In our opinion we feel that lawsuit was a blatant bullying tactic by the Steinway company to keep a worthy competitor at bay.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD

Modern Grotrian-Steinweg pianos were said by Larry Fine in the pianobuyer.com to have the following characteristics: "The treble of Grotrian pianos has extraordinary sustaining characteristics. It also has a pronounced sound of attack, subtle and delicate. The tenor is darker than many other brands. The bass can be powerful, but without stridency. Overall, Grotrian pianos have a unique, expressive sound and are a pleasure to play. Over the years, many European royal families have appointed Grotrian to supply pianos to the court, and many well-known pianists have endorsed or expressed appreciation for Grotrian pianos." Hollywood Piano is proud to be the exclusive representative of Grotrian pianos in Los Angeles, Southern California, Arizona and Southern Nevada. Our goal at Hollywood Piano is to seek out the highest value piano brands in the world at each level. This is why we chose to represent Grotrian pianos at the prestige luxury level.