Misplaced Pages

#370629

32-519: At 274 centimetres (9 ft 0 in) long, 156 centimetres (5 ft 1 in) wide and 480 kilograms (1,060 lb), the D-274 is too large for most homes. In concert hall settings, on the other hand, the D-274 is a major presence. An example would be the famous Van Cliburn International Piano Competition , which offers contestants a choice of two D-274s owned by the Van Cliburn Foundation, one

64-515: A 'constructed case' and the newer third have a bent rim case. There are few identical Centennial D-270 grands, so rapidly did the Steinways incorporate new ideas into their production. Accordingly that model is now seen as a transient one, a bridge to the first fully-modern Model 'D', released in the Centennial's final year of production. After the concert success of an 1883 prototype 'D' that featured

96-456: A D-274 on which to make records. At least three independent accounts have detailed the process by which Steinway manufactures the D-274. In 1982, Michael Lenehan published an article in Atlantic Monthly in which he followed the construction of a D-274, designated as K 2571 during manufacture and later, after its adoption into the piano bank program, as CD-129. A somewhat revised version of

128-560: A celebrated fraud: The D-274 has also featured in many television programs, including: For the convenience of touring performers and in the belief that every D-274 is somewhat different in character, Steinway maintains a collection of D-274s in "concert grand piano banks" across the world; for instance, the company maintains more than 40 in the basement of Steinway Hall in Manhattan. Such pianos are given "CD" designators, and they receive replacement stencils calculated for greater visibility at

160-504: A concert grand use a Steinway 'D'. Of the approximately 600,000 pianos Steinway has built (as of 2010), about 25,000 are Models 'D'. Only 424 of the predecessor "Centennial D" pianos were built; about 30 are still known to exist. Steinway manufactures the 'D' in two factories, one in New York and one in Hamburg, Germany. Outwardly, New York and Hamburg 'D's differ most noticeably in finish, with

192-490: A distance. A pianist visiting one of these banks may sample and choose from a range of D-274s, according to taste, for public performance or recording; Steinway prepares and transports the chosen instrument, although the artist bears the cost of these services. As noted above, some artists have developed affinities for particular instruments included in this program; the requirement that instruments so supplied be credited to Steinway led to Olga Samaroff's above-mentioned purchase of

224-513: A grand piano in 1836 (the so-called "kitchen grand"), which today is preserved at the Steinway Hall in New York City. Such grand pianos with a limited keyset of 6 or 6.5 octaves and double strings produce less volume of sound than a D-type concert grand piano. Concert grand pianos of full size are able to fill a concert hall with sound for 2,000 to 3,000 spectators. This was foreshadowed in

256-521: A hard and dimensionally stable substance (fixed into wood, which is not), at certain times of the year they would loosen in their holes and cause clicking during play. After years of complaints from pianists and technicians, in 1982 the New York makers re-introduced the classic felt bushings with an infused dry-grease fluid made with Teflon particles that allowed them to keep using the word Teflon in their advertising. The Steinway Model 'D' represents about 5 percent of all Steinway grand pianos produced,

288-425: A laminated case, radically higher string tension and capo bar (which began at note 36 yet retained vestigial agraffes all the way to note 88), Steinway unveiled the 1884 'D', a fully realized new model with a redesigned scale (including a 20-note instead of a 17-note bass), a capo bar in both upper treble sections, a newly designed pedal lyre, and a multi-laminated case. In subsequent years few changes occurred, though

320-451: A mellow-toned instrument made in New York, the other a bright-toned instrument made in Hamburg. These are supplemented with a third Steinway piano brought in for the event. An estimate from 2003 suggested that more than 90 percent of concert grand pianos worldwide are D-274s. Virtually all critical design elements of the Steinway 'D' were developed during the 19th century. Among them are

352-456: A piano competition. The Steinway company sent two grand pianos displaying their latest developments, demonstrating the firm's innovative and markedly improved piano quality. Their determined pursuit of quality was rewarded at the world exhibition with a gold medal. Steinway won the competition against several established, well-known American piano makers, including Chickering & Sons and Weber Piano Company . This Steinway concert grand piano,

SECTION 10

#1732858297371

384-517: A significantly larger share of concert-grand output than the 1-2 percent that other manufacturers produce. An explanation is found not only in their exceptional quality but in their sophisticated marketing programs – the Steinway Artists program and the concert grand piano banks in New York City, London, and Hamburg have virtually guaranteed the loyalty of concert artists worldwide. On U.S. stages, more than 90 percent of performances using

416-562: A specially designed D-274, which is normally placed in the largest room of the White House, the East Room . The 2002 White House Christmas card features this piano. The world's most expensive grand piano sold at auction is a specially designed D-274 named Steinway Alma Tadema ; it sold for $ 1.2 million in 1997 at Christie's in London, breaking Steinway's own 1997 price record of $ 390,000. The D-274

448-589: Is an American piano competition by The Cliburn, first held in 1962 in Fort Worth, Texas and hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation . Initially held at Texas Christian University , the competition has been held at the Bass Performance Hall since 2001. The competition is named in honour of Van Cliburn , who won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition , in 1958. The Van Cliburn Competition

480-533: Is held once every four years, in the year of United States presidential inaugurations . The winners and runners-up receive substantial cash prizes, plus concert tours at world-famous venues where they are able to perform pieces of their choice. While Cliburn was alive, he did not serve as a judge in the competition, provide financial support, or work in its operations. However, he attended performances by competitors regularly and greeted them afterwards on occasion. Contestants draw lots for their performing place in

512-539: The 1860s when grand pianos were given harps or frames of cast iron . Initially employed to accommodate the cumulative and extraordinary tension of the strings, thereby protecting the wooden structure from destruction, iron frames quickly facilitated a dramatic increase in string tension. With increased string tension came increased power and projection. At the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there were several manufacturer's competitions, including

544-611: The 2016 Amateur Competition was to be held in 2015, but was canceled, due to the inauguration of a junior version of the Cliburn Competition, which attracts top-performing teenage piano students from around the globe. Like the regular Cliburn Competition, the amateur and junior competitions consist of solo rounds, followed by concerto performances with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in the finals. Horowitz, Joseph (September 1990). The Ivory Trade: Music and

576-708: The Hamburg product. Garrick Ohlsson preferred the brilliance of the Hamburg instrument in his youth, but the warmth of the New York 'D' as he matured. Sergei Rachmaninoff bought three 'D's, all New York products, for his homes in the United States, but he installed a Hamburg 'D' in his Swiss villa . The difference between the New York and Hamburg Steinway pianos is less noticeable today. Pianist and Steinway Artist Emanuel Ax says that "... the differences have more to do with individual instruments than with where they were made." Several artists have developed documented association with particular 'D's. Examples would include

608-413: The action and string scale designs perfected by Henry Steinway Jr., the company founder's son; the hammers, cast iron frame and laminated wooden rim, all originating in designs patented by C. F. Theodore Steinway, another of the founder's sons; the trapwork (pedals), first devised by Albert Steinway, a third son; and most aspects of the soundboard . Since those early years, only two notable improvements to

640-523: The article posted to the Internet includes information updated in 1997. The original article, dating to approximately the time of the company's sale to CBS, described many practices held over from the 19th century, mostly personalized by focusing on individual employees tasked with performing them, but it also touched on what then were prospective changes under consideration to modernize certain aspects of production. The 1997 update continues that approach, updating

672-506: The competition. The competition began on-line audio streaming of the performances in 1997. In 2009, the competition webcast all of the performances live for the first time in its history. In 1999, the competition added an amateur edition, which allows high-performing pianists aged 35 or above to participate, provided that they do not earn their main source of income through piano pedagogy or performance. Amateur competitions have been held in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2011, and 2016. Originally,

SECTION 20

#1732858297371

704-826: The construction of a D-274 for more than a year, from the search for wood in Alaska to display of the finished instrument at Manhattan's Steinway Hall . The film received its first theatrical screening at New York's Film Forum in November, 2007 and played to generally favorable notices. Featured are discussions and demonstrations of Steinway instruments generally, and the D-274 in particular, by Steinway family member Henry Z. Steinway and pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard , Kenny Barron , Bill Charlap , Harry Connick Jr. , Hélène Grimaud , Hank Jones , Lang Lang , and Marcus Roberts . Van Cliburn International Piano Competition The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition ( The Cliburn )

736-518: The direct predecessor of today's Model 'D', has become known as the "Centennial grand". It remained in production until 1878, when improvements prompted the Steinways to re-designate their models, replacing numeric designations (Types 1 through 4) with Model letters, i.e., A, B, C and D. These letters still mark the types of Steinway's four largest instruments. This was a time of remarkable advance: In 1878, Steinway began producing their new small Models 'A' and 'B' with laminated maple cabinets, creating

768-422: The following: Over the years, Steinway has produced a small number of special or limited editions of the D-274. The differences in these pianos can range from ornately carved bodywork to large changes in the colour scheme. Custom-built D-274s have also been made; for example the "fully crystallized" D-274s with over a million individually positioned Swarovski crystals covering each piano. The White House has

800-496: The former displaying traditional satin lacquer and the latter high-gloss polyester. Differences in the respective instruments' tone and playing character, however, have led particular pianists to gravitate to the output of one factory or the other; Vladimir Horowitz , for instance, preferred a New York 'D', whereas Marc-Andre Hamelin , Alfred Brendel , Mitsuko Uchida , Burkard Schliessmann , Grigory Sokolov , Arcadi Volodos , Artur Rubinstein and Krystian Zimerman were partial to

832-511: The instrument's length increased slightly (the "rim type" D concert grand pianos from 1884 to about 1895 were only 272 cm long). However, in 1936 a soundboard based on a patent of Paul Bilhuber, an "in-law" member of the Steinway family, was introduced. Bilhuber had created a soundboard that tapered evenly from the thickest central point to a thinner perimeter, and it was judged to provide greater response and longevity. Not all Steinway innovations were successful. In 1961, Teflon bushings for

864-466: The model have been made: a concentric shaping of the soundboard, a design patented by younger family member Paul Bilhuber, was introduced in 1936; more recently the action was changed to provide a greater mechanical advantage to the player, resulting in less touch resistance with no loss of power. Even before the German-born family emigrated to the United States, the founder, Henry E. Steinway , had built

896-429: The modern "rim" case: Very long, thin (3.5 mm) planks of maple were slathered with hide glue, bent around a form, clamped together and allowed to dry. This process made rim fabrication quicker, and the resultant structure stronger and more stable. It also was cheaper, requiring fewer man-hours and being less wasteful of hardwoods that need several years of storage and precise seasoning . This speedier production method

928-620: The playing mechanism were incorporated into U. S.-built grand pianos – a modification that the piano makers at the Hamburg branch did not adopt despite much pressure from the New York-based company. They were able to resist only because the profits of the Hamburg plant were greater than those of the New York factory. The Teflon bushings were intended to lessen friction problems that might occur because of seasonal humidity changes, but they themselves caused excessive friction. Further, because they were

960-399: The various personal stories but also detailing the company's subsequent ownership history and adoption of selected new production methods. In 2003, The New York Times ran a series of articles, ultimately published in book form, following the construction of a D-274 designated K 0862. In 2007, an independent documentary film entitled Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 followed

992-514: Was built in 1883–87 and designed by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema . It is displayed at the art museum Clark Art Institute . In 2006, Steinway recreated an exacting replica of this piano. The D-274 has featured in numerous recordings spanning a wide array of genres and the whole of the history of sound recording. The following list includes some relatively recent examples in a variety of mostly advanced formats, including classical , folk , blues , and new-age albums ; one high-end audio test disc; and

Steinway D-274 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-514: Was of great advantage in a time of huge demand for good pianos. In 1880, the two big grand models 'C' and 'D' were changed accordingly. Both the old 85-note 'Henry'-designed (father & son) 'C' grand (formerly named 'Parlor Grand'), and the concert grand Model 'D', which had made a great success on the Centennial Exhibition 1876 in Philadelphia, received a 'rim' case. Among extant Centennial grands (1875-1884), approximately two-thirds have

#370629