Background
Born February 5, 1797, in Wolfshagen, Germany, Henry Engelhardt Steinweg was known for making the first square piano. At the
age of 15, Henry was orphaned and lived solely on his own without any family. At 18, he was drafted for the army and took
part in the Battle of Waterloo. At 21, he left the service on June 23, 1822 and worked as a carpenter for a cabinetmaker and
later as an apprentice organ builder in Seesen. Henry became intrigued with building organs and enjoyed playing them at the
local church. With his new found passion, he wanted to use his carpenter tools to make musical instruments and started making
pianos. In 1825, he married Juliane ___ and presented her with the first piano he built. In 1839, he exhibited one grand and
two square pianos at the fair in Brunswick and was awarded a gold medal. His reputation as a master piano builder was now
established. With orders pouring in, his sons Theodore, Charles, and Henry joined him in the business. In 1848-49, political
upheaval and revolution paralyzed business throughout Germany and on June 9, 1851, the entire Steinweg family, except for
Theodore, arrived in New York and worked in other piano factories to gain business experience. On March 5, 1853, Steinway
& Sons was launched, and in step with the new career, came a change in the family name from Steinweg to Steinway. Henry E.
Steinway passed away on February 7, 1871 at the age of 74.