The Old World – Grotrian-Steinweg | Instrument and Innovation

In 1927, Willi (1868–1931) and Kurt (1870–1929) Grotrian started a laboratory in the factory basement. The doctor of physics Carl Hörig (1882-unknown) carried out acoustic experiments here for years, on the basis of which he developed design proposals for the piano models. His research program included sound analyses, sound intensity measurements, soundboard tests, tests on new materials, physical analyses of string problems and studies on the influence of temperature on tuning and sound character. He meticulously documented the experiments in both words and illustrations; implemented results were used for advertising purposes.

At this time, the piano-making scene was already experimenting extensively – with Grotrian-Steinweg leading the way. Thus the company launched the first grand piano with a curved keyboard after Frederik Clutsam (1869–1934) on the market. The aluminum grand for an airplane, and in 1924 the quarter-tone grand piano. After World War II, the experimenting resumed, and thus the duo-grand and the textile-  as well as the acrylic piano were invented. More recent developments now enable Grotrian-Steinweg to equip all instruments with the acoustics system, which makes it possible, for example, to practice in complete silence or to record directly.

Curved Keyboard 
The idea of “spreading out” the keys of a piano in a circle in front of the player was first introduced by Johann Georg Staufer (1778-1853), an inventive violin maker, and Maximilian Haidinger (1784-1827) in Vienna. The background to the experiment is the assumption that the linear, uniform arrangement of the keys on pianos and grand pianos runs counter to the natural hand position or arm movement of humans and that a corresponding modification of the keyboard shape increases the playing comfort and performance of pianists. Later, Gustav Neuhaus (1847-1938) and Frederick Clutsam (1869-1934), among others, worked on the idea. In 1907, Clutsam filed a patent for the curved keyboard in Australia, the USA and several European countries. Two years later, in addition to Grotrian-Steinweg, a number of other well-known piano manufacturers launched grand pianos with curved keyboards on the market.

Aluminum Grand 
At the end of the 1920s, Grotrian-Steinweg designed a grand piano for the world's largest airplane at the time, the “Do X” by aircraft manufacturer Claude Dornier (1884-1969) in Friedrichshafen. The cast plate of the instrument was made of aluminum instead of iron: Aluminum is much lighter than iron and was therefore ideal for the particular location of the grand piano.

Quarter-tone Grand Piano
After 1900, composers increasingly experimented with tonal material between the usual twelve semitones that make up an octave in the Western tonal system. Pioneers of the so-called microtonality were, for example, Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979) and Alois Hába (1893-1973). However, this music could not be performed on a regular piano. Together with the piano maker August Förster (1829-1897) in Löbau, Hába therefore developed a grand piano on which at least quarter tones could be realized. The grand piano consisted of two superimposed sound boxes or keyboards in the usual construction and with a chromatic tone sequence, whereby the sound boxes were each tuned a quarter tone differently. The grand piano was presented to the public in Prague in 1924. Grotrian-Steinweg took up the idea and designed its own version of the instrument with two sound bodies placed side by side. 

Duo-Grand
The duo grand piano was designed by Grotrian-Steinweg as a commission from the artist couple Elif and Bedii Aran: With removable wall sections, a soundboard bridge and a shared grand piano lid, two grand pianos merge into a single unit in terms of sound.

Textile Piano 
In the early 1950ies, the Grotrian-Steinweg company experimented with their pianos’ acoustics. Covering the front upper and lower frames with textiles instead of wood promised an unobstructed sound outlet. The idea originated from early radio and television technology, when fabric was often used to cover loudspeakers. In 1964, the production of the textile piano stopped, however the instrument was re-issued as a limited edition once more in 2014. 

Acrylyc Piano 
Acrylic glass has been used in the design of upright and grand piano cases since the middle of the 20th century. The main reason for choosing this material is to create optical effects: The instruments appear glassy, transparent; their technical inner workings become visible.

Acoustics System
The Grotrian-Steinweg acoustics system consists of two components: A hand lever below the keyboard table can be used to mute the piano action if required. The hammer heads are therefore prevented from hitting the strings when the keys are pressed. A special software, adsilent 2, also makes piano sounds digitally available and combines them with modern features such as USB-C, Bluetooth MIDI** and an app. This makes it possible to practice silently with headphones and record your own playing with the option of subsequent editing, live playback or sharing.