The Old World – Grotrian-Steinweg | Instrument and Innovation

With the takeover of Theodor Steinweg's (1825-1889) piano workshop, Wilhelm Grotrian (1843-1917), Heinrich Diedrich Wilhelm Schulz (1835-1878) and Gustav Adolph Helfferich (1840-1915) acquired the right to build instruments according to Theodor's designs for ten years. Due to the close connection between Theodor's work and that of his family in New York, the early Grotrian-Steinweg models hardly differ from those made by Steinway & Sons in New York. 

With Willi (1868–1931) and Kurt (1870–1929) Grotrian, the manufactory went its own way more and more. Both had absolved a piano making apprenticeship outside of Braunschweig, and acquired experience for years at various workshops in both Europe and the US. Back home at the parental enterprise, they checked the produced constructions. Willi in particular had amassed knowledge about technical developments and inventions, especially that of the star notch and the homogenous sound board, as well as the first baby piano with a building height of 120 cm. These elements are still used at Grotrian-Steinweg until today.

Star Notch
With the star notch, the support beams for the soundboard are arranged in a star shape around a center point. As the support beams follow the course of the strings in the instrument, this creates stability with regard to the extraordinarily high tension ratios acting in the instrument, as well as a tonal balance between bass and treble.

Homogeneous Soundboard
The term “homogeneous soundboard” refers to the nature of the wood chips from which the soundboard is composed. Basically, the more similar the chips are, the better. At the beginning of the 20th century, Grotrian-Steinweg developed a procedure based on scientific methods for testing the properties of the wood available for selection. The weight and elasticity coefficient in particular play a role here. Timbers that are recognized as “homogeneous”, i. e. of the same type, can be considered for installation in a soundboard.