Steinway &amp; Sons

Steinway &amp; Sons, also known as Steinway, () is an American-German piano company. It was founded in 1853 in Manhattan, New York City, the United States, by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The employees at Steinway were mostly German immigrants. The company's growth led to the opening of a factory in Queens, New York City, the United States, and a factory in Hamburg, Germany. The factory in Queens supplies the Americas and the factory in Hamburg supplies the rest of the world.
Steinway is a prominent piano company making pianos of high quality. Many inventions within piano development have been made at the Steinway factories. Steinway has been granted 126 patents in piano making – the first patent was granted in 1857. The company's share of the high-end grand piano market is over 80 percent.
Steinway pianos have got many awards. One of the first is a gold medal in 1855 at the American Institute Fair at the New York Crystal Palace. From 1855 to 1862, Steinway pianos got 35 gold medals. Many awards and recognitions followed, for example three medals at the world's fair of 1867 in Paris. The European part of the company holds a royal warrant of appointment to Queen Elizabeth II.
Steinway pianos are made at the factories in Hamburg and Queens. In addition to the flagship Steinway piano line, Steinway markets two cheaper brands of piano. They are sold under the secondary brand names "Boston" and "Essex". The Boston brand is for the mid-level market and the Essex brand is for the entry-level market. Boston and Essex pianos are designed by Steinway engineers. To take advantage of lower costs of part production and labor, they are made in Asia by other piano makers under the supervision of Steinway employees.