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Grotrian

Grotrian

The History Of Grotrian-Steinweg Piano

friedrich grotrian

grand-obsession-Grotrian Piano Hollywood PianoGrotrian-Steinweg, known as the Grotrian piano in the US, is one of the world's finest most respected piano brands. Among a handful of top German manufacturers of luxury pianos. The Grotrian 192 (6'4') model was the piano chosen in a well documented odyssey for the perfect piano in the New York Times best selling book "Grand Obsession" by Perri Knize. Grand Obsession Book

Steinweg Founds Steinway & Sons

In 1835 Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg later known as Steinway (founder of Steinway & Sons, NY) built the world's very first Steinweg piano factory. Fifteen years later in 1850, H.E. Steinweg took most of his large family to New York City, leaving the piano factory to his eldest son, C.F. Theodor Steinweg, who stayed behind to run it under his own name. Six years later Friedrich Grotrian became his partner. Grotrian-Steinweg pianos were praised universally and were the choice of judges at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Grotrian-Steinweg operated an orchestra and a concert hall, and established sales rooms in a half dozen major cities in Germany, and by 1920, in London as well. At its peak in the late 1920s, Grotrian-Steinweg employed 1,000 people and made 3,000 pianos per year.gs_helmutgrotrian

Economic depression in the 1930s and war in the 1940s caused Grotrian-Steinweg to decline severely. The family did however rebuild the factory and re-establish their reputation for top quality work. In the 1950s an annual piano-playing competition was founded by the company in an effort to identify promising piano students. Then in the mid-1960s Grotrian-Steinweg expanded into the United States.

JUDGE LEGISLATES GROTRIAN-STEINWEG TO BE KNOWN AS ONLY GROTRIAN IN NORTH AMERICA

During the 1970′s, the American based Steinway & Sons Piano Makers sued Grotrian-Steinweg to keep them from importing pianos using their international trademark (Grotrian-Steinweg) into the USA. They succeeded in getting an American judge to agree with them that somehow smart high level Grotrian-Steinweg buyers would have brand confusion and believe Grotrian-Steinweg was still associated with Steinway or vice versus. That is why the name for the USA and Canada is Grotrian. Until the advent of the internet this history was easily obscured. In our opinion we feel that lawsuit was a blatant bullying tactic by the Steinway company to keep a worthy competitor at bay.

In 1974, the Grotrian-Steinweg family built a new factory in northwest Braunschweig on Grotrian-Steinweg Street. After Helmut and Erwin Grotrian-Steinweg supervised the construction they retired, leaving Helmut's son Knut in charge. This factory is the current location of Grotrian-Steinweg knut_grotrianheadquarters and production. Each piano they make is an individually crafted work of art with annual production of only 500 upright pianos in six sizes and 100 grand pianos in five sizes. Some 20 concert grands are made per year—each one requiring 8 months of manufacture and a waiting list to get one with most pre-sold to Russian Music Conservatories.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE WORLD

Modern Grotrian-Steinweg pianos were said by Larry Fine in the pianobuyer.com to have the following characteristics: "The treble of Grotrian pianos has extraordinary sustaining characteristics. It also has a pronounced sound of attack, subtle and delicate. The tenor is darker than many other brands. The bass can be powerful, but without stridency. Overall, Grotrian pianos have a unique, expressive sound and are a pleasure to play. Over the years, many European royal families have appointed Grotrian to supply pianos to the court, and many well-known pianists have endorsed or expressed appreciation for Grotrian pianos." Hollywood Piano is proud to be the exclusive representative of Grotrian pianos in Los Angeles, Southern California, Arizona and Southern Nevada. Our goal at Hollywood Piano is to seek out the highest value piano brands in the world at each level. This is why we chose to represent Grotrian pianos at the prestige luxury level.

  1. Grotrian-Steinweg makes top tier luxury pianos.  - When you think of luxury products you may think of Rolls-Royce, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and others.  Grotrian represents that level of luxury in pianos.
  2. Grotrian brand pianos have been certified as 100% made in Germany and arrive with certificate to verify this. 
  3. Grotrian-Steinweg pianos represent the highest value among luxury piano brands. With the current favorable Dollar to Euro exchange rate the prices of Grotrian-Steinweg pianos are often landing in the USA at a retail price near the cost of, and sometimes less than the cost of an American Steinway piano. Imagine getting a prestige product hand built in Germany for less than the similar sized piano made in the USA.
  4. Grotrian-Steinweg pianos are hand made works of art immaculately crafted in the old world German method using only the finest materials available
  5. Grotrian Pianos posses unparalleled piano touch and piano tone. In the end it's all about piano sound, touch and how it performs.

For the pianist looking for the ultimate piano playing experience, treat yourself to an audition of a new Grotrian Grand or upright piano.

Hollywood Piano Is The Grotrian Dealer and the Expert European Piano Store Serving Los Angeles, Southern California, Arizona & Nevada

Grotrian-Steinweg Famous Endorsers

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Grotrian Studio Series Models 192 & 208

Grotrian Studio Series Models 192 & 208

192 6'3", 208 6'10"
The studio models have the same excellent touch, characteristics of sound and strength of build, for which Grotrian has been famous for centuries. These charact... Learn More
Grotrian Chambre

Grotrian Chambre

5'5"
Sit down at the Chambre and your living room is transformed into a concert hall from the very first note. The strings hold around 18 tons of tension. And thanks... Learn More
Grotrian Cabinet

Grotrian Cabinet

6'3"
No expense was spared on the Cabinet. And you can tell – both in its appearance and its sound. Measuring 192 cm in length, the Cabinet is a genuine chamber co... Learn More
Grotrian Charis

Grotrian Charis

6'10"
The Charis has a sound with such an impressive dynamic spectrum and such well-balanced transparency that it becomes a source of inspiration for the pianist. The... Learn More
Grotrian Concert

Grotrian Concert

7'4"
The most delicate pianissimo and the most powerful fortissimo. Every facet of the dynamic spectrum can be perfectly expressed on the Concert. Its sound fills me... Learn More
Grotrian Concert Royal

Grotrian Concert Royal

9'
The Concert Royal has all the richness and brilliance of a complete orchestra. It is rightly considered to be one of the best grand pianos in the world. Its ton... Learn More
Grotrian Cristal

Grotrian Cristal

44"
Pianos that sound big don’t have to be big. This is proven by the Cristal. With its modest dimensions and elegant appearance, it exudes a fine sense of unders... Learn More
Grotrian Contour

Grotrian Contour

45"
The Contour combines tried and trusted methods of production with a timeless and elegant design. A traditionally shaped piano, which meets all of Grotrian’s q... Learn More
Grotrian Canto

Grotrian Canto

45.5"
The Canto is the result of single-minded research and development encased in a functional and modern shape; designed for musicians who cannot and will not want ... Learn More
Grotrian Carat

Grotrian Carat

45.75"
For decades, our piano-makers have dreamed about building an instrument that captures the magical tone of polyphonic singing. After years spent on research and ... Learn More
Grotrian College

Grotrian College

48"
Pianos in music schools, conservatories, studios and on rehearsal stages are often subjected to excessively robust treatment. But nothing can upset the College.... Learn More
Grotrian Classic

Grotrian Classic

49"
The Classic is among the finest pianos ever made. The tone is so breathtakingly clear and refined, it has a truly sculptural quality. And yet this instrument is... Learn More
Grotrian Concertino

Grotrian Concertino

52"
It takes centuries of tradition and constant refinement in the piano-making craft to produce an instrument with such magnificent acoustic properties. The Concer... Learn More
Grotrian samba 115

Grotrian samba 115

45.5"
Tradition in modern shape: The model Samba enjoyed considerable success in the 1950′s and 1960′s so we think it is high time to transfer this model into th... Learn More
Friedrich Grotrian

Friedrich Grotrian

44"
The use of modern technology makes it possible to build a piano which does have a very nice sound but still a reasonable price. The friedrich GROTRIAN is fitted... Learn More
Friedrich Grotrian studio

Friedrich Grotrian studio

43.5"
The highly successful Friedrich GROTRIAN has now been adapted to meet the special needs and requirements of institutions and conservatories. Its simple case des... Learn More
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