In Thursday’s (3/10) Wall Street Journal, Stuart Isacoff writes, “Mention the name Steinway and the first thing that comes to mind will likely be the graceful ebony instrument that occupies most of the world’s great concert stages. However, there was a family behind the piano brand, and its members played important roles in American history that can still surprise and fascinate. When the Smithsonian Institution learned that one of this dynasty’s central characters, William Steinway (1835-1896), recorded his experiences of 36 years in a near-daily diary … the museum set about putting all 2,500 pages online. (The results can be found at http://americanhistory.si.edu/steinway/diary.) Visitors to Washington can also see the supplementary exhibit, ‘A Gateway to the 19th Century: The William Steinway Diary, 1861-1896’ at the National Museum of American History. … The notations are usually brief and sometimes cryptic, but often spellbinding. There are references to great artists: ‘William couldn’t believe how Paderewski blew through money,’ Ms. Karvellas says of the electrifying piano virtuoso and Polish political leader. ‘They gave him a huge sum to come over, and by the time he arrived it was already gone.’ But much of the story involves Steinway’s efforts to advance his dream of developing [the New York City borough of] Queens into a Utopian home for his workers.”
Posted March 10, 2011
