Dwight Hamilton Baldwin (1821 – 1899)

1862

Cincinnati, Ohio

• 1873 – Baldwin partnered with Lucien Wulsin (1845-1912).
• 1880 – Robert A. Johnson became a partner.
• 1884 – Albert A. van Buren, George W. Armstrong, Jr., and Clarence Wulsin all became partners after Johnson passed away.
• 1890 – Baldwin declares he wanted to manufacture “the best piano that could be built.”
• c. 1891 – Baldwin built factory and manufacturered first Baldwin vertical piano, with designer John Warren Macy; it also became their headquarters.
• 1895 – Baldwin introduced first Baldwin grand,also designed by Macy.
• 1899 – Baldwin passed away and by 1900 Lucien Wulsin and George Armstrong took control over the company (with Wulsin at the helm).
• 1900 – Baldwin grand won Grand Prix at the Paris Exhibition.
• 1904 – Baldwin won Grand Prize at the St. Louis Exposition.
• 1905 – Baldwin player piano introduced.
• 1912 – After Wulsin’s death, George Armstrong, Jr. took charge of the company.
• 1914 – Baldwin won Grand Prize at London.
• 1926 – Lucien Wulsin II succeeded Armstrong as the head of the company.
• 1946 – Baldwin introduced their electronic organ.
• 1961 – Lucien Wulsin III succeeded his father and became president of the company.
• 1974 – Dick Harrison succeeded Wulsin III and named president of the company.

• 1956 – Awarded patent for Trinkle (41 Ply Pinblock).
• 1960s – Awarded patent for Acu-JustTM Hitch Pin Design.

Gibson Guitar Corporation; pianos manufactured in two factories in China.

Joseph Brodmann (1771-1848)

c. Late 1700s/Early 1800s

Vienna, Austria

• Designed in the Viennese, European sound tradition
• Offered in three tiers: The Conservatory Edition, The Professional Edition, and The Artist Series
• Many models with top quality European parts:

  - Austrian white (slow growth) spruce soundboard and ribs from Strunz (for sustain, power and overtones);
  - Viennese-designed Langer action (for a smooth touch with fast repetition);
  - Röslau strings; and
  - German-made Abel hammers (for greater dynamic expression)

• Wide selection of models, both grands and uprights

• 1800 – Brodmann listed in the Lexicon of Musicians as 'Instrument Maker.'
• 1813 – Carl Maria von Weber purchased a Brodmann grand piano.
• 1828 – Brodmann retired, giving his company to Bösendorfer; “inscriptions on Bösendorfer pianos of that year note that he was ‘Brodmann’s pupil’ or that the firm was ‘formerly Brodmann.’”

• c. 1800 – Awarded patent for improvement of the instrument querflügel.
• 1825 – Awarded patent for the triple-laminated soundboard.

Arceau Arts GmbH, Vienna

Santi Falcone (b. 1945)

c. 1982/1983

Woburn, Massachusetts

• 1982 – 1989 – Known for their 'hand-made pianos;' Falcone built and/or supervised 170 pianos—all grands, both 6'1" and 7'4," as well as the 9" concert grand.
• c. 1985 – Falcone moved headquarters to Haverhill, MA.
• 1989 – Falcone left the company and became a chocolatier, establishing Dante Confections.
• 1995 – Last Falcone piano made at Haverhill Factory.

• 1987 – Santi Falcone awarded patent # US 4640174 A for a 'Soundboard Calibrator.'

Manufactured for North America by Nanjing Moutrie Piano Company in Nanjing, China, and distributed by Welkin Sound Inc. in Ontario, California.

George Steck (1829 – 1897)

1857

New York City

• 1860 – Company renamed from Steck & Grupe to George Steck & Company.
• 1865 – Awarded Gold Medal for Square Piano National Exhibition of the American Institute in New York.
• 1865 – Steck Hall opened.
• 1871 – Steck Hall relocated to a larger venue, and atop the hall their main headquarters.
• 1873 – Awarded First Prize at the Vienna Exposition.
• 1884 – Incorporated and awarded profit-sharing.
• 1887 – Steck retired and was succeeded by George Nembach.

• 1865 – Patent awarded for Bell-Metal Plate
• 1870 – Patent awarded for the Independent Iron Frame

Manufactured for North America by Nanjing Moutrie Piano Company in Nanjing, China, and distributed by Welkin Sound Inc. in Ontario, California.

Hobart M. Cable (1841 – 1909)

1900

LaPorte, Indiana

• 1909 – Hobart passed away and his son Hobart M. Cable, Jr. became president of the company.
• Pre-Depression – Manufactured Player Pianos in addition to uprights and grands.
• Post-Depression – Manufactured spinets, consoles and baby grands.

• 1913 – Awarded patent # US 1189253A for Piano-Action; specifically for the mechanism for operating the hammer.
• 1916 – Awarded patent # US 1189253A for Machine for Shaping Ribs on Piano Sounding-Boards.

Manufactured for North America by Nanjing Moutrie Piano Company in Nanjing, China, and distributed by Welkin Sound Inc. in Ontario, California.

Koichi Kawai (1886-1955)

1927

Hamamatsu, Japan

• 1897 – Torakusu Yamaha "discovered" Kawai at the age of 11 and hired him to work for his company.
• 1928 – Kawai began manufacturing grand pianos.
• 1930s – Kawai produced reed organs.
• 1953 – Kawai awarded Blue Ribbon Medal of Honor from the emperor.
• 1955 – Kawai passed away and was succeeded by his adopted son, Shigeru Kawai (1922-2006).
• 1960 – Kawai introduced its electronic organ.
• 1985 – Kawai introduced its digital piano.
• 1989 – Hirotaka Kawai succeeded his father and became the third president of Kawai.
• 1991 – Kawai & Steinway joined forces to create Boston Pianos.
• 2002 – Kawai introduced Shigeru Kawai EX Concert Grand.

• 1928 – Awarded patent for Universal Action.
• 1933 – Awarded patent for Piano Action and Regulating Apparatus of Keyboards.
• 1934 – Awarded patent for Soundboard Bridges.
• 1935 – Awarded patent for Reeds on Harmonicas.

Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has the following subsidiaries: Kawai America Corporation, Midi Music Center Inc., Kawai Canada Music, Kawai Europa GmbH, Kawai UK, Kawai Piano (Russia) LLC, Kawai Australia Pty.Ltd., Kawai Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., PT. Kawai Music Indonesia, and PT. Kawai Music School Indonesia. 

Its pianos are manufactured in four factories: Ryuyo Acoustic Piano Facility, PT. Kawai Indonesia, Kawai Musical Instruments (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Kawai Emi Co., Ltd.

Henry Mason (1831-1890) & Emmons Hamlin (1821-1885)

1854

Boston, Massachusetts

• 1854 – Manufactured Organ Harmonium with Hamlin’s reed voicing (later known as Cabinet Organ).
• 1867 – Awarded 1st Prize at the Paris Exhibition for their American Cabinet Organ.
• 1869 – Henry Mason retired as president of the company and his brother Lowell Mason, Jr. (1823-1885) succeeded him.
• 1881 – Began manufacturing pianos.
• 1885 – Upon the death of Lowell, Henry Lowell Mason (1864-1957) (Henry’s son) succeeded him.
• 1906 – Richard W. Gertz became president of the company.

• 1856 – Awarded patent for Reed Musical Instrument (expression stop). .
• 1865 – .
• c. 1900 – Among his patents, including the Duplex Scale, Richard W. Gertz awarded patent for Tension Resonator.

Gary and Kirk Burgett of PianoDisc.

Since its inception, the Chinese Government owned the company. In c. 2012, Pearl River went public.

1956

Guangzhou, China

• "World's Best-Selling Piano Manufacturer, Sold In Over 100 Countries"
• Grand piano rims made of walnut, permitting a lower tension scale design (for warm, rich tones and longer sustain)
• 100% close-grained spruce soundboards, tapered to improve flexibility
• "Seasoned" woods acclimatized to ensure reliability, reducing swelling & contracting
• Wet sand cast plates on all models, providing incredible strength to support string tension
• Cut-thread tuning pins for greater precision in tuning
• Vertically laminated maple bridges & multi-ply rock maple pin-blocks

• 1980s – Pearl River obtains import/export rights.
• 1992 – Tong Zhi Cheng (born c. 1942) appointed Chairman of the Board; originally hired in 1958, he is one of the longest-term employees of Pearl River.
• 1995 – Joint venture with Yamaha to produce low-end Yamaha uprights.
• 1996 – Pearl River ends affiliation with Yamaha.
• 1999 – Pearl River acquires Ritmüller.
• 2000 – Pearl River begins manufacturing Ritmüller pianos.
• 2005 – Joint venture with Steinway & Sons to create Essex pianos, manufactured in Guangzhou.
• c. 2007 – Pearl River becomes the largest piano factory in the world.
• 2009 – Through the work of designer Lothar Thomma, Ritmüller becomes reinvigorated as a high-end piano in North America, along with Kayserburg in other parts of the world.
• c. 2012 – Built state-of-the-art, 1.2 million sq. ft. factory.
• 2013 – The Kayserburg Artist Piano introduced; they are hand-made pianos designed under Stephen Mohler, a protégé of Lothar Thomma.

Brothers, Julius and Albert Perzina

1871

Schwerin, Germany

• Full line of professional verticals (48"- 51") and professional grands (5'0" to 6'2")
• Built using original German scale designs
• Special floating soundboard and concave soundboard crown (for clear resonance and precise expression of tone)
• Upper-grade solid spruce soundboards and ribs
• Renner-designed action on grands, for precision control of tone (action regulated by European standards)
• German "Röslau" strings and German Meyne hammers
• Fine veneers of pure color and bright lacquer finish

• c. 1880s – Perzina awarded first prize at the Schwerin Exhibition.
• 1883 – Perzina named 'Pianos Supplier to the Court' by the grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
• c. Late 1880s – Albert Perzina left the company.
• 1897 – Daniel Huss (Julius Perzina's son-in-law) appointed head of the company.
• 1901 – Perzina the largest piano factory in northern Germany.
• 1904 – A fire destroyed the existing factory and had to be rebuilt in a new location.
• 1906 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, along with the Majesty the King of Portugal and the Duke of Anhalt, chose Perzina to be the Royal Piano Factory.
• 1917 – Anthony 'The Flying Dutchman' Fokker (1890-1939) became a major owner to Perzina.
• 1918 – Otto Libeau took charge of the company (known as Perzina's 'dark ages').
• 1930s – Friedrich Geil purchased the company.
• After the unification of Germany, the company is sold to CEO Ronald Gerdinus Bol of Music Brokers International B.V.

• Paul Perzina invented a reversible double key-bottom for the Janko Keyboard.

Music Brokers International B.V.of the Netherlands. The pianos are German designed under Dutch supervision – with 90% of the materials supplied from Europe.

Andreas Georg Ritmüller and Gotlieb Wilhelm Ritmüller

1795

Göttingen, Germany

• Re-engineered by master piano designer, Lothar Thomma, to infuse the precision of old German craftsmanship
• Combining old-world, European tradition with modern state-of-the-art manufacturing
• Louis Renner premium hammer felt from Germany
• Vertically laminated maple bridges with solid maple caps
• Röslau strings & ebony wood sharps
• Action made from select hornbeam and maple wood
• High grade, solid spruce soundboards

• 1884-1885 – Ritmüller awarded various medals and diplomas in Germany and London.
• 1891 – Bernhard Schröder took over the company

Pearl River Piano Group. Since 2006, designed by Lothar Thomma. Manufactured in Guangzhou, China.

Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (1797-1871), and his sons

1853

New York City, New York

• c. 1851/1852 – Steinweg and his children changed their German names to sound more American, and subsequently became Steinway.
• 1855 – Steinway awarded a gold medal at the New York American Fair for their square piano.
• 1856 – Steinway began making grand pianos.
• 1862 – Steinway began making upright pianos.
• 1866 – Steinway Concert Hall opens on E. 14th Street; the building eventually serves as the company's headquarters.
• 1867 – Awarded medal at the Paris World’s Fair.
• c. 1870s – Steinway’s operation moves to Astoria, Long Island, New York.
• 1925 – Steinway Hall relocates to W. 57th Street until 2014(the new one is currently being built and will be located on the Avenue of the Americas).
• 1955 – Henry Ziegler Steinway (1915 – 2008), son to Theodore E. and great-grandson of Henry E. Steinway, became president of the company (holding that position until 1977 where he then became chairman until he retired in 1980); he was the last family member to run Steinway & Sons.
• 1972 – Steinway sold to CBS, Inc.
• 1985 – CBS, Inc. sold to an American investment group, known as Steinway to Steinway Musical Properties.
• 1995 – Steinway Musical Properties merged with Conn-Selmer, Inc., renaming the company Steinway Musical instruments.

• 1859 – Henry Steinway, Jr. (1831-1865) awarded patent for the over-stringing of grand pianos.
• 1868-1885 – Theodore Steinway earned more than 40 patents; an awarded in 1875 for ‘Improvement in Grand Piano-Forte Action’ is attributed to bringing modern action to the grand piano.

Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc., an American investment group.

Torakusu Yamaha (1851 – 1916)

1887

Headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan

• 1887 – Yamaha introduced the first Japanese harmonium.
• 1897 – Yamaha hired Koichi Kawai who was only 11 at the time.
• 1899 – Japan's Ministry of Education sent Yamaha to the US on a research trip to learn about the mechanics of a modern piano.
• 1900 – Yamaha introduced its first upright piano.
• 1902 – Yamaha introduced its first grand piano.
• 1904 – Yamaha awarded honorary prizes at the Saint Louis World's Fair.
• 1930 – Yamaha opened world’s first research laboratory.
• 1932 – Magnum Organ introduced.
• 1954 – Yamaha opened up its first music school in Tokyo.
• 1958 – Yamaha began producing electronic instruments.
• 1950s – Yamaha became the largest piano manufacturer.
• 1987 – The company officially changed its name to Yamaha Corporation.