With increased string tension came increased power and projection.Īt the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there were several manufacturer's competitions, including a piano competition. Initially employed to accommodate the cumulative and extraordinary tension of the strings, thereby protecting the wooden structure from destruction, iron frames quickly facilitated a dramatic increase in string tension. This was foreshadowed in the 1860s when grand pianos were given harps or frames of cast iron. Ĭoncert grand pianos of full size are able to fill a concert hall with sound for 2,000 to 3,000 spectators.

Such grand pianos with a limited keyset of 6 or 6.5 octaves and double strings produce less volume of sound than a D-type concert grand piano. Steinway, had built a grand piano in 1836 (the so-called 'kitchen grand'), which today is preserved at the Steinway Hall in New York City. Design Įarly Centennial D-270 built Sept 1877 (constructed case) being erected after transportĮven before the German-born family emigrated to the United States, the founder, Henry E. Īn estimate from 2003 suggested that more than 90 percent of concert grand pianos worldwide are D-274s. These are supplemented with a third Steinway piano brought in for the event. An example would be the famous Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, offers contestants a choice of two D-274s owned by the Van Cliburn Foundation, one a mellow-toned instrument made in New York, the other a bright-toned instrument made in Hamburg. In concert hall settings, on the other hand, the D-274 is a major presence. Īt 274 centimetres (9 ft 0 in) long, 156 centimetres (5 ft 1 in) wide and 480 kilograms (1,060 lb), the D-274 is too large for most domestic situations.

As of 2017 a D-274 finished in Polished Ebony has a MSRP of US$175,700. It is generally described as the first choice of most concert pianists. D-274 that exemplifies the products of Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germanyĭ-274 (or D) is the model name of a concert grand piano, the flagship of the Steinway & Sons piano company, first built in 1884.

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