achieved efficient mechanised production through economies of scale meeting the increasing demand for pianos at a lower retail cost. The piano companies promoted themselves as being both traditional and modern, producing a fashionable piano for everyone, with the latest unique advancements in technology and appearance whilst honouring the timeless traditions of piano building. ¹⁰³

Popularity of the Piano.

The piano’s popularity increased greatly in the nineteenth century, as an increasingly affluent urban middle class developed a hitherto unattainable preoccupation with artistic experiences and leisure time. In previous generations it was generally accepted that the pursuit of developing artistic skills and talent was the exclusive domain of the noble and aristocratic classes. A commercial industry rapidly grew, influenced by the popular Romantic piano compositions of Schuman, Chopin, and Liszt.Interest in the celebrity of concert performers such as Thalberg, Paderewski and Rubenstein influenced a widespread interest in music tuition, and the building of spectacular concert halls, all contributed to the popularity of the piano. The success of the piano manufacturing industry since Johann Zumpe started making square pianos in London in 1766 is due historically, to sales of pianos for domestic, home and amateur use, and not sales of concert grand pianos to concert halls, professional venues and studios. The first major business success of Steinway in 1856 was their development of the American upright piano, ¹⁰⁶ as the replacement for the American square piano, which had become expensive, larger and more ornate than the European squares, and cumbersome to manufacture on mass. Though many of the technological advances in piano design have largely been developed in vogue with the contemporary performance and composition of concert piano music, it is the domestic piano market which has financially supported the science.

^{103     3}Ehrlich, 49.
^{104     4}Ehrlich, 15-26, 52-58.
^{105     2}Arthur Ord-Hume, in Encyclopedia of the Piano,451.
^{106     6}Ehrlich, The Piano A History, 50.
¹⁰⁷Edwin M. Ripin, et al. “Pianoforte.” Sc. 8. North AmericaTo 1860 Adams-Hoover,C. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/21631.(accessed November 1, 2015).
^{108     9}Good, 184,205.
^{109     10}Good,212.
^{110     11}Good,220.