The History of Mendelssohn Pianos

Founded in 1870 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, the Mendelssohn Piano Company was relocated to the heart of early-American piano making in New York.  By 1900, Mendelssohn Piano Company had been bought by a large industry piano and organ manufacturers at the time, Sterling Piano & Organ Company of Derby, Connecticut.

The growth of the company was affected by the Great Depression, and shortly afterward, the Sterling Piano & Organ Company joined forces to merge with the Winter Piano Company. Increasing the brand recognition and capital of the manufacturing operations, the merged company began producing the Mendelssohn brand name again until the 1960s. Mendelssohn pianos are still being produced today on Asian import pianos.

About Mendelssohn Pianos

Mendelssohn pianos and player-pianos have a reputation for being aesthetically comparable to many early-American brands with beautiful tone quality. The Sterling Piano Company built several different piano brands including Mendelssohn, Huntington, Goetz & Co., Richardson and Lohmann.

Often referred to as the Golden Era of pianos, the Mendelssohn pianos and others made around the turn of the century were built with high standards. Many of these brands matched the quality of some of the most well-known and expensive competitor brands being produced. ,

While the company manufactured grand pianos, Mendelssohn was mainly known for their uprights or “Cabinet Grand” Pianos. A vintage advertisement describes Mendelssohn pianos as having a “magnificent rosewood case, 3 strings, 7 1-3 octaves full, patent cantante agraffes, beautiful carved legs and lyre, heavy serpentine and large fancy moulding, etc”.

Restoring a Mendelssohn Piano

At Lindeblad, we know what to look for when it comes to the age, quality and value of an antique Mendelssohn piano. Contact us today to see if your Mendelssohn piano is a good candidate for repair and restoration.

References:

[1] Pierce, W. Robert. Pierce Piano Atlas: Anniversary Edition, 2017 Our 70th Year. Albuquerque: Ashley, 2017. Print.

[2] http://antiquepianoshop.com/online-museum/mendelssohn/