Steinway D-274

D-274 that exemplifies the products of Steinway's factory in Hamburg, Germany

D-274 (or D) is the model name of a concert grand piano, the flagship of the Steinway & Sons piano company,[1] first built in 1884.[2][3] It is generally described as the first choice of most concert pianists.[1] As of 2017 a D-274 finished in Polished Ebony has a MSRP of US$175,700.[4][5]

At 274 centimetres (9 ft 0 in) long, 156 centimetres (5 ft 1 in) wide and 480 kilograms (1,060 lb),[6] the D-274 is too large for most homes.[1] In concert hall settings, on the other hand, the D-274 is a major presence. An example would be the famous Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which 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. These are supplemented with a third Steinway piano brought in for the event.[7]

An estimate from 2003 suggested that more than 90 percent of concert grand pianos worldwide are D-274s.[8][9]

  1. ^ a b c Fine, Larry, The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano, Third Edition, Boston: Brookside Press 1994
  2. ^ "Grand piano guide to Steinway and industry standard sizes", Bluebook of Pianos. Accessed March 12, 2010.
  3. ^ Katie Hafner: A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano, Bloomsbury Publishing USA: New York, 2008, ISBN 1-59691-525-0 and ISBN 978-1-59691-525-1.
  4. ^ "The Cost of a Steinway Piano | Steinway Piano Prices by Type & Model". 7 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Steinway & Sons Piano Pricing Guide | Suggested List Prices".
  6. ^ "Specifications and Features – Model D" Archived 2010-02-09 at the Wayback Machine, Steinway & Sons Official Website, Accessed March 12, 2010.
  7. ^ "Cantrell, Scott, "Van Cliburn 2009: Contestants off to a rousing start on first day of preliminary round," The Dallas Morning News, May 23, 2009, accessed March 20, 2010". Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.
  8. ^ "Just about perfect: The dichotomy of Steinway piano design" Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, STEP Inside Design, issue of November/December 2003, p. 68.
  9. ^ "Mythos in Schwarz-Weiß, Wie ein Steinway-Flügel entsteht"[permanent dead link], Report of 5. April, 2010, by Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) (in English: North German Broadcasting).