Pianoforte from J.A. Stein, Augsburg, 1775. Musical instruments museum in Berlin.
Johann Andreas Stein (Heidesheim, May 6, 1728 - Augsburg, February 29, 1792) was a fortepiano builder who had great influence on the technical and historical development of the modern piano. Lifecycle
Stein learns the trade in the workshop of the Silbermann family (Andreas Silbermann and Gottfried Silbermann) in Strasbourg. He settled in Augsburg where he also worked as an organist. In addition to fortepiano's he built other key instruments, and made various inventions. A special instrument is the Poli-Toni-Clavichordium, in which he combined a large harpsichord with a fortepiano.
In 1772 he built the Melodika, a small organ with velocity-sensitive dynamics. He also built vis-à-vis instruments: harpsichords / fortepiano's, in which two players could sit opposite each other and play at the same time.
Stein met Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on a regular basis, and he was very enthusiastic about his instruments, as evidenced by surviving correspondence in which Mozart Steins speaks instruments.
By the end of his life, his work was taken over by his daughter Nanette Streicher (married to piano maker Streicher). She moved to Vienna and continued the course there. Stein's Prell-mechaniek Steyn's most important contributions to the development of the piano
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