Strich & Zeidler: two Steinway employees who started their own business
Paul M. Zeidler worked for Steinway (with his father) and had built a reputation in the trade for his designs throughout his career.
Zeidler’s father and grandfather were piano makers from Braunschweig, Germany, where Theodore Steinway was also from. Paul came to New York with his father in 1869, and after completing an engineering course at the Cooper Institute, he went to work for Steinway in 1876.
While working for Steinway, he made a lifelong friend in William Strich. William (b. 1863) grew to love the piano at an early age, although his father, who was a well-known music teacher, forced him to learn it. William’s career began in 1881 working for Steinway. William worked in all departments and in eight short years he knew all phases of piano construction and became a master of the trade.
It was at this time in 1887 that his friend, Paul Zeidler, decides to go to work for AB Chase. After AB Chase, he also designed pianos for the Bell Piano and Organ Company in Ontario.
But just two years later, Paul contacts William and the two decide to start their own company in 1889. His reputation grew rapidly due to the high quality of his work, which often featured ornate cabinetry.
It came as an unexpected surprise when Strich & Ziedler opened an exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in 1893. Although their reputation had grown, they were still relatively young as a company, and exhibiting at the Expo was a great expense in time and money.
In 1896 Albert Steinert of Steinert & Sons was sued for libel for $25,000. Steinert was heard saying this to a piano dealer:
“This piano (standing next to a Strich & Zeidler piano) is a cheap low quality piano of the poorest workmanship, made by an unknown company that is now in trouble and about to go bankrupt. Last week a five hundred dollar note from this firm went to protest”
This became a famous case in the piano trade. The court case was highlighted by the fact that Strich & Zeidler dismantled one of its pianos in the courtroom, to demonstrate its high-quality craftsmanship. This led to them being vindicated and awarded $5,000 in damages (approximately $125,000 today).
The Strich and Zeidler pianos are of the highest quality and deserve to be restored.
Additional notes:
1915 – They celebrate their 25th anniversary by producing pianos.
1916 – The firm is incorporated.
1917 – Strich and Zeidler unexpectedly liquidates and closes its doors.
1921 – Willian Strich is hospitalized for a year due to a car accident.
1922: Zeidler designs pianos for Kohler and Campbell.
1926 – Zeidler designs pianos for Lester, 3 uprights (including the Betsy Ross Spinet) and 6 Grands.
1929: Paul is featured in a full-page article titled “Piano Scale Writing Now a Matter of Science”, in which he discusses copying, riddles, and the advancement of piano scales.