Sohmer & Company

1872-1982

BiographyFounded by German immigrant Hugo Sohmer in 1872, Sohmer and Co. was owned and managed by the Sohmer family in New York City for 110 years, most recently by the founder's grandsons Harry and Robert Sohmer. The Sohmer brothers sold the company in 1982 to Pratt, Read and Co., America's leading manufacturer of piano keys and actions. Due to the decline of the U.S. piano industry and foreign competition, Pratt, Read had excess manufacturing capacity and a skilled work force, so the match seemed like a good one, and Sohmer and Co. was moved to Ivoryton, Connecticut. The Sohmer brothers moved, too, and for a while continued to play a part in managing the company.
During its many years in New York, the Sohmer piano was known as a fine handcrafted instrument. Sohmer had a close informal association with the other major New York piano maker, Steinway, and many of Sohmer's manufacturing methods were similar to Steinway's. After the sale of the company by the Sohmer family, the new Pratt and Reed management in Connecticut were piano experts and sought to maintain and even improve the product, which was generally considered to be one of the finest pianos made in the United States.

Today, the Sohmer piano is manufactured by the largest piano company in the world, the SMC Corporation, and also is the maker of such other famous pianos as Germany's Bechstein piano, America's Wm. Knabe piano, and the Conover Cable and Hazelton pianos.

The Sohmer piano is unique in that it is an "All American" piano, utilizing designs, materials and manufacturing methods the same or very similar to those used by Sohmer when it was located in New York. The famous Pratt-Reed action, solid brass hardware, sand-cast solid cast iron plate, Strunz solid spruce soundboard and all are of the same quality and specifications that made Sohmer one of America's famous pianos. Today, the Sohmer piano is assembled by hand in one of the most famous piano factories in Korea (owned by SMC Corporation). This factory opened in 1958, is staffed by experienced piano workers, averaging over 15 years of experience each, who carefully put together each of these components to complete this superb product, utilizing the most modern equipment without compromise the careful hand-work required. The result is a superb piano that can be offered also as a great value.

When Sohmer was made in New York before any Sohmer left the factory, Harry or Robert Sohmer personally inspected each piano and signed the piano "has approved".

http://www.pianopiano.com/sohmerstory.html

Person TypeInstitution