Schiedmayer piano in Godalming Parish Church
The Schiedmayer family is a rare phenomenon in the history of musical instrument making, an unbroken dedication to a continuously evolving craft spanning a period of over 270 years, by members of the same family.
Balthasar Schiedmayer, the founder of the company, built his first clavichord in 1735 in Erlangen. Seventy four years later, in 1809 one of his grand-sons, Johann Lorenz, established the piano manufacturing company Schiedmayer & Söhne in Stuttgart. The tradition of making keyboard instruments (clavichord, upright- and grand-pianos, harmoniums, pianolas, celestas) was passed from generation to generation. Schiedmayer & Söhne has been the first using the English action in the pianos in Germany as well as the first manufacturing Harmoniums in this country.
The first piano with the name of Schiedmayer on the front was built around 1735, still early days in the history of the piano. It is not known how Balthasar Schiedmayer, who was born in 1711, came to be building pianos. What is known is that his name would be associated with piano-making of distinction and excellence long into the 21st century.
By 1845, the business was based in Stuttgart and headed by Johann Lorenz Schiedmayer who brought his sons into the business and changed the name to Schiemayer and Soehne.
The younger sons of Johann Lorenz, Julius and Paul, spent some time in London and Paris and eventually established themselves in Stuttgart around 1853 building harmoniums under the name of J & P Schiedmayer.
In 1860, when the harmonium market was saturated, the business once again concentrated on building pianos and changed the name of the business to Schiedmayer Pianofabrik.
A large collection of Schiedmayer instruments can be found in the musical instrument collection of the Landesmuseum Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart.
Some Schiedmayer instruments are in the music history collection Jehle in the Stauffenberg castle in Albstadt – Lautlingen.
A Schiedmayer piano can be found in the Parish Church in Godalming. It was donated to the church by a local family, and is in regular use. From the serial number inside, 40135, it would date from 1901-1910, this would also tally with the dates inside the keyboard cover.
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