The name of two German firms of piano makers. The first was set up in 1809 by Johann Lorenz Schiedmayer (b Erlangen, 2 Dec 1786; d Stuttgart, 3 April 1860) and his partner Carl Dieudonné (d 1825) in Stuttgart. Johann’s grandfather, Balthasar Schiedmayer (b Erlangen, 25 Oct 1711; d Erlangen, 5 Oct 1781), and father, Johann David Schiedmayer (b Erlangen, 20 April 1753; d Nuremberg, 24 March 1805), had both been well-established piano makers, the latter working with J.A. Stein at Augsburg from 1778 to 1781. Johann Lorenz soon became a well-known maker nationally, competing successfully with imports from Vienna, Paris and London. Upright pianos were produced as early as 1842. The business became Schiedmayer & Söhne in 1845 when his sons, Adolf (b Stuttgart, 1819; d Stuttgart, 17 Oct 1890) and Hermann (b Stuttgart, 1820; d Stuttgart, 1861), joined in partnership. The firm made concert and domestic instruments, winning many prizes, notably a gold medal at the London Great Exhibition of 1851.
A second, independent firm was founded in 1853 by the younger sons of Johann Lorenz Schiedmayer, Julius (b Stuttgart, 17 Feb 1822; d Stuttgart, Feb 1878) and Paul (b Kissingen, 1829; d Stuttgart, 18 June 1890). Paul had studied instrument making with Debain and Alexandre in Paris, and this experience enabled him and his brother to make harmoniums as J. & P. Schiedmayer (see Reed organ, §I). By the time their father died in 1860, the upright piano was superseding the harmonium, so they started making pianos. This competition with the older firm resulted in the production of good instruments by both. The newer firm had a larger output than the older one, and it subsequently developed a better reputation. Julius established a family tradition by acting as juror at important exhibitions, from the 1862 London Exhibition on. J. & P. Schiedmayer itself won the Grand Prix at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900.
When the two firms merged in 1969, J. & P. Schiedmayer (which had become known as Schiedmayer Pianofortefabrik) ceased production with a total of 69,618 instruments; the serial numbers of Schiedmayer & Söhne therefore jumped from 54797 (1968) to 124593 (1969), reaching 126664 in 1979. The company stopped making pianos in 1980. The Schiedmayer Celestabau GmbH was founded in 1995 with Elianne Schiedmayer as director. It specializes in the production of celestas and keyboard glockenspiels.
MGG1 (M. Rupprecht)
ClinkscaleMP
J.L. Schiedmayer and C. Dieudonné: Kurze Anleitung zu einer richtigen Kentniss und Behandlung der Forte-Pianos … besonders dere, welche in der Werkstätte von Dieudonné und Schiedmayer in Stuttgart verfertigt werden (Stuttgart, 1824)
A. Eisenmann: Schiedmayer und Söhne (Stuttgart, 1909)
M. Rupprecht: Die Klavierbauerfamilie Schiedmayer (diss., U. of Erlangen, 1954)
150 Jahre Schiedmayer und Söhne (Stuttgart, 1959)
MARGARET CRANMER