1885

Schimmel Pianos was established in Leipzig, Germany.

1885

Spring and loop actions in grands, sometimes incorrectly known as simplex actions, were being made by Herrburger Brooks. This action is a single escapement action.

1886

The annual piano production in America was approximately 25,000; in France 20,000; in England 35,000. The Germans claimed the higher figure of 73,000.

1887

Gors & Kallmann, Berlin, was established. Quite a few of these pianos are found in the north of England.

1887

Gold, an American hammer maker, made a machine to cover hammers with one layer. In 1876 John Macpavany had shown a similar device.

1887

The London College of Music was founded and in 1939 was recognised as an examining body.

1887

Torakusu Yamaha established the "Yamaha Ream Organ Manufacturing Company" and became the father of Japan's musical instrument industry. In 1887 Torakusa Yamaha built the first reed organ. In 1900 production of upright pianos started, and in 1902 production of grand pianos started. In 1904 Yamaha pianos won awards for excellence at the St. Louis World Exposition.

1888

Windover was established, and also made Mertons. They may have had a factory in Manchester or a shop. The British Piano Manufacturing Co. Ltd. also made Windover pianos.

1888

Broadwood's steel bar-less frames were introduced.

1890

Ambridge & Son London.

1890

Foster player pianos was formed in East Rochester, NY, USA.

1892

Barber & Co., London.

1892

Danemann Pianos was established, and many fine examples of these pianos can be found in UK. For schools they are very sturdy pianos, and the company also made pianos for other companies, including Pohlmann.

1892

Zender's Pianos opened. Sydney Zender, the younger brother of Henry Zender, kept making pianos during World War I by using iron for the strings as there was a shortage of steel. In World War II he survived by selling reconditioned pianos. He died in 1948 and his son Ivan took over. Ivan expanded the business and took over the factory next door in Hackney. In 1956 production was running at 2,500 pianos a year.

1893

The Royal Manchester College of Music was founded.

1893

Estonian Pianos opened in Russia.

1896

Kirkman's piano company was handed over to Collard & Collard at cost, by the last remaining female member of the Kirkman family, on condition that the traditions of Kirkman's be maintained.

1896

Grover and Grover started a piano company which in 1911 moved to Stroud, England. The company was known as the Stroud Piano Company, and made the Bentley pianos. This name was later adopted by the company to form the Bentley Piano Company.

1900

1900

A Baldwin concert grand wins the Grand Prix Award at the Paris international exhibition. This was the first American-made piano to win this award.

1901

The Bechstein Hall opened, later becoming Wigmore Hall.

1904

In Atlantic City the American Manufacturers & Retailers decided to have done with square pianos. At their annual conference they bought in a large number of square pianos and built a pyramid fifty feet high with them. They then set fire to it, the point of the rather interesting spectacle was that these pianos were valueless as trade-ins on new pianos.

1904

Chickering produced a quarter grand, said to be the smallest of its kind. It was five feet long, and only fifty inches wide. They used a standard width key, but modified the key blocks and off-set of the action to achieve this small width.

1905

Octavius Beale started making pianos in New South Wales, Australia. Born in Ireland in 1850, he first started importing pianos under the name of Hapsburg Beale. The Beale piano factory was established at 47 Trafalgar, St. Annandale and made pianos till around 1940.