The latter half of the Nineteenth Century was replete with expositions in which the top American and European piano manufacturers showed off the fruits of their ingenuity and craftsmanship, and panels of impartial (and sometimes not so impartial) experts passed judgment on the qualities of the pianos on display.  During the Twentieth Century, as worldwide piano production declined precipitously, piano expositions and competitions among piano makers all but disappeared.  Unfortunately, this has left a major void with regard to useful information for the consumer about the relative qualities of pianos. 

In the spirit of filling at least some of this void, 600 highly qualified and discriminating pianists are being invited to 205 West 58th Street, the Manhattan showroom of Faust Harrison Pianos, to evaluate new American-made Steinway and Mason & Hamlin seven-foot grand pianos.  The evaluations will be part of a study of preferences of pianists for certain types of pianos.  Several prizes shall be awarded at the end of the study as an incentive to the participants to be as accurate as possible in their evaluations.  The study should run for about six months, beginning September 15, 2000 and continuing until all 600 participants have completed their evaluations. 

 The top prize will be a new Mason & Hamlin model BB grand piano or a new Steinway model B grand piano.  The retail value of this prize is about $55,000 (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, MSRP).

The Invitation Process:

We are beginning by directly inviting forty accomplished pianists to participate in this study.  These forty will invite another eighty pianists who will, in turn, invite another 160 pianists who will, in turn, invite another 320 pianists.  Participants shall be asked to select for further invitation to this study pianists whom, in their best judgment, are the most highly qualified to evaluate fine pianos.  Selections shall be made from a list of applicants who have offered to participate in the study (via the Entry Form on this web site).  This list shall be shown to participants in the store after they have completed their evaluations.

If you wish to be included in the list of people who would like to be invited to participate in this study, please complete and submit the Entry Form (accessed via the Entry Form button above).  These forms shall be pre-screened by Faust Harrison Pianos to exclude affiliated people and people who, in the opinion of Faust Harrison Pianos, may not have the piano background and experience needed to properly evaluate the pianos that are the objects of this study. Each participant shall be fully responsible for his or her own transportation to our store and any other expenses, if any, associated with participating in this study.

Footnotes: 1. Faust Harrison Pianos is the sole sponsor of this study. Sponsorship by any other entity (including Steinway & Sons, Steinway Musical Instruments Inc., or Mason & Hamlin Inc.) is neither expressed nor implied.  2. Invitees shall not include Steinway artists, Mason & Hamlin artists or PianoDisc artists and shall not include employees (or family members of employees) of Steinway & Sons, Steinway Musical Instruments Inc., Mason & Hamlin Inc., PianoDisc Inc. or Faust Harrison Pianos Inc.