Steinway, Technology, and The Ed Sullivan Show

All of us have to admit that technology has come a long way over the years, but there are certain aspects of it that allow us to appreciate the developments even more.

There is a wonderful website which I recommend to all of you. It’s On This Day.com, and if you go there you can find out about any number of events that took place on a particular day including historical occurrences, birthdays, deaths, and milestones of all kinds, including those in classical music.

Today, for example, in 1964, the Beatles first appeared on a television program known as The Ed Sullivan Show. Given that this was long before the age of computers, social media, and the internet, television was the main form of visual technology capable of drawing in people from around the world. Their appearance drew 73 million viewers, a record at the time.

Ed Sullivan was an entertainment journalist who hosted the show, which ran from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971.  Over the course of that time live audiences and those at home watching were able to see performers of all kinds, and the show featured no shortage of great pianists, among them Van Cliburn, Grant Johannesen, and Liberace.

One of the show’s most spectacular events for piano on live television however came during the 100th anniversary of Steinway & Sons in October 1953. Live from the stage of Carnegie Hall there were ten pianists, all of them playing Steinways, performing together Chopin’s “Polonaise in A major.” A truly spectacular event by any standard, the technology available at the time makes it even more so.

While technology gives us access today to more live events than we have time to watch, it is wonderful to remember those times when special events such as the Steinway & Sons centennial celebration, and how it makes us appreciate the power of classical music as an art form.

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