William Lindeman established his firm in New York in 1836, making him one of the earliest piano manufactures in the United States. In about 1860, William Lindeman admitted his son Henry Lindeman into the firm and the name was changed to “Lindeman & Son”.
Lindeman & Son built a large variety of square grand pianos throughout the 19th Century, and they enjoyed an excellent reputation for quality and workmanship. During this period, Lindeman & Son introduced a peculiar piano called the Cycloid Grand. The unusual Cycloid Grand was based on a square grand piano with a finished round back sitting on three legs. Unlike most square grand pianos which were designed to have their backsides placed against a wall, the Cycloid Grand was designed so that the back of the instrument could be attractively placed in the center of a room, allowing the pianist to view their audience. The Lindeman Cycloid Grand Piano appears to have enjoyed many professional endorsements by high-profile pianists, musicians, and singers of the period. Despite the grandiose promotional efforts of the firm, The Cycloid Grand Piano was built in modest numbers and are they exceedingly rare today.
In 1886, Henry Lindeman’s brothers Harmon Lindeman and Ferdinand Lindeman were admitted to the firm and the name was changed to “Lindeman & Sons”. Square grand pianos began to be phased out during this period while a line of upright pianos and grand pianos were introduced to the Lindeman product line.
In 1901 the firm became “Henry & S. G. Lindeman” when Henry Lindeman and Samuel G. Lindeman, third generation descendants of founder William Lindeman, took control of the firm. Henry & S. G. Lindeman introduced player pianos to the product line and brought the firm into the 20th Century with substantial success. Lindeman produced a line of pianos and player pianos under the Melodigrand brand name as an affordable alternative to the costlier Lindeman brand instruments.
As the Great Depression era approached, Lindeman was absorbed into the large United Piano Corporation then ultimately became a part of the large Aeolian-American Piano Corporation. The Lindeman brand name continued to be produced until about 1950.
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