Gerschwister Stein would split at the turn of the century with Nannette Streicher and her brother dissolving it sometime after 1802 following a dispute. While Matthäus proclaimed himself the rightful heir to the Stein name, Streicher would establish her own company as Streicher née Stein, setting out to make her own impact. It didn’t take long. By 1809, Streicher had reworked several of the original Stein designs, producing Streicher pianos that were larger, louder, and sturdier, the type of instrument that was in demand, the type that could match a musician like Beethoven’s “wild and forceful performance style.”

In 1817, Beethoven hired Streicher to manage his household; he was going through several crises, including hearing loss and a creative slump. Because of Streicher’s support though, Beethoven went on to compose some of his greatest works, including the “Hammerklavier” sonata and the Ninth Symphony. As the Times noted in describing their decades-old bond: “Beethoven’s relationship with her may have been his most successful with a woman.”

Nannettte Streicher died in 1833 at age 64, the same year as her husband Andreas. Her son and then grandson took over the Streicher company and kept it running until grandson Emil’s retirement in 1896. Today, Streicher pianos are found in museums around the world and people are beginning to recognize Nannette Streicher as not just a friend of Beethoven’s whose family made pianos but as an innovator and master craftsperson in her own right.