The renowned George Steck piano was recognized as one of the strictly high-grade makes in the United States. With factories in East Rochester, New York, George Steck began manufacturing his own pianos in 1857, winning many honors during his long career. In the great Vienna Exposition in 1873, the George Steck won First Prize for merit for tone, design, and careful detail of construction. This was the only such honor granted at the Exposition and marked the superiority of the George Steck over all the other pianos exhibited. Steck, a master craftsman and scientific acoustician, won many other awards, including the coveted Gold Medal at Vienna and other international expositions. Richard Wagner composed "Parsifal" on the George Steck. The instrument had been presented to Wagner by his fellow townsmen and is preserved at the Wagner Villa in Bayreuth. In 2001 the George Steck piano company was sold to ASC, a division of the 1/3 of a billion dollar Korean conglomerate Sejung