Steinway & Sons Documentary - A World of Excellence

Germany is renowned as a nation of music and the German people are widely admired for their love and knowledge of Music few countries have fostered so many brilliant composers like Beethoven b Schuman and Vagner as Germany has these are dominant figures in classical music [Music] Z is a town on the Northwestern edge of the hars mountain range this tranquil place with a small population is full of typical European architecture and life moves at a gentle Pace the town has a close link with music [Music] like most European Cities c has its own museum with archives recording its history and Pioneers among them the legend of a magnificent piano Empire stands [Music] out this Museum uh shows the things are important to this little old town of zason uh like the can industry like Lou b a musician who was uh developed his knowledge about music here in Zas and of course last but not least Hinrich Engelhart Stein following the timeline visitors can trace back to the 1920s when Hinrich ankle heart steinig lived he began his career as an ordinary organ builder in ziss but deep in his heart there was a burning Zeal for a deeper level of instrument [Music] making yes that was his start as a organ Builder but his personal success became when he uh built posos as well and he was very good in building pianos and they grew better and better and then he developed new way of building them yes and he could afford a fine house here in Zen and what you see here is a workshops his first workshops of the small piano manufacturer uh Heinrich angelart Stein instrument in in 18407 he put this advertisement in a newspaper where he said that he has three new instruments to offer he says he guarantees for any time the man who wanted to buy his uh piano that the man could say I want a guarantee lasting for one year or for 10 years or why not 100 years so he was very self-consciousness in what uh he was producing then a migration wave came which resulted in an unfavorable economic envir ironment for piano sales in order to make any further development the Stein family bravely immigrated to New York to begin a new chapter in their business yes when they arrived to America in 1850 they didn't start their own business immediately they wanted to of course theyve been perfect piano Builders but they wanted to know how is the business running in America what are the question questions what do the Americans want from a ask from a good piano and they started to build their first American New York built Square piano this is built in 1853 the first instrument in America and the start of this enormous success the factory Steinway and sense uh stands for nowadays especially for the professional musicians if you have a look on it it's a typical instrument of typical American instrument of the mid uh 1800s we're not allowed to play it but one or two tones I can give you it's 100 more than 150 years old [Music] yes here I'm sitting at a grand piano Stein Wan's grand piano this instrument is from 1864 sorry I'm not a concert piano player and I will leave it like that but we are very proud on this fine instrument what is more than 100 years old and still doing its job and I think that's the answer to a lot of question what makes a Steinway to a Steinway if we say Heinrich anglehart Stein brought revolutionary changes to Grand pianos then it is his fourth son William Steinway who extended the Brand's Global [Music] range he he was a Tradesman and thanks to him he got the idea to found a second Factory from New York back to Germany in Hamburg in 1880 and this developed into its own Branch nowadays Steinway and sense do it that way that New York is building for the American market and uh Hamburg for the rest of the world that means any every uh Steinway and sense instrument sold in China was built in Hamburg in fact while leading the company deeper into New York's cultural circles William Steinway maintained a deep attachment to the family's seon rots he was actively engaged in the development of local public facilities as a respected citizen of Zen he donated an environmentally friendly Park which was named Steinway in honor of the family Steinway originated in zisson was developed in New York and its Global expansion was from Hamburg the second largest port city Hamburg has a long-standing musical tradition due to its world-class operas ballets and symphony orchestras it is known as the capital of music and culture in Europe if not the whole world brilliant musicians and composers Felix Mendelson and Johannes brahs were born here got old ephran lesing Heinrich heiner George Frederick handle and other famous writers and composers left their marks on the city because of these glories Splendid chapters have been written in the course of German music Sublime Melodies emerge from unremarkable buildings on renar in Hamburg this is the precise location of steinway's Hamburg Factory this Factory was founded in 1880 and employs nearly 300 skilled Craftsmen Steinway holds the firm belief that only the most Adept Craftsmen are capable of making the world's finest pios new recruits must complete years of training before officially starting work in the factory these craft skills have been passed down through generations and that is why Steinway posos enjoy such esteem in the industry [Music] It Takes The Artisans nearly a whole year to make a Steinway grand piano in this Factory strictly adhering to the motto of making the world's finest posos the brand has never compromised in design material or craftsmanship they just want to do their best because they think that a perfect piano is a major source of inspiration for steinways artists [Music] I mean our mission statement is build the best piano possible period that means we don't care too much about all the rest so how do you achieve that one is the design the construction and with over 100 Innovations 100 patents such time be achieved at the very beginning number two is materials what material you use how you handle material how you mature it how you store it very very important the selection of the material to get the best result The Limited production hinges a lot on the brands quite severe selection standards for Timber precious Timbers from all over the world are neatly stacked in steinway's warehouses and there they spend 2 years natural drying process Before The Next Step space between them ensures good air circulation and the pliability of wood after the drying process only 50 to 60% pass the rigorous quality checks to become piano [Music] parts the appearance of the case is the crucial first impression of a piano the single time bended case is one important technical Innovation introduced and patented in 1878 it has become an indispensable part of each Steinway Grand the outer inner cases of Steinway pios consist of up to 20 solid hardwood layers which are glued by hand and bent into shape in one operation ation the special bending process ensures lasting stability each case has to be fixed on a special machine for 6 hours and then stored for 6 months under controlled temperature and humidity due to this complex procedure daily production is limited to five cases even with the joint efforts of several skilled Artisans this unique case offers a solid basis for the attractive appearance stability and quality of each piano as the soundboard is the central part of a piano the design and the selection of the materials for it must be meticulous The Artisans select the finest North American Spruce Spruce has the desired regular grain to ensure a smooth resonance only 5 to 10% of the Timber from One Tree can be used for the handmade soundboard by experienced Artisans the slight thinning of the soundboard from the center to the edges permits free vibrations to produce the Mellow and Powerful tones in a p piano the total string tension can exceed 20 tons a cast iron plate provides the strength to withstand this huge tension and improve the acoustical properties of a piano after the painting polishing and other procedures The Artisans paint Steinway logos by hand it all displays their rigorous attention to [Music] details 128 patents are always applied to the whole piano making process as for the installment of strings the brand adopts the overstrung scale invented and patented in 1859 it is a design in which the Basse strings cross over the treble ones permitting longer Basse strings and optimizing the position of the bridge for improved tone it is still the standard for grand pianos the wire treble strings and the copper Bas strings are like piano scores the dexterous gestures of Craftsmen are like musical notes through steinway's action each touch of the keys can be transmitted to the strings while largely conserving the energy in this brightly lit Factory the skilled Artisans carefully install the action and keyboard to the music desk making any necessary adjustments there is no limit for the number of adjustments it's all evaluated by experienced Artisans they warm the wood with a small flame then make slight adjustments to the Striking points with hammers and keep on testing to achieve the best tones that match Steinway posos it is not easy to ensure the same degree of touch and keystrokes even the most experienced Artisan needs 3 days to complete the installation of the entire set of the action and keys from each occasion of observing and listening you become aware of their attention to and preservation of steinway's Heritage and [Music] craftsmanship here The Artisans will do the preliminary piano tuning every Artisan is a kind of musician because only one who loves music can make Precision Instruments because as you know a piano is the kind of art that is used for doing artistic things like doing music so somebody who works on the piano has to understand also music and has to understand the Arts and must love it if you just do a job how it's described it doesn't mean anything after the tuning by Craftsman pianos are sent to a special soundproof room as a crucial quality assurance procedure each piano key has to be struck over 10,000 times within an hour to ensure the perfect effect for all black and white keys and ideal string tension the random Strokes create a wonderful Melody revealing the Splendor of the king of [Music] instruments to make the finest piano a perfect tone is one important element while the embellishment also cannot be ignored at the polishing Department The Artisans carefully polish every detail on the case and ingeniously wax the golden logo only after repeatedly polishing will it be revealed the 1 mm thick wax needs to be polished into five of a millim by hand it takes an arter than three days to finish with the result depending on his [Music] experience there is a unique person in steinway's Factory the one who makes the final tuning for all posos before delivery with an expert touch he can quickly discern the questionable keys and makes chalk marks then he patiently adjusts the Hammers to achieve the perfect string Strokes because of his acute gift he is known as steinway's ear [Music] this for the tone of Steinway pios is beyond description and as ARA Rubenstein once said a Steinway is a Steinway and there is nothing like it in the [Music] world among Steinway pianos the Crown Jewel collection is admired by artist the world over for Exquisite appearance and excellent tones to signify its uniqueness each model is named after precious gemstones each piano is made in veneers of rare grained woods from the same tree the grain is as soft as if lit by the Setting Sun and as warm as fir light yet seamlessly matched even in the joints Steinway has interpreted the glitter of nine precious gems for each piano with various shading luminescence and grain each model's feature is in line with its respective gemstone you could say that each model of the crown jewel collection is a Timeless work of art resulting from over one year's [Music] effort in terms of Steinway series The imagine limited edition piano is associated with a legendary figure to commemorate the 70th birthday of a true creative genius legendary musician and songwriter John lenon Steinway and Sons proudly introduced The Perfect Harmony of music with creativity the Imagine series limited edition is modeled after the white Steinway Grand the John gave to Yoko Ono on her birthday in 1971 HP yo incorporates John's signature music sketch and a medallion indicating its uniqueness and John's personality standing in Steinway showroom you cannot help but be captivated by these magnificent works every day musicians come from all parts of the world to select their favorite pianos I'm pianist from Denmark I'm working in Austria and lint at the University of Music there where I teach piano I'm Professor for piano and jabber music and we are supposed to buy a new instrument for our institution and I'm here to pick the right one the greatest attraction this is is is is the the sound quality and the mechanical quality and uh it has this um this very this is a very pure sound this a very clean sound and and and you can can play very deep notes and you still you don't get the muffer sounds and you get a very clear sound like like like churs bells or something like that and and uh it always corresponds it always answers to you it always responds it always talks to you and it becomes a part of the instrument it's not something outside The Pianist it's a part of my of my playing part of my body prolonging of my body so to speak without the musician a piano is completely passive musicians of different ages status genres and nationalities select the same piano brand Steinway and for this reason they are called Steinway artists over a century more than 1600 pianists have been titled Steinway artists autographed photographs Adorn walls of one special room in steinway's Hamburg Factory what is a Steinway artist and how to become a Steinway artist this is very easy to understand first of all somebody must own a sway play on it second uh they have to be performing artists right because we have many many more than 1600 who play his St who own a St but being on stage right and are performing artists and number three is that they give us their endorsement about this piano what they feel when they play a dway why they insist on this dway why they want to be a sway artist it's just like a yeah like a book right of all these friends we have worldwide nowadays over 90% of the finest pianists prefer Steinway pianos for their concerts more than 2,000 music Halls provide steinways for the performers and Steinway pianos appear in more than 90% of the concerts if the invention of the piano is due to evolution of musical culture it is Steinway that makes a piano present on the stage for a noble art Heritage Precision devotion all these are the key wordss for the Brand's value strictly adhering to Hinrich anglehart Stein's motto of making the world's finest pianos Steinway will go on improving the skills and Technology to add even more luster to the crown of the king of [Music] instruments [Music]

Channel: Steinway & Sons

Views: 378,840

Keywords: steinway, piano, germany, hamburg, history, documentary, Steinway & Sons (Organization), factory

Id: dMT4rfjeJko

Length: 24min 32sec (1472 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 03 2013