You may have "tickled the ivories" countless of times. But have you ever wondered how those keys got into the piano in the first place? How did your piano get from being a tree and lumps of metal to an instrument strung with carefully tuned wires and a complex striking mechanism?
Each instrument has its own personality: the feel of the action, the tone quality, and the resonance all differ from piano to piano. A performer takes as much care in selecting his or her piano as someone else might take in choosing a spouse. In the piano business, there is one company that has raised the process of piano production to an art form. Nearly every pianist dreams of owning one of these instruments (though for many budding pianists, the hefty price tag topping $100,000 keeps the prospect of ownership a dream forever).
Note by Note: A Documentary on Piano-Building
This is the story of the Steinway. Or rather, the story of Steinway L1037. From start to finish (over the course of an entire year), the documentary Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 follows the process of bringing a single instrument to stage. Each piano is the product of many hands and many jobs: the woodworkers who carve the body, those who paint the body, those who tightened the strings, those who assemble the action, and those who felt the hammers are just a few of the many specialists needed to turn out a single piano.
Included in the film are special interviews and footage of French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, American pianist and singer Harry Connick Jr., French pianist Hélène Grimaud, American jazz pianist Kenny Barron, American jazz stride pianist Marcus Roberts, American jazz pianist Bill Charlap, American jazz pianist Hank Jones, and Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
Directed by Ben Niles, the documentary is showing November 7-20 at the Film Forum in New York City. However, those unable to attend the New York screening can view the trailer and small clips of the film at the Note by Note website. Information regarding upcoming screenings (at different locations across the country) is also available.
Though the documentary explores the Steinway factory in depth, the company itself was not involved in either financing or directing the film.
Sources
Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 website.
"Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 at Film Forum in New York City."
"Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037: What's Black and White and Made in Queens?" November 7, 2007. New York Times.
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