I have begun a study of the history of some of our famous piano makers over the centuries.
There have been some absolutely captivating builders. Among them of course was Sebastien Erard, Jonas Chickering, Theodore Steinway, Johan Ibach, Ignaz Bosendorfer and of course Joseph Brodmann along with one of my favorites; Carl Sauter.
Little is known of some of these guys in the U.S. because the importing of pianos at that time but, Europe has a totally different idea of music, music making and the building of fine instruments than in other parts of the world. But I am very captivated by Mr. Sauter.
Here is the story. Johann Streicher owned a piano company called Streicher pianos. Streicher had risen to fame because Ludwig van Beethoven had purchased several instruments from them and the Streicher was his personal favorite, in fact he often requested that a Streicher piano be provided for his concerts. The company had attracted much attention and got the attention of a young man named Johann Grimm.
Some time after Johann had joined Streicher Pianos, Mr. Streicher passed away and left his company to his daughter Nannette, a freind of Beethoven and extremely close to another composer and artist of this era named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They actually performed together on Streicher pianos on several occasions.
After several years of service to Streicher, Mr. Grimm decided to branch out on his own. He created what was to become the Sauter Piano Company in 1813. To date this piano company is the oldest family owned piano manufacturer and the oldest continuous running piano maker in the world. The company has always been controlled, owned and operated by a Sauter.
Today, Urlich Sauter is in charge and continues to make pianos in his factory in Spaichingen, Germany at the foothills of the infamous Black Forest. They continue to manufacture pianos with the concept that Johann Grimm used in 1813 but have integrated modern day technologies. Today the factory is a state-of-the-art factory that is quite impressive and builds approximately 450 pianos a year. In Europe, Sauter is highly regarded as one of the finest instruments available. In the U.S. there are only a few dealers that carry the instrument.
Once you have the opportunity to experience the Sauter piano I am sure you will agree that this instrument is one that quietly grabs your attention and seems to say “is that all you got, come on get with it”.
More on some of the other famous manufacturers coming soon
Until then-
Ric Overton
posted by Ric Overton of http://PianoSD.com via http://MaxMorganDesign.com
