Vienna International Inc. announces that Sauter USA will participate in the upcoming Las Vegas PTG Convention held on June 26-29, 2010 at Bally’s Hotel & Casino.  Ulrich Sauter, sixth generation owner and president of Sauter pianos will also greet everyone.  Also attending will be Basilios Strmec, President of Sauter USA and several employees of the Company.

Sauter pianos will be on display.  Sauter USA is a strong supporter of the PTG offering various programs and services throughout the US and Canada.

Plan to attend this year Las Vegas PTG and be our guest.

During his spring visit to North America, Sauter Piano owner and President reaffirms the value of craftsmanship over automation.  He asked, “Did you know that approximately half of the pianos produced worldwide come from factories not older than 10-20 years?”  Especially in China but also in Malaysia, Indonesia and other South East Asian countries, innumerable piano factories have popped up just within a few years. The advantage is obvious: with a new production site you can start at zero without obstacles of outdated machines and inefficient procedures. However, the factory workers also start out at zero and that is a problem when building pianos. Grand and upright pianos are a legacy to us from the pre-industrial era and therefore do not lend themselves to mass production. Of course, one can assemble a piano utilizing modern wood cutting tools and machines — but one then still has only an arrangement of parts. Even the oldest piano manufacturers have modernized their factory equipment and production schedules.  However, most importantly they continue to rely on master craftsmen in many important areas of the piano manufacturing process.

These craftsmen are essential, as they make a wide variety of subtle choices that no machine or computer program can analyze or discern. Only the craftsmen determine important choices and creatively utilize them. Through this process, each instrument receives its unique and singular “soul”. This does not go to say that mass produced instruments should be frowned upon.  However, they are missing that special “something” that we require in each one of the Sauter pianos. It is clear that the newcomers in our craft do not have the luxury of a couple of centuries or at least a few decades of developing their instruments and their craftsmen. Thus the going slogan is: “the smart one imitates”. New factories acquire instruments of leading and established manufacturers in an effort of reverse engineering. Many European manufacturers, our factory included, do not care about such things. Others may take an instrument apart to its tiniest bits, and expose it to every kind of torture and yet our Sauter pianos steadfastly refuse to give away their secrets. Most of the critical information for building a piano is not visible or measurable at the finished instrument. It is hidden in the hands of our master craftsmen.

A 7’3” Sauter Omega grand piano made a magnificent debut as a visual exhibit as well as an artistic musical instrument at the 32nd New York City ArtExpo held March 2010. Following a chance-meeting between Noble Art Pianos President Peter Becker, partner, Elizabeth Campbell, and artist Dean Loucks the trio arranged for Loucks to apply his unique artistic talent to a Sauter piano supplied by Noble Art Pianos.  Dean Loucks selected the case of an Omega grand as the canvas of his latest creation.  Loucks is a specialist in large-scale paintings who works in exacting detail with a variety of tools including paint guns, airbrushes, and razor blades. Describing his style as “the art of removal”, Loucks applies various thinners to the layers of paint. The astonishingly beautiful result is a stunning piece of art that demonstrates the artist’s flexibility and adventurous approach to art.

According to Becker “Painting on pianos is not new in itself—it has been done for over 100 years, but Dean Loucks’ work is ‘now’, new, contemporary and tasteful,” He arranged delivery of the Sauter piano to Loucks’ studio in Elkhart, Indiana and a complex process of taking the piano apart, painting it and putting it back together again ensued—with the added pressure of having the piano completed by the show date, and in perfect condition to be played for performance and promotional purposes.  “The task was daunting, but well-within our scope of work,” said Loucks, “We are used to deadlines and I am so enthused about the show—I have it planned to perfection—The New York ArtExpo has been my focus and obsession!  I have been able to expand the scope of my work because of this opportunity.”While the instrument stood out as a magnificent showcase for contemporary art, its musicality brought real magnetism to the twenty-five thousand attendees.  Various professional and amateur pianists performed on the instrument.  The real musical possibilities of the Sauter Omega came through when recording artist Benita Mushulam; Grammy Nominee and worldwide acclaimed soloist Allison Brewster Franzetti; and the 2010 Latin Grammy winner and composer Carlos Franzetti performed on the Sauter Omega.  Full of powerful dynamics, it is also a sensitive and charming instrument.  Its soundboard, made from the finest European spruce, facilitated richvariations in sound. The Omega responded to the slightest touch, allowing the pianists sensitive expressions to be realized. The hammers, which were carefully selected and voiced by experts, packed loads of dynamism and facilitated the very finest nuances in sound and brilliant tones.

The piano is now displayed in the showroom of Noble Art Pianos in Easton, Pennsylvania.Read More >>> 

Since our founder — while an apprentice in Vienna — helped build instruments for Ludwig van Beethoven and other famous artists during the years 1813-1819, six generations of the Sauter family have sought to continue this legacy. Visually, you will appreciate the beauty and perfection of a Sauter piano.  But to hear a Sauter piano in performance, you will experience the joy and passion of the music.  Piano music is an explosive expression of humanity. It connects everyone, no matter where we are from. After all, helping create that connection is why we build pianos and how our Company started.In the beginning there was a young carpenter apprentice who loved music. It was 1813 when Johann Grimm applied to become a piano builder with Johann Andreas Streicher, owner of the most famous piano company of its time, in Vienna, Austria.

Spending six years with the prestigious Streicher Piano Company, the young apprentice was introduced to the art of piano building by the most influential individuals in piano building and music.  Johann Andreas Streicher (1761-1833) who was born in Stuttgart, Germany, was a close friend of the poet Friedrich Schiller and married Nanette Stein (1769-1833). She was the daughter of Johann Andreas Stein (1728-1792) who had been introduced to the secrets of piano building by Johann Andreas Silbermann (1712-1783) in Strasbourg. Ludwig van Beethoven purchased several instruments from the Streicher Piano Company and was a very close friend of the family.  Nanette Streicher supervised the household of the creative but often disorganized Ludwig van Beethoven for many years.  Nanette had also been closely acquainted with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and had played on several occasions with him on pianos manufactured by her family. Her husband, Johann Andreas Streicher, who also was an avid composer, gave regular lessons to Mozart’s son.

During his apprenticeship with the Streicher Piano Company (1813-1819), Johann Grimm assisted with the building of several instruments for Ludwig von Beethoven and other influential musicians. Sauter Piano Company recently honored the memory of Johann Andreas Streicher by publishing a CD with his original compositions.In 1846, as Grimm’s heir and successor, his nephew Carl Sauter expanded the workshop into a proper manufacturing center employing a dozen apprentices, which soon became one of the leading piano factories in Swabia (in Bavaria.) 
 After Carl’s early death, Johann Sauter, who was only 17 years old, took over the factory with his mother.

From his extensive trips abroad, including a visit to America, he brought back all sorts of new ideas and concepts.  A feeling of openness, a pioneering spirit, and a love of perfection characterized work at Sauter’s from the beginning.  It was hardly a surprise that many of the inventions and improvements in piano technology were patented internationally.  The era of Johann Sauter also saw the changeover of production from square pianos to the larger pianoforte. Carl Sauter II, who took over the company in 1909, continued to expand the factory and increase production. With their outstanding quality and improved models, the excellent sound associated with the name of Sauter became famous throughout Germany.

Hans Sauter, who took over the firm in 1948, applied new findings in science and new techniques and materials to the modern craft of piano building. Soon, the pianos - which both looked and soundedIn 1952, the production of grand pianos marked the start of a new epoch in the company’s history - a clear sign of outstanding quality of sound. With the development of the double repetition mechanism, giving the pianos a particularly sensitive touch, and the launch of the high-quality 
M-Line at the beginning of the 1990s, Sauter consistently followed the direction it has chosen of perfection in the manufacturing of the finest pianos.

Sauter now has added a designer touch with its exclusive “Sauter - designed by Peter Maly” model range, which was created especially for modern living environments.

For many years Sauter Piano Company has relied on a small but most reputable supplier of choice wood to furnish what many consider to be the heart of every piano: the soundboard.  The wood is selected from the Northern mountains of Italy, as a matter fact, from the woods surrounding a small valley known as Val di Fiemme where also the makers of Stradivari and Guarneri violins obtained their wood. The company’s name is Ciresa s.r.l. and their reputation in the piano industry is legendary. Fabio Ognibeni, CEO of Ciresa s.r.l., agreed to share his unique perspective on Sauterforum:

Coming back from a business travel in Europe, where I visited several piano factories, I noticed that the international market crisis and the economical difficulties are damaging the industry of the musical instruments, and that some companies are heavly affected by this situation.  I particularly noticed one aspect that had already come to light years before: during the periods of economical crisis, the companies that had made the brave choice to rely on their quality, were able to limit the damages therefore having more flexibility in a smaller market. On the other side, the factories that chose the policy of economic competitiveness (using low cost parts and materials) are now dealing with their own decisions and with the major problem of reducing drastically the production. There are pianos on the market, with important trade marks written over the keyboard, that are carefully perfected with great design in every detail of the case, but in their inside all the components assembled are cheap and of evident asian origin. Furthermore, these pianos are unable to compete in terms of prices with the chinese ones, which are invading the market worldwide (even if, in view of the economic crisis also the chinese companies are having difficulties, especially because they have to defend their huge production). 

Sempach. District of Luzern. Switzerland. According to an article in the Sempacher Weekly the decision to renew the performance piano for the Sempach Conservatory boiled down to two choices: A Sauter Omega or its size equivalent a Steinway B from Germany. The decision was not an easy one according to Jovita Tuor, head of the well endowed institution  that serves one of the most culturally interested communities in Switzerland. It was, according to the article, a decision between a classic Jaguar and a Rolls Royce. Both are excellent, both are noble instruments.

In the end the Sempach Music Conservatory decided in favor of the Sauter Omega. The instrument arrived in style and was inaugurated by outstanding students of the Conservatory. After several Mozart pieces the Mrs. Tuor approached the young performing pianist and challenged him.”What do you think, has Mozart shown us all that this instrument can do?” Mr. Ducomman got the hint and added a thrilling performance of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody 6 which was an ecstatic culmination of the of the evening.

Source: Sempacher Woche/ Surseer Woche, Switzerland

Two students of the Graduate Piano Technology Program of Florida State University finished their degree with a capstone experience of working hands-on along long time pianobuilders at Sauter Factory. Under the patronage of Anne Garee and the Department of Music, Florida State University has managed to create an educational program that combines highest quality of academic learning with practical application in a field where many areas are still not scientifically structured and professional information is not readily available. Ms. Jen Roberts and Ms. Amy Potter are among the first given the opportunity to see close-up how a factory that relies on highly skilled manual labor to produce pianos respected as among the best in the world actually works. 

“Investing in the next generation of leaders and professionals in our industry, is part of our company’s mission”, says Ulrich Sauter, 6th generation owner of the Sauter factory. “In the past we supported training programs primarily in Germany simply because our brand and distribution was mainly in Central Europe. However, our industry has become international and with that we have become aware of the need to provide training and education across the globe. Our cooperation with Florida State University is very much cherished. We need more professionals that have had a solid training experience in their field.”

Attached are two interviews with the two graduates in Piano Technology from Florida State University.

Yesterday Noble Arts Pianos  presented Prof. Ulrich Urban in celebration of the Mendelssohn’s 200th birthday. Prof. Urban had come in from Washington, D.C., where he had performed at the National Gallery on the eve of the Superbowl to an appreciative audience of 400. Yesterday’s concert, however, was set in the elegant and more intimate environment of the Noble Arts Pianos in Easton, PA. And Prof. Urban did not dissappoint! His selection for the evening included Mendelssohn’s “Three Songs without Words”, “Three Fantasies or Caprices”, a Sonata from Joseph Haydn, and something very new:  a piece from contemporary composer from Connecticut Elizabeth R. Austin titled “Four Puzzle Preludes on Classical Themes”.

For the performance Prof. Urban selected the Sauter 7′7” Ambiente which despite its power ensured the intimacy of the evening with its sensitivity and velvet character. Check back as we will post a sound sample of the evening by next week.

About Prof. Ulrich Urban:

Born in Frankfurt/ Oder, Germany, Ulrich Urban studied piano at the Leipzig Conservatory with Guenther Kootz and conducting with Rolf Reuter. From 1969 to the present, he has taught at this institution, where he was promoted to the full Professor of Piano in 1991, after the fall of the Wall. His first performances of Bach garnered glowing reviews and his repertoire includes works by composers associated with Leipzig’s musical traditions such as Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Maz Reger, and Richard Wagner. He also introduced works by Elizabeth R. Austin, Gernot Grohs, and Erle Ninow as well as the works of the English composer Clement Harris, which he recorded in 2004.

His concert tours have taken him across Europe to Japan, South Africa, South America, and the United States, where he also conducted master classes. Urban has performed piano concertos with more than forty orchestras, including the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden and Hamburd Philharmonic Orchestras, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the the Weimar Staatskapelle, among many others.

See also:

http://nobleartpianos.com/

Cross your heart: Do you know who owns the factory that produced your dining room table or your love seat? Maybe you recall the manufacturers behind these items, but for the most part, we rarely know who stands behind the many products we purchase daily. There are books that seek to disentangle the conundrum of global capital and often interesting details emerge. In the last few years the trend of big corporations buying smaller companies has increased, and we can hear about so called take-overs almost on a daily basis. I would not be surprised if the term “take-over candidate” will become  designated as the Word of the Year.

 Most recently this tendency also reached the piano industry, and it was just a little earlier this year when the renowned piano manufacturer Boesendorfer was “snatched up” by the Japanese musical instruments builder Yamaha. It was a very common transaction and even in this tiny industry of piano builders it was not the first purchase of its kind; some were shocked by the news, but only a few surprised. Noteworthy is that the take-over of Bosendorfer did not launch an industry wide trend. The reasons that led to the sale of Bosendorfer were rather home-made and Yamaha simply used the opportunity. Given the alternative choices, I believe in the long run, that this purchase will provide advantages for both companies. 

This though,  is not today’s topic.  I am more interested in the structures and dynamics underlying such transactions in our industry. Is it of any importance if a piano company is owned by an individual entrepreneur or if it is part of an industrial conglomerate? What changes are there in a small piano manufacturing company when its independence is compromised? Does the consumer care about such changes? What happens with the instruments? Today’s economy has (mostly) abolished person centered product marketing. The packaging in your local food store usually does not indicate a person or an address to turn to. While in former times the proud business owner  put her name and her picture on her products, today one gets the subliminal message that the manufacturer would rather stay anonymous. There is the occasional exception with Aunt Becky praising her guaranteed home made noodles but then consumers suspect behind such claims shrewd and deceptive marketing practices; and for the most part they are right. But then there is also the exception: a German TV ad features Mr. Claus Hipp  who warrants his product with his own good name or the owner of Germany’s biggest apparel factory Trigema, Mr.  Wolfgang Grupp, swears to not move his production facility overseas, then the public becomes attentive and takes note.

Taken at face value the logic is obvious: a product that has been manufactured by a family for many generations can not be all that bad. This thought evokes trust and a sort of guideline in an ever more complex world of products. Modern man is overchallenged to assess correctly the quality of each specific product and therefore he tries to shift the decision towards an area that he feels comfortable. Often that is the honest face of a salesman in the specialty store around the corner. Unfortunately, that criteria becomes ever so less reliable as the salesperson at the local home products store is mostly responsible to restock and to work the cashier machine. At an aggressive discount store, do not even bother looking for a salesperson- just pick up your items and hurry to the self-check out stand.

In the piano industry you will still find owners of smaller factories whose names are on the fallboard of the piano as well as depersonalized brand names that are owned by larger conglomerates. In some rare cases the new business owners retain a member of the family as the product’s and brand’s spokesperson. Of course the question rings: what differentiates these small companies from bigger conglomerates? What do they do right? Where do they err? Well, to start out with the obvious but very noteworthy, these small companies are very old - and a majority have been in business for almost 200 years. I know, by way of personal experience, that in these circles of owners one can find an astonishing resilience that  in some cases borders on obsession. The families and owners of such companies have been in the past, and continue in present times, to stand by their business - despite suffering from financial shortages and foregoing more lucrative careers. There are examples in our industry where such dedication continued to the very end of economic viability.

On the other hand, these virtues have inspired small companies to make their brand known all over the world in a way that usually is only possible for powerful corporations with sheer unlimited advertising budgets. In some ways, it was the owners’ narcissistic and ardent desire to share with the world one’s own piano rather than a strategically devised marketing approach that led to public visibility. Often these small manufacturers would not consider the needs of the client, neither did they pay attention to unaddressed market opportunities, but rather devoted day and night to hovering over beams and rods and developing their instrument; the world, in their mind, was eagerly awaiting the arrival of their piano ready to embrace it as soon as it left the workshop floor. It is not far from the truth to say that to this very day my manufacturing colleagues (and admittedly, I myself, also suffer from such sentiment flashes from time to time) often  are permanently disappointed by the world and almost offended, when an instrument is not instantaneously embraced and celebrated. Thus naturally, any failures in the market place are rarely associated to one’s own product or , per chance, ineffective sales methods but are squarely put on the shoulders of unthankful customers who are just not enlightened enough.

Any marketing expert would revolt against the somehow “neurotic” promotional approach of small piano builders, and most likely will remain in awe that such companies have not been swept off the market into oblivion. But every coin has two sides: the narcistic attitude of family owned piano companies (which sometimes and wrongfully so, is perceived as arrogance) has also its virtues. No automobile manufacturer produces a vehicle just because the chairmen of the board damn likes a particular design. Rather these corporations rely on scientific marketing studies in order to minimize any risk. And what is the consequence? Cars are more and more alike- and the character of the respective brand is steadily lost. The automobile’s public profile is not created on the street but rather communicated in expensive advertising spots. There you can see a cute little car majestically cruising through inspiring scenes of nature and wilderness. But would you notice it - let alone get excited about it - if it were parked just around the corner?

What a difference to the aforementioned family owned piano builders? They could care less about phony marketing strategies and target groups. They follow their dream to build the best upright or grand piano of the world and thus ensure that today there is a broad choice of real brands that are far superior to the corporate cookie cutter manufacturers. Mr. Grotrian, Sr. - from Grotrian Pianos- expressed it best when he told his sons: “Boys, build good pianos, the rest will all fall into place by itself!”

Some of you might find my words too romanticzing- and you may be right! Of course, today it takes more than just building a good piano in order to be successful in the global marketplace. But still, it seems that when a manufacturer puts her name on the fallboard of a piano, that very act creates for the owner something almost sacral.  And thus it happens, that when you buy such an instrument you purchase a bit of that dream and essence of human longing for producing the finest. Don’t you think that this makes the music and piano world even more enticing!

Yours cordially,

C. Ulrich Sauter

How do we raise the quality of our piano program? This is  a key question to many Collegiate teaching professionals across the country. One important answer is found in a unique and groundbreaking program developed by Florida State University in Tallahasee, Florida that should have implications for schools across the country: namely, to provide an accredited training opportunity for those who care for piano instrument parks at colleges and universities. And there is an even more exciting aspect: in an industry that is predominantly male, the driver behind this program is a woman, and mastertechnician: Anne Garee.

Mrs. Anne Garee grew up in a home where both arts and science were enmeshed. Her father was a physicist while her mother was a professional musician who had graduated from the famous Oberlin Music Conservatory. Anne followed the path of her mother and graduated in piano- however, she also intensified her studies and became a piano technician.  She was then offered a position with Florida State University. Being uniquely qualified to understand the needs of pianists and educators as well as relating the technical aspects of piano service she started to develop a formal degree granting program at FSU. Graduates of FSU Piano Technology program are superbly qualified to maintain and manage a large school’s piano park in all aspects.

 We, at Sauter, are deeply impressed with what Anne has accomplished. The embedded video provides furhter insight into the program.

Internet address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpBnlRMklPA