McALLEN — The delicate, hypnotic melody of Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous “Moonlight Sonata” filled the room here Thursday. Each key pressed felt as though the legendary German composer himself was playing.
That’s craftsmanship.
Music students, teachers and admirers gathered Thursday to appreciate the craft that created this particular instrument — a Steingraeber & Söhne piano, Chamber Concert grand D-232 — at the McAllen home of Russell I. Kassman, a retired piano consultant and technician. This is also where the piano makers themselves, Fanny and Alban Schmidt-Steingraeber, were present to discuss their work with attendees.
The 24- and 27-year-old siblings, who are seventh generation piano makers from the musical city of Bayreuth, Germany, spoke to each attendee about the details and intricacies that make their handmade pianos unique. They looked back at the legacy and the timeline of how their designs have changed over time.
They recalled growing up within the company and witnessing the creation of the pianos. Each floor of their home is dedicated to a specific use — the first used for displaying the pianos, the second for concert halls, and the third is where they grew up.
By the age of 12, they began working in their family’s factory where they learned about the specific materials used in their pianos.
“The wood for the soundboard is (imported) from the Alps where it is grown to 3,000 feet. It is important that it is grown slowly and that the year rings are closer together because the sound gets transported better,” Fanny said
The family has used the wood for years because they believe this material allows the vibration to remain the same throughout the piano when the keys are played.
For the siblings, the wood has become a familiarity and reminder of home when they are away.
“When we are here, around in America visiting some of our dealers, I open the piano and smell inside and it smells like home,” Fanny said.
The wood is not the only unique material used in their pianos. The wool used for the hammers is imported from sheep in New Zealand.
“If you add all these details that we focus on in the end you have a better piano,” Fanny said.
Their piano that was on display in McAllen on Thursday was particularly unique because it is the only piano equipped with both a sordino and Mozart Rail, which gets the performer close to the composer’s original intent. According to Kassman, one of their functions is to lower the piano keys to the level composers like Mozart and Beethoven played during their times.
“We are taking the best from history and thinking it forward for the future,” Alban said.
For 47-year-old Connie Nieto, a music teacher at Connie’s Music Studio, the addition of these traditional pieces has created an “emotional connection” between her and the original composers.
“When you engage that particular pedal (sordino) it really kind of transforms you and takes you back to that place. It almost feels like you’re in the very room hearing Beethoven perform it with that heart and intent which to me is just so beautiful,” Connie said with bright eyes as she gushed about the piano’s beauty.
Alban looks forward to the process of assembling these instruments, and described the intricacies of that process that create the exquisite sounds that those in attendance at Kassman’s home on Thursday raved about.
“My favorite part is everything about the acoustics, so preparing the soundboard and putting the bridge on. We call it the marriage when the iron frame and the wood part come together, that all happens before the strings are placed.” Alban said. “That is my favorite part of the production. The piecing together, the working with the wonderful materials.”
In the early 20th century, the piano industry fell on hard times; in fact, Fanny remembers her father telling them that almost 40 years ago there were around 28 piano manufacturers that were family owned. Now there are only about five left in Germany.
They only make 20 of these handcrafted pianos each year, which are specifically designed for musicians, who Alban affectionately referred to as their “bosses.”
Holding a masters in performance, Ramses Avalos, 28, who was also in attendance at Thursday’s piano display, said the piano’s sound and the materials, elements and work that go into creating it literally speak for itself, comparing it to a high-quality automobile.
“I can just hear immediately when I play it. It’s something about clarity in the sound … It’s just like something very clear and clean that you can’t really explain,” Ramses said.
