Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (2007)

The best documentaries are so well crafted that a viewer - even one that is unfamiliar or uninterested in the topic at hand - is drawn into its world.

Regrettably Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 is not one of the best. The film ostensibly follows the creation of a Steinway piano. The Steinway company is unique in that it employs a variety of skilled builders to create... read more

Description: Note By Note is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037— from forest floor to concert hall. It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production. From the factory floor in Queens to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, each piano’s journey is complex— spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor. Filmed in key Steinway locations—the factory, Steinway’s reserved “Bank,” and private auditions—No Note By Note is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand, #L1037— from forest floor to concert hall. It explores the relationship between musician and instrument, chronicles the manufacturing process, and illustrates what makes each Steinway unique in this age of mass production. From the factory floor in Queens to Steinway Hall in Manhattan, each piano’s journey is complex— spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor. Filmed in key Steinway locations—the factory, Steinway’s reserved “Bank,” and private auditions—Note By Note is a loving celebration of not just craftsmanship, but of a dying breed of person who is deeply connected to working by hand. In the end, this is an ode to the most unexpected, and perhaps ironic, of unsung heroes. It reminds us how extraordinary the dialogue can be between an artist and an instrument — crafted out of human hands but borne of the materials of nature.

Film website
[Link removed - login to see]

PBS film website
[Link removed - login to see]

Steinway website
[Link removed - login to see]


... (more) (less)