200 Years of Sauter 1819-2019, 200 years of German piano making: driven by a passion for music, love of craftsmanship, and the urge to innovate.
Sauter, which has the longest uninterrupted history of piano making anywhere in the world, is celebrating its 200th anniversary. Our grand pianos, built in Spaichingen by hand by master craftsmen using premium-quality materials, can be found in some of the world’s leading concert halls, where their special crystal-clear Sauter sound enraptures pianists and audiences. There are good reasons why the Sauter factory is as busy as ever: over the course of six generations of a piano-making dynasty, Sauter has always cultivated the urge to innovate, honed its craftsmanship, and benefitted from the loyalty of its master craftsmen and piano makers.
Ludwig van Beethoven was in a sense the artistic godfather of Sauter sound technology. Sauter’s founder, Johann Grimm, a carpenter from humble origins, apprenticed with Beethoven’s friend, the piano maker Johann Andreas Streicher. Over a six-year period Grimm learned every aspect of the craft, and went on to establish a workshop in Spaichingen in 1819, for which Beethoven’s demanding standards set the tone. In due course the operations grew to become the Sauter Pianofortemanufaktur.
Sauter’s reputation has been enhanced by in-house innovations since its very beginnings. Over a period of 200 years the company has obtained numerous patents for inventions relating to Sauter quality and the Sauter sound. Our reputation, built by earlier generations and carefully nurtured over the years, remains at the core of our business in the 21st century. In-house innovations such as the double repetition mechanism, the SAUTER spherical concavity®, and Titan Duplex are just three among the many Sauter specialties valued by pianists and piano connoisseurs.
For the anniversary year Sauter is presenting yet another innovation: a new type of keytop, developed by the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. The patented material has the identical chemical formula and similar characteristics to real ivory. Sauter provided the initial impetus for the development process. In addition, designer Peter Maly, who has been crafting timelessly elegant and refined uprights and grands for Sauter since 1996, has created the RHAPSODY 2019 specially for the anniversary year. This striking upright combines innovative piano-making technology with aesthetically compelling form: a remarkable work of art.
Ever since 1819 Sauter has been firmly committed to classic craftsmanship and the use of exquisite materials. Thanks to the consummate skill of Sauter’s master craftsmen, Sauter pianos bring forth brilliantly clear sound, and it is thanks to them that our pianos are imbued with life and soul.