COMING TO TULSA:

NOTE BY NOTE: The making of Steinway L1037

April 6, 8, 10, 2008
Circle Cinema - Tulsa, OK
10 South Lewis Avenue (Lewis & Admiral)

http://www.circlecinema.com/
Director Ben Niles in Person April 6

Click Play to view Movie Trailer

http://www.notebynotethemovie.com/

Directed by Ben Niles
2007, 80 minutes

In our age of mass-production and consumption, what is the role of the musician—both an instrument’s craftsman and its player? Musically, what have we gained? More importantly, what are we losing?

The most thoroughly handcrafted instruments in the world, Steinway pianos are as unique and full of personality as the world-class musicians who play them. However, their makers are a dying breed: skilled cabinetmakers, gifted tuners, thorough hand-crafters.

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.
 

REVIEWS

"Recommended...both calming and engaging"

PORTLAND MERCURY

****"inspirational to watch"

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"classy and unexpectedly moving"

THE OREGONIAN

"a masterly composition of eye and ear, hand and heart, labor and music."

CHICAGO SUN TIMES

"a look at people whose hands, eyes, hearts and minds all work together... together they assemble one of the world's most wonderful man-made things."

HARTFORD COURANT

"a love letter to a vanishing mode of production,

with more than a hint of elegy."
THE BOSTON GLOBE

*****"....engrossing"

TIME OUT CHICAGO

"skillfully and adoringly made...a love song to the instrument responsible for so many."

REAL DETROIT WEEKLY

"Ben Niles' Note by Note is a beauty...a lovely adventure."

NEW CITY CHICAGO

"in their meticulous attention to detail, the blue-collar workers seem just as artistic as any musician."

CHICAGO READER

"They say that every piano has a soul; if only every movie had one as warm and rich as Note by Note."

DETROIT METRO TIMES

"a tribute to the superiority of human craftsmanship over mass production and a celebration of art over pure commercialism."

OKLAHOMA GAZETTE

"...a paean to the rewards of old-fashioned      craftsmanship."

-NEW YORK TIMES

"a Miracle--Beethoven would have been pleased."

-THE NEW REPUBLIC

"fascinating and delightful."

-SALON

"remarkably absorbing."

-NEW YORK MAGAZINE

****"....essentially New York."

-TIME OUT NEW YORK

"engrossing! a stirring symphony of specialized labor."

-VILLAGE VOICE

"a sure bet for music lovers."

-TVGUIDE.COM

"delightful."

-NY POST

"a distinct pleasure."

-THE WASHINGTON POST

"Ben Niles approaches his subject con amore."

-VARIETY

"a fascinating documentary that more than just piano lovers can enjoy."

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"it’s the craftspeople and their work, and the pianos themselves, that are the real stars."

THE PHOENIX