Noir0%
Concert GrandHeard before seen

Concert Grand  ·  Heard before seen

NOIR

Nine feet of hand-polished black lacquer, kept in a room with the lights off until it is needed.

Scroll to find it
Nine feet of lacquerHand-polished, eleven coats
Twelve thousand partsEach one fitted by hand
243 strings, 20 tonsOf tension held in one frame
Voiced for 200 hoursBefore it leaves the floor

One hammer, one string, and the room changes.

Felt meets copper at a speed no hand can see. Everything before this was preparation for it.

Silence is not the absence of the instrument.

It is the instrument, waiting.

The first note only sounds like that once.

Built to be heard from the back of the hall.

Specification
Length
274 cm — nine feet
Strings
243, 20 tons tension
Parts
12,000, hand-fitted
Action
Hornbeam, felt hammers
Frame
Sand-cast iron
Finish
Black lacquer, 11 coats
Voicing
200 hours, by hand
Built
Nine per year

Request an audition

Auditions are held at the workshop, one instrument at a time, by appointment only. Nine are finished each year and each is sold before it is voiced.