Film: Spiritoso – Story of Kawai.
Kawai has released a new short animated film titled Spiritoso – Story of Kawai. Produced in anime style, it explores the origins of the company through the eyes of its founder Koichi Kawai, and highlights its enduring ethos.
Spiritoso – Story of Kawai is supported by an article on the Kawai Global website that explains the significance of the film’s various scenes with the aid of additional information and historic imagery. The article is available here.
Book: The Piano Across Time
Steven Harris’ new book The Piano Across Time explores the importance and legacy that the piano has brought to the world. The chapter headings provide an immediate incite as to the scope of the book.
Introduction
1 The First English Piano Builders
2 Employment
3 Piano Tuning
4 Piano Teaching
5 Class and Piano Ownership
6 The Piano Shop
7 The Piano in the Community
8 Down at the Pub
9 The Concert Hall
10 Street Pianos
11 Pianos in the Media and Art
Each chapter is highly illustrated and loaded with fascinating detail. This isn’t an academic work, but is highly readable and accessible. Not only is the history and evolution of the piano explored, but also the social importance of the instrument, and its role in the community. Much of the content is focussed on the British piano industry.
The Piano Across Time by Steven Harris (ISBN 9781398128187) is available as a 96-page paperback edition published by Amberley at £14.39 ($19.50 approx). More information can be found here.