...Steinway Strategic Orientation The main changes in the environment and the Steinway organization since 2002 still involve the economy. Steinway doesn’t operate like a typical organization. The culture of Steinway’s brand is based on tradition and quality of craftsmanship. When many companies were discounting items to entice consumers in a bad economy, Steinway stood by the price of their pianos and their name (Miller, 2010) Steinway never discounts, according to financial writer Nancy Miller, “That's part of the pianos' prestige”. Steinway even laid off one third of their production staff in a New York City adjacent factory (Miller, 2010). Miller also states, Inventory control is only part of Steinway's pricing power. Steinway still has many hurdles to overcome before they are profitable to a point which makes stockholders pleased. Other changes that has occurred since the diagnosis in 2002 is sales. According to financial writer Nancy Miller, in the third quarter of 2010, sales of Steinway’s grand pianos jumped 11%. These sales increases were just in the market in the US. The European market didn’t see any significant improvements. While this was great news for the company, in 2011 shares in Steinway declined by 10%, even though their cost cutting was paying off in revenue (Reuters. 2012. December, 27). “Steinway has struggled to keep its production margins competitive amid stagnant sales” (Reuters. 2012. December, 27). Just when Steinway thinks they...
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...and drawing. Fanny also studied piano, first with her mother, then with music teachers in Berlin and Pairs. She was an exceptionally talented pianist, considered even better than her more famous brother, Felix. Her first performance was at one of her family’s Sunday concerts, a tradition started by her grandmother years ago. Poets, writers, musicians and family friends usually attended and they were all astonished when the twelve-year-old Fanny played twenty-four preludes from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier by heart. At the age of 14 she had begun composing her own works. Fanny composed mainly vocal solos, keyboard pieces, choral works and chamber music. Although she did create many oratorios and cantatas as well as a few quartets, they were not considered suitable for a woman at the time. Her only recorded public performance was in 1838, when she performed Felix's First Piano Concerto for a charity event. She married Wilhelm Hansel in 1820 and they had a son named Sebastian. Continuing the tradition of the Sunday concerts throughout her life, Fanny made them famous for their quality and originality. These Sonntagsmusiken, as they were known, gave her the freedom to play her own music without fear of them being judged based on her gender. Though both her brother and father discouraged her form pursuing a life of music, she continued composing. First publishing works under her brother’s name, then finally, under her own. She is best known for piano works, such as her Farwell to...
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...well, but he was just being reminded all the time that he was the boy who could do nothing. The only thing that made him remarkable as a boy was that he was the “non-ability-boy”. He couldn’t even be the traditional nerdy kid, because he didn’t have the intelligence which is needed to be. He didn’t have any physically or socially skills. Trying to avoid losing his self-esteem, he walks on down the road of “looking for something to be good at”. He finds out that he wants to attempt music. If he only knew that would be a failure too, he probably wouldn’t have. One day his father and uncle bring home a piano. Our narrator wants to try this new hobby and starts taking piano lessons from an elderly lady from the neighborhood, Mrs. Patricia Chin. The center of the story takes place when they have their lessons together. The narrator hides behind humor, a kind of self-irony. The piano is a monster and he is playing this monster with clanged, thumped and spasmed fingers. He has been a failure so long now, that he can make fun out of it. But his family does not see the fun in...
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...out with the word ‘piano’, which makes the intro very interesting from the start and from that point on we know that the theme of the story has something to do with music, but in the way of finding something you are good at. The central ideas with this story is that you can always find something you are good at, even if you say that you are bad at everything. Like, when the boy finds out he cannot play the piano, he finds something else to play, like the violin at the end. Is there always something you are good at? And how is your personal quest to finding out what it is. The main theme of the short story is Michael´s quest to finding something he is good at, but there are more themes than that one theme. A theme like music does also play a role in this short story. Michael´s quest to finding out what he is good at has a really abrupt ending. The narrator is called Michael and he is the protagonist of the short story. He is telling the story as an adult, but he talk about his young years when he was a nine year old boy. And at that time he was a real talent loose boy. His sister was a really good majorette and his older brother was good at dismantling things. Michael was known for having no ability to do anything at all. Michael was a sweet boy with nothing but good intensions and he is very curious as well. For example when he gets the piano, he want to learn how to play it, but never before has he had any lessons, so he asks his mom if he can go to piano lessons to learn how...
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...music concert either on campus or somewhere nearby. The concert I chose to attend was Sentgeorge Studio Recital on April 21, 2014 at 5:30. When I got there they had no handouts unfortunately but I took recordings and got one of the singers names and the name of her song so I could write about it. When it came to this concert I believe the lyrics were very important, without them it would have just been a piano playing. Not that there is anything wrong with just the piano playing but having the words with the piece helped show the emotion or why the piano was all the sudden playing Forte instead of piano. Of all the people who sung tonight I believe all but maybe one was in another language besides English. The song I focused on was in French. When it came to the audience I do not think any of them knew the music unless it was the teacher sitting in the front or other music students. I could not understand any of the words and since there were no handouts I had no copy of the music to go along with. Instead I listened to how the voices changed with the pitch of the piano, at that point you can at least tell when there is high emotion or if the song was very mellow. With the words alone the concert would not have been effective. To me without it I probably would have gotten up and left. As bad as that sounds I think you need both to have an effective song. The music accompanying the lyrics gives you a sense of emotion or possibly even a setting. There is a quote from a guy...
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...Joyce Alcantara (G00830834) English 101-113 Professor Lisa Photos April 7th, 2014 Decisions: Perpend, Ponder, and Plan Have you ever listened to a song where you immediately thought to yourself, “I can totally relate!”? Have you ever analyzed lyrics in your head, and completely understood every solitary piece of the message that the song is trying to convey? The song “Lucy,” by a rock band named Skillet, resonates with many people in various ways, as it starts off in a slow, symphonic playing of the keyboard. The initiation of the song includes a silvery tuning of the piano keys, and then it transitions into the entering of the harmonic pieces of the electric guitars and drums. This transition, along with the screaming elements used by the vocalist, the low-spirited tuning of the song, and the sounds of the percussion, are tools that are used to emphasize the song’s message. These tools incorporate with the emotions that the lyrics are trying to render. In other words, the theme of the song, which talks about the pain and regrets that can follow abortion, ties with the sounds of the percussion instruments played. The theme emphasizes that any decision, whether big or small, can affect one’s future, and can be life-changing. Therefore, well-thought decisions are significant and are highly accentuated in this heart-warming composition. The song “Lucy” is a musical artwork in which parents or couples that have gone through abortion relate to. There are plenty of different...
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... Introduction Classical art music is madе in thе traditions of wеstеrn music. Classical music as a tеrm was not usеd until thе 19th cеntury. Though it’s hard to list charactеristics that arе attributеd to all works of classical music, thеrе arе fеw charactеristics that classical music contains that cannot bе idеntifiеd in othеr gеnrеs of music. Thеy includе: Instrumеntation Most instrumеnts usеd in classical music arе anciеnt but wеrе codifiеd in thе 18th and 19th cеnturiеs. Thеsе instrumеnts arе found in еithеr an Orchеstra or in a concеrt band and also intеgratеd with sеvеral solo instrumеnts such as Piano. Еlеctric guitars and thе nodеs Martinеt appеar sеvеrally in modеrn classical music. In thеsе concеrts, thеrе is massivе usе of solo instrumеnts such as pianos, guitars as wеll as drums. Circlе of lifе thеrе’s usе of piano, drums as wеll as guitars. Form Classical music usually tеnds to usе highly sophisticatеd forms of instrumеntal music such as symphony, concеrto, sonata еtc. for instancе in thе concеrt Olympic fanfarе thеmе 1984, it usеs thе form of chambеr orchеstra. This also appliеs for Amparito roca. Somе of thе concеrts without conductors such as bееtlеs lovе and buglar’s holiday can qualify for string orchеstra Sociеty Most of thе classical music acts as a background music in moviеs, tеlеvision programmеs, advеrtisеmеnts and еvеnts. Likе Circlе for lifе is thе background music for Lion king cartoon. Thе Amparita roca is...
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...EMI's “100 Best Piano Classics” is a six-CD set which focused on music from Classical and Romantic eras. The most familiar names associated with piano music included Frédéric Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, and many other celebrated composers who worked wrote much of their best music for it. “This polonaise, nicknamed the "Heroic," is one of Chopin's most popular works” (Cummings). The piece is a program music and consists mostly of piano keyboards. The tempo of the piece is of a polish dance. It is written in A flat Major. The form is ternary (A-B-A). The first and third parts (A) are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part (B) in some way provides a contrast with them. I feel that Chopin was telling a story about his home country, Poland, going into battle or war. The piece started out very loud and fast. As if a general was entering a room to give a speech to his soldiers before they depart into battle. This speech was strong as if to give strength and courage for the soldiers to fight without fear and to stand as one. The piece is still fast and consistent throughout this speech. And before the end of the speech the music was a little softer and transcending into the next section. In the middle section of the piece it paints a picture of being in battle. The piece is very loud and fast. I see a picture of the soldiers holding up their swords and screaming at the top of their lungs with their hearts pounding and running towards their enemy. The...
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...basses bar 51-57 in unison then harmony | Most on same pedal note of A. notes are long- sounds serious & important. | Once the motifs are introduced the parts imitate each other. The parts overlap, so they are sometimes singing in canon. The last four bars of the piece are marked Adagio – they’re much slower. It finished with a plagal cadence (chord V to chord 1). This makes the piece sound like it’s finished. Why does my heart feel so bad – Moby A1 0.00 | Piano only, establishing main chord sequence Am, Am, Em, Em, G, G, D, D. | A2 0.19 | Adds male voice sample “why does my heart______ feel so bad____ why does my soul___ feel so bad__” The sample is unedited. Electronic ghostings from 1953 gospel choir. LOOPED. | A3 0.39 | Adds percussion and countermelody. The left hand of piano is doubled by low synth | A4 0.59 | Adds bass and string synth. These fill out the structure- long sustained chords | A5 1.19 | More syncopated version of piano chords. New piano rhythm decorated with sus2 and sus4 chords (chords use notes 1 3 5 but sus chords use notes 2 or 4) | Bx1 1.38 | Female voice takes over from male with a repeated 2 bar phrase “These____ open doors These____ open doors”NEW CHORD SEQUENCE: C, C, Am, Am.Ambiguous tonality of Cmajor or Aminor | By1 1.57 | Voice continues with 2 bar phrase, with...
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...The Glazounov Saxophone Concerto Alexander Konstantinovich Glazounov was a Russian composer, music teacher and conductor. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1865 to his book-publisher father and pianist mother, from the start it would seem that his life was already in motion to being a musical one. Glazounov met Rimsky-Korsakov (famous for orchestral works such as Scheherazade), at a young age and was inspired to begin study at the piano at the age of nine and began composing works at the young age of 11. By the age of 16 Glazounov had composed the first of nine symphonies all under the direction of Mily Balakirev, who at the time was a famous Russian Empire pianist (naxos) it was premiered on March 29th, 1882. Throughout his life he ran into several famous composers that further influenced his compositions, from Franz Liszt to Wagner (Oxford) Alexander was able to even show his gratitude by showing their influence in his works. Glazounov was an internationally known composer whose reverberations were felt throughout the world and more specifically Russian Romantic period. Alexander Glazounov received honorary Doctor of Music degrees from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge Later in life, Glazounov found himself in Paris. During his stay he was inspired by the sounds of the French Guard, or Garde Républicaine, which was filled with saxophones at the time, the rich sounds of the ensemble sparked his creativity and the end result was his Saxophone Concerto. Glazounov’s Concerto...
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...Koto Music – Western or Not? Koto Music – Western or Not? Traditional Japanese music called Koto has survived some rough history and the country continues to make variations of the tradition as it attempts to use Western music concepts and different versions of the koto with more strings. This paper will briefly discuss the history of Japanese music in relation to the koto instrument as well as the similarities and differences between koto music and Western art music. The koto is Japanese traditional musical stringed instrument very similar to the Chinese instrument called a Zheng which is made from wood and originally had five strings made from silk or plastic. There were twelve strings by the time the koto was first imported to Japan from China and today they can range from thirteen to twenty-five strings. It can be used as a solo instrument or it can be played together with other kotos in a chamber music format (http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/inst.html). The Japanese history that surrounds the music of the koto encompasses about 1200 years. Around the 8th century, the koto was used mostly in what is the Western equivalent of an orchestra called Gagaku. This type of traditional court music as it was known in those days consisted of mostly wind and string instruments accompanied by percussion and dancers (http://jtrad.columbia.jp/eng/g_gagaku.html). During the next period in Japanese history, known as the Heian period (794-1185), the koto was still being played in...
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...to the severity of The Outsiders. There are several reasons behind these teens rebellious outburst, such as abandonment, environment, and revenge. Also, the punishments these teenagers must face are more severe in the more classical novel compared to the more current novel. The rebellious actions shown throughout both novels are quite similar, while displaying the same actions with a modern twist. Overall, today's teens display less severity, compared to the volatile actions of the teenagers in The Outsiders. The severity of the rebellious actions varies between a more modernistic outlook, compared to a classical approach. Ronnie, the main character of The Last Song, rebels against her father by refusing to play the piano. She refuses to use her incredible piano playing skills purposely to hurt her father's feelings. Ronnie also hangs with the wrong crowd, which gets charges filed against her. Although, Ronnie seems like a troubled teen, she does not engage in usage of alcohol or any illegal substances. Ronnie's mother becomes angered with the incidents that continuously occur with Ronnie. “Mom probably believed that the louder she yelled about Ronnie's grades, or Ronnie's friends, or the fact that Ronnie continually ignored her curfew, or the Incident-especially the Incident-the more likely it would be that Ronnie would care (Sparks7).” Ronnie's mother attempts to punish Ronnie's actions, however nothing seems to be working. Compared to The Last Song, during the novel The Outsiders...
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...becomes a tedious task, instead of a natural part of finding our identity and becoming adults. This is the case in the short story “Every Good Boy” written by David Nicholls, where a young boy, Michael, is desperate to find something he can do well, even after several failures. So when is father comes home with an old piano, Michael sees this as his chance at finding his talent. Both of Michael’s siblings found their personal skill around age 9, but Michael is still without skill at this age. All he wants his to find his own special ability, so he can live up to his siblings and have his parent’s approval. With this drive to become something great, he puts his heart and soul into mastering the art of the piano. Michael sees mastering the piano as his key to approval and to fitting in. But after intense training, he can only play the musical theme from the movie Jaws, so he is sent to the other side of the street to get lessons from Mrs Patricia Chin. Yet Mrs Chin can’t help Michael, after several lessons Mrs Chin gives up and doesn’t even bother correcting him any more. Even with this realization Michael does not give up, is too strong-minded to let the piano win and become another of his failures. Even with Mrs Chins asking him to quit, he ends each lesson with “Same time next week?”. This stubbornness shows Michael naivety; how he can’t realize that he never will succeed with this instrument, but he feels the pressure to achieve something and therefore keeps going. At last...
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...jkSteinway’s reputation among consumers is unparalleled in the piano industry. The quality of Steinway pianos is directly attributed to the craftsmanship of the piano by skilled artisans and tradesmen. However, Steinway is also a corporation that must provide returns on investment, and it has recently embraced automation in its production. There is no evidence that this compromises quality. In fact, automation might actually improve quality through process standardization and eliminating human error. The question is whether the benefits of automation outweigh the potential reputational risks of automation. This brief examines the following issues: 1. The use of automated equipment by Steinway 2. The costs/benefits of automated equipment given Steinway’s Discussion The concept of Total Quality Management recognizes the importance of customer satisfaction. Total Quality Management is not simply the result of process design, purchasing, benchmarking, problem-solving tools, product design and other administrative and technical factors. Indeed, customer satisfaction represents the primary target of Total Quality Management, and these factors are only intended to facilitate the mission to achieve customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction also involves more than experience with the product. Customer satisfaction includes psychological impressions. Atmosphere, image and aesthetics influence the psychological experience between the customer and the product. These...
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...Out of Doors Béla Bartók (1881-1945) 1. With Drums and Pipes 2. Barcarolle 3. Musette 4. The Night's Music 5. The Chase 1926 was a remarkable year for Béla Bartók’s piano music. Not only did he write the piano sonata, the first piano concert and the nine little pieces, he also wrote the piano suite Out of doors. Written between June and August 1926, Out of doors is a suite consists of five character pieces. The commencing movement With Drums and Pipes explores the percussive charact with bass notes mimicking the drumbeat and pipes imitated in the middle register. It is considered as rhythmically and melodically similar to the first movement of the piano sonata and the first piano concerto, having the same 2/4 meter, the ostinatos, the repeated notes, the seconds and the use of tone clusters. The following Barcarolle offers great contrast. It is a lyrical 6/8 boating song. The left hand plays legato arpeggiated chords, the meter and harmony changes imitate the uneven waves. The Musette depicts the sound of a pair of poorly tuned bagpipes by the drones and the chromatic ornamental twiddles of the primitive wind instrument, yet, there is almost no existence of the a melody line. The Night's Music is dedicated to Ditta and this movement shows Bartok’s extraordinary sensitivity to the sounds of nature. The music imitates nocturnal sounds of crickets, frogs and the peasant...
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