The Grotrian piano factory has been in the family for six generations and over 170 years and one thing has never changed in all this time – the passion for music. This is and always has been the driving force behind everything.

In 1830, Frederich Grotrian went to Moscow and opened a music shop. The city was flourishing and attracted numerous artists such as Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Anton Rubinstein. Frederich Grotrian knew the artists well and could sense what they were looking for in the sound of an instrument. So he began making pianos – pianos that the artists loved.

Frederich Grotrian returned to his homeland and put his wealth of knowledge and experience into practice. When his son Wilhelm took over the company he formulated an important mission statement for Grotrian:

“All we have to do is build great pianos. Everything else will fall into place on its own”.

By the end of the 19^th century, he was sending his sons Willi and Kurt Grotrian on international trips to broaden their understanding of piano-making. They subsequently combined their newly acquired knowledge with German craftsmanship to create many of the typical Grotrian features such as the star shaped back construction and the now immensely popular small piano. Later generations produced further revolutionary innovations in piano-making technique.

Although the second world war left the Grotrian company badly shaken, production resumed immediately after hostilities ended thanks to the courage and determination of Helmu and Erwin Grotrian, the sons of Kurt Grotrian. In its 5^th generation and under the leadership of Knut Grotrian, the company built a modern production facility in Braunschweig where Grotrian upright and grand pianos are still produced today.

The 170 year old Grotrian Piano tradition involves placing trust in the experience and craftsmanship of the best piano – makers. Because the human ear is still the most sensitive instrument for measuring sound. Only the great skill of trained piano-makers can give instruments their exceptional tone. But during certain stages of the production cycle, machines can complement the process - nothing matches their level of precision.

The interplay of craftsmanship and technology produces upright pianos and grand pianos with all the characteristic Grotrian hallmarks. The cast iron piano plate is a closed structure so that none of the struts ends in thin air. Equally typical is the star shaped back construction made from pressing together over 20 plies of wood.

The piano plate and the plate construction combine to support the tremendous tension in the strings, preventing the instrument from warping and ensuring optimum tuning stability.

The soundboard - a key component in determining the tonal quality – is made from spruce grown on selected north facing slopes in the Bavarian or Bohemian forests and then stored for long periods. This wood has a particularly dense layering of annual growth rings, making it unusually elastic. But the way the soundboard is curved and mounted remains a Grotrian secret. Because this knowledge contains the most important part of all - the unique Grotrian sound.

Grotrian Upright Models

Frederich Grotrian    111 cm tall

Cristal                         112 cm tall

Carat                           116 cm tall

College                       122 cm tall

Classic                       124 cm tall

Concertino                 132 cm tall

Grotrian Grand Pianos

Chambre                    5'4" long (165cm)

Cabinet                       6'4" long (192cm)

Charis                         6' 10" long (208cm)

Concert                       7' 4" long (225cm)

Copncert Royal          9' long (277cm)