CONCERT CHAMBER K 213 OTMAR AlT - Schimmel

CONCERT CHAMBER K 213 OTMAR AlT

4 Bright, Cheerful Colors
As Chance Would Have it
How About Some Color?
A Feast for the Senses
6 A Man Who Enchants the World
A Fun Place
The Magic of the Fantastic
8 Schimmel Cultivates a Long Tradition
Masters of Their Profession
A Heritage with a Responsibility
Lasting Satisfaction
10 Artistry and Craftsmanship Par
Excellence
Skilled Hands Everywhere
The Heart and Soul of the Instruments
A Kind of Magic
12 A Work of Art
Mysterious and Cheerful
14 This Instrument is a Dream
16 The Language of Music
Epilogue
The Enchantment of Music
Moments of Happiness
18 A Classic Instrument
Competent Partners
Technical and Design Specifications
How the Grand Piano Became Multicolored
Once upon a time …
Hold it! We can’t begin our story about the
Multicolored Grand Piano that way. Much
as we would have liked to. Because then we
would have found ourselves in the midst of a
fairy tale. And children – as well as adults who
as children have read and dreamt about all the
wonderful things in the magical world of fairy
tales – all know that fairy tales are made-up
stories that always take place long, long ago in
some faraway kingdom.
But our story doesn’t take place long,
long ago in a faraway kingdom – it takes place
here and now, and in our midst. And, although
it does involve some magic, it’s a true story, and
not a made-up one. So, without further ado,
let’s get into our story about how the grand
piano became multicolored.

Bright, Cheerful Colors

As Chance Would Have It
Just think of all the things that have come about by chance!
As we all know from personal experience, life is full of coincidences.
And thus our story begins with a chance meeting.
Two people meet for the first time at a social gathering and
chat about this and that. Mostly about art and piano manufacturing.
Because the one, Otmar Alt, is an artist. He’s a
painter, a sculptor, a designer. Almost a magician, we might
say. Because he has a head full of mental images, full of
imagination, full of taking pleasure in creating magical sculptures,
colorful paintings and cheerful stories.
The other, Nikolaus W. Schimmel, has a passion for
piano manufacturing inherited from his grandfather and
his father and follows in their footsteps, today heading one
of the world’s leading companies in this métier, a synthesis
of artistry and craftsmanship. Since 1885, Schimmel pianos
have been the choice of hundreds of thousands of discriminating
musicians and music lovers in Germany and in many
other countries throughout the world. But despite three
generations of family tradition, Nikolaus W. Schimmel
has proven again and again that he’s not afraid to try something
new and different. A trait likewise inherited from his
grandfather and his father.
And so there they are, the two of them, talking
about art and pianos, and how it might be possible to combine
the two, and the idea occurs to them to try something
quite special and quite daring: the Multicolored Grand
Piano.
Such an instrument would have to be unique – an
all-around work of art which radiates joy and brings
happiness into the hearts of those who see, play and hear it.
A Multicolored Grand Piano? Now that’s something
absolutely unheard-of. As all music lovers know, since
time immemorial, concert grands have been black. Jet black
and in a high-gloss finish. That’s the way things have always
been. No real dyed-in-the-wool music lover can imagine a
grand piano intended for serious classical music in a concert
hall looking any other way.
How About Some Color?
In the living room of a private home, okay. Such a fine
instrument can be resplendent in warm brown shades of
walnut, in reddish-brown shades of African mahogany or
cherry, or in any one of the many other beautiful veneers
and colors in the Schimmel repertoire. Or even white,
so that you feel a secret urge to run your hand along the
smooth high-gloss finish. But it could be that the really
serious lover of classical music might be asking, “Is it
appropriate to be playing the works of Bach, Beethoven,
and those of all the other great masters, in a concert hall on
a white grand piano? Isn’t such an instrument suitable only
for light music?”
Questions such as these can only bring a smile to
the face of an experienced piano manufacturer like Nikolaus
W. Schimmel. He knows that the works of the great classical
composers, played by gifted hands, sound just the way
they ought to on a white piano (or, for that matter,
on one of any other color). Full, round and rich in the bass
and bright and clear in the treble. A perfectly balanced
tone across the complete compass of 88 keys – the typical
Schimmel sound. Because all Schimmel pianos, regardless
of veneer, color or finish, are produced with the same love
and attention to detail by skilled craftsmen.
A Feast for the Senses
And this full, rich sound, suitable for serious classical and
light music alike, is the sound that you get when you play
on the Schimmel CC 208 Art grand, Otmar Alt Edition,
enchanted by his artistic fantasy. This instrument doesn’t
look at all serious and solemn, but bright and cheerful in
its variety of light, playful colors and forms. With its lighthearted
music desk, its metamorphic legs and the glass
sculptures on its topstick and its top, no two alike. The
instrument has become a feast for the eyes and ears. An
all-around work of art. And yet it has remained a genuine
grand piano. Just one that looks different from the others.
One combining artistry and skilled craftsmanship, fantasy
and hi-tech, sound, color and sculpture.
Glass sculpture on
the top. No two
alike, each one
unique, the colors
determined by
chance, by the flow
of the molten glass.
4 | 5

Otmar Alt in his
studio as lord of the
Colors, whether as
a painter, a commercial
artist or a glass
sculptor. The fascinating
patterns
resulting from the
merging of molten
glass of different
colors.
A Man Who Enchants
the World

A Fun Place
Now that you know something about Nikolaus W.
Schimmel, let’s tell you a bit about Otmar Alt and his
studio. It’s located in the wide-open spaces of Westphalia, in
northwestern Germany. Viewed from afar off, it looks like
the white clouds are touching the trees, under which the old
former country blacksmith’s shop lies in between grainfields
and meadows. For the past twenty years it has been
domicile, homeland and a place of seclusion to the artist.
Surrounding it, he has created a small animal preserve, a
sculpture park traversed by quiet waters and, with the help
of many persons with an open mind for his way
of thinking and for art, the brightly-lit rooms of the Otmar
Alt Foundation, a refuge of joy and fantasy.
For Otmar Alt, this is “a fun place,” where there is
“enough breathing space” for all who work here. In other
words, those who have the privilege of working here for
a time on a scholarship can feel free, can paint, sketch,
model and exhibit their works. Here young artists can swap
experiences with each other and profit from Otmar Alt’s
experiences. And in his nearly forty years of artistic activity,
he has gathered experience in all areas. In his studio he has
created stage scenery and fascinating commercial art. He has
done statues and fountains for plazas and public buildings.
Murals bear his signet. And he has also designed many
things in the commercial sector, such as clocks, porcelain,
toys and telephones. Yet his most important works have
always been his paintings and glass grotesques, on display in
many art galleries and museums.
There’s much more that could be told about the
life of Otmar Alt, born in 1940 in Wernigerode, a small
town in the Harz mountains in northern Germany, not far
from Brunswick (Braunschweig), the home of Schimmel
pianos. And we could go on for pages and pages about his
unique style and his artistic credo. But this has already been
done – in numerous catalogues and profusely illustrated
books which have been published in connection with the
large exhibitions of his paintings, sculptures and glass
creations. Bizarre forms bearing such poetic titles as “The
Little General,” “Frog in a Hare Skin” and “Conversation
with a Ventriloquist.” Each individual viewing his works
sees something different in them, because Otmar Alt’s
imagination sparks our own.
The Magic of the Fantastic
To feast one’s eyes on an Otmar Alt painting, glistening in
its pure, rich acrylic colors, is an unforgettable experience.
His cat-people – or are they people-cats? – his melancholicenigmatic
clowns, which he views as his “colleagues,”
“because they, too, must win the public over to their side.”
They all captivate the eye, as do his free picture compositions,
and one feels inclined to take Otmar Alt’s word for
it when he says, “Where an Alt hangs, no other picture can
hang.”
And now you’re probably thinking: Doesn’t that
sound rather conceited? We hasten to add that Otmar Alt is
most definitely not a conceited person – far from it!
What he means by the above remark is that “a painting
or sculpture needs to assert itself. If it doesn’t need to be
explained, then it’s good.” And when his works seem to be a
merry mixup of many different styles, from abstraction and
non-objectivism through cubism and comics to pop art, for
him that only means that one must “let oneself be inspired
to endeavor, with much patience and empathy, to get inside
the things in our environment, and yet remain true to
oneself.” Otmar Alt strongly objects to being pigeonholed
by the art critics, and he objects even more strongly to
being referred to as “a German Miró or Chagall.” Just as he
enchanted the Schimmel CC 208 Art grand, his vision is to
apply his own unique picture and sign language to “make
contact with sensuality and sensitize people to beauty.
To help them penetrate into magical realms.” All this is
reflected in the instrument as the magic of his fantasy.
Each one a fanciful,
ambiguous enigma: Otmar
Alt’s glass grotesques,
created in collaboration
with outstanding glass
blowers. This figure,
105 /8" tall, bears the title
“Guarding the Secret.”
6 | 7

Wilhelm Schimmel (1854–1946). Honored with
appointments as purveyor to the royal houses of the
King of Romania and the Grand Duke of Saxe­Weimar,
his instruments received medallions and prizes at
international expositions.
Wilhelm Arno Schimmel (1898–
1961). With his numerous
innovations and patents, he led
the way in German piano manufacturing.
Under his management,
Schimmel became the
world’s best­selling German
brand.
In the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries
it was common practice
for the cabinetry
of harpsichords, spinets
and clavichords
to be decorated with
paintings of scenes
from classical Greek
and Roman mythology,
rustic and hunting
scenes or still­life
paintings of flowers.
Schimmel Cultivates
a long Tradition

Masters of Their Profession
So far we’ve only told you about the one aspect of the
instrument. Let’s call it the magical aspect. But to bring this
magic to life in a grand piano, to provide it with its aura and
fascination in design and sound, we need the many skilled
craftsmen in the Schimmel factory. The cabinetmaker, the
sprayer, the sander, the buffer, the action regulator, the
tuner, the voicer … Each and every one makes his or her
own vital contribution to the finished product. As Nikolaus
W. Schimmel likes to put it, “We want to offer our customers
fine, honest workmanship. We want to manufacture
instruments that will be a joy to their owners for years to
come.”
That’s the way it’s always been at Schimmel. Each
individual member of the Schimmel staff contributes to
cultivating a tradition which has grown since 1885. To
understand why this is so, we need to go on a tour through
the Schimmel production facilities, because here’s where the
second part of our story of the Multicolored Grand Piano
takes place. And the story wouldn’t be complete without us
telling you something about the history of the company.
It begins with Wilhelm Schimmel, born in 1854
as the son of a choirmaster. At the age of 22, after having
completed an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker and
worked his way up to the position of supervisor at a large
cabinetmaking concern in Saxony, he quits his secure
and good-paying job to start all over again as a musicalinstrument-making
apprentice. He wants to become a good
piano builder and someday start up his own factory. Eight
years later, on May 2, 1885, he has achieved his goal. In a
modest workshop of his own in Neuschönefeld, not far
from Leipzig, in northeastern Germany, he builds his first
instrument – Schimmel piano No. 1. Soon his instruments
are being sold not only in the German Empire, but in many
other European countries as well, and some are even being
exported overseas.
And the young master piano builder seems to
possess a special knack for his highly diversified métier. In
the music city Leipzig, associated with Bach, Mendelssohn,
Schumann and Wagner, he soon enjoys a reputation as one
of the masters of his profession. It is his love for detail,
for technical precision and beauty of form which make his
instruments outstanding. And that as far back as 1900 he
was planning on producing pianos with cabinetry not only
in black, but in colors as well, testifies to his striving to
revitalize time-honored traditions. As we already pointed
out on the previous page, two centuries before his time it
wasn’t at all unusual for the cabinetry of keyboard instruments
to be decorated in various different colors.
A Heritage with a Responsibility
By the time the founder passes the management of the
company on to his son in 1927, Schimmel ranks as a top
name brand among the many pianos being manufactured
at the time. But the piano industry is now undergoing a
difficult period in its history. Two years later, Wilhelm
Arno Schimmel relocates the company to Brunswick
(Braunschweig), from then on producing his instruments
in the city of Henry the Lion. Here he completely updates
the Schimmel line, including the introduction of the small
“console” upright, thus laying the foundation for solid
growth eventually resulting in the company becoming
Germany’s leading piano manufacturer.
In 1951, Wilhelm Arno Schimmel again makes the
piano industry sit up and take notice by introducing the
world’s first-ever grand piano with a cabinet of transparent
acrylic plastic (also referred to as “plexiglas”). But despite
the fact that he loves to experiment and isn’t afraid to try
something new, under his management, the company still
remains committed to the manufacturing of traditional
acoustic pianos. Whether in a classic or a contemporary
design, fine craftsmanship is a heritage with a responsibility.
A heritage which the son of the founder successfully carries
on through difficult years.
lasting Satisfaction
Whereas the transition from the first to the second generation
in 1927 takes place during a worldwide recession, in
1961 we find ourselves in the midst of the German Wirtschaftswunder
(“Economic Miracle”).
This is the year in which the management of the
company is taken over by the third generation, Nikolaus
W. Schimmel, grandson of Wilhelm Schimmel. And because
he knows that Economic Miracles don’t last forever, he
decides to take advantage of the opportunity and relocate
the plant to an industrial zone of the city where there
is room for further expansion. The new company-built
plant is completely modern and was just recently certified
environmentally friendly by the European Union. Here,
Nikolaus W. Schimmel, supported by a qualified, experienced
team of skilled craftsmen, continues to carry on the
family tradition. Which, of course, doesn’t preclude setting
new goals, the top priorities being customer orientation,
the opening up of new markets and the development of new
instruments of high value. His maxim – which, of course,
was also that of his grandfather and his father – is: “Lasting
satisfaction for the owners of our instruments.”
8 | 9
With an open mind for technical progress
and creative cabinet styling, Nikolaus
W. Schimmel, represents the third generation of
the founding family. The quality and style of the
company bear his imprint.

The very essence of
piano manufacturing:
a love for artistry
and craftsmanship,
precision workman­
ship and choice
materials, resulting
in top­quality instruments
that make
piano playing a joy.
Artistry and Craftsmanship
Par Excellence

Skilled Hands Everywhere
As we tour the well-lit Schimmel plant, something that
catches our eye again and again is how electronically
controlled work operations mesh perfectly with manual
operations. We have just left the Engineering Department,
where new cabintry designs and technical improvements
are being developed on computer screens. A few steps
further on we see a cabinetmaker doing the same things as
his counterpart in Wilhelm Schimmel’s workshop in Leipzig
way back toward the end of the nineteenth century. Down
to this day, the production of carvings and the inlaying of
intarsias has remained a highly skilled manual operation
that can’t be done properly by industrial robots. Sheets of
veneer are jointed together using a wide variety of domestic
and exotic woods.
The Heart and Soul of the Instruments
Wood stored in climatized rooms is processed into soundboards
and other parts of the sensitive sound-producing
portion of the instruments. Precision computer-controlled
machines drill holes correctly positioned to within a
fraction of a millimeter. For example, the tuning-pin and
screw holes in the heavy cast-iron plates. Such a plate must
bear the stress of approximately 18 tons of string tension.
In numerous work operations, the sound-producing portion
is assembled. It might be said that with the stringing
operation, the instrument gets its soul.
With great care, the keyboard-and-action assembly
is installed and regulated. If the strings are the soul of the
instrument, then the keyboard-and-action assembly – a
precision-balanced system of levers that transmits the playing
of the fingers on the keys to the felt-covered hammers,
catapulting them against the strings – is its heart. It must
always respond reliably. Whether with pianissimo or
fortissimo playing, whether the notes are played individually
or in chords. So that the pianist enjoys that feeling
of well-being that results when playing on a first-class
instrument that responds precisely to every nuance of
dynamic modulation. In five tuning and voicing operations,
qualified, experienced piano technicians working in soundproof
booths impart to each instrument its characteristic
Schimmel sound.
A Kind of Magic
And if we hadn’t suddenly found ourselves standing in
front of it, with all the interesting things to see and hear in
the Schimmel factory, we might almost have forgotten what
we came here for in the first place – to finish telling our
story about the Multicolored Grand Piano. But now here
it is, in the grand spraying and buffing room. While the
cabinets of some of the instruments, stained in various
shades, get to keep their natural wood-grain structure,
others get a high-gloss black polyester finish, referred to
in the piano industry as an “ebony finish.”
But the pride and joy of the finishing department is
the Multicolored Grand Piano – the enchanted one with
the colors and forms designed by Otmar Alt in his studio.
Coat for coat, the colorful motifs are applied. A series of
work operations requiring patience, love, care and time –
lots and lots of it. Again and again, surfaces already sprayed
are masked off, stencils changed, new colors applied, the
stencils changed again etc., until the colors on the instrument
glisten as bright and pure as those in his famous paintings,
against the background of the majestic ebony finish of a
traditional concert grand.
Finally, the last stencil and the last masking are
removed, and we’re ready to believe the instrument has
been enchanted. It looks so fascinatingly beautiful. Not at
all obtrusive, no gaudy pop-art look, as we had feared. But
there’s still quite a bit more to be done. The instrument
still doesn’t have the aura to it that Otmar Alt has in mind.
That we get to see a few days later after all the finishing
touches have been completed …
A smooth, mirrorlike
finish. The
result of the patient,
delicate work of the
buffer.
10 | 11

A Work of Art
Mysterious and Cheerful
And now we see it! The completed instrument, in its
high-gloss finish, with its bright, cheerful colors, on its
clownesque legs. The glass sculptures on its topstick
and its top shimmer mysteriously. And the way it stands
there, in the midst of the other instruments, one could
almost believe that they, too, are just as proud as the
entire Schimmel staff of the magic that it emanates and
the mysteries that it conceals. A work of art bearing
the names of Otmar Alt and Nikolaus W. Schimmel.
A unique instrument which will be available in a limited
edition, for customers looking for something really
special. Which brings us to the end of our story about
the Multicolored Grand Piano. And anyone seeing
this instrument will agree with us that “where this
instrument stands, no other can stand.”

This Instrument
is a Dream

The language of Music

Epilogue
The last chord of a musical
piece fades away. Yet for a few
seconds it still reverberates
in the room. And inside us.
Whether it was a Beethoven
sonata, a waltz or a jazz theme,
that’s immaterial. The feeling
of fulfillment is the same.
And that’s the way it should
be with our story about the
Multicolored Grand Piano. It
shouldn’t just end abruptly, but gradually fade away, leaving
behind some thoughts – thoughts about music and about
playing the piano.
Because, despite the cheerful and fanciful appearance
of the Schimmel grand designed by Otmar Alt, we
never want to let ourselves lose sight of the fact that it was
never meant to be just “art for art’s sake.” Fascinating and
eyecatching as its outward appearance might be, it is at
the same time a fine musical instrument, intended by the
many skilled craftsmen and -women who played a part in
its production to bring joy to the hearts of those hearing it.
Whether played by a concert pianist or in the family circle.
The whole idea behind the creation of this instrument was
to add to the pleasure of playing the piano.
The Enchantment of Music
And what can be more wonderful than to enter into the
world of music, the enchantment of which seems to cause
the dissolution of time and space? An enchantment from
which there is no escape. One which holds us spellbound,
and yet permits us to dream. Because, of all the fine arts,
music exerts the most profound influence on our feelings
and moods, perhaps even on our thinking and behavior.
Because “without it, life would be an error,” to quote one of
the great philosophers.
We can turn our gaze away from a picture, close a
book, but there’s no escape from music, because it’s within
The topstick. Poetic
in its combination
of cheerful glass
sculpture and
functional design.
us. Whether consciously or unconsciously, tunes keep
continually running through our head. And sometimes we
can’t even remember when or where we heard them, or who
composed them.
Moments of Happiness
And if you can play yourself, if you can bring such a beautiful
instrument to life, and particularly if you play together
with others, you know from personal experience the bonding
power that music can exert. How it can unite people
with entirely different dispositions for hours at a time, so
that they breathe, listen and think as one. E pluribus unum.
But perhaps the most enjoyable experience of all
is to eavesdrop on your own children practicing on the
piano and share their pride and feeling of accomplishment
upon succeeding to play a piece without any mistakes,
even if it’s only a short one.
The Multicolored Grand is intended to carry all
these wonderful things that enrich our lives out into all the
world. Because it speaks the languages of music and art.
And these don’t need to be translated.
16 | 17

18 |
A Classic Instrument
The exterior of the Schimmel K 208 OA grand embodies
the fantasy of Otmar Alt. Its qualities as a musical
instrument bear the hallmark of traditional piano-manufacturing
techniques, cultivated and improved upon since
1885 at Schimmel.
This 6' 10" instrument is part of the time-tested
Schimmel Concert Chamber 208 grand series. Through
the perfect symbiosis of a highly responsive keyboardand-action
assembly and a state-of-the-art soundproducing
portion, the pianist gains access to the entire
spectrum of dynamic-modulation potential. Its richness
of sound and precise playability make playing on this
instrument a joy.
Competent Partners
Schimmel pianos are available only at authorized Schimmel
dealers. This guarantees qualified, courteous sales personnel
and prompt, reliable service.
Authorized Schimmel dealers offer competent
advice. There you can obtain our complete catalogue and
our brochure Piano Manufacturing – an Art and a Craft,
including information on the history of the piano and our
company and a guided tour through our manufacturing
facilities.
For further information, see our website. We look
forward to your visit with us on the Internet.
Wilhelm Schimmel
Pianofortefabrik GmbH
Friedrich-Seele-Str. 20
38122 Braunschweig
Tel. (05 31) 8018-0
Fax (05 31) 8018-163
Internet: www. schimmel-piano.de
E-Mail: info@schimmel-piano.de
Printed in Germany, 12/1999
805 005 006
Technical and Design Specifications
Keyboard-and-Action Assembly
Renner repetition action
Schimmel keyboard
Three pedals: sustaining, una corda (shift), sostenuto
Sound-Producing Portion*
Schimmel scale
Schimmel pinblock
Soundboard of solid mountain-grown spruce
Heavy Schimmel cast-iron plate
Cabinet
Color motifs and glass sculptures: Otmar Alt
Traditional grand cabinet
Top with hydraulic safety function
Black high-gloss polyester finish (“ebony finish”)
Color motifs embedded in polyester finish
Swivel casters for occasional short-distance moving of
the instrument
Piano Stool
Matches the instrument
Adjustable in height by turning the seat
Leather-upholstered seat
154 cm
5' 5 /8"
403 kg; 895 lbs
208 cm
6'10"
102
3'41 /8"
126 cm
4'15 /8"
* CAPE-optimized;
CAPE = Computer-Assisted
Piano Manufacturing

Wilhelm Schimmel Pianofortefabrik GmbH
Friedrich-Seele-Str. 20, 38122 Braunschweig
Printed in Germany, 12/1999 – 805 005 006