Pleyel, in business for over two centuries, was Chopin's favourite and counted Stravinsky, Liszt and Debussy among its customers. But the French piano-maker recently said that its last workshop will close this month. The endorsement of august musicians has not saved it after decades of struggling to compete with less pricey pianos from the Far East, The sad leitmotif of Europe's piano-makers is a familiar one. Only nine remain out of around 300 that were in business in the first half of the 20th century. A grand piano, of the sort Pleyel is known for, takes between 500 and 1,500 hours to construct and sells for around €100,000 ($135,000). Tinkling the ivories of a mass-produced, Asian-made upright will cost a pianist as little as €2,000. And half-decent electronic keyboards start at only €100.
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