King's Bruton to buy Bechstein grand piano following £30,000 appeal

Published on isbi School News dated Thursday 26th of July 2012

King's Bruton are buying a £30,000 new B-212 Bechstein piano following numerous generous donations to a six month Sponsor a Note Appeal supported by rock star Keith Emerson, of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
The appeal fired the imagination of the King's community who can now look forward to listening to the new piano at concerts in the school's Memorial Hall.
The Bechstein, offered to King's for half its normal price, will replace the existing Steinway Grand which has been experiencing problems with its soundboard and hammers.
Keith Emerson launched the appeal six months ago with these words: 'Music can be heard by the deaf through vibrations; talking rarely reaches anything outside one octave. Plants grow better with music. The birds of the air, the animals of the land, even the fish of the sea, respond to the call of music. It is an international language even if you do not understand the language of the country you are in. Play an instrument and people's eyes light up.
'I started out playing a beaten, upright, out-of-tune piano and then, much later, had the good fortune to own a 9ft Grand Steinway. The change in my writing was immediate. The clarity of the instrument, the sonority meant I had to be dragged away from it reluctantly by close friends and family. A good piano is to be treated with reverence and respect.'