Musical instruments with soul. If the elemental world of old wood and ancient mineral in some wonderful way lingers, does the piano trace back to a primordial anthropological experience, an ontology of music, a musicology of the instrument as a tool for a very human type of expression that does not arise otherwise.

When a Steinway grand piano owner says, "This Steinway has a soul." Or, "This Steinway has spirit." Or, "This piano is alive." Or, "This piano has a fantastic personality," the technician says in translation, "This piano has a good voice."

What makes a good voice is different from the primordial experience of music making. A piano with a good voice is more in touch with the elemental world of old wood, ancient mineral and profound human attention to the details of making such a musical instrument as a grand piano.

It does seem to be something about the collusion between the best materials the earth has produced so far, more than a century of technical experimentation and excellent skilled craft work.

Next: The Finished Piano, Built to Last: The Steinway Grand Piano