Closing The Lid On Chopin's Favorite Pianos

The Pleyel piano factory, based in Paris, has been manufacturing 88-key masterpieces—a personal favorite of the legendary Frédéric Chopin, as well as impressionist composers like Claude Debussy —for more than 200 years.  2013 is a sad year for ivory-ticklers, then, as Pleyel will shut its doors for good at the end of the year.  But... why?  Was it a case of sub-par marketing?  Over-expensive merchandise?  A waning demand for top-quality pianos?  Head over to NPR's Deceptive Cadence blog to learn the unfortunate story behind the shuttering of one of history's most important piano factories.