La Maison du Piano: a piano story since 1932

It all began around 1880 in the Château de Buzet-sur-Baïse, when a young boy fell into a vat of quicklime and lost his sight. The De Noailles family, who owned the château at the time, sent him to Paris to learn the trade of piano tuning and secure his future.

This story later inspired writer Marcel Prévost, who made it the subject of his novel “L’Accordeur Aveugle”, published in 1905.

As an adult, this boy, Joseph Saint-Avit, returned to the Lot-et-Garonne to work as a piano tuner and, a few years later, passed on his craft to his son Georges.

Travelling together on a tandem bicycle, they toured the roads of the département and beyond, sometimes leaving for several days of piano tuning visits.

1932: La Maison du Piano opens in Nérac

After working with his father and in prestigious workshops such as Erard and Gaveau, Georges Saint-Avit created his own business in 1932 in Nérac and named it “La Maison du Piano”.

Highly active and deeply involved in the piano world, he played a major role in the creation of AFARP (the French Association of Piano Tuners and Repairers) and in the founding of ITEMM in Le Mans (European Technological Institute for Music Professions).

1982: a new generation with Pierre Ravailler

Fifty years later, in 1982, Georges Saint-Avit handed over the Nérac business to his grandson, Pierre Ravailler, trained in a major piano house in Nancy and a graduate of ITEMM.

As skilled and passionate as his grandfather, he expanded the business and its concert rental service by acquiring a Steinway & Sons B211 grand piano.

With this superb instrument, which he transported, tuned and cared for meticulously, he equipped many concert halls and festivals in Lot-et-Garonne and the surrounding departments, working with leading artists in classical, jazz and contemporary music.

From Nérac to Agen: growing reach

While keeping the piano repair workshop in Nérac, Pierre Ravailler opened a store in Agen in 1987, offering a wide selection of pianos from leading brands.

Alongside this highly specialised activity, he developed a more general musical offer with a broad range of instruments and a well‑known sheet music bookstore.

Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, he also became involved in professional organisations, serving for many years on the AFARP board, acting as an examiner at ITEMM and joining the “Les Maîtres du Piano” network.

2012: La Maison du Piano joins Audiolight & Music

In 2012, a new chapter opened when François Grenier, owner of Audio Light, welcomed La Maison du Piano into his store in Boé. All piano‑related services continued there: sales of new and used pianos, tuning and repairs, rental for private customers and concert rentals.

Keeping the institutional name La Maison du Piano for the piano activity, he added a new dimension to his original brand and renamed it Audiolight & Music, with a clear ambition to develop other instrument families, particularly guitars.

This marked the beginning of another story, with the arrival of a luthier well known to guitar players in the region…