After taking the piano, Kasimoff was able to confirm it had been built in 1875. He and Braun are still working to learn more about its history, but have already confirmed the instrument once belonged to Miliza Korjus, a Polish Estonian opera singer who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the 1938 film "The Great Waltz."

"It's had such an interesting and exciting life," Braun said. "This piano was around since before Hollywood was invented."

Kasimoff's mother, Helga, still helps run the family piano shop, which has since relocated to Los Angeles. She said she imagines Storm Bluthner in the middle of social gatherings, surrounded by musicians and celebrities singing.

That, she said, was what Bluthner pianos were crafted for.

"Some people think it's mystical, but it is the best instrument to accompany other instruments, including the voice," she said. "It never competes. It never wants to be louder. It's always supportive."

Now the piano's melodic days are over. But Braun, a 37-year-old photographer and filmmaker, notes there's beauty even in the wreckage.

Being tossed out a window and covered in debris is now as much a part of its history as the glitz and glamour of long-ago gatherings.

"How it stands right now, it's an irreplaceable piece of art," Braun said. "In a way, it seems like it's a symbol of death but, if it has another chance, it has the chance of a rebirth and a new life."

He is currently working on a film about the piano.

What will become of it after April is unknown, they said. They're still exploring options, including possibly lending it to the L.A. Opera to display.

At 94, Helga Kasimoff is still eager to share a bit of history about pianos, her husband and their shop. She's excited to see Storm Bluthner get another chance.

When she first saw its picture, she was sure the piano had been damaged beyond use. She remembered a phone conversation she had in 1964 with Rudolf Bluthner-Haessler, who headed the company at the time.

She'd come across one of the first 100 Bluthner pianos ever built, but it had been abandoned and damaged to the point that squirrels were nesting on its strings. She wondered, could it still have value?

"I'll never forget his answer," she said. "He said, 'My dear, this piano — put it to rest. It has done its duty.'"

She paused.

"I think this piano has done its duty, but now continues in its present condition to fulfill its duty," she said. "Everything comes to an end. But sometimes, something reminds us of what it had done, what it had been, and the past. It served a great singer, and it probably has made many people happy."

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