",,-
~
JUNE
THE
28, 1919
MUSIC
TRADE
5
REVIEW
The Fundamental Principles Involved
in the Composing and Arranging of
BY DR. EDWARD SCHAAF
Music for the Player-Piano
I
:;JIIIIIIIIUI ,trllIIlIIlIIl1IlillllllnmllllllllllllllllJllI:lllltlliJlllllla;\lllIIlIlIIJllliI,I::UIIUIUIIUUlIIII!lI!I1I11:lilmlmIlIllIlUlIIIIIIIIIIUIliItIIUIUUIJIIIII:mnmmU
mn IIIIIIiIWJI:li llllllllllllllll l: InI!ltlillll llllllllllllHJ!! ltlillltlll11111111I1I 11111ll1)1 l1l1 llllllllllllllll' I 1\ 1I101ll1ll11 II "111111111111II IIIUlIlI11111·IIIJIIJIII'
I
"
;::::
•
J
• •
•
I
IJ11J1l1J1,1,lIllIIlIlIJIlJIIllllllllllllllllllllfllmmmtJIJUlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIWJWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH
fIIlllllllllllllllrF.
(Editor 5 Note: Doctor Schaaf IS a mUSICIan who has
giYvn mucJl attention to th e problem of arranging music
(01
the piayer-piano in such a way as to bring out tht:':
instrument's true v:()ic e: and real musical value.
As he
says, "there is only one way to unlock the magic of the
pJayer-pian.o keyboard and that is to treat the instrume-nt
as a new voice in music."
Doctor Schaaf has self-sac
rificin'g-ly devoted much of his time, without thought of
material reward, to the rewriting of music for the spe
cial purpose uJ m.akin,g it truly suitable for the player
piano and has achieved some astounding results. He has
~'.lso composed a number of special pieces for the player
-p'Jano only, conceived in the most modern style of what
he calls "plastic music"; and altogether wonderful. Doc
tor Schaaf has already published in The Music Trade Re
view the results of some earlier researches into this sub
ject, and the present se r ies of ext r emely interesting and
fasz-inating articles, of which this is the second, represents
the latest .fruit of his studies.)
of the musical framework, so as to make the ever brilliant in themselves, must not be per
melodies themselves act as accompaniment to
mitted to assume a prominence which belongs
each other, is the most highly perfected type
to the main melody alone. A good deal of
of polyphonic music. All great orchestral writ
skill therefore is required to enable the com
ers avail themselves of this principle in their
poser to balance his effects and to avoid com
scores, as, for instance, Wagner, whose orches- promising his melodic design. If the melody is
tral beauties present frequently a crossing and
overburdened or the balance of tone is im
recrossing of themes. In the case of the player-
paired by polyphonic treatment steps must be
piano the contrapuntal development should
taken to remedy this, as by reducing octave
spring from and be woven around
iI"
_
.
.
f h
o·
l'
+
some germl11al Idea 0 t e compo-
~~:-.. ~"""'<=
.
rr~
SltlOl:. Merely to load a lot of \
~ ~ I I' ~ .!.-:
=i:I , ""l _-:. 1 ...
Hounshes upon a theme will not ~ tIA¥§-~:-~
~;'-=>-----r:;!U#:
~!C
produce good effects or sound well.
-
...
,. !F-' , P "4"\ ...,;
~ .::
Whatever
is
introduced
must \..~
--------l----"'---:-"
~
=------.T _
7
~ ,~
A very limited acquaintance with the char·
~
sound
natural
and
as
if
it
properly
-......:
acteristics of the player-piano is sufficient to
belonged to the original idea. In
Fig. 13
convince one that the ordinary type of writing
this
respect I must point out that the player
passages to unison work or by curtailin g the
for the piano in which a melody in one voice
duration of some of the tones.
is accompanied by chords fails entirely to fiJI piano exposes poor, weak or clumsy counter
It is a fine art to weave embellishing pas
the requirements of the new instrument. The point much more quickly than the piano can.
sages around a melody without subduing or
player-piano, in a word, is permanently the For instance, a clever pianist might be able to
instrument of polyphony; that is to say, it is conceal the weakness in such a passage as this impairing it. In the above excerpt an or
one
chestral idea is faithfully reflected in the player
peculiarly suited to the development of the many
p:::"o arrangement.
voiced treatment of melody and to an inter
"'- ...
~I
The foregu;':r-- observations and musical ex
wea ving of melodic voices in the closest texture
e
..'
t"
..__ ._
amples should be su;-;:;::;~ • to show that homo
. . ~;-
I
of the polyphonic style. The musician who
phonic writing, that is to say, nlUo:':. ~n'J11)ris
writes for the orchestra or for the organ does
f
I
ing a melody with chord accompaniment, is
not regard his instrument as one of two hands,
When,
r(;ally unsuited to the player-piano.
Fig. 11
as it were, like the ordinary piano, but con-.
but to ful1ill the subtle requirements of the therefore, one finds stiff and machine-like re
ceives it as capable of supporting at one and
player-piano and to produce an effect really sults arising from player-piano music one
the same time several different melody voices in
satisfying when the music is played on the in
should rather realize that the fault is due to the
addition to subsidiary accompaniment. By tak
failure of the arranger to understand the prin
ing ad van tage of the tremendously wiele power strument this passage would have to be en
ciples here set forth.
of the orchestra or organ in respect of the riched and much more polyphonically developed,
as, for instance, in figure twelve.
The player-piano demands the employment of
sounding of numerous voices at once the musi
musical ornament in an elaborate
cian is able to produce a musical pattern almost
t;,."
manner, in fact, it may be stated
infinitely rich, varied and beautiful.
~
N ow the player-piano has all the technical
as a general rule that the more
capacity of the: orchestra for reproducing many
polyphonous the transcription. is
tv '!:
the better it will sound. Now the
voices simultaneously and besides it has all the
tr
peculiar beauty of voice and susceptibility to
ff~ ~
r~
~.I~
14~
....
player-piano can negotiat:, with
control of loudness, softness, speed and so forth
... p
§ ~ supreme fluency,. any kind .of
,
I
"f.
..,....
rhythmiC, chromatIc or otherWise
which characterizes the ordinary piano. Con
ornamen tal passage.
For in
sequently the player-piano becomes permanently
Fig. 12
stance, in figure fourteen the ornament which
a polyphonic piano.
I t is not primarily a
These instances by themselves will show what
has been written in attains dynamic rank and
melody instrument and consequently it finds its an important co-agent polyphony is of the har
t herefore possesses a significance of its own,
natural domain in the interpretation of classic mony, melody and rhythm which constitute the
which secures a certain piquancy of effect when
music, in the reproduction of music originally fundamental musical composition.
clearly and perfectly executed as a player-
written for the orchestra, and above all in the
At this point I might say that the composer
piano permits.
development of an entirely new school of musi
will always be better off in respect of player
Many other examples might be profitably given
cal composition suited to its ex traordinary pos
piano arrangements of his music if he can make
hue, but the chief lessons of this chapter have
sibilities.
these himself, for he alone can completely
now been suUiciently enforced.
K ow, of course, polyphonic writing for the know the meaning he wishes to convey.
player-piano must concern itself principally with
Melody
To adhere to the printed copy is for the:
the outer structure of the composition. The player-piano arranger to fall grievously short o{
Beethoven said, "Melody is the soul of music,"
composer who takes a simple piano piece for adequately interpreting piano music for the al;d the transcriber for the player-piano must
the purpose of rewriting it for the player-piano player-piano. In ordinar'y piano music, as can
give earnest heed to this truth. The melodic
must not impair the power or influence of the readily be seen by examining the ordinary hand
idea must ever be kept uppermost and the ar
main melody, but he must be able to introduce
played rolls, the middle register of the piano
r ~ ngement must be planned accordingly.
It is
the required additional parts so adroitly as to
suffers because of the gap between the two surely self-evident that a leading melody must
maintain interest and enrich the musical texture.
hands, yet the middle register of the piano, on
never be weakened by ornamentation, yet it is
\"'That is called counterpoint, that is to say, account of its breadth, its fine singing tone and
equally so that this noble principle is con
the musical art which depends upon the voic
the importance in melody of the tones which
stan tly viola ted by arrangers of music rolls.
ing of the melody successi ,,~ly in various parts lie within it, offers a great field for special treat
1 t artistically done, ornamentation aids in
ment with the player-piano. Here is a chance
throwing the melody into relief. Anyornamen
for skilful contrapuntal writing and for all kinds
tation or application of ornam.entation which
oi originality.
fails in this respect achieves no end save to
'r"7
.;2"
,.
POLYPHONY
:--r.
-:
~ ~r
r.,
n .::::::v..
tfh:;'?fJ2 .
"__ ""'
t' ti
ty
r
(
k
...
! ,,;
m·
f __
:.
; @
It must always be kept in mind thataccom
panim e nts or polyphonic interweaving, how
"'\ '~. ~".
1
iF
blur and confuse the clear design of the com
position.
(To be continued)
.----