Music Trade Review

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JULY 26,
THE
1919
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
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The Fundamental Principles Involved
in the Composing and Arranging of
BY DR. EDWARD SCHAAF
Music for the Player-Piano
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(Editor's Note: Doctor Schaaf is a musician who has
given much attention to the problem of arranging music
for the player-piano in such a way as to bring out the
instrument's true voice and real musical value. As he
says, "there is only one way to unlock the magic of the
player-piano keyboard and that is to treat the instrument
as a new voice in inusdc." Doctor Schaaf has self-sac-
ritkingly devoted much of his time, without thought of
material reward, to the rewriting of music for the spe-
cial purpose of making it truly suitable for the player-
piano and has achieved some astounding results. He has
also composed a number of special pieces for the player-
piano 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 series of extremely interesting and
fascinating articles, of which this is the third, represents
the latest fruit of his studies.)
THE PLAYER-PIANO AND MELODY
The player-piano takes to the voicing of
melody less naturally even than the manually
played instrument. The department of melody
is not its natural sphere. This is not because
the player-piano is defective in dynamic power
or in ability to create accent in the movement
of a melody. It is rather, perhaps, due to its
weakness in producing tone of fine quality—
a defect which is probably to be accounted for
in the absence of anything which corresponds
with the wrist action or forearm touch. Yet
the player-piano more than makes up for this
weakness in the surprising excellence of its
capacity to execute the most elaborate passages
and, generally speaking, in its execution of com-
positions whose chief interest lies in thematic
development.
To weave embellishing passages around a
melody without either subduing its voice or im-
pairing its significance requires much skill, as
already stated, but when well accomplished may
well be considered in the light of fine art. In
figures 12 and 13 ideas originally expressed in
orchestral form were faithfully reproduced in
player-piano arrangements. When musical ideas
are rehandled in this manner the player-piano
ceases te be a mere pneumatic or self-playing
piano and reveals itself as an interesting, power-
ful and artistically impressive instrumental voice.
The tone of the best piano manually is un-
malleable and the efforts of the average pianist
to make it sing are usually more ingenious than
successful. The piano cannot do the work of a
violin or of a human voice and a true porta-
mento is also not feasible. These limitations, of
course, apply likewise to the player-piano. At
the same time, however, compensation may be
had for this effect. Hidden fragments of melody
which classic compositions so often contain, as
incident to some leading theme, can be made
to emerge from the mass of sound most im-
pressively and wonderfully. The task of the ar-
ranger here is indeed difficult, since he must
obtain contrast in effects while scoring for a
one-color instrument. Nevertheless, as the fol-
lowing example (IS) amply illustrates, such con-
trasts may effectually be brought into prominence.
Fig. 15
I have before remarked that a melody in the
bass if judiciously managed can be stressed to
a very great extent. In the subjoined example
a melody is placed just above a deeper pedal
Fig. 16
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point, yet it is not overshadowed by the threat-
ening-looking accompaniment which stands over
it (see Fig. 16).
Carrying on this idea the next example shows
how even a second melody can be worked into
Treatment now begins by the addition of a
tremolo for the sake of animation and for the
more important purpose of sustaining the har-
mony. Then a quite genuine player-piano touch
is given by reinforcing the notes in the melody
some octaves higher. The melody
has now been brought into relief
without interfering with the bass
notes and the passage takes the
form shown in Fig. 23.
DYNAMICS
Fig. 17
the complex musical fabric, together with addi-
tional ornamentation, without either confusing
the main rhythmic pattern or endangering the
melodic clearness of the principal theme.
The ideas set forth above are susceptible of
further development. For instance, suppose that
it is desired to transcribe the following bars suit-
ably for the player-piano (see Fig. 18).
It is obviously necessary to allow sufficient
prominence to the melody, but at the same time
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Every musician knows that the
judicious use of the dynamic pow-
m
Fig. 21
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Fig. 18
a satisfactory player-piano arrangement can only
be made if the transcription presents a brighter
Fig. 19
and more animated thought. Figure 19 shows
how this may be brought about.
The next example illustrates a very common
fault, where a very prominent accompaniment
figure seriously threatens the melody beneath it.
The writer for orchestra or military band could,
of course, balance up and compensate for this
i
r
Fig. 22
ers of an instrument where by swell-
ing or diminution a sound can be had
at will constitutes one of the great-
est beauties of all musical instrumental
performance. A comparatively short
time ago it was still true to say that
the player-piano was capable of diminu-
tion and swelling of tone within only a
very fair range, but it is no longer truly
the case. The dynamic capacity of the
player-piano has been marvelously improved
and to-day even the ordinary foot-pumped in-
pss
Fig. 20
by assigning the melody to the heavier wind
instruments. As, however, figure 20 plainly
shows, the melodic voice would be quite in-
adequate on the player piano unless skilfully
dealt with. Skilful dealing, however, is quite
practical, as shown
igure 21 here-
with, where the
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passage is scored
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for the player-
piano in such a way
as to cause both
the rhythm and
melody to stand
out against each other clearly and distinctly.
Here we see an extremely rich and satisfac-
tory effect. The foregoing specimen was of a
bit of melody originally written in the treble.
. -
The following specimen is of
•i *, , „ j-Jggjggd a melody originally in the bass
f | ' f^f^jt
which I shall treat for the player-
* I J I ' ~ ^ ^ ^ piano. First look at the straight
sheet music, as shown herewith
in Fig. 22.
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Fig. 23
strument has powers which a few years ago
would have been supposed impossible. Con-
trast in dynamic power is very considerably
under control in the reproducing piano, of
course, but the ordinary player-piano, which de-
mands a certain amount of skill on the part
of the player-pianist, gives us better oppor-
Fig. 24
tnnities for developing the ideas set forth
here. What I wish to point out now is that apart
from any such skill the arranger, by the display
of sufficient ingenuity, may obtain astonishingly
fine results in the realm of dynamic contrasts.
For instance, a most effective play is to make
a change like the following "subito" or sudden
descent from f. f. to p. p. (see Fig. 24).
Again a most equally powerful result may
(Continued on page 6)