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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
MARCH 27, 1920
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I The Fundamental Principles Involved
I
in the Composing and Arranging of
I BY DR. EDWARD SCHAAF
Music tor the Player-Piano
(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
[ilayer-i>iano keyboard and that is to treat the instrument
as a new voice in music."
Doctor Schaaf has self-sac-
rilicinglv devoted much of his time, without thought of
material reward, to the rewriting of music for the special
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.
Doctor Schaaf
lias already published in The Music Trade Review the re-
sults of some earlier researches into this subject, and the
present series of extremely interesting and fascinating ar-
ticles, of which this is the eleventh, represents the latest
fruit of his studies.)
SPEED
As I said last month, the present article be-
gins the discussion of an extremely important,
in fact quite vital, part of the large subject
which lias been under discussion for so long.
The reader must realize that it is impossible to
understand the meaning of the ideas set forth
here unless he remembers that we are dealing
with the player-piano and not with the manual
piano. It is only with the player-piano that the
discoveries which I may claim to have made
could have been possible, and only the player-
piano can render them practically valuable. Let
the following statement be carefully kept in
mind as a preliminary to consideration of my
general topic:
The technical capacities of the plaver-piano arc
such that any note, or series, or group of notes
can be rendered at almost any conceivable speed
and with ahn<>st any practicable degree of loud-
ness or softness. This simple statement is the
foundation of all that follotvs.
In the case of the player-piano it is not
necessary to obey rigorously the accepted gen-
eral laws of harmony in the construction and
progression of chords. In fact, where the ryth-
mical swing is powerful and the spirit of
the music tumultuous, conventional laws may
oftentimes be entirely disregarded. Even a
thick scoring of harmonic progressions in the
bass register of the player-piano can be made
to sound well. The reason for this rather ex-
traordinary fact is that the player-piano can
give so light a touch in the bass, no matter what
speed is demanded, that effects which would be
entirely spoiled with an instrument of less me-
chanical capacity become not only tolerable
but even powerful and attractive.
It is also a peculiar fact, which I have com-
pletely demonstrated, that when great speed is
combined with very light accentuation, pass-
ages which otherwise would be extremely harsh
are rendered quite pleasing. Here we have what
is in reality a very important principle in musi-
cal composition. It is a principle which has
apparently been overlooked in the past, probably
owing to the limitations of existing musical
instruments. Some few composers have dimly
apprehended it, but their application of it has
been extremely slight and timid. Of course, 110
other instrument can negotiate harmonic pro-
gressions with the speed of the player-p ; ano.
lint the fact that the player-piano can do this
puts in the hands of the composer a weapon
which enables him to handle musical structure
in new and hitherto impossible ways. Indeed,
unless he does this, he cannot possibly take ad-
vantage of the marvelous possibilities of the
instrument.
I am quite sure that in the near future this
principle, which I am here setting forth at some
length, will be applied to music for the so-called
self-playing instruments on a large scale. Thus
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AND LASTING
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ACCOMPLISHMENT .
a completely new musical art will be opened up
to us, and we shall see some very wonderful
results.
The modern system of harmony is, of course,
based on the same musical laws as those which
guided the classic masters. There is no differ-
ence in principle, but neither the classic masters
nor their romantic successors were able to con-
ceive the possibilities of musical groups and
phrases written for performance at speeds
greater than their fingers could manage. In
consequence, the application of their ideas of
harmonic progression, not to mention rhythm
in general, were bound in iron bands of limita-
tion. I have now been able to show, in several
of my player-piano compositions, that one may
utterly disregard many traditional rules, based
upon old limitations, not only without bad
effects but with quite astoundingly interesting
and fascinating results.
Great speed becomes an important element
when applied to widespread chords, rapidly
skipping about, whether broken or unbroken.
Again, speed becomes immensely important
when rapid transitions are required from one
register to another. Once more, in mass effects,
Fig. 72
like the example from the Scherzo of Chopin's
Second Sonata, as shown by Fig. 72, high speed
is an almost indispensable condition for really
fine effects. In a passage of. this kind no pair
of hands could possibly equal the player-piano
from the artistic point of view. Again, great
speed is quite indispensable if music of a bright,
animated and brilliant character is to be brought
to its highest degree of brilliancy. The playful
spirit in music must always take on the form of
high speed. All idealized dance forms, such as
rondos and scherzi, are written for rapid per-
formances. Not only is this so, but even where
one has a two or a three-part movement, and
the effect of musical fullness is required, that
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nniii
Fig. 73
quality may be supplied through the element of
speed. The example shown in Fig. 73 is from
my player-piano composition, "Sleigh Bells."
The scoring looks thin, yet the result obtained
is rich and full when the rhythm is speeded up
by the player-piano.
An opposite effect is suggested by Fig. 74,
which is from my "Second Ballade," written
fact that it is performed at very high speed; in
fact at a speed much higher than hands could
manage.
The speed element is also highly important in
giving flexibility to part writing, for indeed
flexibility often depends on speed quite as much
as on ornamental treatment or other devices.
The reader will note that in every one of
these examples, as in those which follow, the
tremendous speed spoken of is deliberately in-
tended and written for. 1 am taking advantage
of a new principle in musical composition made
possible by the player-piano.
Power goes with speed. In this simple state-
ment is a fundamental principle which may be
observed elsewhere than in music. A good
musical example is found when a fast run of
notes ends suddenly with a held tone. The vol-
Fig. 75
ume of sound rapidly increases during such a
passage, even when only single notes are struck
in succession, and the final tone always carries
a volume far greater than would otherwise be
available. This is aptly illustrated by Fig. 75,
taken from my fantasy, "Pandora's Box."
Only the player-piano is capable of plasti-
cally modeling a swift musical passage like the
o n e shown by
Fig. 76. 1 have
especially singled
out this example
because it shows
how chord pro-
gressions of this
kind at rapid
Fig. 76
speed are entirely
outside the realm of ordinary piano perform-
ances. When played by hand, even by a
skilled pianist, the passage seems stiff and me-
chanical. Indeed, it even sounds actually in-
correct, because the ear has time to note and
criticize the parallel fifths. On the other hand,
just as soon as the pattern is vivified by very
great speed, the effect is entirely changed and
it becomes soft and agreeable; in fact, plastic in
every sense. As soon as the hearer can no
longer trace the chord connections these appear
harmoniously blended by the wonderful element
of speed.
The beginner in music is all ears, of course.
Only after years of training can hearing and
sight act together harmoniously. With complete
mastery of the art in all its aspects, the mere
sense of hearing sinks further into the back-
ground, and every needed musical effect can
be had through reading the written score.
Hut now comes in this new element of speed.
What is to be done when a single rhythmical
Fig. 77
pulsation carries notation faster than the eyes
can comprehend at a glance? In such a case
the sense of sight no longer furnishes a sure
guide, and the sense of hearing again becomes
essential. This will remain true until the men-
Fig. 74
upon Edgar Allan Poe's "Masque of the Red tal abilities are readjusted to meet the new
Death." Here is a case where very thick scor- conditions.
An example, shown by Fig. 77, occurs in my
ing in the bass register produces a wonderfully
(Continued on page 7)
light and smooth effect, owing simply to the
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