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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
29, 1920
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I The Fundamental Principles Involved
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in the Composing and Arranging of
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BY DR. EDWARD SCHAAF
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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 music." Doctor Schaaf has self-sac-
rificingly 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
has 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 thirteenth, represents the latest
fruit of his studies.)
CONTRAST AND COLOR
In all musical performances the performer
attempts to obtain life and variety through his
mastery over the capacities of his instrument.
The composer, likewise, in proportion to his
knowledge of the instrument or instruments for
which he is writing, is able to impart life and
variety to his work. Many and various tech-
nical and artistic devices are used by composers
to these ends. Among them, the two known as
Tone Color and Contrast are of the first im-
portance.
1
Some instruments, especially the greatest of
all instruments, the orchestra, have enormous
; powers within themselves for the attainment of
th<*se two great qualities of musical art. Others,
like the piano, are rela-
tively strong in some di-
rections and relatively
weak in others.
By the term Contrast, [f
I refer to the art of
providing such variety in the method of pre-
sentation, in intensity and in rhythm, among the
groups of musical thoughts which make up a
composition, as to produce a series of agreeably
iContrasted tone pictures. If the avoidance of
monotony thus implied is not carried to the
point of grotesqueness, the complete tonal pic-
ture is sharpened and made more vivid to the
faculties of the hearer.
By Tone Color, I refer to the individual qual-
ity of the voice which belongs to an instru-
ment or group of instruments. Composer and
performer alike can by their work either de-
velop or virtually nullify whatever of these
qualities the musical instrument naturally pos-
sesses.
In the ordinary piano, Tone Color and Con-
trast are attained mainly by the judicious use
of the damper pedal in connection with very
carefully worked out nuances of touch. Va-
riety of touch, combined with artistic use of the
damper pedal, enables the pianist to produce
whatever can be produced on the piano in the
way of variety, of Color, and of Contrast.
Everyone who has listened to the work of a
great pianist knows that these qualities can be
developed to a very high degree. Moreover,
those composers who have best understood the
piano, such as, for instance Chopin and Liszt,
have written in such a manner as to enable the
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skilled pianist to make this ordinarily unre-
sponsive instrument sing with a voice almost
as flexible as that of the violin.
When we approach the player-piano, we have
to take a different direction of attack upon the
problem. The magic of player-
piano performance rests principally
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in its flawless rhythmical capacities,
in the witchery of its timing and
accentuation, and in the quite com-
plete power which it gives to the
composer over what may be termed
the distribution of his forces.
The Three Registers
For the purposes of the composer, the eighty-
eight tones of the player-piano may be divided
into three registers, upper, middle and lower.
Now instruments of the purely melodic type
which sound but one tone at a time are usually
plainly divisible into contrasting registers. For
instance, the clarinet possesses three quite well
marked divisions of tone quality, belonging re-
spectively to its penetrating upper division, to
its majestic and noble middle section, and to
its rich and mellow lower tones. But when
I speak of three registers on the player-piano,
I do not intend to draw such a sharp line of
distinction. There is no great difference be-
tween the registers as far as respects tone qual-
Fig. 83
ity. Wherever one attempts to make a division
it will be found that there is more or less over-
lapping. Roughly speaking, however, and for
the practical purposes of this study, I think it
best to divide the compass of the player-piano
into three divisions, comprising, in each case,
three octaves, with an added interval of the
third above or below, as shown in Fig. eighty-
three, or otherwise as in Fig. eighty-four.
Now in scoring for this instrument with these
three divisions, I
have experiment-
ed in working on
three staves. In
•spite of the ad-
vantage of scor-
ing in this man-
ner, I do not find
that one must al-
ways use s u c h
Fig. 84
elaborate means
to get effective results. Masterly effects in Con-
trast and Color are found possible through the
simplest means. For instance, by employing two
or three registers simultaneously, and then ob-
taining the- effect of Contrast by using each of
the three in succession, the composer can ob-
tain striking and vivid contrasts, as well as va-
riety in Color. It is true that delicate nuance
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can be carried out more flexibly in the playing
of the manual piano, but a player-piano is cap-
able of variety in Contrast and Color far greater
than can be imagined possible until one has
actually had the experience of composing for
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Fig. 85
it; in fact, I may say that as much variety is
obtainable as the composer has ability to in-
vent.
No fixed rules for obtaining Contrast and
Color can be adequately laid down. The com-
poser's individual taste and feeling must first
and principally be consulted.
Nevertheless,
there are certain principles which can be safely
taken as efficient guides to effective scoring.
The first of these is:
a. Dynamic Shading. In Fig. eighty-five we
see a device used by Chopin in his Tenth
Etude, whereby a most effective Contrast is ob-
tained. Here it will be seen that at the opening
of the second measure a splendid "subito piano"
(sudden change to soft) is charmingly con-
trasted with the effect of the first measure. Of
course impressive dynamic Contrasts are not
usually obtainable solely by relying on changes
in intensity. For instance, in this example the
reader will see that Chopin did not rely entirely
upon his dynamic marks, but enhanced his ef-
fect by shifting the plane of the music from a
higher to a lower register.
b. Wide Spread Harmonies, which are so
characteristic of modern music, are likewise very
Fig. 86
valuable. In Fig. eighty-six we observe the re-
markable sylph-like effect, due to the rapid
skipping about of widespread broken treble
chords. This example, as will be recognized,
is from the D Minor Nocturne of Chopin (op.
Fig. 87
27, No. 2), a work which is remarkable for its
wealth and variety of rhythm,
c. Division of the keyboard into three reg-
(Continued on page 7)
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