Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FEBRUARY 28, 1920
iiiijiti
(iiiiniitiiti run iiiJUiiiiuiiiiiiDiii
nil
m i in [iiiiiuiMiiiiiiKiiiiiiiiiin i in jiiiiinimi
tifMiinti(Mi»iJii»u)wiiniia»Mfia»>^
The Fundamental Principles Involved
in the Composing and Arranging ot
Music lor the Player-Piano
BY DR. EDWARD SCHAAF
iini.iujtiiJiiiuiiMitiiiiiiiii[[i«ifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiitittLti:ii i tuu HI mi u i LiiiiiiiiMttiiiiiiiiiitiiiitiitiiiLiiu in i in i
ii i n jijiiiiiiu mi ii im n i iiniiiiitiiiiiiitiitiiiiinitiiiiKiiiiit
(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-
rinoingly 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
. tascinating articles, of which this is the tenth, represents
the latest fruit of his studies.)
TURNS AND MORDENTS
When I discussed the trill a short time ago
I called attention to the fact that it is pos-
sible to perforate a trill in such a way that
the effect is just as bad at one as it is good
at another speed. I pointed out, for instance,
how a trill which would be very effective if
formed at, the speed of five feet per minute (that
is to say at the tempo indication 50) would be
almost totally ineffective if run off with the
tempo indicator at 100. This elementary fact
must also be considered with reference to those
very important melodic graces, the turn and
the mordent.
Just as much care in the management of
turns and mordents is necessary as in the
handling of the trill, with regard to this mat-
ter of speed. It is a peculiar fact that even
where the arranger is laying out his turn or
mordent for a definite speed, as for instance, at
tempo 70, the desired effect may be entirely lost
in certain registers of the keyboard. For in-
stance, it is most noticeable that turns and mor-
dents frequently sound quite hopelessly blurred
^
in the middle and
fr- lower registers, but
*
give excellent effects
at the very same
Fig. 59
speed an octave or
two higher. The example shown in Fig. 5^
will show what I mean. This turn is weak and
ineffective in the
indicated region of
the keyboard, but
as soon as it is
transposed an oc-
Fig. 60
tave higher, even with exactly the same design,
it becomes clearer and more satisfactory, as
shown in Fig. 60.
Of course, the easiest way out of a difficulty
like this is for the arranger to place the entire
device in the octave above. At the same time
this is by no means the most artistic thing for
him to do in many cases.
The Appoggiatura
The appoggiatura is an indispensable asset
to the artistic rendering of music on the player-
piaiio. Its office is two-fold; (1) to bring into
prominence the note to which it leads, and
m
Fig. 62
Fig. 63
(2) to serve as an ornament of itself. To give
two examples, a passage like Fig. 61, which
would appear in that shape in classical music,
should be rendered for the player-piano, right-
ly speaking, as shown in Fig. 62, instead of
as shown in Fig. 63.
The last is commonly met with in poorly
or mechanically arranged player-piano work.
Again, the appoggiatura brings the oetave tone
FOR TONE, BEAUTY
AND LASTING
A
ACCOMPLISHMENT
uin
iiJiiiiuttiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiLiiiiiniiujjiijiiitjjiiiitiiiiriiiiMitiiJitJiiiiijiiiiiMitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiJLii
uiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiii iiiirti«iiiutiiiiitiitiiai]iiiiiiiiniMiiiiiitti*iiiim
into greater relief. When it comes at the ter- On the other hand, as Fig. 68 shows, the sylph-
mination of a rapid ascending passage it gives like* skipping about of a part in rapid tempo
,
constitutes frequently a decidedly grace-
ful embellishment.
,
It is, in fact, better to have the notes
i
I -
1
of a rapid run skip about rather than to
have them progress by regular, succes-
it
l I \ sive steps.
Brilliant ornamentation should not be
Fig. 64
carried to such a point that it will pro-
a sort of cachet to the whole, as will be seen duce any sort of fireworks effect, but within
in the example shown by Fig. 64.
that limit almost anything can be done that
Again, the reader will perceive in the ex- will add to the
«•.__.
—
ample demonstrated by Fig. 65 how in some-
g e n e r a 1 effec
•«**»»• * *t. t\ *K **
what different circumstances the appoggiatura tiveness. I ap-
pend a few last
examples. Full-
ness and motion
Fig. 68
in the middle and upper register, especially in
the latter/ help in the search for brilliancy, as
for instance, can be seen in the example shown
in Fig. 69.
Fig. 65
Again, it is sometimes decidedly useful to
imparts just the needed charm. Let me say, break up the notes of an octave passage, as in
however, at this point that the use of grace Fig. 70. Once more we note in passing that
notes in imitation of a certain type of slip- such a device as the use of six notes per tick
shod piano playing must be sternly discour- of the metronome pendulum (when set at 104)
will give one a most dazzling result. If one
aged. As a contrast to
that sloppy method, let me
call attention to Fig. 66,
which shows the use of
grace notes in Brahms'
Fifth Hungarian Dance,
Fig. 66 where a decided yet de-
Fig. 69
lightful sort of soft incisiveness is imparted to a wants to dazzle still more, act faster and put
massive chord.
in more notes.
Of course, the arranger will see that in a
Portamento
case like this he must perforate his chord
This important and valuable element in style
"sharp," i. e., not arpeggiated.
must not be left out of consideration. The porta-
Scales and Figures
Scales and various sorts of runs and figures
are important, of course, as elements in orna-
mentation, but it is necessary that they be
treated very judiciously. Scales, for instance,
in themselves have very little artistic merit.
When they are met with they should be treated
to a little contrapuntal development a la
Fig. 70
Chopin. When the harmonies in the accom-
mento effect is best indicated, perhaps, by the
paniment are widely spread runs are usually
well-known device of the violinist who can ob-
tain a whole scale of tones by simply
running his fingers down the strings from
one end to another, so that the entire
I
gamut of sound is produced without any
noticeable intervals of time between suc-
cessive tones. A pure portamento is, of
1
course, altogether out of question on the
player-piano, and for that matter on the
ordinary piano, because of the natural
Fig. 67
more effective when doubled in the octave than physical limitations of the instrument; never-
when written singly, as for instance is shown theless a quasi-ornamentation effect is not only
possible but can be powerfully effective. To
in Fig. 67.
Runs of any sort are not usually very effec- be done artistically it must be interposed be-
tive on the player when written below middle C. tween tones of long duration and only in con-
Take, for instance, Chopin's 16th Prelude. In nection with music which is intended to express
,
.
deep emotion. If
the last five bars, where the music rushes tumul-
skilfully employed it
tuously towards the great final chords, the first
is tremendously dra-
bar in the low bass is flat and dull, while the
matic and I venture
remaining bars are tremendously effective.
to show, in Fig- 71,
The end note of any run should always be
Fig- 71
what I consider to
made to overlap upon some important harmonic
interval. If the end note, in fact, be a trifle be a fine example in the Liszt arrangement of
lengthened, one secures much better entrance Schubert's "Wanderer," where the flights of
little notes before the large ones impart a mag-
of the other voices.
Rapid scale-like passages are rarely effec- nificent shock to the player-piano's keyboard.
(Continued on page 6)
tive for ornamentation in player-piano music.
aaa
L *«
The WERNER INDUSTRIES CO. Cincinnati