Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
24, 1922
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Some Useful Suggestions Relative to Accompanying Vocalists on the Player-
piano Are Here Presented for the Guidance of Those Who Are Interested in
Developing Their Ability as Expert and Genuinely Musical Player-pianists
The art of the player-piano is not complete
unless it includes the art of accompaniment. Of
all the delights and joys which the player-pianist
may have to himself (of which, indeed, the trade
seems to he lamentably ignorant) none is so keen,
none so acutely whets the edge of ambition and
desire, as the delight of accompanying with taste
and skill a competent singer .or instrumentalist.
Accompanying the voice or a ^olo instrument is
indeed an art in itself.
The player-pianist differs from all other pro-
ducers of music in that he has his notes ready
made for him. His task is to phrase, color, ex-
press them, artistically. When the art of the
player-pianist is being utilized for vocal accom-
paniment the task becomes one of affording sup-
port and a framework to the singer, in subordi-
nation, but not in servility, to the solo voice.
The ideal accompanist is never forward or push-
ing, but at the same time always affords inspira-
tion to the singer by taking up and adding points
to the latter's expression, clothing the voice from
moment to moment in an ever-changing garment
of shimmering colors. The ideal accompanist is,
indeed, rare, but the player-piano accompanist
has better opportunities of rising to heights of
art than is generally supposed possible.
It is necessary to assume, of course, that the
player-pianist has a good working knowledge of
the technique of playing, especially in reference
to tempo-control and expressive pedaling. On
taking up the study of accompanying the first
difficulty will be found in the makeup of the
music roll. This, it will be seen, has upon its
surface no indications save such as are contained
in the perforations themselves. Of course, with
a word roll all needed indications are present,
but if the singer's wants cannot be supplied in
this way one is obliged to edit the roll oneself.
The Bar Divisions
The first thing to do is to compare the roll
with the score, being careful that the two are in
the same key. This can easily be tested by play-
ing the first chord on the roll with the keys un-
locked, and noting whether the depressed keys
correspond with the notation on the sheet music.
Then the roll should be divided into bars, by
comparing the grouping of the perforations with
the grouping of the printed chords and notes.
Even if one is not skilled at reading music some
musical friend can be found who will explain the
system and when once this has been grasped in
principle there will be little difficulty in co-ordi-
nating the printed with the perforated symbols.
The bar divisions are, of course, made by sim-
ply ruling pencil lines across the paper. It is
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a very good thing to number each bar, both on
the printed sheet music and on the music roll,
for then the soloist and accompanist can always
understand each other when any question comes
up in rehearsal about the interpretation of any
part. Reference to a bar by number is always
easy and intelligible.
Writing in Words
After the paper has been ruled into divisions
corresponding to the bars, and numbered like-
wise, the words should be written in. In doing
this certain rules should be observed, which will
greatly add to the value of the editing. In the
first place, each word should be carefully placed
in the right-hand margin of the roll and as nearly
as possible on a line with the perforations which
represent the corresponding note. With a whole
chord the same principle applies, of course. If
necessary, pencil lines should be drawn across
from the written word to the corresponding
perforation.
Words are often prolonged through a whole
bar, or even longer. They are constantly pro-
longed beyond one note or chord. It is neces-
sary to note this on the roll, and the best way is
to place the word in the customary position in
line with the beginning of the first chord or
note which goes with the word, and then to run
a line perpendicular to the word and parallel to
the perforations, as far as the vocal sound en-
dures. Then the accompanist, when coming to a
place like this, can go on confidently, knowing
just when the singer will cease on that word and
take up the next. The lines should be carefully
drawn perpendicularly in pencil from the middle
of the written word.
When a word of two or more syllables is
divided up between two or more accompanimental
notes or chords it is well not only to draw per-
pendicular lines between the syllables (which, of
course, will be written with each syllable at the
corresponding note or chord), but also to draw
curved lines from syllable to syllable. This re-
minds the accompanist that he is dealing with one
word all the time and assists him in following the
song intelligently.
Expression Markings
The various expression markings should also
be carefully written in and, in fact, any sign which
the composer has thought fit to insert to help the
accompanist should be copied on to the music roll.
All this sounds rather elaborate, but in reality
is very simple. The writer has prepared many
accompaniment rolls in this way and has found
the results uniformly satisfactory, even in the
most difficult circumstances and with the most
elaborate modern art music.
Accompaniment rolls are published, although
their number is not large. The writer has made
many accompaniment rolls himself on the Lea-
barjan perforator, which is eminently practical
and well adapted to the purpose. If one can-
not read sheet music the Leabarjan will soon
teach one the trick.
Three-fourths of the difficulties of player ac-
companying disappear when simple precautions
and preparations like these have been undertaken.
With their aid accompanying is relatively easy,
being mostly a matter of controlling the tempo
lever so that every pause, every acceleration, can
be readily followed at the piano.
But hints on these latter parts of the tech-
nique had best be left for a later article.