Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
In.v 29. 1922
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
The Rapid Development of the Reproducing Piano Has Opened Up a New
Field for Musical Composition That Is Rich in Possibilities and Needs Only
Intelligent Cultivation to Produce an Entirely New Musical Technique
The great amount of interest which has been
awakened throughout the trade, and indeed
throughout the whole world of music, by the re-
cent developments in the realm of automatic ex-
pression should give rise to many thoughts be-
sides the most obvious. Ever since there have
been players the thinking minority has perceived
that a musical revolution was precipitated by the
invention of the pneumatic mechanism, and that
it might be many years before the full conse-
quences of that revolution should begin to make
themselves felt. Whenever someone has stepped
forward to inform the world of music that the
player idea has reached its full expression and
that it can proceed no further some new develop-
ment has been announced, showing that still
greater and even less anticipated possibilities are
awaiting fulfillment.
A New Musical Art
Bit by bit during the years which have wit-
nessed the gradual development of the theory and
practice of automatic expression and of record-
ing the finger playing of an artist upon the key-
board there has also been growing up the idea
of a new art of musical composition based on
the use of the pneumatic action. This new art
oi composition has, of course, worked itself out
very slowly, and even to-day its secrets are the
possession of only a very small group. Indeed,
it would not be very wrong to say that one man
holds more of the knowledge of this art than all
others put together. But that is by the way.
Now just at this very time we are finding that
the theory of automatic expression and the theory
of special music for the player-piano on the
grounds of its separate individuality are approach-
ing each other and are, in fact, about to meet.
No thoughtful man can contemplate the devel-
opment of two big ideas in any art or industry,
ideas which are rapidly converging, without ask-
ing himself what will happen when they meet.
It is true that the indifference or the stupidity of
the trade may cause the meeting to be of no
account or may even prevent any contact at all.
Yet there should be such a contact, and when it
occurs it should be extremely fruitful for the
best interests of the player industry.
Reproduction Not the End
The natural feeling of those who are develop-
ing automatic expression is leading them in the
direction of what is called "reproduction," that is
to say, in the direction of preserving records—
more or less perfect—of the actual playing of ar-
tists, so far as this can be recorded and repro-
duced. But there are obvious limits to such a
procedure. The development of the player should
be bounded in this way, for such a limitation
must sooner or later lead to stagnation and
death. Therefore, no matter how far we go in
the direction of recording and reproducing, no
matter if we even are able ultimately to record the
precise foot-pound value of each pressure upon a
piano key and reproduce this w r ith complete ac-
curacy, we shall still not be giving free play to
the development of the player-piano unless we
explore each and every possibility to its end.
Suppose, then, we bring together the two lat-
est, and at present most vigorous, streams of
tendency which are running through the player
art. What will be the result? Will the musical
interests of the player suffer or will they be
benefited? There can scarcely be any argument
about the answer to that question.
Difficulties for the New Art
For it is certain that this new art of player
composition is going to suffer during some years
to come at least from the vast difficulty of get-
ting the music lovers of the world to take a proper
interest in it. The reasons for this certainty are
many. Tn the first place, the art of composing
for the player-piano is very little understood as
yet, wherefore those who attempt to interpret
such music on the personal-expression player-
piano are frequently disappointed at their inability
to realize their anticipations. In the second
place, the whole question of interpretation is so
very complicated that it is asking too much to
expect music lovers, accustomed to a mere pneu-
matic player of ordinary piano music, to take up
the new art without a great deal of preliminary
education. And many other subsidiary reasons
will occur to anyone who is familiar with the
facts.
Standardized New Interpretations
This being so. it is evident that the very best
thing which could be done for the art of the
player-piano would .be to obtain a large number
of standardized interpretations of their music
from men who are composing in this form. Such
interpretations, however, would differ from ordi-
nary reproductions of piano playing in various
important particulars, which should be explained
in order that there may be no misunderstandings
in the matter.
A New Sort of Personality
The new art of composing for that new instru-
ment which the player-piano is presents many
unusual features. It is a personal art. but the
personality which it is to display is the person-
ality of the composer rather than of the per-
former. Pre-eminently it is an intellectual de-
velopment which requires a new evaluation of
musical ideas on the part of the hearer. It gives
considerable scope to a performer, quite as much
scope, indeed, as any music, if interpretation
be understood to mean what it means in other
circumstances—which is reproduction of the
original ideas. Unfortunately, much piano play-
ing is less interpretation than periphrasis, espe-
cially in the case of composers who are no longer
on earth to defend themselves. The new art,
however, demands from the performer that he
comprehend precisely the composer's ideas.
Consequently it demands from him a restraint
which, while it does not limit him artistically,
does limit him as to the display of his person-
ality, in so far as it forbids him to exalt this above
the personality of the composer. The performer
of the new player music must be a true inter-
preter, an expounder of a message.
Broadcasting the New Message
As a matter of fact, of course, this personal
exposition can only be made possible as player-
pianists come to comprehend the vast region of
musical art which is being opened up to them.
For this reason it is highly desirable that the re-
producing piano should be called into play and
that the composers of this new and wonderful
music should personally edit reproduction rolls
of their compositions. The object of doing this
is, of course, to enable the world to hear, as it
cannot otherwise so well hear, authentic interpre-
tations of these works. In this way the message
may be, as it were, broadcasted through the
musical world and the world of the player-piano
till those worlds understand what is afoot and
are prepared to take up the study and use of
the new tongue. For wonderful it is, wonderful
already in its possibilities, and to be more won-
derful still when these have been realized and
fully developed.
A Mere Outline
Lastly, be it understood, that the suggestions
here put forth in the barest form are capable of
indefinite expansion. But we must take one
thing at a time. And so we leave the subject for
the moment by saying that here is a field of vast
interest and value to be opened up by impress-
ing the reproducing piano into service to carry to
the world of music the message of the new art
of special composition for the individuality of the
player-piano.
LONDON'S N E W E S T W A L T Z H I T !
I0VELY1UCERNE
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