Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
TRIUMPH OF PIANOLA WITH LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
A New Milestone Reached in the Artistic Progress of the Player-Piano—Exemplified Through
the Tremendous Success Achieved by the Pianola When Played in Symphony Concert with
the London Symphony Orchestra Under Professor Arthur Nikisch—Measuring the Influ-
ence of Such an Achievement—Marks a N ew Era for the Player-Piano.
On the 14th of last month London was the scene
of a revolution. It is true that the daily news-
papers in New York, Chicago and other American
cities contained little notice of the affair. Never-
theless the statement is one of fact. A revolution
took place in London on June 14. What then
happened?
The revolution was a musical revolution. That
may explain its neglect by the intelligent press of
this gfeat nation. Neglect, however, does not
alter the intrinsic qualities of anything. It is
enough for us to realize that on June 14, 1912, the
Pianola appeared on the stage of a concert room
in company with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Nor is this all. The Pianola was not merely
utilized for the playing of some small solo. It
took the piano part in the A minor Grieg concerto
and in the Liszt Hungarian Fantaisie, bearing it-
self confidently against the combined forces of the
orchestra and coming out not merely unscathed,
but on the crest of a wave of approval and aston-
ishment voiced by every musician present. That is
why we say that a musical revolution took place
that day.
Think calmly and seriously for a moment what
this means. It means that, for the first time in its
history, the piano playing mechanism has been
recognized by a great musical organization as pos-
sessing at least potential artistic possibilities. Let
there be no mistake. The London Symphony Or-
chestra is a great organization. It holds place
among the six or eight supreme orchestras of the
world. Nikisch is a great conductor; probably one
of the three or four greatest conductors who have
ever lived. Recognition from such quarters is not
to be smiled at, nor dismissed with cheap insinua-
tion.
Mark this: the piano playing mechanism has
been admitted to a test of strength not unworthy
of the greatest. That means that first it was recog-
nized as being sufficiently important to admit of
being considered as a candidate for such a test.
Until quite recently any such thing would have
seemed simply impossible. A musician would have
laughed at the mere idea as utter nonsense. To-
day we face a different and happier state of affairs.
And the London event is its signal.
History, whether of nations, of individuals or of
movements, is a slow and gradual evolution, draw-
ing to its appointed ends in a series of imperceptible
gradations. It does not proceed by fits and starts.
Yet events of signal importance do at intervals
upraise their heads, calling the attention of men
to the relatively great strides that have been taken
meanwhile. Such events are justly termed epochs.
To the appearance of such an event we have here
demanded attention. And it now becomes neces-
sary for us to consider its immediate implications
with some care.
To begin with, it is not exactly a matter for.con-
gratulation that the first appearance of a piano
playing mechanism upon the symphonic stage
should have been in a foreign land. But to those
who know the extraordinary standpattism of the
American professional musical mind there is little
mystery. In spite of direct demonstration to the
contrary, in spite of all the evidence that eyes and
ears can ask, it still remains true that some of
our musicians still regard the Pianola and allied
instruments as "mechanical pianos," as hurdy-
gurdies which one "operates" by pressing a button,
turning a switch or "pumping" with the feet. So
long as such an opinion persists, in spite of every
proof to the contrary, so long is it rather hopeless
to expect any musical betterment through any of
the various types of piano playing mechanism. In
London, however, things seem to be different.
The trouble arises through the confusing of what
most people do to music through the medium of
the player-piano and what the instrument is
capable of producing under proper control. The
piapo playing mechanism is a keyboard technics
means. It is not a mechanical interpreter and
never can be one. It is not intended to be a
grinder-out of mechanical music; and, in fact, is
no such thing. The piano playing mechanism is
meant to be "played" just as any other musical in-
strument. And the fact that it can if desired be
made to produce music—or, at least, play the notes
—without any attempt at interpretation, has nothing-
whatever to do with the simple truth that it can be
"played upon."
It is this point which has now been brought out
so strongly. The piano playing mechanism has
been tested in concert under conditions as difficult
as could be conceived. It has been found to meet
these conditions. It has executed the solo part in
two difficult and elaborate compositions, which,
moreover, are so familiar to all musicians that a
standard of interpretation has long ago been fixed
for them. If the piano playing mechanism were
anything like the monstrosity it is popularly sup-
posed to be it could not have begun to meet the
tests imposed on it. But it has met them and co>n-
quered them.
What then are the requirements of piano play-
ing technic that were put up to the Pianola in this
recent test: First, the production of a good tone.
Second, the ability to sustain that tone through
the judicious use of the sustaining pedal. Third,
good phrasing. Fourth, perfect control over the
dynamic nuances.
Now it has been the contention of pianists that
in some sort of mysterious way all these require-
ments were the exclusive possession of the human
lingers. Just why this was so very few have been
able to say, and even those who have attempted
the solution of the problem have been very much
at sea in their explanations. The truth is that
those who teach piano are exclusively occupied, not
with an end as they think, but with the particular
ir.eans to that end represented by the human hand.
They come to think therefore that the means are
the end, and that mastery of the resources of the
piano must necessarily be an exclusive property of
their particular means for doing it; a possibly natu-
ral but entirely erroneous opinion.
In plain fact, the whole question of dynamic in-
tensity of the so-called "touch" and of the so-called
"tone," which is produced through the combination
of the two former elements, is reducable to a ques-
tion of hammer velocity in combination with dura-
tion of the free vibrating of the string. When
combined with the movement in time of the notes
in succession and in combination, we have phrasing.
When these elements again are combined with the
element of sustained tone as produced through the
sustaining pedal, we have all the elements required
for good piano playing; all, that is, save the ele-
ment of interpretation, which is personal.
Now, since the man or woman who plays the
piano playing mechanism has complete control over
phrasing and sustaining pedal manipulation, it only
remains to gain a similar mastery over the hammer
velocity and the duration of time during which the
damper, in the case of every sounded note, remains
open. This command is afforded by the music roll
in combination with the foot pedaling. Given a
performer who knows what he wants to do, and
who can translate his wishes into practical pedal
work, and we have the required additional element.
For it is silly to pretend that the constantly
shifting intensity of pedal stroke, with its concomi-
tant and consequent shifting of dynamic force, is
incapable of giving a good "touch." The plain fact
is that the piano playing mechanism will give just
as good a "touch" as its performer knows how to
obtain. And exactly the same is true of the manu-
ally played piano, neither more nor less.
In other words, the contentions of the pianist
are not founded on fact. And, to make the matter
more certain, here comes this latest and greatest
test in London and puts to flight all the silly crew
of prejudiced hypocrites. The piano playing mech-
anism has come into its own most emphatically.
And, finally, how shall we measure the influence
of such an achievement? Nothing is plainer than
that the piano playing mechanism has definitely
silenced its detractors, or, at least, has taken their
arguments out of their mouths. A new era has
dawned. A new public opinion has been founded.
And" we should all be immensely thankful to the
Aeolian Co. for its enterprise and broadminded-
ness.
No sectionalism or trade prejudice should be al-
lowed to interfere with the wonderful potential in-
fluence which this great achievement possesses. The
whole player trade could and should be its im-
mediate beneficiaries. Let us have neither narrow-
mindedness nor nonsense about it. Let us all join
in thanks to the Aeolian Co. And incidentally let
us all see that we gain whatever benefits are gain-
able from a thoroughly splendid and far-reaching
event.
To those who, with small faith and smaller com-
mon sense decried the piano playing mechanism, to
those whose vision was so obscured that they could
not and would not understand, to those who even
to-day still look o>n the piano playing mechanism as
an instrument for easier gulling of the public, the
event of London comes as a showerbath in its un-
expectedness and its wonderfulness. Let all such
take warning. Their own words will soon return
to shame them.
DEVICE TO CONTROL TONE SHADING.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, July 22, 1912.
Joseph Leslie Forster, Vancouver, B. C, has this
week been granted patent No. 1,033,000 on a pneu-
matic piano player designed to enable the tone of
the notes sounded to be varied or shaded by the
operator when the pneumatic regulator is in use.
In pneumatic piano players what is termed the
pneumatic regulator merely gives the effect of a
more delicate touch by providing a means for
maintaining a less vacuum in the air chest from
which the power pneumatics are served than is
maintained in the reservoir of the main bellows,
but as the pneumatic regulator is usually made in
the maintenance of this less vacuum all power of
varying the tone, while playing or giving proper
expression to the music, is lost and although a
lighter tone is obtainable it is maintained at a dead
level.
The cause of this is due to the use of a
coiled spring as a counterbalance to the controlling
area which maintains the desired less vacuum in
the air chest of the power pneumatics. To ob-
viate this objection the inventor has substituted for
the tension of a coiled spring a device which is ex-
posed to the vacuum in'the main reservoir, and as
this vacuum may be varied at will by the party
who is playing so the lighter vacuum in the air
chest may be correspondingly varied.
PATENTS AUTOMATIC TEMPO REGULATOR.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, July 22, 1912.
William H. Hess, New York, is the owner of
patent No. 1,032,624 on an automatic tempo regu-
lator for use in connection with the air motors for
moving perforated music sheets in playing attach-,
ments for musical instruments.
The object of this invention is to provide a new
and improved automatic tempo regulator for the
above purposes which is simple in construction,
and which is capable of changing the speed of the
air motor, from faster to slower or slower to
faster, either slowly or suddenly as may be neces-
sary, in a reliable and effective manner.
TO ISSUE NEW CATALOGS.
The Standard Music Roll Co., Orange, N. J.,
will not issue any roll bulletins for August, but
will have ready during the early part of that
month a new, select catalog of five hundred of the
best sellers, a new main catalog of about three
thousand selections, of both 88 and 65-note rolls,
and a complete catalog of artist-madf temporizeci
rolls.