Music Trade Review
Issue: 1917 Vol. 65 N. 8 - Page 12
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12
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
CHOPIN AND THE PLAYER
(Continued from page 11)
will observe that Chopin never writes a note,
whether in melody or accompaniment, without a
special meaning for it. He says what he means
and never a word too much or too little. It is
therefore in the highest degree wrong to treat
the Chopin accompaniments as if they were the
mechanical chord-groups of a modern song "ar-
ranged." Chopin's accompaniments are live and
glowing. They light up and show forth the beau-
ties of the melody. They are the ornamental
frame work in which the melody is set; and they
are quite as interesting, quite as beautiful, and
quite as much need loving care in treatment, as
the tunes themselves. In fact, they are, as often
as not, fully equal in melodic beauty to the for-
mal themes.
In this connection it is likewise well to ob-
serve that, in Chopin, above all other composers,
the full beauty of the ideas which he sets forth
can be brought out only when a complete study
has been made of the peculiar way in which he
distributes his accents. The emphasis or stress
which we place upon one or another tone, during
the regular progress of the music from bar to
bar, is suggested to us naturally if we possess
the least musical feeling. It is no more possible
to neglect or ignore the natural emphasis in
music than in the reading of poetry; unless we
are in each case devoid of any understanding of
poetic movement. But the natural simple beats
of music are, in the work of a poet like Chopin,
vastly refined and elaborated. His accompani-
ments often are written in irregular rhythms and
in his etudes and preludes many unusual dis-
tribution ideas in accents will be found. Those
who wish to understand Chopin's ideas cannot
do better than study out, by constant playing
and replaying, the twenty-four preludes. Of
these nearly all are arranged in ordinary straight
cut rolls and several of them have been inter-
preted by different pianists in one or other of
the hand-played editions now available. The
music lover should especially study the preludes,
for here he will find the most characteristic
Chopinisms strewn before him in riotous plenty.
Study by Hand-Played Rolls
Before closing the subject, it would be well
just to mention that it is a very good idea to
study carefully the various Chopin rolls in the
hand-played editions. A sufficiently large col-
lection of these now exists to enable the music
lover to check up and correct his ideas on al-
most all the types of musical work which Chopin
produced. Nocturnes, preludes, etudes, valses
and ballades have been interpreted, and a grow-
ing library of authoritative interpretations is
growing up. One of the most important features
in any future devolopment of the player-piano
lies in this fact and in the various implications
of it.
There is yet one word of importance to say
about the correct phrasing of Chopin and about
the use of that much abused tempo rubato. It
may be compressed into a sentence: If you are
phrasing Chopin stiffly, with a stiff tempo lever,
then go to a hand-played roll and play it till you
know it by heart. Then try the straight roll
again. If you can understand and feel the dif-
ference, your future is secure. If not, stop try-
ing to play Chopin.
Opinions That Coincide
Webster says:
IDEAL—"A Standard of Perfection"
Our dealers say:
The Perfect Music Roll
The dealer who does not at least try a sample
roll is cheating himself—A sample for the asking.
A QUALITY ROLL FOR A QUARTER
Practically Sell Themselves
THE ROSE VALLEY GO.
MEDIA, PA.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIK?
R. W. SCOTT TO MAKE HARDWARE
Resigns as Head of Scott Pneumatic Action Co.
and Purchases Metal Working Department
From That Company—Has Had Wide Experi-
ence in all Branches of the Player Industry
Ray W. Scott, who has for some time past
been head of the Scott Pneumatic Action Co.,
New York, resigned this week, and has pur-
chased the hardware department of this concern
for the purpose of manufacturing hardware for
player-pianos under his own name. The fac-
tory will be located at 39 Ninth avenue, where
Mr. Scott has a complete equipment for manu-
facturing hardware used in player actions.
Regarding the change, Mr. Scott stated to a
representative of The Review this week: "I
have just purchased outright the entire metal
working department of the Scott Pneumatic Ac-
tion Co., and will operate the same under my
own name hereafter, for the manufacturing of
player hardware. Arrangements are now being
made to enlarge the factory, and within a short
time several of the finest metal working ma-
chines will be added to my equipment. I shall
make it a point to turn out the highest quality
of work and will be equipped to do this, as I
have a force of skilled mechanics and tool
makers with me who have been engaged in this
particular work for many years."
Lead and Composition
Tubing for Players Md Organs
STANDARD ROLLING MILLS, Inc.
363 Hudson Avenue
BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Mr. Scott has been connected with the player-
piano industry practically since the first player
action was put on the market.
He has in-
vented many devices which are used in player
actions to-day and has perfected a number of
complete player actions also.
He is exceptionally well equipped to manu-
facture the hardware which is used in player
actions, owing to the fact that his experience
has taught him the mechanical requirements of
the industry.
IMPROVEMENT^ MUSIC ROLL
WASHINGTON, D. C, August 20.—The Estey
Organ Co., Brattleboro, V t , are the owners
through assignment by William E. Haskell, same
place, of Patent No. 1,236,430 for an improved
music roll.
Perforated paper music sheets such as are
used in automatically played musical instru-
ments expand and contract due to variations
in the moisture of the atmosphere; and in
order that the sheet may wind and unwind
uniformly upon the music roll, it has heretofore
been proposed to make one or both heads or
end flanges of the music roll yielding so as to
compensate for the shrinkage or expansion of
the music sheet. The present invention consists
in improvements upon such music rolls with
yielding end flanges.
The Bench People Want
CHILDS PLAYER AND
REGULAR MUSIC COMPARTMENT
THE MOST DURABLE, RESPONSIVE AND
ACCESSIBLE, CONTAINING
WRIGHT-PLAYER-ACTION THE WRIGHT METAL STACK
Tracker Bars,
Motors,
Transmission*
Compensating
and
Electric
Metal Vent
Pumps and
Caps
Player Parts
for the trade
to order
IN MAHOGANY, OAK OR WALNUT
PRICE $5.00
Patented and made for nine yeart by
WRIGHT & SONS COMPANY,
WO T RC P E!'TER:*KASS
PETERSON ART FURNITURE CO.
FARIBAULT
MINN.
12
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
CHOPIN AND THE PLAYER
(Continued from page 11)
will observe that Chopin never writes a note,
whether in melody or accompaniment, without a
special meaning for it. He says what he means
and never a word too much or too little. It is
therefore in the highest degree wrong to treat
the Chopin accompaniments as if they were the
mechanical chord-groups of a modern song "ar-
ranged." Chopin's accompaniments are live and
glowing. They light up and show forth the beau-
ties of the melody. They are the ornamental
frame work in which the melody is set; and they
are quite as interesting, quite as beautiful, and
quite as much need loving care in treatment, as
the tunes themselves. In fact, they are, as often
as not, fully equal in melodic beauty to the for-
mal themes.
In this connection it is likewise well to ob-
serve that, in Chopin, above all other composers,
the full beauty of the ideas which he sets forth
can be brought out only when a complete study
has been made of the peculiar way in which he
distributes his accents. The emphasis or stress
which we place upon one or another tone, during
the regular progress of the music from bar to
bar, is suggested to us naturally if we possess
the least musical feeling. It is no more possible
to neglect or ignore the natural emphasis in
music than in the reading of poetry; unless we
are in each case devoid of any understanding of
poetic movement. But the natural simple beats
of music are, in the work of a poet like Chopin,
vastly refined and elaborated. His accompani-
ments often are written in irregular rhythms and
in his etudes and preludes many unusual dis-
tribution ideas in accents will be found. Those
who wish to understand Chopin's ideas cannot
do better than study out, by constant playing
and replaying, the twenty-four preludes. Of
these nearly all are arranged in ordinary straight
cut rolls and several of them have been inter-
preted by different pianists in one or other of
the hand-played editions now available. The
music lover should especially study the preludes,
for here he will find the most characteristic
Chopinisms strewn before him in riotous plenty.
Study by Hand-Played Rolls
Before closing the subject, it would be well
just to mention that it is a very good idea to
study carefully the various Chopin rolls in the
hand-played editions. A sufficiently large col-
lection of these now exists to enable the music
lover to check up and correct his ideas on al-
most all the types of musical work which Chopin
produced. Nocturnes, preludes, etudes, valses
and ballades have been interpreted, and a grow-
ing library of authoritative interpretations is
growing up. One of the most important features
in any future devolopment of the player-piano
lies in this fact and in the various implications
of it.
There is yet one word of importance to say
about the correct phrasing of Chopin and about
the use of that much abused tempo rubato. It
may be compressed into a sentence: If you are
phrasing Chopin stiffly, with a stiff tempo lever,
then go to a hand-played roll and play it till you
know it by heart. Then try the straight roll
again. If you can understand and feel the dif-
ference, your future is secure. If not, stop try-
ing to play Chopin.
Opinions That Coincide
Webster says:
IDEAL—"A Standard of Perfection"
Our dealers say:
The Perfect Music Roll
The dealer who does not at least try a sample
roll is cheating himself—A sample for the asking.
A QUALITY ROLL FOR A QUARTER
Practically Sell Themselves
THE ROSE VALLEY GO.
MEDIA, PA.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIK?
R. W. SCOTT TO MAKE HARDWARE
Resigns as Head of Scott Pneumatic Action Co.
and Purchases Metal Working Department
From That Company—Has Had Wide Experi-
ence in all Branches of the Player Industry
Ray W. Scott, who has for some time past
been head of the Scott Pneumatic Action Co.,
New York, resigned this week, and has pur-
chased the hardware department of this concern
for the purpose of manufacturing hardware for
player-pianos under his own name. The fac-
tory will be located at 39 Ninth avenue, where
Mr. Scott has a complete equipment for manu-
facturing hardware used in player actions.
Regarding the change, Mr. Scott stated to a
representative of The Review this week: "I
have just purchased outright the entire metal
working department of the Scott Pneumatic Ac-
tion Co., and will operate the same under my
own name hereafter, for the manufacturing of
player hardware. Arrangements are now being
made to enlarge the factory, and within a short
time several of the finest metal working ma-
chines will be added to my equipment. I shall
make it a point to turn out the highest quality
of work and will be equipped to do this, as I
have a force of skilled mechanics and tool
makers with me who have been engaged in this
particular work for many years."
Lead and Composition
Tubing for Players Md Organs
STANDARD ROLLING MILLS, Inc.
363 Hudson Avenue
BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Mr. Scott has been connected with the player-
piano industry practically since the first player
action was put on the market.
He has in-
vented many devices which are used in player
actions to-day and has perfected a number of
complete player actions also.
He is exceptionally well equipped to manu-
facture the hardware which is used in player
actions, owing to the fact that his experience
has taught him the mechanical requirements of
the industry.
IMPROVEMENT^ MUSIC ROLL
WASHINGTON, D. C, August 20.—The Estey
Organ Co., Brattleboro, V t , are the owners
through assignment by William E. Haskell, same
place, of Patent No. 1,236,430 for an improved
music roll.
Perforated paper music sheets such as are
used in automatically played musical instru-
ments expand and contract due to variations
in the moisture of the atmosphere; and in
order that the sheet may wind and unwind
uniformly upon the music roll, it has heretofore
been proposed to make one or both heads or
end flanges of the music roll yielding so as to
compensate for the shrinkage or expansion of
the music sheet. The present invention consists
in improvements upon such music rolls with
yielding end flanges.
The Bench People Want
CHILDS PLAYER AND
REGULAR MUSIC COMPARTMENT
THE MOST DURABLE, RESPONSIVE AND
ACCESSIBLE, CONTAINING
WRIGHT-PLAYER-ACTION THE WRIGHT METAL STACK
Tracker Bars,
Motors,
Transmission*
Compensating
and
Electric
Metal Vent
Pumps and
Caps
Player Parts
for the trade
to order
IN MAHOGANY, OAK OR WALNUT
PRICE $5.00
Patented and made for nine yeart by
WRIGHT & SONS COMPANY,
WO T RC P E!'TER:*KASS
PETERSON ART FURNITURE CO.
FARIBAULT
MINN.
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