Debussy Claude-achille — Pianoconcerto Forum

Gennarino

May 23, 2011, 19:22

Today we are talking again about things I love: a devil and a devilry!

Mr. Devil is such a person as Claude-Achille Debussy, whose Suite bergamasque I love (who doesn't go crazy for Clair de lune or Passepied?), the Arabesques, Rêverie, and then.... and then.....!

Debussy wrote his famous Children's Corner Suite (1908) for his daughter Claude-Emma, using reminiscences ranging from the Orient to Spain and America. In the finale of the Suite - Golliwogg's Cakewalk - Debussy jokes and, drawing inspiration from jazz and ragtime, mocks Richard Wagner, imitating the opening bars of the prelude to "Tristan und Isolde".

In 1913 he recorded the Cakewalk using a devilry (at those times!).

The devilry was a piano roll, that is, a roll for the piano.

Music was recorded using special pianos in which, when the performer pressed a key, a hole was punched into a paper roll, in a position depending on the key and with a length depending on the duration of the note. There were also other pieces of information written on the roll, but let's not complicate things!

Once a piano roll was produced, it was possible to duplicate it industrially and buyers could listen to music.

In fact, the roll was mounted on special pianos equipped with the so-called "tracker bar", a chamber powered by an air pump, in which there were tubes, each of which operated a key. By sliding the roll over the tracker bar, the holes allowed air to pass into the corresponding tubes, thereby operating the keyboard.

As you can see, the piano roll is the mechanical precursor to MIDI music, which is reproduced using digital electronics. In fact, as with MIDI, only the action (key press, duration, etc.) is recorded and not the sound, which is produced by the playback device.

And now, enjoy Debussy.

s Cakewalk.mp3

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pianoexpert

Moderator

Posts: 3,876
City: rocca di papa

May 23, 2011, 19:50

Dear Gennarino,

You have discovered a world.

You should know that in the past I recorded as many as 14 piano roll discs, as you call them, together with the Director of the Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome.

He possesses a very large personal collection of Duo-Art rolls. That was the name of the most sophisticated perforation system, which allowed for the reproduction of up to 16 levels of expression, pedal, etc. We never spoke about it, but I possess a copy of the discs published by Fonè in Livorno. One of these, the one with Chopin's Preludes played by none other than Ferruccio Busoni, won the Gran Prix du disque. I handled the musical revision for that one. We will talk more about it later, but I can tell you in advance that numerous pianists of the past recorded on Duo-Art, Welte-mignon, and other systems. There is some perplexity regarding the "manipulation" of editing, even though the rolls were signed by the artist. I assure you, however, that those daytime and nighttime recording sessions fascinated me. You are truly in the presence of the ghost Artist playing!!!!!!

It's true....the MIDI signifier!!!!!!! But perhaps more faithful because the roll can be reproduced on a modern piano and perhaps on a Steinway, naturally modified with the necessary "pneumatics" required for performance. In essence, air pressure arrives from a pump bellows (external and far from the instrument) which, through the perforations, moves "pneumatic servants" under the keyboard. For the rest, the mechanics are those of a normal grand piano

Regards Paolo

Gennarino

May 24, 2011, 08:19

pianoexpert wrote:
Dear Gennarino,
You have discovered a world.
You should know that in the past I recorded as many as 14 piano roll discs, as you call them, together with the Director of the Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome.
He possesses a very large and personal collection of Duo-Art rolls. That was the name of the most sophisticated of the perforation systems, which allowed for the reproduction of even 16 levels of expression, pedal, etc. We have never spoken about it, but a copy of the discs published by Fonè in Livorno is in my possession. One of these, the one with Chopin's Preludes played by none other than Ferruccio Busoni, won the Gran Prix du disque. I oversaw the musical revision for that one. We will talk about it at greater length, but I can tell you in advance that numerous pianists of the past recorded on Duo-Art, Welte-mignon, and other systems. There is some perplexity regarding the "manipulation" of editing, even though the rolls were signed by the artist. I assure you, however, that those daytime and nighttime recording sessions fascinated me. You are truly in the presence of the ghost Artist playing!!!!!!
It's true....the MIDI sign!!!!!!! But perhaps more faithful because the roll can be reproduced on a modern piano and perhaps on a Steinway, naturally modified with the necessary "pneumatics" required for performance. In essence, from a pump bellows (external and far from the instrument) comes the air pressure which, through the perforations, moves "pneumatic servants" under the keyboard. For the rest, the mechanics are those of a normal grand piano
Regards Paolo

Dear Paolo, your Director is a lucky man. I am too, because I have a friend who owns such an object!

Duo-Art, along with Ampico and Welte-Mignon, was among the great piano roll production companies. During the period of the medium's popularity, there were hundreds of manufacturers, including, for example, the great Columbia. Among artists, I mentioned Debussy, you remember Busoni; so, let us remind others reading us - in strict alphabetical order because there is no ranking - of pianist-composers such as: Gershwin, Godowsky, Mahler, Paderewski, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Scriabin and, among the greats of Jazz: Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Zez Confrey. If you like, I will set out to search for other recordings so that I can publish them!