Thoughts past: Music and machines
Another from the Pulse archive...
Rex Lawson: Music and machines
@ Djanogly Recital Hall, Nottingham - 7/6/1998:
In the dark days before decks there was nothing. Well, not quite, there was the gramophone, and before that there was the pianola. Reputedly invented by Edwin S. Votey, the pianola was an in-demand instrument from its emergence in the 1890s to the depression of the 1930s. A mechanical device, designed to be attached to the front of a conventional piano like its better-known offshoot, the player-piano, the pianola was fitted with rolls of pre-recorded music (scored on paper). However, unlike the player-piano, which simply automatically replayed what was recorded (like a record/CD player or sequencer), the pianola actually had to be played (using foot pedals and hand levers to control the tempo and dynamics of the music), making it the 19th/early 20th century equivalent of the mixing desk.
In this recital, Rex Lawson (and his fabulous beard) gave a brilliant demonstration of the instrument's capabilities with his renditions of works by 20th century composers like Ravel and Stravinsky, whilst also providing an entertaining account of the history of the pianola and its music. With able assistance on one piece from Sylvia Clarke and Mervyn Cooke, Rex Lawson kept me engrossed for the full 90 minutes of a concert that challenged preconceptions of classical music as dry'n'dusty. (Fittingly, it ended with most of the audience on stage getting a close-up view of Lawson's technique and the operation of the instrument - watching the movement of the piano roll was like looking at a screensaver!) An insight into the future music of the past, this recital brought back to life an important precursor of the music technology which makes today's sounds possible.
You can find out more about the pianola from The Pianola Institute: www.pianola.org.
Rex Lawson: Music and machines
@ Djanogly Recital Hall, Nottingham - 7/6/1998:
In the dark days before decks there was nothing. Well, not quite, there was the gramophone, and before that there was the pianola. Reputedly invented by Edwin S. Votey, the pianola was an in-demand instrument from its emergence in the 1890s to the depression of the 1930s. A mechanical device, designed to be attached to the front of a conventional piano like its better-known offshoot, the player-piano, the pianola was fitted with rolls of pre-recorded music (scored on paper). However, unlike the player-piano, which simply automatically replayed what was recorded (like a record/CD player or sequencer), the pianola actually had to be played (using foot pedals and hand levers to control the tempo and dynamics of the music), making it the 19th/early 20th century equivalent of the mixing desk.
In this recital, Rex Lawson (and his fabulous beard) gave a brilliant demonstration of the instrument's capabilities with his renditions of works by 20th century composers like Ravel and Stravinsky, whilst also providing an entertaining account of the history of the pianola and its music. With able assistance on one piece from Sylvia Clarke and Mervyn Cooke, Rex Lawson kept me engrossed for the full 90 minutes of a concert that challenged preconceptions of classical music as dry'n'dusty. (Fittingly, it ended with most of the audience on stage getting a close-up view of Lawson's technique and the operation of the instrument - watching the movement of the piano roll was like looking at a screensaver!) An insight into the future music of the past, this recital brought back to life an important precursor of the music technology which makes today's sounds possible.
You can find out more about the pianola from The Pianola Institute: www.pianola.org.
posted by Justin Toland at 5:05 pm
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