Re: nancarrow

["sroden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <sroden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>> From: Kurt Ralske <kranning@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> conlon nancarrow's music is calculated, formal, and has no dynamics (it's a
>> limitation of player piano technology).

actually nancarrow's music is quite beautiful, carefully composed (as
opposed to calculated) and full of dynamics in relation to what he has to
work with. certainly, the player piano does have limitations, but nancarrow
spent his entire life working within those limitations to produce something
quite unique in the history of classical composition - a life's work to be
played by a machine. of course, the dynamics are not the same as a human
interacting with a keyboard - but certainly dynamics were something he
worked with, around, against, etc...

the work tends to involve a lot of the ideas that should interest many of
the composers here who work with computers; as it is an extremely
sophisticated dialogue between a human being and a machine attempting to
make music together. i don't know anything about writing patches or working
with max, but it does seem to me that it is not a far stretch to think about
nancarrow essentially investigating all of the possibilities for producing
work in collaboration with the player piano in a way that seems somewhat
conceptually similar to the ways in which some of the folks out here are
working with software.

sorry kurt, if i misread the context of your statement as negative - i
didn't see the earlier full post - but several years ago i managed to get a
hold of most of nancarrow's work and i think it is quite human and quite
wonderful and much more varied than i had expected - hence i am a big fan.
certainly there are aspects of it that are tough to get your ears around,
but it's fairly generous work once you allow your ears to also be generous.
i also think it is much less calculated in terms of both math and outside
influences than a lot of what is being done today in the sound worlds we are
all interested in. 

as an aside i think someone was attempting to compare nancarrow's work with
cecil taylor - and having seen/heard taylor live a few years ago in a very
intimate setting, i'd say they certainly both were/are obsessed with the
intimacy, details, and physicality of the piano - i'd have never thought
about them in the context of each other - certainly an interesting prospect
- and i think perhaps there is some relationship; but that both would
probably be uncomfortable with it.... as a final aside of total obscurity-
architect bruce goff, who studied with frank lloyd wright in the 30's also
wrote music for player piano, but the scores are much more based on visual
'design'. influenced by wright's ornate work, they're great looking!

steve roden/in be tween noise
box 50261 pasadena california 91115-0261
usa
phone 626 403 9343
sroden@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.inbetweennoise.com

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