Keyboard Perspectives VIII Audio
Annette Richards: “Ghost Music: or, The Otherworldly Voice of the Glass Harmonica”
John Koster: “Reflections on Historical Harpsichord Registration”
Johann Jakob Froberger, Sarabande of Suite in C-minor (DTÖ edition no. 19), performed by Gustav Leonhardt, from J. J. Froberger: Organ and Harpsichord Pieces (Cambridge Records, CRM 509, issued in 1964; recorded circa 1962).
Johann Jakob Froberger, Tombeau for Monsieur Blancrocher, performed by Gustav Leonhardt, from J. J. Froberger: Organ and Harpsichord Pieces (Cambridge Records, CRM 509, issued in 1964; recorded circa 1962).
Emily Dolan: “Portrait: Andrew McPherson and the Magnetic Resonator Piano”
Alexander Elliot Miller: “88 MPH”
At some point after being invited to write for the Magnetic Resonator Piano, I formed a fun connection in my head between the device and the time machine from Back to the Future. It started as a joke at a party, and then the joke stuck. Among the reasons for the image not going away: both the MRP and the Flux Capacitor are adapters that modify a traditional object (Grand Piano / DeLorean) giving that object amazing new powers, and both are ingenious inventions with a mad scientist behind them, and strange wires and electrodes protruding wildly from them. And then there are the numbers: 2015 being the year this piece was written and premiered, as well as the "future" year of Doc and Marty's travels, and lastly, the number 88, representing both the speed at which time travel takes place, and the number of keys on the piano.
Julia Adolphe: “Swirl”
Movement 1 of Magnetic Etudes juxtaposes the different sounds created by the MRP's volume pedal and the piano's sustain pedal. The single notes that swell are programmed to increase in volume independently from the accompanying eighth-note rhythms. Other effects include vibrato, harmonics, and glissandi between adjacent white keys. The moderate tempo of the beginning eighth-note gestures determined that not much variety in phrasing could be achieved with the MRP. Essentially, the pianist performed all notes as if they were marked staccato and held the sustain pedal. Depressing keys in addition to holding the sustain pedal created an intense wash of sound that clouded the melody. Lastly, the harmonic heard is intentionally played an octave below the recommended range for harmonics so that it is as soft and eerie as possible.
Andrew McPherson: “Secrets of Antikythera”
Secrets of Antikythera is written for magnetic resonator piano, an augmented acoustic grand piano that uses electromagnets to make the strings vibrate independently of the hammers. All the sounds in this piece were produced acoustically, without speakers. The excerpts here are from my CD of the same title (released on Innova), featuring a performance by Ryan MacEvoy McCullough.
The first excerpt (I. Prologue: Mystery) contains only resonator (electromagnet) sounds, and no conventional piano playing. Here, the electromagnets were activated by a second keyboard placed on top of the piano. The effect is deliberately hazy, with the notes emerging gradually from silence. The second excerpt (IV. Creation 2) shows how the resonators can create a kind of "backwards" piano sound, with a long crescendo and abrupt staccato ending on each note. Here the resonator effects are triggered from the piano keyboard itself. The character shifts abruptly around 1:05 to become more contemplative, with descending harmonics on the piano strings heard at 1:27. The third excerpt (V. Creation 3) mixes resonator and traditional piano, using the resonator to sustain and change the timbre of the slow melody in the left hand.
Anthony Solitro: Spectra
I chose to use the magnetic resonators relatively sparingly, saving the novel colors and techniques for significant moments. One striking technique, which I felt was particularly successful in the context of the piece, utilized an audio file of a pre-recorded soprano played through the strings of the piano. The organ sustain feature was particularly useful to this piece, as it allows the pianist to initiate long tones that continue to reverberate without decay. The sustained voices take on a distinct color, immediately differentiating themselves from the voices sustained traditionally with the damper pedal. This technique allowed me to highlight voices within the texture, or choose harmonic pitches and accumulate them into a sustaining chord. The “no hammer” technique is used to soften the attack, or to crescendo from silence. Finally, some phrases end with a spectral sweep—a harmonic glissando—on the played strings of the final chord.
Tiffany Ng: “A New History of the Carillon: Singing Bronze: A History of Carillon Music by Luc Rombouts”
In 2014, UNESCO recognized Belgian carillon culture for its “Best Safeguarding Practices” of an Intangible Cultural Heritage, thanks to an effort led by Luc Rombouts and supported by the Flemish Interface Centre for Cultural Heritage (FARO) and the administrations of the Flemish and French ministries of culture in Belgium. UNESCO's recognition commends the Belgian carillon community for its efforts to safeguard and renew its five-centuries-old tradition of public music-making on bells; the recognition applies to carillon repertoire, the training of carillonneurs, concert traditions, and story-telling about the carillon. This ten-minute documentary was produced as part of the application for UNESCO recognition.