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Excerpts
Application of Mechatronics and Image Analysis Techniques to the
Archiving of Piano Rolls: Arthur Jones, Dan Austin, Andrew Coffin and John Kennedy
The close parallels between reproducing piano technology of nearly a century ago and today's
application of information technology to self-playing musical instruments (notably the
sequencing of synthesisers etc via MIDI techniques) are well known, and the technology
has come full circle with computers having been used to control roll perforation equipment
for many years now. However, despite numerous successful examples of the application of
computer-related engineering technology (mechatronics) to mechanical music, not all the
possibilities have been explored. One of the challenges facing the world of reproducing
piano conservation is the production of accurate copies of original rolls; this task is made
much easier where original equipment and master rolls exist (as in the case, for example, of
the Keystone's original Ampico perforators and masters); where neither equipment nor masters
exist, the challenges are clearly much greater. However worthy the objectives, there is
little commercial incentive to develop the techniques and equipment required and roll
manufacture has often become a sideline to other operations such as instrument manufacture or
restoration. The possibilities for roll manufacture presented by new technologies are
nonetheless well worth exploring even though the resources for formal research projects or
commercial development are rarely available. This article introduces a number of educational
projects which have used the archiving and copying of piano rolls as a vehicle for studying
echatronics and digital imaging within the context of a Mechanical Engineering course at
the University of Nottingham. It goes on to describe (without, it is hoped, excessive
mathematical detail) some of the possibilities explored for the application of digital
imaging techniques to the archiving of piano rolls without the use of any specialized
hardware. The projects are supervised by the first-named author, a mechanical engineer with
strong interests in mechatronics, software engineering, and digital image analysis.
Ernst Munck - Piano Manufacturers by Appointment to the Court of Gotha: Manfred
Schöler (translated by Rex Lawson)
In any survey of the history of pianoforte manufacture in mid-nineteenth century
Thuringia, the names of Bechstein, Agthe and Munck stand out. All three have this in
common; that they were born in Gotha and achieved international renown through the
construction of pianos. By 1854, however, Bechstein and Agthe had already moved to
Berlin, where they laid the foundations for their later successes.Ernst Munck, on the other
hand, remained faithful to his home town. His life and works therefore form a natural part of
this series of studies in local history. Ernst Munck was born in Gotha on 11 February
1827, the second son of Georg Wilhelm Munck, cabinetmaker, who owned a well-known furniture
workshop at 615, 'Hinter St Margarethen' (Behind St Margaret's), a building that stands today
as 21, Margarethenstrasse.
After successfully completing his studies at the local grammar school, Munck began as an
apprentice in his father's own workshop. But the construction of furniture was not really his
métier, and he felt much more of an affinity towards music. So it is hardly surprising that he
had already become interested in the manufacture of pianos by the end of the 1840s. To that
end he set out to acquire the necessary specialist knowledge and skills at the well-known
piano firm of Seuffert in Vienna, and later at the factory of Kriegelstein & Herz in
Paris. His outstanding dedication to work soon brought him recognition as a regulator and
action finisher.
In 1857 Ernst Munck returned home, and in the same year founded the piano factory that
carried his name. Taking over part of his father's joinery workshop, he produced grand and
upright pianos based on American and German models. Munck laid down exacting specifications
for the quality and up-to-date design of his piano actions (the mechanisms for relaying the
movement of the keys to the strings), which even today are made up quite separately and
delivered to the manufacturer as pre-assembled units. He placed similar demands on his
suppliers of felt, and of the cast-iron frames that were mounted over the soundboard. The
fame of Munck's pianos soon spread far and wide. Even at the Gotha court the good reputation
of his products did not go unnoticed, and in due course Ernst Munck received official
recognition of his efforts by his appointment as 'Hofpianofabrikant' (Piano Manufacturer
to the Court). At various Thuringian trade exhibitions, such as those in Weimar in 1860 and
1861, his exhibition instruments received a 'First Prize of Honour' and a 'Gold Medal'. From
then on, a brass plate with a display of the medals and exhibition dates adorned Munck's pianos.
By 1864 Ernst Munck was already employing 8 to 10 full-time workers. At that time an upright
or grand piano sold for between 100 and 600 Thalers, depending on the model. But in the midst
of all his success in business, Munck never lost sight of the future development of his
firm. He made certain that his eldest son, Ernst (born 22 March 1863), had the benefit of a
technical education every bit as good as his own. After finishing grammar school, the young
man studied the craft of piano manufacture both at home and abroad, and for some considerable
time worked as a tuner and action regulator at Steinways in New York. On 1 April 1893 Ernst
Munck junior took over control of his father's factory, the older man retiring from the
business at the age of 66, and devoting himself to his favourite pastime of gardening.
Review:
Claude Debussy, The Composer as Pianist: all his known recordings, the Caswell
Collection, vol. 1; Pierian Recording Society, Pierian 0001: Roy Howat
Debussy's recordings are naturally fascinating material, comprising both audio discs and
piano rolls. Although there's no duplication of repertoire across the two genres, the
juxtaposition is still revealing. The audio recordings (from 1904) have Debussy accompanying
Mary Garden in the tower song ('Mes longs cheveux') from Act 3 of Pelléas et
Mélisande, and in three of the six Ariettes oubliées Debussy composed in the
1880s and then revised for a new edition in 1903. Born, bred and buried in Aberdeen, Mary
Garden hit stardom in Paris in 1902, premiering the role of Mélisande in Debussy's one
completed opera. Debussy dedicated his 1903 re-edition of the Ariettes oubliées to
her in gratitude for her 'unforgettable' performances.
Despite the obviously superior recorded sound from the Welte recordings, it is the audio
recordings that really take us into the room with Debussy and Garden, regardless of flutter
and frying bacon. That edit-free era preserves human moments like Mary Garden clearing her
throat during the piano's introductory bar in 'L'ombre des arbres', before coming in on the
wrong note. (Debussy unobtrusively sounds the right note for her, and she recovers quickly, as
with another off-note entry in the song 'Green'). Debussy plays much as he always told people
to play, in pretty strict time except at the marking un poco stringendo in 'L'ombre
des arbres', which both artists turn into molto stringendo, to superb effect. His
extremely virtuosic playing in 'Green' (taken at a very fast lick) draws attention away from
itself by the way he keeps it all very quiet (as marked), in time and at the service of the
singer. He consistently avoids left hand anticipations or rolled chords except where marked
in the score, and only one, momentary rhythmic unevenness is audible, at the pianissimo start
of 'Il pleure dans mon coeur', a place where microphone nerves could be forgiven from
anyone. At times one can hear him gently keeping Mary Garden moving, avoiding sentimental
lingering or rubato. Towards the end of 'L'ombre des arbres' Debussy slows down in such a
way that the quavers of the third last bar audibly become the crotchets of the last two
bars. This makes for maximum audible (rather than visible) continuity and relates
interestingly to one of the Welte rolls, of which more below.
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