Conlon Nancarrow, study no.11 for player piano

[MuseDuCafe]

This is an exceptionally brilliant piece of music! Thanks for this wonderful 'survey' playlist! I hope more people learn of Nancarrow's music by way of it!

[Fluffypopcicle]

is this... seriously possible to play on the piano? Or is this just one of those things where you use a player piano to play what just isn't isn't possible?

[MuseDuCafe]

@Fluffypopcicle NO. Nancarrow 'wrote' it specifically for mechanical reproduction on a player piano. He wrote by hand punching the holes in the piano rolls! His simultaneous use of different tempi for various muscial elements was not a complete innovation, pre-dated by Charles Ives, but he certainly took that several steps further. Never intended to be played by one (or more than one) pianist. Contemporary composer John Adams has transcribed a few of the studies for an orchestral ensemble.

[Fluffypopcicle]

@MuseDuCafe

I figured as much, but I really think this is pointless after listening to it once. I find with Nancarrow that once the "interesting" factor goes away it just sounds ridiculous. Stravinski could pull off stuff like dissonance and polytonalities and still make beautiful music, but I find that most of Nancarrow material is literally just experiments with generally annoying things. That's my opinion though, I'm not trying to convince anybody of anything here.

[fiddlercrab3]

@Fluffypopcicle I agree with your assessment in part, but I find the melodies present in this particular study to be extremely pleasing to the ear.

[MuseDuCafe]

@Fluffypopcicle I find some of this selection truly wonderful. I think repeated listening + the mechanical reproduction is the longevity interest killer. A recording of real performers, though 'fixed' has more to re-visit. (And comparing Stravinsky to anyone short of the very biggest of the big boys is a futile and meaningless exercise:-)

[chrism823]

Do not criticize until you understand it . . .

[aluxebalam]

Great rithm!!...Hallucinogen music.

[lefthandovRA]

so he is a mexican living in exile....or exiled in mexico??

[aluxebalam]

@lefthandovRA He was born in USA but exiled in Mexico.

[PairInstabilityType]

Take LSD and listen to all his studies at the same time...

...and report back :)

[MrLocuace]

This is the best piece of music I've listened in the last years !!!!!. I got to know Nancarrow some weeks ago and I already became a big fun of him !!!!. Me cago en la hostia !!!!!

[jazzlover10000]

Someday, someone really needs to put a "Greatest Hits" album together reflecting these final nails in the coffin; the death (arguably assassination) of classical music. Lucky thing I love a good funeral.

[rafalimpim]

who wrote those informations in the video said something really wrong. Stockhausen was not a left-wing, he was a defender of individualism and freedom of expression and was very critical with comunists.

[ClariDiez]

holy shit...what a final

[Arachnidius]

Ok, I'm a fan of odd time signatures and musical experimentation, and I understand (at least a little) of the technical aspect of this composition... But, my god, it sounds like shit :L

[DDSeever]

@Arachnidius Personally, I kind of like it, but I cannot claim that it makes me feel good or imparts energy to my spirit, or whatever music usually does for me. Okay, I've only listened to it once, so there's surely more to be experienced, but I'll report that listening to this was akin to watching a fellow do some extraordinarily tricky juggling. I'm impressed; I'm amazed; I'm intrigued. And, having seen it, I move on.

[pencilpauli]

Sometimes get to hear Nancarrow on BBC Radio 3

never fails

No idea what an isorhythmic blues is but it sure sounds amazing! lol

[susanaf321]

There is something about this piece that reminds me of I Got Rhythm.

[henrywgc60]

This is an isorhythmic blues on 120 chord sequence. 

[KeiraForsyth]

This is very reminiscent of "I Got Rhythm". Love it.

[KeiraForsyth]

I really like this piece. Thank you for posting it.

[mmm999aaa]

This is breathtaking. Talk about pushing the boundaries of what piano music can be...

[fiddlercrab3]

One thing I've always been curious about... How do player pianos interpret punched holes into dynamics?

This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for uploading.

[trafficjam10]

you'd have to have 12 pairs of hands to play this lol

[LeMortso]

I SO love this piece... Nø 11 is the best. The culmination is like sex... building, Building BUILDing, BUILDING then WHAM!!!!! damn. Nancarrow produced while America Consumed.

[sonofagunder]

@LeMortso

awkward sex.

[ieatporkpies]

i found some more of his work

/watch?v=4RnUAsUjPPU

[tickleperson2]

oh my word!

this is incredible!

this guy is a genius!

i'm so happy to have heard this.

[goonage]

Ouch...this is awful to my ears.

[giNgkoC]

canon X is the shit

[KibaInubake]

√42:1 timing much? xD

[krring]

So where is this recording from? I have the 4-CD Studies boxset, but it's all recorded with his two player pianos, with tin and I think leather hammers which tend to give it a (not undeserved) inhuman feel... but this grand piano sound really brings out some sonorities I never caught before, especially the high notes at around 0:35

[sprechstimme]

I remember reading that Nancarrow turned to the player piano to "free himself" from musicians, and that he wrote music that was virtually impossible for live musicians to play. He said that if electonic instruments were available during his peak years, he would have used them. This kind of reminds me of Frank Zappa's use of the Synclavier for the same reason. Also interesting that both composers works were played live by the Ensemble Modern.

[Ralphsson80]

My favourite study! Well, one of my favourites anyway, they are just amazing most of them :-)

[STEVEFINNERTY]

get it together kids

[fabianidhesona]

this stuff inspired shawn lane on guitar.

[speedenia]

that's totally true!

check out videos of him ripping it up with his drummer!

[d4j3b]

I saw some of these pieces performed by the ensemble modern at a yellow shark Zappa gig in london along with some varese stuff. one of the best gigs ever for me.

By the way greggary, how's that calender invention getting on?

[telavivmeetings]

Hello GreggaryPeccary!

could you by any chance upload/post study no. 21? with the acceleration and deacceleration of 2 melodies simultaniously?

[GreggaryPeccary]

Sorry, don't have that one...

[Heteronymph]

Search for Conlon Nancarrow study no. 21 and you will find it on youtube!

[GreggaryPeccary]

I have it posted

[doubledottedrhythm]

I love the way pattern a becomes irregular near the end of the piece.

[NewMusicXX]

Nancarrow's music reminds me of computer-generated fractal music. It's really amazing to hear a player piano doing this.

[Dooality]

It's not a piano player. It's a player piano - completely automated.

[GreggaryPeccary]

I know that. So? Why are you telling me that?

[Dooality]

I was replying to Swansong's comment.

[GreggaryPeccary]

I can't see any comment by Swansong here