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MMD > Archives > September 1997 > 1997.09.06 > 04Prev  Next


Avant-garde Music Rolls in Germany
By Robbie Rhodes

Two MMDer's in Germany have created contemporary (avant-garde?) music
for standard 88-note player piano systems, and also some for
Themodist/Solodant and possibly Duo-Art.

Horst Mohr, of Kuerten (near Cologne), made many experiments with
computer-generated music, from which he selected one piece, entitled
"Elections", which Wolfgang Heisig later perforated.  Copies might still
be available from Wolfgang.

And in a city near Dresden, in the former East Germany, pianist-composer-
noteur Wolfgang Heisig is continuing his production of piano rolls
of contemporary music.  He recently published a list of 11 currently-
available offerings, including compositions by Lyonel Feininger, Jakob
Ullman, Tom Johnson, Ernst Toch, and Wolfgang Heisig.

Many of these works have been performed in concert, featuring a Hupfeld
Phonola Vorsetzer (push-up player) with Heisig "at the pedals".  For
example, Horst Mohr recalled hearing and enjoying this piece which is
offered in the list (No. 5):

  "Prestissimo for Mechanical Piano" by Jacob Ullmann.
   Synopsis:  A finely crafted, brilliant and sparkling pearl
   necklace of tones which swings over the entire piano-keyboard,
   and as imperceptibly as it arrives, again vanishes.
   Price: 63.25 DM (2 minutes, 10 seconds)

Contact:

   HEISIGROLLEN
   Wolfgang Heisig
   Grimmaer Str. 16
   D-04703 Leisnig
   GERMANY
   tel/fax: 03421-12995

I translated the announcement to English and I'll be happy to send
the complete text of his offering list via email upon request.

Robbie Rhodes
rrhodes@foxtail.com


(Message sent Thu 3 Jul 1997, 00:45:06 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Avant-garde, Germany, Music, Rolls

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