Craig Brougher wrote:

> Subject: Plea for New Classical Ampico Arrangements
>
> heavy classics for the Ampico that earmark the truly great artists of
> the age.

> great art-songs as well.  Rags are relatively easy to code.  You
> take 'em straight off the sheet music and you cut 'em straight and
> cool with as little pedal as possible.  Heavy classics, on the other
> hand are difficult, and have to be performed with heart.

Truth be known, any music may be entered as a MIDI file from sheet
music - devoid of expression coding (or registers and percussion in the
case of orchestrions) and a flat, lifeless roll may result.

The romantic lyricisim of Jospeh Lamb (the American Chopin) the
colorful and clear chromaticism of James Scott rags, the many Missouri-
Valley folk rags, and flashy Tin-Pan alley rags all deserve to be given
a professional interpretive treatment via the reproducing piano roll -
they all are American Art music at its' finist. The phrasing, note
dynamics, etc. may be carefully utilized to bring out the full musical
potential of a good rag.

To suggest that the performance of ragtime doesn't require heart is
simply not true. Maybe you have not had the opportunity to visit a
ragtime festival, where you will often hear the same rag performed by
many artists.  The variety of expression and interpretation varies
greatly. Many classical pianists have said that it is MORE difficult
to play a rag well, then it is a serious classical work.

As with rags, classical works also vary by performance. Look in any
Ampico or Welte catalogue - how many different pianist hasve recorded
the same classical selection?

One of the main reasons we see very little ragtime on reproducing piano
rolls is that unfortunately, ragtime as a popular genre had begun to
decline abut the time 88 note rolls became the standard (1911), so its
absence on late reproducing rolls is only natural.

Anyone can enter any type of music from sheet music form or it can be
played in by hand giving a very mechanical performance. What is
forgotten is that it takes a musician to arrange quality music for
mechanical musical instruments, be they reproducing pianos or music
boxes.  The musician works to bring out the inherent qualities of the
music, coupled with the strength and weaknesses of the instrument.

Some of the truly great artists of the age are Americans who wrote
ragtime: Joseph Lamb, James Scott, etc.  We have an entire wealth of
music from this period that has never found its way onto a roll, but
certainly deserves to be there. Unfortunately, many Americans suffer
with the European snobbery against anything American and especially
ragtime.

My two cents,

S.K. Goodman