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MMD > Archives > September 2010 > 2010.09.07 > 04Prev  Next


Seek Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" Piano Roll
By Bruce Grimes

I have a small, maroon, 253-page book entitled "Piano Music:
Its Composers and Characteristics", by Clarence G. Hamilton
(Professor of Music at Wellesley college), published by Oliver
Ditson, Boston 1925.  In the back of the book is a 27-page compendium
of Duo-Art rolls, published for inclusion in that book, as the title
on the pamphlet indicates.

On page 21, in the section devoted to piano music in Russia, is the
list of rolls being coded that relates to commentary found on page
185 of the volume.  Under the name of Igor Stravinsky and played by
Igor Stravinsky, 4 rolls are listed : "Le Chant Rossignol", "Sonatina",
"Petrushka", and "Le Sacre du Printemps" [The Rite of Spring].
Asterisks in the place of roll numbers indicate that these rolls were
in process.

When I tried to find these rolls some years ago, I was told they were
never completed, or at least never issued.  This does not mean that the
unpublished masters are not on someone's shelves somewhere.

If, as some have postulated, Aeolian backed out of completing coding
the above mentioned rolls, it seems peculiar that they went forward
with the 6-roll Audiographic set of Stravinsky's "Firebird".

I join Mr. Zakaluk in wanting to find "The Rite of Spring" as well
as the rest of these rolls -- if they were actually coded and exist.
Remembering a number of "never issued rolls" that have surfaced over
the years, I have not yet given up.  Perhaps they are on the shelves
of some university which used the Duo-Art in its classes back then.
There are still a few collections like that around, I'm told.

Bruce Grimes

 [ A long discussion of the Aeolian and Pleyel piano rolls
 [ is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring 
 [ Rex Lawson's Pianola interpretation can be heard at
 [ http://benjaminzander.com/ypo/rightofspring.php  -- Robbie


(Message sent Wed 8 Sep 2010, 01:49:10 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Piano, Rite, Roll, Seek, Spring, Stravinsky

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