Mechanical Automations and Innovations

Chapter 10. Meeting 10, Interfaces: Mechanical Automations and Innovations 10.1. Announcements • Music Technology Case Study Draft due 3 November 10.2. Interfaces and Instruments • A musical interfaces is a place of interaction between sound production and/or compositional ideas • An interface, more than sound production method, quantity, or source, defines an instrument 10.3. The Organ • A wind instrument controlled by a keyboard and pedals • Sometimes with multiple manuals (keyboards) and stops (timbral controls) • With the clock, one of the most complex mechanical devices developed up until the 19th century • A locus of technological innovation: new technologies quickly adapted and incorporated • A very old “unnatural” and “modern” instrument • Bellows permit continuous sound • Tuned pipes provide fixed pitch • Multiple interface types: multiple manuals, pedals, and stops • Custom instrument installation motivates diverse designs 10.4. The Organ: Valves as Triggers and Selectors • Modern single-manual organ with suspended action Image removed due to copyright restrictions. "Key- and stop-mechanism of a single-manual organ with suspended action" from Grove Dictionary of Music (Online). • By pulling different stops, the operator could change the timbre of the instrument while playing • Switches and slides (in addition to keys) become a musical interface 10.5. The Organ: The Hydraulic Organ (Hydraulis) • Greeks explored pneumatics and hydraulic devices: Hero of Alexandria • The hydraulis, hydraulos, hydraulus or hydraula: a Greek invention of 3rd century BCE • Possibly invented by Ctesibius of Alexandria in 246 BCE • Wind supply to the pipes regulated by water pressure © source unknown. All rights reserved. Heron's Windwheel. (1899, public domain, via Wikipedia.) © source unknown. All rights reserved. 10.6. The Organ: Bellows and the Need for Air Pressure • Need for regular air pressure leads to numerous technological solutions • Late 15th century • 18th century multifold bellows YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qccBF1beTmY) • Mid 19th century: steam power Calliope YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odMCKR54VRc) • Early 20th century: electrical fan blowers Courtesy of James H. Cook. Used with permission. Courtesy of B.O.B. Stevenson Ltd. Used with permission. 10.7. Electroacoustic Keyboard Instruments • Electroacoustic instrument: acoustic sounds are electronically amplified • Common approach to use brass reeds that vibrate and are then amplified with pickups • 1934: Everett Orgatron • 1947: Wurlitzer electric piano, based on Orgatron, produced in New York YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bGqHuJoB9M) YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aEL5AQG2fQ) • Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Clavichord © Keyboard Magazine / New Bay Media LLC. All rights reserved. • Internals of the Rhodes YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZW00m81WW8) 10.8. Hammond B3: History • 1935: Laurens Hammond with his instrument • 1939: Hammond demonstrates B3 at AES in New York • Two 61 note keyboards © source unknown. All rights reserved. • 400 pounds 10.9. Hammond B3: Technologies • 91 tone wheels: rotating discs that electro-magnetically generate a tone • Similar to a dynamic microphone, tone wheels generate a tone through electromagnetic induction Courtesy of Eric C. Larson. Used with permission. Courtesy of Eric C. Larson. Used with permission. • Two sets of 9 drawbars • Drawbars control amplitude of harmonics: sub-octave, unison, 8th, 12th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 22nd © Wikipedia user:D135-1r43. License CC BY-SA. • Drawbars provide an interface to additive synthesis • Required external amplification • Examples YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQUr-TKC76g) YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nsPgSl52qY) 10.10. Hammond B3: Dynamic Timbre Control • Drawbars permit dynamic timbre: sliders instead of stops • Drawbars become an interface • Hammond XK-3 ($2195): 96 Digital Tone Wheels/Vacuum Tube © Hammond Suzuki USA, Inc. • Native Instruments B4 ($199): Virtual Instrument © Native Instruments GmbH. • . Native Instrument B4D © Native Instruments GmbH. 10.11. Listening: Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery • Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery: “O.G.D. (Road Song)” (Jimmy & Wes: The Dynamic Duo, 1966 • What gives Jimmy Smith’s solo (from 2:26) a compelling forward momentum? 10.12. Listening: Medeski, Martin, and Wood • Medeski, Martin, and Wood: “Hypnotized,” 1998 • How is the sound of the Hammond transformed, and to what creative ends? 10.13. The Player Piano: History • late 1800s: Barrel piano: stubs on cylinder encode music • 1804: John Longman introduces drawing-room barrel piano with no keyboard • 1800s: Portable barrel pianos popular street entertainment © source unknown. • 1863: Henri Fourneaux develops Pianista: first pneumatic piano playing machine • 1895: Edwin Scott Votey creates the Pianola • 1904: Edwin Welte completes first “reproducing piano” • 1904: Welte in Germany records a performer for use in creating player piano rolls (2002, p. 84) • 1900-1930: 2.5 million instruments sold in U.S. • Gramophones and radio reduced demand by 1930s • Depression up until WWII led to demise of industry 10.14. The Player Piano: Mechanics • Pneumatic power: paper-as-a-valve system Courtesy of Jürgen Hocker. Used with permission. Image removed due to copyright restrictions. Player piano "Reproducing mechanism diagram" from Grove Dictionary of Music (Online). © source unknown. • Ampico system: 98 tracks per line, 83 for controlling piano notes, 1 track for left pedal, 1 track for right pedal, 6 tracks for controlling bass dynamics, 6 tracks for controlling treble dynamics (Hocker 2002, p. 88) • Player piano in motion YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhSnUprw7XY) YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GfKEv12-sg) • Alternative approaches 10.15. Conlon Nancarrow • Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997) • Born in Arkansas, fought in Spain against Franco, emigrates to Mexico • Influenced by Henry Cowell’s recommendation perform complex rhythms on player piano (Hocker 2002, p. 87) • Frustrated with limitations of human players • 1947: Bought a player piano roll cutting machine • 1949: First original composition for player piano • Composes 49 studies for player piano • First 20 studies written out in standard notation (Hocker 2002, p. 90) • Explored speeds and densities idiomatic to the player piano • Player piano: 200 notes / second (Human: 15 notes per second) • Player piano: 40 notes at once (Human: 12-15 notes at once) 10.16. Conlon Nancarrow: Music • Idea of temporal dissonance (Hocker 2002, p. 93) Examples via Frere Jacques (http://willshare.com/willeyrk/creative/papers/study37/tempdiss.htm) • Often used poly-tempi and poly-meter • Complex temporal canons • Precise ratio-based acceleration and deceleration • Study 2 Courtesy of Margaret Thomas. Used with permission. • Study 25 Courtesy of Jürgen Hocker. Used with permission. 10.17. Listening: Conlon Nancarrow • Conlon Nancarrow: “Study #1” • Conlon Nancarrow: “Study #36” 10.18. Reading: Hocker • Hocker, J. 2002. “My Soul is in the Machine — Conlon Nancarrow — Composer for Player Piano — Precursor of Computer Music.” In Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century. H. Braun, ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 84-96. • How is the composer’s interface altered if permitted to draw compositions on paper rolls? • Is unplayability an important feature for Nancarrow? 10.19. Ideas of a new Music • 1907: Ferruccio Busoni: Outline of a New Aesthetic of Music • 1910-1912: Manifesti of Ballila Pratella • 1913: Russolo: Art of Noises • 1919-1930: Henry Cowell: New Musical Resources 10.20. Reading: Brown • Brown, B. 1981. “The Noise Instruments of Luigi Russolo.” Perspectives of New Music 20(1-2): 31 48. • From where did Russolo get his inspiration? • What was the basic sound producing mechanism of the intonarumori Public domain photo. Public domain photo. • What was the interface of the Intonarumori? • What were Russolo’s goals of developing and extending the Intonarumori? 10.21. Reading: Bijsterveld • Bijsterveld, K. 2002. “A Servile Imitation. Disputes about Machines in Music, 1910-1930.” In Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century. H. Braun, ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 121-135. • Was Russolo a (sonic/musical) revolutionary? • What motivated Russolo to say the following: “... the ear must hear these noises mastered, servile, completely controlled, conquered and constrained to become elements of art” (2002, p. 124) • What were some of the criticisms of Russolo’s instruments and compositions? 10.22. Listening: Russolo • Listening: Luigi Russolo, “Intonarumori: crepitatore (crackler),” 1977 • Luigi Russolo, “Intonarumori: gorgogliatore (gurgler)” 1977 • Luigi Russolo, “Risveglio di una Citta (Extract),” 1977