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From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Re: new topic(s) -- evolution of performance styles
Message-ID: <898@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-May-84 17:21:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: dciem.898
Posted: Tue May  1 17:21:29 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 1-May-84 20:44:00 EDT
References: <833@eosp1.UUCP>
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
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There was a piano-recording technique by Welte(?) which captured the
finger movements on the keys, enabling any piano to be replayed by
a "vorsetzer(sp)" that emulated the pianist's fingers.  The Book of the
Month Club had a set of recordings made this way by composers and
virtuosi around the turn of the century.  I don't remember all the
performers, but they included Saint Saens, Hoffman, Paderewski,
Debussy, Ravel(?) and quite a few more.

My impression of the performing styles in comparison with today's
fashion was that the virtuosi sounded terrible whereas the composers
were great pianists.  The virtuosi put in their own ideas of rubato
and idiosyncratic (mis)emphases, whereas the composers played the
music in such a way as to bring out what was implied by the notes.
Wouldn't is be great to find out how Liszt REALLY played?  Berlioz
was death on pianists who took unwarranted liberties, but thought
Liszt was superb; yet these virtuosi whose performances now seem so
idiosyncratic were mostly pupils of Liszt or his pupils.
-- 

Martin Taylor
{allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt