Yen Lin Goh, Jenni Nikolajeff

The Piano as an Ambassador for Contemporary Music: A Multi-disciplinary Recital

There has been extensive discussion as to whether the piano should be classified as a string or percussion instrument (because of the motion of the hammers striking the strings), however the piano is more commonly considered a keyboard instrument. As a performer specializing in contemporary art music, the researcher has discovered twentieth century and twenty-first-century piano compositions that highlight the instrument’s percussive capabilities, and extended techniques utilizing the piano strings, in addition to works which utilize the full keyboard and pedals. This multi-disciplinary recital aims to explore the piano as an ambassador for contemporary music, while simultaneously challenging the role of the pianist. The four chosen creative works cross the boundaries of traditional practices in different ways, contributing to a diverse, innovative invention between the performers and the instrument(s).

Piano Sonata No. 2 The Fire Sermon by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928) exploits the expressive quality of tone clusters, in which the keys are played either by the palm of the hand, fingers, or the arm, through an unconventional use of the damper pedal. This exploration involves holding the damper pedal through a long series of harmonies and clusters, or a sudden release of the pedal while tone clusters are held to create a specific sound effect. This presentation focuses on the second movement of this sonata, which showcases cluster techniques, whereby the pedal is held through and then released suddenly. This movement also includes a creative use of clusters in the extreme range of the keyboard, as an interrupted romantic passage is played concurrently, while keeping the damper pedal depressed.

‘String piano’ is a term coined by the American composer Henry Cowell to refer to extended techniques such as “strumming, plucking, thumping, and damping” the strings (Hicks, 2002, p. 110). “Xiao Xiao,” from Concealed Kisses, which is a suite for vocalizing pianist (2005-2006) by Chinese-born composer Gao Ping (b. 1970), explores the inside of the piano as a Chinese string instrument, in addition to the use of the voice as an extension of piano playing.

Digit #2 for two players, by Dutch composer Mayke Nas (b. 1972), explores the keys and performers themselves as percussion. The clusters in Digit #2 serve a different function than those in Rautavaara’s sonata. Rather than an extension of the melodies and harmonies, the sound produced by the clusters in Digit #2 functions more like percussion. Unlike the clusters in Rautavaara’s sonata, the pitches and the range of clusters are non-specific. The composer is more concerned with the hand gesture and overall sound quality, instructing the performer that “All notes for the piano are to be played very firmly with flat hands, producing loud clusters.” This highly choreographed piece will challenge the audience to decide whether this should be considered a musical work, a theatrical work (due to its visual element), or a dance at the piano?

In recent decades, the toy piano has become increasingly popular in the contemporary music scene. The Suite for Toy Piano was the first serious piece for toy piano, and was performed by pianist Margaret Leng Tan at the memorial tribute to John Cage after his death in 1992. This performance inspired the creation of more repertoire for the toy piano, as well as works for other toy instruments. Ge Gan-ru’s Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!, a melodrama for voice, self-accompanied by a toy orchestra, is a groundbreaking work which incorporates toy piano, an array of toy instruments, voice, as well as theatrical elements. Discovering and performing Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! inspired the researcher to include toy instruments in her

improvisation projects and performances. These miniature instruments are relatively lightweight and portable, which enabled the pianist to perform with associate artists in cafes, libraries, and museums where an acoustic piano was not available. Despite the increased popularity of toy piano and other toy instruments in the contemporary music scene, the creative use of toy instruments alongside contemporary dance has not been fully explored.

Improvisation has been employed in various musical genres throughout the history of Western music. The use of improvisation in keyboard music can be traced back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when there was “improvisation of the figured bass” among keyboard players (Kennedy, 1980, p. 315). Similarly, improvisation has been widely used in dance culture, which led to the idea of Contact Improvisation (CI), conceived by the American choreographer Steve Paxton in 1972 (Contact Quarterly, 2014). However, improvisation between musicians and dancers has not been commonly practiced.

This presentation will conclude with a collaborative performance with a dancer/choreographer in a work which utilizes a grand piano employing keyboard, string, and percussion techniques, toy instruments, improvisation, voice, as well as movement. The conflict and struggle involved in finding a balance between individual and collective expertise will be examined through this collaborative process.