1913 1906 Elly Ney Today Playing Her 1906 Interpretations Selected Works
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CYAN MAGENTA GELB SCHWARZ CYAN MAGENTA GELB SCHWARZ 158 TACET 19061913 The Welte-Mignon Mystery Vol. VIII Elly Ney today playing her 1906 interpretations Selected works by Beethoven, Händel, Chopin, TODAY Brahms, Liszt, Rubinstein, Köhler, Délibes and Kaun TACET-T158_Seite_28 TACET-T158_Seite_28 TACET-T158_Seite_1 TACET-T158_Seite_1 The Welte-Mignon Mystery Vol. VIII Impressum Elly Ney today playing her 1906 interpretations Recorded: 2006 Instrument: Steinway D Tuning and maintenance of the piano: Ludwig van Beethoven Franz Liszt Paul Stöckle 1 5 Sonate Nr. 31 op. 110 As-Dur Ungarische Rhapsodie Nr. 8 fi s-Moll 7'27 Welte-Vorsetzer-Technik: H.- W. Schmitz 2. Satz Allegro molto No. 1112 Technical equipment: TACET 3. Satz Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo 11'58 Johannes Brahms Für die Aufnahme wurden freundlicherweise 6 Welte-Mignon Catalogue No. 1105 Klavierstücke op. 118, Rollen zur Verfügung gestellt von: Nr. 5 Romanze F-Dur 3'52 Hans- W. Schmitz, Stuttgart ( No. 1104 never published – probably No. 1113 Sammlung Peter Zergiebel, Rodewisch 1st movement of Beethoven sonata) Anton Rubinstein Translations: Celia Skrine (English), 7 Georg Friedrich Händel Gavotte Fis-Dur op. 38 Nr. 5 4'22 Stephan Lung (French) 2 Chaconne G-Dur mit 21 Variationen 5'51 No. 1114 No. 1106 Photos 2, 3 : Jochen Trabant Bernhard Köhler Photos 1, 4 : Hans- W. Schmitz Frédéric Chopin 8 Caprice im alten Stil 2'03 Abbildung Booklet-Rückseite: 3 Etüde op. 25 Nr. 7 cis-Moll 5'13 No. 1115 Gemälde von Mathilde Mink, No. 1107 in Privatbesitz ( Alle Rechte vorbehalten) Léo Clement Délibes Reproduktion: Thomas Burkhart Johannes Brahms 9 Valse „Pas de fl eurs“ aus dem 4 Sonate für Klavier Nr. 3 f-Moll op. 5 Ballett Naîla (1866) 6'24 Booklet layout: Toms Spogis 2. Satz Andante espressivo 11'07 No. 1116 Cover design: Julia Zancker No. 1108 Hugo Kaun Recording: Andreas Spreer ( Nos. 1109, 1110, 1111 missing – bl Serenade op. 7 Nr. 2 D-Dur 2'22 Produced by Andreas Spreer nicht nachweisbar ) No. 1117 c 2007 TACET Total time 61:36 p 2007 TACET 2 27 TACET-T158_Seite_2 TACET-T158_Seite_27 What is a Welte-Mignon? This is not an historical TACET 152: Reger plays Reger TACET 146: Arthur Schnabel recording: In 1904, at a time when the recording and reproduction of music were still in their quite the opposite. TACET’s recording tech- infancy, the German fi rm of M.Welte & Söhne niques, renowned for their crystal clarity came up with a sensational invention. It had and spaciousness, score another triumph pioneered a procedure which could record here. Yet the music is heard in its original and reproduce “all the subtleties of a pianist’s interpretations, accurate to within a hair’s- performance”, which it patented under the breadth. And the mystery is that the origi- name of “Welte-Mignon”. By means of per- nal performer was present at the recent forated strips of paper the playing of famous recording session, but not there in person. pianists could be reproduced authentically He is heard playing on a modern Steinway, and entirely automatically. When the Mignon without the loss of sound quality usually was demonstrated for the fi rst time, the press inevitable with historical recordings. Seen hailed it as the latest wonder of the world. as a whole, the Welte-Mignon player piano The mechanism, driven as if by an invisible is reminiscent of a kind of time machine. hand, was built into pianos, both upright and Moreover, never before has music stored in grand, by famous makes such as Steinway, the Welte-Mignon system sounded so “right” Bechstein and Blüthner. In the so-called TACET 145: Ernst von Dohnányi and so good. And because the mechanism of “Vorsetzer” or “push-up” version ( photo 1 ) the Welte-Mignon system has recently been a cabinet was installed in front of a piano on meticulously adjusted by the leading expert, whose keyboard it played with its felt-cov- Hans-W. Schmitz, it is now possible to get ered wooden fi nger-like actuators ( photo 2 ). to know the interpretations of yesteryear Welte & Sons produced their Welte-Mignons really well – and this may lead to unexpected in limited numbers and at exorbitant prices. insights. The Welte-Mignon’s treasures are Thanks to sophisticated advertising these only now systematically unveiled – by TACET soon began to appear in the music rooms of – because at last the necessary requirements the aristocracy and high society as well as in have been met. The Welte-Mignon “player- those of industrialists and men of property. It piano” and its reproduction mechanism were was also to be heard in the lounges of grand invented in 1904. hotels and in the saloons of ocean liners ply- Ulrich Oesterle ing between Hamburg and New York. By the outbreak of the First World War some 2500 titles had been recorded, drawn 26 3 TACET-T158_Seite_26 TACET-T158_Seite_3 predominantly from the classical repertoire. Further releases: The postwar years brought a new albeit short-lived boom. In well-to-do circles new TACET 139: Granados plays Granados TACET 137: Strauss plays Strauss dances such as the shimmy, the one-step, the tango-milonga and the Boston waltz were all the fashion thanks to revues and musicals. Welte & Sons was obliged to respond to this new trend, with the result that their studios now made fewer recordings with concert pianists: the last were Vladimir Horovitz late in 1926 and Rudolf Serkin in 1928. The growing threat of a worldwide depres- sion and the introduction of improved, i.e. electrically recorded, gramophone records and wireless broadcasting meant that Welte-Mignon’s exclusive products were soon forgotten. Production ceased in 1932. Photo 1: Welte-Mignon “Vorsetzer” Musical reproduction and in position at the piano TACET 135: Felix Mottl plays Wagner ( 2 CDs ) TACET 140: Chopin: Études op. 10, op. 25 the Welte piano roll • Welte-Mignon-Vorsetzer am Flügel • Welte-Mignon « Vorsetzer » au piano In contrast to pianola rolls, which were ( appareil s’adaptant devant l’instrument ) already well known, those made by Welte & Sons, with their exclusive recording technique, pedals are activated. When a roll is played, created the fi rst-ever opportunity in the his- all these perforations are read pneumatically tory of music to capture a pianist’s “live” from below by an automatic tracking device performance, save it, and then play it back ( see photo 4 ). All the subtleties of a pianist’s on an instrument. performance are recorded digitally ( i. e. by a Welte piano rolls are punched rolls of paper perforation or none, as appropriate ) so that resembling perforated strips in which every the apparatus can reproduce them on the key- note of the keyboard has its exact counterpart board thanks to its pneumatically activated ( see photo 3 ). In addition their edges con- relays and valves and its minute pneumat- tain further perforations indicating dynamic ics. In this process the volume is uniformly nuances and specifying when and where regulated from the most delicate pianissimo 4 25 TACET-T158_Seite_4 TACET-T158_Seite_25 Chronologie de Elly Ney to fortissimo and can respond as promptly as through insuffi cient knowledge, have received the performance requires. scant attention for many years. • Née le 27 septembre 1882 à Düsseldorf, fi lle d’un adjudant et d’une professeur de musique The accurate reproduction of Welte piano It would seem that for commercial reasons • 1892 – 1901 élève d’Isidore Seiss au Conservatoire de Cologne rolls presupposes the thorough restoration of Welte & Sons were ready to accept a slight • 1903 « fuite » à Vienne cachée au père pour continuer d’étudier the playback apparatus and complex tuning diminution in the technical specifi cations of • 1903 élève de perfectionnement de Théodore Leschetitzky ( mai à juillet ) with the aid of special test-rolls. Then fur- their apparatus. As a result a differentiation • 1903/04 membre et examen de fi n d’études de la classe de perfectionnement d’Emil v. Sauer ther adjustments have to be made in order to in volume between treble and bass is possi- • 1904 début offi ciel comme pianiste de concert à Berlin regulate and fi ne-tune the expressive dynam- ble, but not between individual notes within • 1904 – 07 enseignante au Conservatoire de Cologne ics and the speed of the reproduction which, a chord, either in treble or bass. • À partir de 1908 célébrité rapidement croissante, concerts dans toute l’Europe et tournées • 1911 mariage avec le violoniste et chef d’orchestre hollandais Willem van Hoogstraten Photo 2: The felted fi ngers seen from below. The “Vorsetzer” is pushed up against the • 1914 fondation du premier « Trio-Elly-Ney » avec son mari et Fritz Reitz (violoncelle) piano keyboard and adjusted for height so that the felted fi ngers lie exactly on the keys. • 1918 naissance de sa fi lle Eléonore van Hoogstraten • Ansicht der befi lzten Finger von unten. Der Vorsetzer wird so an die Klaviatur eines Pianos • 1921 – 30 installation et concerts généralement aux Etats-Unis geschoben und in der Höhe justiert, dass die Finger gerade auf den Tasten liegen. • 1927 citoyenne d’honneur de la ville de Bonn ; divorce de Willem van Hoogstraten • Vue de dessous des doigts en bois. Le « Vorsetzer » va être ainsi poussé devant le clavier d’un • 1928 deuxième et bref mariage avec Paul Allais (directeur d’une mine de charbon à Chicago) piano et ajusté dans la hauteur afi n que ses « doigts » soient juste posés sur les touches. • 1930 nouvelle fondation du Festival Beethoven de Bonn par Elly Ney ( « trois journées populaires de Beethoven à Bonn » ) • 1931 deuxième « Trio-Elly-Ney » avec Wilhelm Stross ( plus tard Max Strub ) et Ludwig Hoelscher • À partir de 1936 concerts pour le Partie National-socialiste ( NSDAP ), Jeunesses hitlériennes et « Kraft durch Freude / la force à travers la joie », plus tard aussi dans le cadre de l’encadrement des troupes.