Mr. Nancarrow with one of his instruments.
conlan Nancarrow, “study for player piano no. 3a
from: studies for player piano, 1750 arch records. 1977
Yes, we are talking about what would be considered avant-garde, classically based, player-piano experiments, conducted in obscurity, out of the range of commercial opportunity, mostly in Mexico, during the middle of the 20th century. And there are tons of pieces you can sample which embrace an enormity of styles. Another largely forgotten musical innovator.
““Nancarrow is best remembered for his Studies for Player Piano, being one of the first composers to use auto-playing musical instruments, realizing their potential to play far beyond human performance ability.”
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