Name:
Piano History Part 2
 This assignment is designed for you to learn about the history of the
piano, and listen to / watch some great pianists and compositions
 You must be logged in with your account, not guest, so that you can
save this file
 Spend about 10-20 minutes working on this each class. The rest of the
time should be spent playing piano. Remember to save your work!
 Type your responses directly onto this document, using full sentences,
correct spelling and grammar
 Do not copy and paste from websites, but type things in your own words
 Do not rush through this. Take your time to read about each topic,
watch the videos, and type your responses thoughtfully
 The due date has not been set yet, but I will let you know when it is
How It’s Made
Manufacturing a piano takes a lot of skill and involves many steps. Read the
questions below, then watch this video (about 9 minutes) showing how a
grand piano is made.
What did piano keys used to be made out of?
What do they now use for piano keys?
What is the purpose of the piano’s soundboard?
What do they do to the outside frame of the piano to make it look really nice
(3 things)?
Why do they put lead inside the piano keys?
What surprised you about the piano-making process?
Jazz Piano
Jazz music developed in the early 1900’s from ragtime and blues.
Ragtime is an American music style that features stride piano. The “King of
Ragtime” was Scott Joplin. Listen to one of Joplin’s most famous pieces, the
Maple Leaf Rag, as you research these questions:
How many ragtime pieces did Joplin write?
Joplin published the Maple Leaf Rag in 1899. What percent royalty did
he earn on each sale of the Maple Leaf Rag?
Watch this short clip showing stride piano. What is stride piano (make sure
you describe what the left hand is doing)?
Duke Ellington was a jazz pianist, composer, and big band leader. He wrote
over 1000 pieces. Watch this performance of It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t
Got That Swing) recorded in 1943.
Where is he from?
How many years did he lead his band?
Big band swing music was most popular during what decade?
What is the standard instrumentation of a big band (Instrumentation
means how many of each instrument are in a group)?
Chick Corea is one of the major living jazz pianists. He played in Miles Davis’
band in the 1960’s, and has since played in a variety of styles such as jazz
fusion, which combines traditional jazz with Latin and electric elements.
Watch this performance of Chick Corea playing his piece Spain as a duet with
Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara. Here is a solo performance of Chick Corea
playing Armando’s Rhumba.
What is a player piano?
Player Piano
When were they the most popular?
What do you put into a player piano’s mechanism for it to work?
Conlon Nancarrow was an American composer who wrote most of his music
for player piano. Watch his Study for Player Piano No. 3a, which takes the
boogie-woogie to an insane speed.
Why did Nancarrow spend most of his life living in Mexico?
Why did Nancarrow write music for the player piano instead of
humans?
Watch one of Gyory Ligeti’s pieces for player piano, based on fast descending
scales. Ligeti is the same composer who wrote the ultra-fast harpsichord
piece.
20th
Electronic Piano / Synthesizer
Throughout the
Century, electronic keyboards and synthesizers became
commercially available, and were widely used by musicians.
One of the main inventors of the synthesizer was Dr. Bob Moog. Watch Dr.
Moog show some of the capabilities of his synthesizer.
What year did Moog release the first commercially available
synthesizer?
MIDI is what allows electronic instruments to communicate with
computers. What does MIDI stand for?
Watch The Doors perform Light My Fire on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967.
Listen for how the synthesizer player adds to the band’s sound.
Modern Classical Piano
What is a prepared piano?
Watch this short video of a piano being prepared.
John Cage was an American avant-garde composer who wrote many pieces
for prepared piano. Watch these short performances of Cage’s Sonata V for
Prepared Piano and Sonata II for Prepared Piano
What years did he live?
Provide a definition for the term ‘avant-garde’, as it relates to music.
John Cage’s most well known piece is 4’33”. What happens during this piece?
Steve Reich is an American minimalist composer. He was the first composer
to use the process of phasing, in which two instruments play the same music
at a very slightly different speed from one another. The music gradually
phases out of unison into something new. Watch this performance of Reich’s
Piano Phase.
What are the features of minimalist music?
Philip Glass is another American minimalist composer. Watch this
performance of him playing his piano solo Mad Rush.
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How to submit this assignment
Proofread your responses for completeness, spelling, and grammar
Save this file as a word doc with your name as the filename
o Example “Bobby McStudent.doc”
Save the file in my folder on the Franklin music server
o Open finder
o On the menu bar, click Go>Connect to Server
o Connect to the Franklin server, using the same log in and
password you use for the computer
o Select Music
o Open my folder
o Open Assignment Turn In
o Place a copy of your finished assignment in the folder
You’re all done! Good work!