Henry Cowell’s “String Piano” in the context of the sound discoveries of the 20th century: theory and performance practice
Abstract
The article is devoted to the piano music of the American composer of the 20th century H. Cowell. The problem of the extended interpretation of the instrument, which involves the invasion of internal space, transforming the functionality, is considered on the material of piano works. The piano becomes not only a keyboard, but also a string instrument. The author pays special attention to the consideration of technical difficulties faced by the performer and offers certain ways to solve them. The conclusion of the study is a new understanding of Cowell’s role in the formation of the phenomenon of the extended piano, which is associated not only with playing the strings, but also with an extensive study of sounds of various natures depending on the methods of their extraction. Having developed a special system of graphic symbols, the composer supplemented it with instructions. This made it possible to determine the exact location of the performer at the piano so that this or that effect was unambiguous in terms of interpretation. In addition to the practical application of the expansion of performance techniques for playing the instrument, Cowell made a significant theoretical and practical contribution to the new history of the piano. The widest range of techniques opened up to the composer makes this traditional instrument flexible in relation to composer innovations, which were developed in the works of the American composer of the second half of the 20th century George Crumb.
About the Author
S. G. Belykh
Institute of Contemporary Art; Children’s Music School named after N.A. Alekseev
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Stella G. Belykh, postgraduate student; lecturer
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Belykh S.G. Henry Cowell’s “String Piano” in the context of the sound discoveries of the 20th century: theory and performance practice. ARTE. 2024;(3):16-26. (In Russ.)
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