Robert,
Don't you thik that it could be interesting to hear Roul Pugno playing on a recent instrument ?
Have you tried the same MIDI file with a Steinway D or a Petrof ?

Gaston,

That's a great idea and I don't know why I've never done that before. I'm listening to it now on the Petrof (I don't have the Steinway) and it does bring the sound into modern day times and makes for a different experience. I like both instruments but the Erard has my heart!

Here's the website where you can find the MIDI file and all the files in the Stanford University Piano Roll Archive:

https://supra.stanford.edu/

The Archive is like Aladdin's Cave, filled with treasure!

My best wishes,
Robert

Back to the future ! Impressive to me too.

Thanks, Amaryllis!

Yes, we've come full circle. Where next?

My best,
Robert

Very impressive, as always, and I just have to agree with all the comments above. The results you get with these piano rolls and Pianoteq somehow sound a lot more 'human' than quite a few recordings I have heard of actual player pianos.

Thank you, dazric! Much appreciated.

I think one reason these piano rolls sound so good through Pianoteq is because the Stanford Archive designed and built a special scanner for converting them to midi. The result is what they call Expressive Midi and it allows greater nuance of touch, dynamics, and tone colour.

But I can't take any credit for what you hear because I really don't know what I'm doing except through trial and error. Had member BM not posted his 1899 Erard fxp and Qexl not posted his Res Eq and Res Dur, my fxp would not be nearly as good.

Cheers and thanks, again,
Robert

Yes, it's not that player pianos haven't been available over the last hundred years, but I would guess that playable old ones are likely harder to find (though I almost bought one from 1926).  Philippe's creation has paired the software 'engine' for player-ability with a huge and growing variety of instruments, many of which would never have had such abilities in their era, though pianists from the early player-period might have occasionally used them.  So Pianoteq allows music recorded in the early 1900s to be played on pianos of the mid 1800s, along with adjustments in condition, etc.

Truly a magical glimpse into a bygone age...

Hi David,

Agreed. Modartt is bringing history to life in ways we could not have imagined. I do wish, though, they would create a stylish chapeau with sensors embedded in it that would allow us to use Pianoteq just through our thoughts and turn pages on a music score in pdf!

Take care,
Robert

algorhythms wrote:

dklein wrote:

Beautiful.   Quite the keyboard fireworks show.  It's still crazy to think that we're listening to a recording, essentially, from over 100 years ago.

Thank you, David!

Yes, it's miraculous that a piano roll which has no sound and Pianoteq which has no prerecorded sounds, somehow with Philipe and his genius team something wonderfully beautiful is the result. It's like these piano rolls have been patiently waiting a century in their boxes for Pianoteq to come let them out and release their magic.

I tweaked the velocity curve from Normal to 2 points lower at each point and I think it helped the overall sound quality.

So pleased you enjoyed the fireworks!

Cheers,
Robert

Amazing & Beautiful. I am completely of the same opinion as dklein. And when reading your ”a piano roll which has no sound and Pianoteq which has no prerecorded sounds” I was a bit like in a shock that it coould happen, that I can hear the music…it exist. And how can anyone be so fantastic at piano.
Thank you, Robert, it’s really miraculous and fantastic that you can make everything work. Probably something that nobody's ever done before!
You are great. Be very proud. I’m very happy that you upload these music pieces.

Stig

Thank you, Stig, for your kind words, encouragement, and support. I rely on that!

Yes, this performance is amazing and that we can hear it today in superb audio equally so. Don't know how Modartt puts numbers in a barrel, give it turn, and out pops an Erard of this quality. It's magic to me.

Stay well and safe!

Robert

Bonjour Robert,

The outcome is impressive and very moving !
However something is not obvious to me  :
Did Raoul Pugno actually play on a mechanical piano recorder, or did he transcribe his score onto a roll ?
In other words, is it a recording or a transcription by the pianist?

Bonjour Gaston et merci beaucoup!

Yes, it's actually Raoul Pugno playing at the Welte-Mignon studios on a mechanical grand piano recorder. There's a photo of him I found online at a recording session with executives of Welte-Mignon standing around the piano and Pugno seated. The Stanford University Piano Roll Archive gives the date of the recording session for all the piano rolls in the Archive. So, I assume it's an actual performance rather than a transcription. But if I find out anything different I will let you know.

Best wishes,
Robert

Truly a magical glimpse into a bygone age...

dklein wrote:

Beautiful.   Quite the keyboard fireworks show.  It's still crazy to think that we're listening to a recording, essentially, from over 100 years ago.

Thank you, David!

Yes, it's miraculous that a piano roll which has no sound and Pianoteq which has no prerecorded sounds, somehow with Philipe and his genius team something wonderfully beautiful is the result. It's like these piano rolls have been patiently waiting a century in their boxes for Pianoteq to come let them out and release their magic.

I tweaked the velocity curve from Normal to 2 points lower at each point and I think it helped the overall sound quality.

So pleased you enjoyed the fireworks!

Cheers,
Robert

Amazing & Beautiful. I am completely of the same opinion as dklein. And when reading your ”a piano roll which has no sound and Pianoteq which has no prerecorded sounds” I was a bit like in a shock that it coould happen, that I can hear the music…it exist. And how can anyone be so fantastic at piano.
Thank you, Robert, it’s really miraculous and fantastic that you can make everything work. Probably something that nobody's ever done before!
You are great. Be very proud. I’m very happy that you upload these music pieces.

Stig

The outcome is impressive and very moving !
However something is not obvious to me  :
Did Raoul Pugno actually play on a mechanical piano recorder, or did he transcribe his score onto a roll ?
In other words, is it a recording or a transcription by the pianist?

Beautiful.   Quite the keyboard fireworks show.  It's still crazy to think that we're listening to a recording, essentially, from over 100 years ago.

Thank you, David!

Yes, it's miraculous that a piano roll which has no sound and Pianoteq which has no prerecorded sounds, somehow with Philipe and his genius team something wonderfully beautiful is the result. It's like these piano rolls have been patiently waiting a century in their boxes for Pianoteq to come let them out and release their magic.

I tweaked the velocity curve from Normal to 2 points lower at each point and I think it helped the overall sound quality.

So pleased you enjoyed the fireworks!

Cheers,
Robert