Archive for piano roll

Ravel plays Ravel

Posted in Music with tags , , on March 15, 2025 by telescoper

Not to labour the point about the correct pace for a Pavane which I made here and here, here’s a piano roll of Maurice Ravel playing a solo version the piece of which I heard the orchestral version last week, Pavane pour une infante défunte. Piano rolls are still being made, by the way. One feature that distinguishes them from other recording formats is that you can vary the tempo without changing the pitch. If you play a vinyl record faster then the pitch goes up. On a piano roll you always get the right notes. To be sure that this is the original tempo you would need to establish that it’s being played at the same speed as it was recorded. If that is the case, it’s definitely a bit faster than most versions I’ve heard – and (in my opinion) none the worse for that. Aside from the tempo, it’s interesting how he approaches the piece, emphasizing the harmony far more than the melody.

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