Trimpin | Klavier Nonette
January 16 – April 27, 2003
Klavier Nonette is comprised of 9 toy pianos made by Schoenhut and Jaymar during the 1950s and 1960s. Each piano is electrofitted with an electromechanical device that can be automatically played like a player piano, but can also be played manually. A console similar to a jukebox is at the entrance to the gallery, inviting visitors to select a composition for the price of a quarter. Composers were rewarded from the proceeds according to the frequency of their works’ performance. In addition to compositions selected for Jack Straw’s New Media Gallery installation, other works created for Klavier Nonette are included in the collection including compositions by John Cage, George Lewis, David Mahler, Liberace, and Janice Giteck and Marcus Macauley among others.
“The timbre and sound of toy pianos has always been intriguing, because it resembles somewhat the intonations of non-Western systems and our ears respond to the more natural harmonic spectrum in comparison the precise tuning of our system of music. To achieve certain acoustical layers, it is necessary to use multiple instruments, (with the same octave range), strategically placed around the room. When the instruments are played simultaneously or sequentially, acoustical patterns, fragments, and other phenomena are perceived depending on where they are standing.” Trimpin
In addition to the gallery exhibition, the public was invited to attend a Composer Spotlight presentation by Trimpin on Wednesday, February 12, 2003.
Artists
Trimpin
Trimpin is a German-born composer and sound artist who has lived and worked in Seattle since 1979. His sound sculptures, installations and set designs have been developed in collaboration…
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Amy Denio
Amy Denio is a composer, improviser, singer, and multi-instrumentalist whose main instruments are voice, alto saxophone, clarinet, accordion, electric guitar, and bass. She was inducted into the Seattle Jazz…
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Janice Giteck
Janice Giteck (born New York, 1946) is a composer of music for concert, multi-media, dance and theater. Her work is most celebrated for its visceral connection to social issues…
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