News

Starting in spring 2015 the GSM mart „Musica Mechanica“ moves to another place, to the previous Asbach site, just across the street from the place where it took place for the last five years.

The new address is Rottland 5-7. The parking area for the flee-market is no longer avalable. Only in the halls of the Asbach-Gasse tables and exhibition space will be provided.

September, 2013

Video-Clips are an excellent tool to present the field of  Mechanical Musical Instruments and their music to an interested audience.

On our special page, where we tried to compile all WWW pages that were created by members of the German Society for Self-Playing Musical Instruments (GSM), those members with a YouTube channel or an account on another similar platform are marked accordingly.

In addition to the video records presenting compositions by Nancarrow, which were published at YouTube in May, 2010 (see below), many musical oeuvres from other composers, especially written for the player piano, may be seen and listened to in the same way.

All compositions, note rolls of which are in the posession of Jürgen Hocker, were recorded now and are open to the public via YouTube:

http://www.playerpianokonzerte.de/youtubes_player_piano.htm

Some oeuvres date back to the twenties of the 20th century, others from the aera past Nancarrow were obviously influenced by him.

GSM honorary president Jürgen Hocker, who has a reputation for his knowledge about Conlon Nancarrow, took the task to make video records of all „Studies for Player Piano“, composed by Nancarrow, and presents them now on YouTube, where you may observe the motion of the piano rolls. Up until now this mode of presentation was not possible, because only the Sacher foundation and Jürgen Hocker are in posession of a complete set of piano rolls.

The records may be found by googling for „Jürgen Hocker“ and „Video“.  Thus you have access to all 56 studies.

E.g. the „Study for Player Piano No. 12“, also known as „Flamenco Study“,  may be found under  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bct4T9Ikl4.

Or watch this totally hyped Boogie-Woogie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp2dWEYRzKY.

April 20, 2009

The book  „ Faszination Player Piano “ written by our honorary president Jürgen Hocker (Bergisch Gladbach). This book was distributed to all GSM members immediately after its publication.
In his latest book, Jürgen Hocker presents for the first time an overview of the development and importance of the player piano. With over 330 photographs – most of them in colour – and a wealth of documentation, this richly illustrated book offers collectors, musicologists and music lovers an informative and at the same time entertaining compendium of the music and technology of this extraordinary breed of instrument. Because of it's often selfexplaining rich illustration this book is important even for no German speaking collectors and player piano enthusiasts.