Grieg Berceuse Op 38 No 1 - played by the composer, 1906 piano roll

Grieg had a few piano rolls made of his playing, by the two pioneers of hand-played rolls, Welte and Hupfeld.

This is one of the six rolls made for Hupfeld, on 11 April 1906, in Leipzig. This particular copy was manufactured in about 1920, using the standard 88-note roll format.

As with all regular piano rolls, the 'pianolist' is left to control the dynamics of the instrument. Hupfeld provided printed guidance on the roll. The intention was to facilitate interactive music-making, not passive consumption as we have become used to. It is probable that the markings were created by editors who may have been present when the roll was recorded, and agreed with Grieg when he visited the factory later.

The paper speed ('tempo') of Hupfeld rolls is awkward: although they used apparently-standard indications it is clear they are not actually standard because rolls play too slowly at the marked speed. Here I have allowed for this, but it's quite possibly the tempo may have been meant to be a little different. Regardless of tempo, the relative timing of the notes is entirely Grieg's.

Piano: 1908 Gotha Steck 7'4" Pianola grand. Pianolist Julian Dyer.

Видео Grieg Berceuse Op 38 No 1 - played by the composer, 1906 piano roll канала Julian Dyer