Showing posts with label toy piano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toy piano. Show all posts

28 July 2013

When the Toy Piano Is Not a Toy


Here is an album of selections from a live performance of contemporary compositions by Karlheinz Essl performed by classical pianist Víctor Trescolí on toy piano and grand piano and processed by Essl with live-electronics.



The concert was held at New Theatre of the Fine Arts School Alfons Roig at Universitat Politècnica de Valencia. Videos of the performance are on the release page. Below is a work not included in the album.



For more toy piano works, please see the Oddio Overplay article "The Underappreciated Kinderklavier" and associated compilation mix at the Free Music Archive.



Music License: © CC BY-NC-ND
Artist Location: Valencia, Spain and Vienna, Austria

31 March 2013

Bunny Rabbits

A. Bunny Movie and Soundtrack

Big Buck Bunny tells the story of "a giant rabbit with a heart bigger than himself. When one sunny day three rodents rudely harass him, something snaps...."

This animated film was part of a very cool open film project using equally cool open source software and is shared with Creative Commons licensing.

Learn more and get a copy of the film at the official website. Get a copy of the soundtrack at the Free Music Archive.

license film: Creative Commons Attribution



B. Bunny Stories and Songs from Kiddie Records Weekly

Kiddie Records Weekly is a project dedicated to celebrating the golden age of children's records.
This period roughly spanned from the mid-forties through the early fifties and produced a wealth of all-time classics. Many of these recordings were extravagant Hollywood productions featuring big time celebrities and composers. Over time these lost treasures slipped off the radar and it has become our mission to give them a new lease on life by sharing them with today's generation of online listeners.
Along with many Bugs Bunny records, you will find these bunny selections.















C. Netherland Dwarf

The Netherland Dwarf is a particularly adorable, small, fuzzy, and popular breed of house rabbit.

Netherland Dwarf is also a recording artist in Japan who has released a free album of toy piano music titled May The Piper.

license: all rights reserved




D. Bunny Audio Story and Paper Toy

The Velveteen Rabbit: or, How Toys Become Real tells the story of a plush toy rabbit and his quest to become real through the love of a child.

The Velveteen Rabbit was first published in 1922. It was the first children's book written by English-American writer Margery Williams. The book would be her most famous. It has been enjoyed by all generations since it was published. Many movies and animated films have been made about this timeless story.

This production of the classic tale by Margery Williams is brought to you by Kazoomzoom. Janice D. Green, a.k.a. "Grandma Janice", reads it for you. The music was written and performed by zero-project.



license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

This official toy created by gifted illustrator and animator Mr. Fantoccini accompanies the release of our production of the classic tale by Margery Williams.


28 September 2012

06 January 2011

The Underappreciated Kinderklavier

The toy piano is historically more than just a plaything. Quality toy pianos stay in tune, because they do not employ strings. Toy pianos offer a unique timbre unlike a piano and more like a celesta or a member of the harpsichord family. It is this unusual sound has been the key appeal to a small number of composers and performers through the centuries.

A German boy born into a toy-making family, Albert Schoenhut (1848-1912) created the ancestor of the modern toy piano. The hammers on his early toy pianos originally struck sounding bars made of glass, as opposed to the strings on real pianos. The glass bars proved to be too fragile for shipping, so Schoenhut soon opted for metal bars, making the instruments more durable.

In 1866, when he was 17, Schoenhut set sail across the Atlantic heading to Philadelphia where he had a job repairing toy pianos. By 1872, Schoenhut had developed his own toy manufacturing business. The Schoenhut Toy Company still makes quality toy pianos today.

Can't get your hands on a fine toy piano, but would like to play one? You are in luck! Pascal Ayerbe, a fantastic toy performer, offers an antique French Michelsonne toy piano to play online.

Modern composers and performers of music for the toy piano range from John Zorn to the Dresden Dolls [Amazon selections]. One super fun and quirky artist who is breathing life into the instrument today is Twink, billed as "the toy piano band." Since French label MonsterK7 ("Monster Cassette") sold out all copies of their toy piano compilation, Une Ode au Toy Piano, they have offered it for free download.

The Free Music Archive is also home to several works featuring the toy piano, including a full-length serious work by Aestrid Byrne titled Duff (Music for Toy Pianos) and a spoken piece by Edoheart named "Monsoon in Ibadan."




photo of toy piano by Allison Felus [license]

01 January 2011

Ringing in the New Year


Happy New Year, music friends!

As of January 1, 2011, Oddio Overplay has made 1,452 contributions to the Free Music Archive. That is the number to beat for activity in 2011. How about fulfilling a resolution right now to be a part of that most excellent free music community? As the byline reads, "It's not just free music; it's good music!"

Later this month, Oddio's netlabel for children, Kazoomzoom will relaunch with a new look and a larger catalog. This is a very exciting time for us, as I have wanted to really kickstart that slowly developing project. I'm full of enthusiasm, hope, and big plans for 2011. I hope you and your family will be a part of an exciting new year at Kazoomzoom!

Here are a quick five from the most recent additions Oddio has made to the FMA that you may have missed. Happy New Year and Happy Listening!


TAGGED AS: hard rock, spanish, metal, spain, los cuatrocientos golpes, rock, hardcore


TAGGED AS: old-time historic, cylinder, stage music, victor herbert orchestra, operetta, classical, instrumental rock, light orchestral, orchestral


TAGGED AS: latin america, pop, spanish, lido pimienta, columbia


TAGGED AS: classical, francesco lettera, instrumental, italy


TAGGED AS: modern composition, 20th Century Classical, toy instruments, ireland, aestrid byrne, toy piano