[ Editor's note:
 [
 [ Among our MMD members are several active music arrangers and composers,
 [ including Wolfgang Heisig of Leisnig, Germany (near Dresden).  For many
 [ years he has punched piano rolls of his compositions, and he gives
 [ concerts periodically with a Hupfeld Phonola, which is a cabinet-style
 [ push-up player.
 [
 [ A short biography about Wolfgang Heisig appeared in Digest 960326,
 [ derived from a longer article in "Das Mechanische Musikinstrument" for
 [ December, 1995.  Heisig teaches Music Theory at the music college in
 [ Dresden, and enjoys creating music rolls of contemporary works.

 [ Mr. Heisig sent MMD the following report in the style of a newspaper
 [ report.  I have translated and expanded it with information from
 [ subsequent correspondence.
 [
 [ Robbie Rhodes

On the evening of 21 November 1996 about 120 concert-goers at a
Dresden cultural center heard the premiere of a 50-minute composition
for player piano and chamber ensemble, composed by Christian Muench
and Wolfgang Heisig.

The Hupfeld-Meisterspiel-Phonola from the collection of Dr. Jurgen Hocker
was operated by Heisig, and it played together with the ensemble, "Musica
Temporale", directed by Muench.  The richly-textured work was inspired by
a photo exhibition with the strange title, "Ringing Castles, Tinkling
Palaces, Vibrating Manor-houses."

Asked how he handled the problem of synchronizing the piano with the
ensemble, Heisig explained, "The composition is so conceived that either
the ensemble or the Phonola plays; at only two places do both sound
together.  At these places the Phonola is playing in rhythm but the
ensemble is without meter."

It took three months work to compose the music and punch the music rolls,
which total about 140 meters (460 feet) of paper.  During the performance
the Phonola plays seven rolls, each roll between three and four minutes
duration.  Heisig noted that "the sound of rewinding and inserting the
rolls wasn't disturbing because the ensemble played loudly then.  I
practiced a lot to make fast changes!"

No spoken information was presented at the concert;  Heisig said that
information about the Phonola and the composition was printed in the
program booklet.  "The listeners should concentrate entirely on the
music," he said.

The concert was received with great enthusiasm and reviewed favourably
in the press, Heisig reported.