Developer: Big Fish Audio
Website: Visit secretly the BFA page
Format: EXS24/HALion/Kontakt/MachFive/WAV
Quality: wav mono, stereo, 16 bits, 44100 kHz
Description: Cage, John MiltonThe original prepared piano and the only samples ever to be authorized by the estate of world-renown composer, John Cage. This particular collection of sounds was created for use in his magnum opus composition, Sonatas & Interludes (February 1946-March 1948). Using his original materials and following the precise instructions found at the head of his published score, various “mutes” were inserted between the strings of the keys, then each note pristinely recorded and programmed to bring you the instrument as Cage himself both envisioned and performed . Forty-five of the piano’s eighty-eight keys were prepared, eleven with double preparations; three dynamic levels in five articulations comprise a total of 1,320 samples. This achievement landmark makes an authentic prepared piano, and by extending the works of John Cage, available to sampler owners in one of the most unique virtual instruments ever created.
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The prepared piano was first used by John Cage in his avant-garde compositions in the mid-1940s. Bolts, nuts, fragments of cardboard, rubber, wood, and plastic inserted between the strings of the piano created an unusual “percussion” sound palette. Using Cage’s original materials, and following his instructions exactly, multiple mutes were inserted between the various strings, then each note was recorded in detail. Forty-five of the eighty-eight keys were prepared, eleven were double-prepared, three dynamic levels (p, mf and f), in five articulations (1320 samples). The piano is recorded with closely spaced microphones, allowing you to apply the reverb of your choice.
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