I've just been reading the "Welcome to Viva Piano" post, where YoungPianist is talking about her cats. I thought I'd post this, as it reminded me of a fact that some of you already know.
I cannot for the life of me remember who invented it, but I remember reading somewhere about a piano where cats provided the sound. Each key had its own cat with the tail attached to the hammer. When the key was pressed, the tail would be pulled and the cat would yowl. Cats of different pitches were selected.
The premiere concert of this wonderful instrument, at which Three Blind Mice was to be played, ended in tears when the cats all yelled at once. After this the pianist was banned and this practice is now illegal.
Still, I thought you might like to know that. If anyone knows what the guy's name was, please post it on here! Cheers!
Full Version: The Cat Piano
Have a feeling his name was Cat Astrophe
M
M
Here you go - read on! Quote from http://www.deadmedia.org/notes/32/326.html
"To Brussels is due the unenviable distinction of having produced the first cat organ, in 1549. This triumph of ingenuity was designed to lend merriment to the street pageant in honor of Philip the Second, and is described by Juan Cristoval, a Spaniard in attendance upon the King.
"'The organ,' says Cristoval, 'was carried on a car, with a great bear for the musician. In place of pipes, it had twenty cats separately confined to narrow cases, from which they could not stir. Their tails were tied to cords attached to the keyboard of the organ. When the bear pounded the keys, the cords were jerked, and this pulled the tails of the cats, and made them mew in bass or treble notes, according to the nature of the airs.'
"Such an invention could have afforded, at best, but doubtful entertainment; yet the cat organ was so widely appreciated that German humourists undertook to alter and improve it; and after a time a choice variety of instruments were constructed, in all of which cats were induced by some well applied torture to furnish forth the necessary music."
Or, from http://www.deadmedia.org/notes/32/327.html we have.....
"In keeping with Darnton's methodology and subject matter we might want to look at the cat piano. Athanasius Kircher first wrote about it in his great *Musurgia universalis* of 1650, and it has reappeared occasionally since. In order to raise the spirits of an Italian prince burdened by the cares of his position, a musician created for him a cat piano. The musician selected cats whose natural voices were at different pitches and arranged them in cages side by side, so that when a key on the piano was depressed, a mechanism drove a sharp spike into the appropriate cat's tail. The result was a melody of meows that became more vigorous as the cats became more desperate. Who could not help but laugh at such music? Thus was the prince raised from his melancholy [1].
"The cat piano confirms Darnton's discovery that most early modern Europeans found the torture of cats funny. It also illustrates Kircher's fascination with the relationship between the art of music and the natural production of animal sounds. But for us it is an instrument that has mercifully been forgotten."
To which all I can say is....OUCH!!!
"To Brussels is due the unenviable distinction of having produced the first cat organ, in 1549. This triumph of ingenuity was designed to lend merriment to the street pageant in honor of Philip the Second, and is described by Juan Cristoval, a Spaniard in attendance upon the King.
"'The organ,' says Cristoval, 'was carried on a car, with a great bear for the musician. In place of pipes, it had twenty cats separately confined to narrow cases, from which they could not stir. Their tails were tied to cords attached to the keyboard of the organ. When the bear pounded the keys, the cords were jerked, and this pulled the tails of the cats, and made them mew in bass or treble notes, according to the nature of the airs.'
"Such an invention could have afforded, at best, but doubtful entertainment; yet the cat organ was so widely appreciated that German humourists undertook to alter and improve it; and after a time a choice variety of instruments were constructed, in all of which cats were induced by some well applied torture to furnish forth the necessary music."
Or, from http://www.deadmedia.org/notes/32/327.html we have.....
"In keeping with Darnton's methodology and subject matter we might want to look at the cat piano. Athanasius Kircher first wrote about it in his great *Musurgia universalis* of 1650, and it has reappeared occasionally since. In order to raise the spirits of an Italian prince burdened by the cares of his position, a musician created for him a cat piano. The musician selected cats whose natural voices were at different pitches and arranged them in cages side by side, so that when a key on the piano was depressed, a mechanism drove a sharp spike into the appropriate cat's tail. The result was a melody of meows that became more vigorous as the cats became more desperate. Who could not help but laugh at such music? Thus was the prince raised from his melancholy [1].
"The cat piano confirms Darnton's discovery that most early modern Europeans found the torture of cats funny. It also illustrates Kircher's fascination with the relationship between the art of music and the natural production of animal sounds. But for us it is an instrument that has mercifully been forgotten."
To which all I can say is....OUCH!!!
Oh how mean! But a peculiar and interesting idea all the same! 
My cats walk on my piano... but I don't think I'd like them to take part in a modern demonstration of this "cat piano"...
My cats walk on my piano... but I don't think I'd like them to take part in a modern demonstration of this "cat piano"...
Somebody save me
Cat
Cat
| QUOTE (Catrin @ Sep 24 2004, 09:05 PM) |
| Somebody save me Cat |
LOL. thats animal cruelty......btw, does anyones pet (cat or dog) sit under your bench while your playing the piano? mostly while your playing a relaxing song?
My cat sits on top of my piano when I play... I think she likes the sound vibrations. The problems start when she decides she wants to sit on the keyboard instead...
There was a piece I heard of ages ago called "kitten on the keys"
might be appropriate for you to play??
Maggie
might be appropriate for you to play??
Maggie
| QUOTE |
| There was a piece I heard of ages ago called "kitten on the keys" might be appropriate for you to play?? |
Do you mean this one?I wish my "kitten on the keys" sounded that tuneful!
| QUOTE |
| Do you mean this one? |
Haha yes - brilliant, thanks.
Sounds a lot perkier than the "cat piano" cats might
Maggie
| QUOTE (PianoPymp @ Sep 26 2004, 01:17 AM) |
| LOL. thats animal cruelty......btw, does anyones pet (cat or dog) sit under your bench while your playing the piano? mostly while your playing a relaxing song? |
my dog usually tries to get on my knee when I play staccato notes. Perhaps she doesn't like them!
Cat
My student's dog likes to sit under the keyboard (ard the pedals there) when my student is playing.. I don't reli mind it at first.. but it started to bite my student's feet (playfully) and in the end it even wanted to climb up his lap.. my student got very distracted by the dog... so I told him to put the dog in the room next time i come...
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