The Player Piano and Musical Labor: The Ghost in the Machine

The machine aesthetic transformed musical performance and listening practices in the early 20th century, but musical compositions representing industrialized labor practices and the role of the machine in music remain largely unexplored. This book explores the rise and fall of the player piano in early 20th-century society and connects it to the digital technologies of today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 150 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The machine aesthetic emerged as a powerful and pervasive influence in the early 20th century, profoundly shaping both musical performance and listening practices. While scholars have extensively explored this aesthetic in the realms of art and literature, the realm of musical compositions that depict industrialized labor practices and the machine's role in music remains relatively unexplored. Furthermore, in recounting the history of machines in musical recording and reproduction, scholars often overlook the player piano, despite its significant prominence within the newly established musical marketplace.

Machines and their music exerted a profound impact on various aspects of early 20th-century musical culture, spanning from film scores to popular music and even the concert hall. However, it is important to note that the influence went both ways: industrialized labor practices also reshaped the musical marketplace and cultural landscape. As consumers embraced mechanical replacements for tasks previously requiring active human labor, ghostly, mechanical performers toiled tirelessly in parlors, businesses, and even concert halls. While the player piano failed to maintain a strong foothold in the recorded music marketplace after 1930, the widespread acceptance of recording technologies as media for storing and enjoying music signifies a more fundamental societal shift.

This book aims to explore that shift, delving into the rise and fall of the player piano in early 20th-century society and establishing connections with the digital technologies of today. By examining the societal context in which the player piano thrived and declined, we can gain insights into the broader trends and transformations that shaped the musical landscape of the time and continue to influence it in the present.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367553883