Page-turner
A page-turner is a person who turns sheet music pages for a musician, often a pianist, usually during a performance.[1]
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While some music is set so that the pages end at places where the musician can spare one hand to turn them, this is not always possible. A page-turner is often necessary for musicians who are playing complex pieces and prefer not to play from memory, or the page turn seems impossible to do if the musician wants to keep playing the piece cohesively without stopping. A page-turner should be able to understand the musician's signals, adequately follow the score, and anticipate how far ahead the accompanist reads the score in order to advance the music. Page turning also requires adequate knowledge of music and musical symbols.[2] Page-turners are sometimes acquaintances of the performer or members of the accompanying orchestra doing a favor. Professional page-turners are often freelance casual workers, not associated with any given concert hall or orchestra. Traditionally, the page turner is often on the left side of the piano, and stands next to or sits on the piano bench for the entirety of the performance. They are also traditionally dressed in black or neutral performance attire.[2]
Mechanical page-turners are also available,[3] sometimes controlled by the musician via a foot pedal.[4]P Charles Hallé is said to have invented an early model of a mechanical page-turner for pianists.[5] Foot pedals to turn pages are also available for music displayed on computers. Also in a recent addition, the app Forscore on an iPad device allows us to turn pages with the wink of an eye.[6] One of the first wireless page-turners with a pedal was invented in 2009, it included a pedal and a flash drive for a computer.[7] Modern page turning devices emulate the tap of a finger on the touch screen of a tablet by using mechanical pedals wirelessly connected to the device.[8] In 2020, the University of Malta began research on a software for musicians that could track the eye movement of a performer and turn pages based on where they gaze in the score.[9]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Stamberg, Susan (2009). "Turning a Page? Better Consult a Professional". Morning Edition. NPR. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ a b Stewart, Paul B. “The Page Turner.” American Music Teacher 56, no. 1 (August 2006): 4–5. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mah&AN=21975136&site=ehost-live.
- ^ "Automatic page turner could help musicians and the disabled". MIT News. 13 May 1999. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ US patent 5962801, Tim Bowman, Ben Shepard, "Page turner", published 5 October 1999
- ^ Siepmann, Jeremy (1998). The Piano. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 181. ISBN 0-7935-9976-8.
- ^ Dobrin, Peter (22 April 2016). "Classical music page-turners turn the page into the modern era". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- ^ Ajero, Mario. “AirTurn AT-104 Wireless Page-Turner.” Clavier Companion 1, no. 5 (September 2009): 64–65. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mah&AN=44303208&site=ehost-live.
- ^ "RemoFinger S page turner for digital sheet music - Document - Gale OneFile: Contemporary Women's Issues". go.gale.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Tabone, André; Bonnici, Alexandra; Cristina, Stefania (2020). "Automated Page Turner for Musicians". Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence. 3: 57. doi:10.3389/frai.2020.00057. ISSN 2624-8212. PMC 7861241. PMID 33733174.
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