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OUR PRODUCT
Piano Productions Press is pleased to print on a quality white vellum paper stock for optimum readability. Covers and wrappers are cut from a fine 80 lb. linen cover stock in specially selected warm colors. All scores and parts are individually saddle-stitched, with great care being taken to facilitate page turns where possible.
Due to the unique nature of our catalog, we’d like to outline exactly what you can expect to receive when you place your order with Piano Productions Press.
Solo Piano: a single copy of the score with a linen cover
One Piano-Four Hands (duets): two copies of the score, one with a linen cover and one title page insert copy*
One Piano-Eighteen Hands: a full score with cover and nine individual title page parts, all inside a matching linen wrapper
Two Pianos-Four Hands (duos): two copies of the score, one with a cover, and one title page insert copy
Two Pianos-Eight Hands: a full score with cover, two copies of Piano 1 (primo & secondo), one with a cover, the other a title page insert, and two copies of Piano 2 (primo & secondo), one with a cover, the other a title page insert, all inside a matching linen wrapper
Four Pianos-Eight Hands: a full score with cover, and four individual parts with covers, all inside a matching linen wrapper
*title page copies don’t have covers
FROM THE EDITOR
Our editions were initially conceived and created for our multi-piano productions, A GRAND TIME and Grandissimo. As we researched the multi-piano repertoire, much of what we found was either in manuscript, or an out-of-print edition, and often all but unreadable. In order to have performance- worthy scores, we embarked on a project to create modern editions.
The First Piano Quartet music was a special problem in that we had parts only, no scores. We received most of these as 4th or 5th generation copies with cross-hatching everywhere, arrows slashed across the page, extraneous numbers everywhere indicating cuts that were taken, or a note saying ‘see other side.’ Our favorite notation, on the usual black and white page, has penciled in the the upper left hand corner: ‘see red notes’.
We are exceedingly proud to have received the unprecedented cooperation of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in being able to make this historic First Piano Quartet legacy available to the public for the first time.
More hours than you would credit have been lavished on these editions. There was the initial computer input from the originals, multiple editings back and forth to catch anomalies like missing rests, dots and slurs, then pulling parts from the scores, editing those, and finally creating print-worthy files to be sent to the printer. Months go into creating each edition you purchase. This entire catalog was produced in-house by Piano Productions Press.
In producing these scores, we encountered many discrepancies in the originals, and period usages that look odd to us now. To be historically correct, we retained some anachronistic devices here and there, and as much of the composer’s ’signature’ as we could, while at the same time making the works more appealing to today’s pianist.
The issue of rehearsal/bar numbers was more difficult. Because scores usually have rehearsal numbers or letters, and parts often don’t have either, we have settled on a bar number placement between Pianos 1 & 2, and between Pianos 3 & 4 in the score, and mid-staff in the parts. This way, every system has a rehearsal assist. You may still find things which look unfamiliar (like tremolo indications), but we hope we have been as consistent as we meant to be, and that your scores and parts will be eminently readable.
Special recognition must go to Elizabeth Carder, President of PPI, who spends hundreds of hours pouring of FPQ hieroglyphics producing first drafts of everything. Also to Justin Zepp, the sine qua non of Piano Productions Press. Without Justin this catalog would not have seen the light of day.
FEEDBACK
As a new publisher we welcome your comments: what you like, if you find errors, where we can help, etc. Future editions will improve for your candor. We would also like to hear about performances of our publications. Please visit our contact page to send us a message. The publisher and editors of Piano Productions Press wish you many hours of piano enjoyment.