Christian Wolff (1934-)
Incidental Music
Keyboard Miscellany

Christian Wolff, piano, melodica

Incidental Music and Keyboard Miscellany, are sets of piano music (Wolff also performs some on the melodica). Though both consisting mostly of quite short musical items, have as a whole different origins and different shapes. Keyboard Miscellany is an ongoing collection which began with the “Variation on Morton Feldman’s Piano Piece 1952” in 1988. In 1991 Wolff started making pieces for individual people and occasions, usually birthdays, just short communications. Incidental Music came about when Wolff was asked to play for a Merce Cunningham Dance Company “Event” in 2004. Cunningham’s dance “Events” were ad hoc arrangements, different each time. The accompanying music (which, as usual with Cunningham dances had no direct relation to the dance, simply co-existing) could be any music the musicians chose. This work became a series of 100 small, quick drawings which could be used as a basis for improvisation.