Encounters with Conlon Nancarrow - by Jurgen Hocker (Hardcover)

About the Book

Encounters with Conlon Nancarrow, by Jürgen Hocker, is the first extensive biography of the American-Mexican composer whose works for the player piano exhibit an innovation and complexity which remains unmatched. Hocker gives insight to the life and personality of the often re...

Book Synopsis

Encounters with Conlon Nancarrow, by Jürgen Hocker, is the first extensive biography of the American-Mexican composer whose works for the player piano exhibit an innovation and complexity which remains unmatched. Hocker gives insight to the life and personality of the often reclusive Nancarrow, making use of many as-yet-unpublished sources and interviews as well as a timeline and a comprehensive catalogue of Nancarrow's works.

Review Quotes

Dr. Hocker's book on Conlon Nancarrow is a delight to read and a great source of information about one of the most original and fascinating composers of the twentieth century. It presents his personal interactions with Nancarrow over a period of years but also Hocker's results in uncovering insightul details into Nancarrow's life history. It will be of considerable interest to those already familiar with Nancarrow and his music, but also to the non-specialist who wants to learn more about this most interesting man and his life.


Famous pianists can be divided into two categories--those who recorded their work for playback on special instruments known as reproducing pianos, operated by paper rolls in the old days and electronically in the new days, and those who did not. Among talented artists of our own generation is Conlon Nancarrow, designated by author Jürgen Hocker in the introduction, as perhaps the greatest pianist of the 20th century. Such judgments vary, of course, but without a doubt Nancarrow's music is wonderful. This great book explores the life of the artist in depth and will be a fine addition to any musical library.


György Ligeti called Conlon Nancarrow's music the 'greatest discovery since Webern and Ives'. Jürgen Hocker, a devoted scholar and enabler, bought and restored player pianos in order to realize Nancarrow's compositions for these instruments. Encounters with Conlon Nancarrow admiringly describes Nancarrow's works, which are marked by jittery, jangly polyrhythms played at superhuman speeds on machines deliberately prepared to sound harsher than the average piano.

In addition to a compelling portrait of Nancarrow as both man and composer, Hocker provides an interesting account of his own role in supporting Nancarrow's unconventional career. Filled with personal remembrances and documents from Nancarrow's friends and relatives not found elsewhere, this book will surely occupy an important position in future Nancarrow scholarship.

About the Author

Jürgen Hocker was president of Society of Automatic Musical Instruments International for twenty years, becoming one of the leading experts for mechanical instruments and their music. He performed Conlon Nancarrow's studies for player piano with his Ampico Bösendorfer all over Europe and visited the composer several times in Mexico, where he carried out extensive archiving in Nancarrow's studio. He has been honored with several awards including the Q. David Bowers Literary Award and the Echo Classic Prize.