Who had the idea to use the toy piano as a concert instrument?
The idea to use the toy piano as a concert instrument goes back to the great American composer John Cage, who wrote his ‘Suite for Toy Piano’ back in 1948. This piece of music is in five movements and uses only nine white (diatonic) notes. It was written for a Merce Cunningham dance entitled ‘Diversion’. The first performance was at the legendary Black Mountain College (North Carolina) in August 1948, rendered by the composer himself. The concert premiere of the piece was at the New York Living Theatre in 1960.
