Myth of History (2009 Edition)

Myth of History The Unbelievable Legend of the Pianista Peoples of North America

Compiled and edited by Michael Frassinelli 1

Myth of History:

The Unbelievable Legend of the Pianista Peoples of North America

Compiled and Edited by Michael Frassinelli

VERTICAL PIANO PRESS

London, Boston and Des Moines

in association with the NATIONAL PIANISTA ARCHIVES and the VENETO FOUNDATION

Copyright © 2009 Vertical Piano Press FOURTH EDITION Third Printing (Softcover) All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, carbon paper, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing by the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Frassinelli, Michael.

Myth of History: The Unbelievable Legend of the Pianista Peoples of North America/Michael Frassinelli; p. cm.

“In association with the National Pianista Archives and the Veneto Foundation.” Published in conjunctiion with an exhibit organized by the National Pianista Archives ISBN 0-295-97564 1. Pianista culture-Exhibitions. 2. Pianista art-Exhibitions. 3.

North America-Antiquities-Exhibitions I. National Pianista Archives. II. Title.

E99.E7FRAS 2007 731’.75’089964-dc15 95-2307 CIP The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984 Made from recycled sheet music and piano parts. No trees were harmed in the making of this catalog.

The way of all things is this~ music of the land, music of the sky, music of ivory, music of the circle, music of iron, music of the hands, music of the discarded, music of the glorified, music of wood, music of the dust, music of the universe. ~Pianista prayer, date unknown

1…Introduction 4…Ceremonial Objects 5…Common Objects 6…Masks 7…Weapons 8…Sculpture 10…Musical Instruments 12…American Pianista Ensemble 14…Miss “B” The Incredible Dancing Bird 16…Nautical Artifacts 17…Song of the Pianista 18…Pianolarians 19…Calendars and Sundials 21...Totems and Statuary 22...Dream of the Inland Sea 23...Ceremonial Effigies 24...Pianista Observatorium 26...Recent Discoveries 27…About the editor

This exhibit

catalog is divided up into several major types of objects:

masks, weapons, common objects, ceremonial objects, musical instruments.

These delineations are somewhat limiting, as many of the objects take on the properties of two or three of these classifications. Another classification comes from the Pianistas themselves. “Sculpture” was a native word that is difficult to interpret, but can be loosely translated as “without any particular use.”

The Pianistas were very prolific, but an accurate history of their culture and an interpretation of the true meaning of these objects can only be guessed, for there was no written language. It should be noted that Pianista artifacts in the past were variously thought of as primitive crafts, cult objects or “other.”

Documentation by collectors was either non-existent, misleading or completely fabricated. The objects themselves may have be altered by misguided museum workers and authentication is often difficult.

We show the works with catalog notes, and whenever possible, try to reconcile early theories and observations with a contemporary eye, especially in light of recent research.

Please enjoy the exhibit and feel free to touch any of the objects unless otherwise noted or inherently dangerous. To use an old Pianista saying, you should move through the exhibit (and life) “slowly, with feeling.”

1

O

f the thousands of tribes of North America, the Pianista peoples

are

the

least

understood.

Archeologists

and

Historians offer differing opinions of the customs, social structures and even the very existence of these very curious individuals.

Named after their basic source of materials (the Pianoforte),

the Pianistas populated many different regions of North America, but are believed to have originated from Europe. (The two prevailing theories of their arrival to this continent differ greatly. One claims the first Pianistas arrived quite recently, between 1500 and 1600 AD in crude sailing vessels. Another theory suggests that several millennia ago, a land bridge existed that extended from what is now the toe of Italy to Cape Cod, and that wandering clans would move ‘herds’ of Pianofortes with them on the journey to the West.)

From what has been uncovered, it is thought that the Pianista

peoples survived solely on the Pianoforte for everything except food.

(Ironically, the Pianoforte is practically inedible.) Their resourcefulness with various materials found in the Pianoforte ~ wood, steel, ivory, ebony, leather, felt, copper ~ was only matched by their Native counterparts on the Western Plains who utilized the American Bison for their needs, and some Arctic Tribes such as the Yup~ik and Inuit who would catch Seal and Whale for their many uses. The Pianistas believed that by destroying the creature they could give it new life, through everything it provided.

From a recently discovered copy of Lost Tribes of North America, published 1843

Ceremonial Objects ~

During tribal ceremonies, many different objects were used. D a n c e f a n s were richly decorated and used to accentuate the dancers hand gestures. P r a y e r w h e e l s were used, as in Tibetan society, to invoke blessing and send healing thoughts. (Some very similar objects with special markings have been found and identified as g a m b l i n g w h e e l s .)

Many types of ceremonial jewelry have been discovered and historians have determined that the materials that are used may have caused the curious markings on the necks of the celebrants, previously thought to be scarification patterns of a secret society.

Dance Fans

Ceremonial Necklaces

4

Prayer Wheel

Ta l k i n g s t i c k s have historically been used in council circles; the staff is handed from person to person, and the individual holding it has the attention of the tribe and can speak his or her mind. (Legend has it President Teddy Roosevelt eventually coined the phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” after speaking with some counsel members through an inexperienced translator.) Wa r c l u b s were occasionally used during council circles when the privilege of the talking stick was overused.

Talking Stick and War Club

Common objects ~

Tools and utensils were necessary for everything from cooking and hunting, to mask-making. The Pianistas prided themselves on their own ingenuity for utilizing the wealth of materials in the Pianoforte to create all they needed. Sometimes however, aesthetics won out over practicality. In at least one instance (note grünber or “eating utensil”) a design change was ordered by the high council to avoid what was thought to be a famine.

Grünber, below at left

Bowl

Masks ~

Masks were an integral part of Pianista ceremonies. They were used to represent animal spirits and ancestors during dance performances, and were elaborately decorated. Many utilized the mechanisms of the Pianoforte to create movement to remind the audience that the masks themselves were alive. Mask-makers were revered and, occasionally, hated. (As the masks got more and more elaborate, they became more difficult to wear and impossible to see through.)

Square Halo Mask Moving Eye Mask

Dream Mask

Eyeball Mask

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Nightmare Mask

Transformation Mask

Tooth Mask

Weapons ~

The Pianista people were peace-loving people; their society was founded on the principles of art, music and mutual respect. They did, however, have an occasional need for weapons. Unfortunately, for spiritual or material reasons, they were not good weapon makers. In fact, there are very few examples of Pianista weapons in existence today for two reasons: they were often made poorly, and fell apart upon use, and the weapon-makers themselves, when testing out their work, would often end up killing themselves by accident.

Cosmos Mask Tomahawk

Sculpture ~

The Pianistas were a very busy people, but they were also adept at utilizing their free time. During the long winter months, activities were created to pass the time and entertain. The results from these periods of somewhat aimless activity were s c u l p t u re and t o y s . Adults would put together objects for their own amusement from the leftover materials around them. Some of the objects may have taken the form of freestanding effigies; some would be hung on the wall of the dwelling. The mechanisms of the Pianoforte allowed many of these objects to recreate movement, which may have symbolized the activity in the warmer months. Children would use whatever scraps of materials leftover to make their own figurines, dolls, games and other amusements. (See D a n c i n g B i rd F i g u re ) A favorite game many children played was to stare into a box that had moving figures in it until they were in a kind of trance, and then fell asleep.

Spirit Bird Man

Warrior, Duck and Holy Man

Nervous Machine

8

Spirit Under Attack

Snake Mask

Object # 1

Pagan Figure and Dancing Bird

Running Figure

Grave Guardian

Musical instruments ~

The Pianistas were fascinated by the sounds made by the Pianoforte, and tried many ways to recreate some of those sounds after it was destroyed. They believed that all the material would resonate with the sound that it helped to create in its previous existence.

For years, historians were puzzled by the fact that many musicians from these tribes were blind. One theory held that they were revered, for it was believed that they were able to see beyond this world into the realm of the spirits. Another stated that the inclusive nature of the Pianistas allowed a special place in ceremonial performance for those not able to hunt and build shelter.

Upon further research and closer examination of the instruments themselves, the common view today is that the elaborate decoration and seemingly haphazard construction of some of the instruments may have caused some unlucky musicians to lose an eye while retuning their instrument. (This may also explain the traditional and highly complex atonal harmonic system used by this culture for generations.)

Piandolin-

A stringed instrument with variable tuning with a sound not unlike the Greek bouzouki or Russian balalaika. Sometimes played with ribbed tutti to create a scratching sound.

PianjoThis instrument is often associated with shamanistic rituals. Related to the oud, this stringed instrument can be plucked or struck with the fingers or a stick.

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Ceremonial Finger DrumKeys are tapped causing hammers to strike against a paper drum head to produce rhythm within a limited scale.

ChimesSounds made from different common objects of various materials were often used to create atmosphere and rhythm.

Box xylophonePlayed with soft hammers, this instrument is acoustically related to the balafon from Ghana and the Indonesian gambang.

11

The

American Pianista Ensemble~

In the fall of 2004, an eclectic group of artists and ethnomusicologists embarked on a musical journey that culminated in producing the landmark recording A Noiseful Joy: Traditional Music of the Pianista Peoples of North America. Up until that point, the music of this enigmatic culture had existed only in history books and in the stories of the descendents of those who had heard those sounds last made over a hundred years earlier.

John Edmond Richardson Strings, percussion, and vocalization Mr. Richardson is a musicologist specializing in pre-industrial folk societies.

His abilities in site reading pictographs has won him acclaim in several cities in the West, and he was recently awarded the MacDaniels Prize for his research on stringless fret instruments. He has been Professor Emeritus at the International Institute of the Americas, in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 1977 or ‘78, or perhaps as early as 1968.

Paul “Mix” Masterson Sound recording and engineering, percussion and hardware Mr. Masterson has been in and around the world of recording since the age of 5, when he pressed his own record made entirely out of melted army men.

A musician in his own right, he was the founder of the influential progressive folk band Pine Pitch. He has made field recordings on all seven continents, most recently returning from capturing on tape the chants of feral surfers in southern Australia.

Joan Redbird Pennington Pianjo, shaken and beaten objects, ceremonial finger drum, vocals Ms. Pennington has extensive experience in early music from around the globe. She studied acoustics in the caves of France, where she believes echoes of the world’s first music are still reverberating. As a musician, she has made recordings on over a hundred different instruments, many of her own construction, using materials as diverse as cast bronze, human hair and plankton. She currently teaches composition and modern dance at the University of Anchorage.

12

Michael Frassinelli Instrument maker, percussion, occasional strings and whoops Trained as a sculptor, Mr. Frassinelli has been interested in music for years. He recreated the traditional Pianista instruments used on this recording from sketches and written descriptions that he discovered in a letter found in a Lone Ranger lunchbox at a flea market in Bakersfield, California. He is currently working on a documentary about the culture and controversial history of the Pianistas, and engaged in several copyright infringement lawsuits.

A Noiseful Joy was a project one hundred and twelve years in the making.

Reverend John Lewis Brook, a progressive minister from Ohio, spent much of his life gathering information about the culture of the Pianistas, and its musical traditions in particular. As a boy, he had heard stories from his father about a tribe he had encountered on his way to California. He recounted wild dances around fires and strange music in the air. This inspired young John to take up the piano. After being told by several teachers that he had no talent for music, he decided to try religion. He had heard a minister give a lecture at his church about the missionary work to be done in the West and, thinking that it would be a way for him see this extraordinary culture for himself, entered the seminary. In 1893, after his graduation from the St..

Thomas School of Theology and Metallurgy, and armed with a recent invitation for employment as a missionary in Nevada, the twenty-one year-old Reverend Brook boarded a train headed west. This trip would change his life forever.

On the way the train broke down outside of Chicago. While waiting for the next available train, Rev. Brook decided to take in some of the exhibits at the World’s Fair. Among the highlights was Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. On the way out of the exhibition area, behind the performers’ tent, Brooks came across a man selling trinkets, elixirs, Native crafts and some strange objects he’d not seen before. Upon closer inspection he saw that they were in fact musical instruments.

The salesman claimed that they were made by the “Peonistas”, a peculiar tribe “unbeknownst by Common Folk and All but died out save for these Art-i-facts [sic].”

Brook immediately bought up the lot with the money he had saved for his missionary work, and so began his long and sporadically documented career as collector and amateur historian of this tribe.

Flash forward to 1989. Artist Michael Frassinelli, while travelling west, comes across an open-air flea market outside of Bakersfield, CA. In a rusted tin lunchbox he finds detailed sketches, faded photographs, and a letter, describing in (broken English) musical instruments and other objects “made of woods, wire, felt and ivory keese, unlike anything I known in this country [sic].” The letter went on to say that the artifacts were won in a poker game from a down-on-his-luck preacher. It might have been tossed aside and lost forever if Frassinelli had not recognized the identity of the author of the letter: it was Alfonzo Renato Veneto, a distant relative who worked for a time as an actor in early Hollywood westerns, and whose name he had just happened to see that very summer on a publicity photograph found among his late grandfather’s effects. Inspired by the coincidence, Frassinelli spent the next fourteen years collecting material, building instruments, researching historical archives, and searching for a group of musical adventurers to recreate a sound that had not been heard for nearly a century and had yet to be recorded.

That search has lead to this recording.

13

Miss “B”, The Incredible Dancing Bird ~

By the turn of the 20th Century, the Pianistas had fallen on hard times. Their land had been taken away, the population was dwindling, and much of their cultural heritage had been lost. Members of the tribe were forced to sell off ceremonial masks and other traditional objects just to survive. These were picked up by collectors, artists and other con men for a pittance. These then made their way to pawn shops and various antique stores, and the occasional roadhouse stand. It was at one of these road-side general stores in New Jersey that Cyrus Braintree acquired Miss “B”, the Incredible Dancing Bird.

Much has been written about both Braintree and Miss “B”, but the facts have never been quite clear. What is clear is that between the years 1921 and 1929, Braintree took an innocent children’s toy (once belonging to members of the Pianista tribe living in Brooklyn) and created one of the most popular Vaudeville shows of its time. With the help of a friend who was bicycle repairman, he made a coin operated jukebox that would cause the small bird figurine to dance to the music. It was an immediate hit; the combination of exotic Indian tales and Jazz Age dance styles had people lining up for blocks. He began showing the machine at a local arcade, but soon it became clear that a great deal of money could be made, and so took it on the nickelodeon circuit. Miss “B” reached the height of popularity in 1927, when a New York jazz band called The BirdDog Five recorded a novelty hit called “Ain’t Miss ‘B’ Heaven” for Okeh Records, which sold thousands of copies. In that year alone, at least six short films were made of her dance routines, including rare footage of her foray into ballet, which some believe was the nail in the coffin of an already faltering career.

Tragically, Miss “B” was destroyed in a hotel fire on East 42nd Street in Manhattan in November of 1929, while Braintree, down on his luck, was trying to stage a comeback tour. Braintree survived the fire, but never recovered from the loss. He made several attempts to create new versions of the bird figure (of which Dancing Bird Figure is an example), but with no success. In his suicide note, he claimed that the tribe had put a curse on him.

14

A still of the famous vaudeville star dancing in a newsreel film made in 1926.

Dancing Bird Figure A surviving example of one of many attempts to recreate Miss “B�, from 1929

Original 78 RPM record of the Bird-Dog Five hit song.

15

Nautical Artifacts ~

Pictured is a sail recovered from a salvaging expedition off the coast of South Carolina in the early 1930’s. Experts disagree, but it has been attributed, by some nautical anthropologists, to the little-known North American tribe known as the Pianistas.

Though their very existence is thought by some to be a hoax perpetrated at the turn of the century by a ring of docents from the Field Museum in Chicago, artifacts, such as this, have continued to appear even into this century.

(The tribe is known for using materials from the piano-forte to create tools, weapons and ceremonial objects, in much the same way as Salvage boat the Golden Quest off the coast of North Carolina, 1931 tribes of the Great Plains utilized the buffalo.)

The mysterious markings on the sail have been interpreted variously as a guide for celestial navigation or a crude fishing map of the Hatteras coastline. Others, such as Dr. Jean Hill (former faculty of the University of North Carolina and from whose personal collection the sail is on loan) believes that the Pianistas believed in the spiritual power of the created image. This power, they believed, could manifest into physical phenomena (for example, wind). In this way the artist or shaman could ensure a successful sailing journey or even good fishing.

Some evidence may refute this. Her former colleague (and ex-husband) Dr. Roland Hill points out in a recent article of Anthropology Journal that the Pianistas, true to their chosen material of wood, ivory, steel and felt, did not in fact use sails on their vessels. Moreover, these vessels were often not seaworthy at all, given the weight and odd Dr. Jean Hill, in a recent photo. construction and so fishing was done from shore with wire nets. He hypothesizes that the sail was found on shore by members of the tribe who, while waiting for fish to bite, passed the time by drawing with a rusty wire.

Odd markings on the sail may have been used for navigation.

16

Song of the Pianista ~

This little known work, based on an accumulation of Pianista stories and legends, was written by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft in 1841. Henry was a historian, explorer, and geologist who was superintendent of Indian affairs for Michigan from 1836 to 1841. The epic poem was based on his earlier work The Myths of the Pianista, compiled by Mr. Schoolcraft and his wife Jane. (Jane was an Ojibway Indian whose name translated into English as ‘The Woman of the Sound Which the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky’. Her kinship with members of the Pianista tribe allowed Henry special access to some of the elders, who, in the summer of 1838, relayed the old legends to Schoolcraft.)

The story of the poem centers on a hero’s Third Edition copy of Song of the Pianista journey of a mythic figure named Pianista. from 1860 It chronicles his birth, his coming-of-age, his courting and tragic loss of the beautiful Arietta, as well as adventures with his friends. Written with sensitivity and an ear for the rhythms of the culture that inspired it, Song of the Pianista may well have been regarded as a classic today were it not for a very limited number of printings. The three examples you see here represent half of the total number of copies in existence.

First and Second Edition copies, under bullet-proof glass

(Note: Another of Schoolcraft’s works, The Myth of Hiawatha, got considerably more attention when a poet named Longfellow wrote another epic poem, based on that myth. It was published in 1855 to wide acclaim, infuriating the hottempered Schoolcraft, who publicly called Longfellow a ‘hack’ and, according to one account, challenged the poet to a fist fight for stealing his ideas. The similarity between the two poems is uncanny, and has been the subject of debate between literary historians for years.)

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Pianolarians ~

Ernst Haeckel was a German zoologist and illustrator active at the end of the nineteenth century. He was a contemporary of Darwin, and his research and artistry produced several publications, including the groundbreaking Generelle Morphologie der Organismen (General Morphology of Organisms). His specialty was a group of microscopic organisms that have existed since Precambrian time, known as radiolarians.

In 1869, he was invited to New York to speak at the opening ceremonies of the new American Museum of Natural History. On a tour of the museum he came across a small exhibit of newly acquired artifacts from the American West. The ceremonial objects were of unknown origin, but were believed to have been made by a tribe in the Indian Territories near modern day Kansas. What he saw was very familiar to him, though he had never seen the artifacts before in his life.

The small “dream objects” were fetishes made of wood, wire, felt and other material and said to be representations of images seen in the dreams or visions of tribal elders or shamans. These objects were said to possess the power of the dreamer and so were highly sought after in these societies. (The group on display had apparently been confiscated from Union soldiers returning from duty on the frontier some years before. They had been donated by the War Department after having been found behind a desk in a box marked “Paperweights and Sundries”.)

What fascinated Haeckel was that these objects were virtually identical in form to many of the free-swimming protozoa that he had been studying for the past twenty years. The radiating spokes, concentric circular forms, flowing tendrils and other common motifs of the shamanistic relics were eerily reminiscent of the spherical skeletons and pseudopodia of his oft-studied radiolarians. He theorized that these images appeared during a period of sleep or trance, when the individuals involved would actually leave their bodies and join the microscopic world of humans’ oldest ancestors: the single celled organism.

He immediately bought up half of the collection. He then tore up his prepared speech, locked himself in his hotel room, ordered cigars, beer and sausages from room service, and emerged two days later to deliver an address that some consider to be the greatest in the history of natural science. In it he laid the foundation for his next great work, Die Klavierischräthsel (Mystery of the Pianolarians.)

(The objects on display are recently discovered artifacts from that collection, out of circulation since 1928, and are shown with the kind permission of the Haeckel Foundation.)

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Ernst Haeckel photographed in 1867 A Haeckel sketch of a radiolarian

Above: A common radiolarian

Dream wheel, Western Pianista, c. 1857

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Calendars and Sundials ~

The Pianistas had very sophisticated systems for keeping track of the time of day and the days of the year. Sun Calendars also know as Calendar Wheels were intricately engineered and elaborately decorated, although very few survive today. Though their time-keeping function is lost to history, much has been discovered recently about how their function as calendars.

The calendar had 88 days in each of four seasons, with a 3-day festival at the end of each season (one for the moon, sun and earth.)

One day each year was set aside to celebrate a festival marking the New Year (generally held during the summer months.) The days in this calendar astonishingly add up to the 365 days that we are used to—

88 (keys) x 4 (seasons) + 13 (4 seasons x 3 festival days + 1 annual new year festival) = 365 The number of days in each season itself began as a visual symbol for the four seasons.

Originally the symbol O O represented the four seasons. Over time the individual symbols OO

OO began to touch OO and the number as we know it began to emerge.

(Since the Pianistas had no written language, and no knowledge of standard numbering systems, this numerical coincidence is all-the-more astounding.)

A typical arrangement (pictured above) was 88 keys arranged in circle, with 13 felt hammers in the middle, representing (as previously mentioned) the three festival days for each of the four seasons and one symbol in the middle to represent the new year’s feast day.

When these calendars were created is not precisely known, but descriptions of evidence that has since been destroyed suggests that they may have been discovered as early as 1750, coinciding with the arrival of piano-fortes from Europe. Recent research, however, indicates that they were probably not prevalent until the early-to-mid 1800’s. These dates are significant in that pianos in colonial times had only 72 keys, with keyboards of 84 keys arriving in the early-19th century. This would anticipate the keyboard arrangement of 88 keys (currently the standard) by a hundred years, and suggest a Pianista influence on modern piano development.

0

Note: The term leap year actually came from the Pianista tradition that occurred every four years (as part of harvest festival) whereby a member of the tribe, in a zealous frenzy, would hurl himself into the nearest chasm to sacrifice him- or herself to the god of the harvest. (Often jumping off a medium-sized rock and getting some minor injury would suffice, except in time of famine.)

Totems and Statuary~ Like other native peoples -- most notably the various tribes of the Northwest Coast of the U.S. and Canada -- the Pianistas created large-scale figures representing spirits or ancestors that would be used in special ceremonies or put outside the village to protect its inhabitants. In contrast to tribes such as the Tlingit and Kwakiutl, who carved their totem poles from large trees, the Pianistas had to cobble theirs together from a variety of wooden parts of the piano framework, wire, and bits of hardware.

Later, as better tools became readily available, parts of the cast iron harp were used, as in this example. This resulted in the unique patchwork style and A Pianista village with totem figures (at right) dangerously top-heavy construction for in various states of collapse. which they have become famous.

Seemingly random but highly symbolic, the pieces of these complex constructions represented (to members of the tribe) the idea of individuals being held together by the common beliefs of a society.

Unfortunately not many examples of these large totems remain: poor construction and the tendency of members of the tribe to burn sculpture for fuel contributed to their unfortunate scarcity. (The charred surface of Hawk Totem was originally attributed to this phenomenon, but it has recently been found to be the result of a fire that took place in the basement of the Chicago Field Museum in 1914, caused by a docent who fell asleep smoking a cigarette.)

At left: A photographic studio card from 1896, featuring Hawk Totem, found at junk shop in Evanston, Illinois in 1975 by George Murphy, a part-time worker at the Chicago Field Museum.

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Dream of the Inland Sea~ Evidence of the culture of the Pianistas has been found throughout North America, from the Eastern woodlands to the Plains and as far north as Southwestern Canada.

One theme that emerges from the cultural objects from these disparate geographical locations is the legend of the Inland Sea. Known by scientists as the Cretaceous Seaway, or the Western Interior Seaway, this body of water extended from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians at its peak, about 100 million years ago. This huge body of water populated by fantastical creatures was a quest for early explorers and the legend of its vastness and complexity was a source of inspiration to the Pianistas.

The Western Interior Seaway, as

imagined on an early map, circa 1713

The strange fish and sea creature imagery that emerged from the Pianista culture seemed to have been brought about by a state of consciousness they called Waterland: a fluid, transitional time between unconsciousness, dream-state and self-imposed exhaustion, where the line between reality and imagination is removed.

In this state, the elements of language, imagery, music, emotion, solid objects and time float and intermingle like the motion of water upon itself. Practitioners of this highly specialized ritual would go through cycles of intense creativity followed by long periods of confused silence and eating.

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C

Figurative Sculpture for Ceremonial Costumes~ eremonial Effigies~

Examples of the elaborate ceremonial costumes and battle armor of the Pianistas have Examples of the elaborate ceremonial costumes been found in regions throughout North America, fromPianistas the Eastern woodlands to thefound Plains and as and battle armor of the have been far north as Southwestern Canada. These include a in regions throughoutvariety North America, frombreastplates the of masks and headdresses, and armor, necklaces, bracelets and other Eastern woodlands tobody the Plains and as far north jewelry. Worn in conjunction with ceremonial objects These like dance fans, andatalking sticks, and as Southwestern Canada. include variety weapons, dancers would perform for hours on end of masks and headdresses, breastplates during special feast days and and before body battle.

When notother in use, these objects Worn were hung armor, necklaces, bracelets and jewelry. up in shelters on makeshift hangers, or piled up in crude boxes. Over time however, these simple in conjunction with ceremonial objects like dance clotheshorse structures evolved into figurative fans, and talking sticks, and weapons, dancers would effigies onto which the costumes, objects and were hung.

The more perform for hours onweapons end during special feastpowerful days (or wealthy) shamans, warriors and dancers and before battle. commissioned very elaborate mannequins for their costumes. These were often posed and sculpted to closely resemble the physical likeness of their owners.

It was thought these up figures When not in use, these objects werethat hung incontained the spirit and power of those who wore the armor shelters on makeshiftorhangers, or piled up in crude costume, or used the weapons in battle.

When dressed up and outfitted with boxes. Over time however, these simple clotheshorse weapons, these figures could appear quite structures evolved into figurative onto that which menacing.

In fact,effigies research shows these were often placed in the area surrounding the costumes, objectseffigies and weapons were hung.

The the village in times of war to scare off intruders.

Occasionallyshamans, they were placed outside a and warrior’s more powerful (or wealthy) warriors domicile to keep other villagers away in times of dancers commissioned veryexhaustion elaborate mannequins sickness, or drunkenness.

A. D.

C.

E.

F.

G.

B.

Mannequin Figure with

for their costumes. These were often posed and Ceremonial Objects sculpted to closely resemble the physical likeness Pianista, circaObjects 1893} Mannequin{Northern Figure with Ceremonial of their owners. It was thought that these figures {Northern Pianista, circa 1893} contained the spirit and power of those who wore A. Bad Medicine Mask Bad Medicine Mask the armor or costume, or used the weapons inA. battle.

B. War Club B. War Club C. Breastplate

C. Breastplate

D. Ceremonial D. Necklace Ceremonial Necklace When dressed up E. Dance Fan F. War Skirt E. Dance Fan and outfitted with G. Removable Eagle Fetish Detail of Ceremonial Breastplate, with these figures F. War Skirt War Skirt, Danceweapons, Fan and Eagle Fetish could appear quite menacing. In fact, research shows that these effigies were often placed in the area surrounding the village in times of war to scare off intruders. Occasionally they were placed outside a warrior’s domicile to keep other villagers away in times of sickness, exhaustion or drunkenness.

Detail of Ceremonial Breastplate, with War Skirt, Dance Fan and Eagle Fetish

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The Pianista Observatorium and Celestial Navigation~

One of the most unusual artifacts of this enigmatic culture found by anthropologists is displayed here: The Pianista Observatorium. From what has been discovered, it appears that this structure was central to the Pianistas ceremonial life. Though used as a place of meditation and special ceremony, its primary function was as an observatory for celestial phenomena, much like Mayan structures. Circular apertures in the roof structure allowed shamans Photograph of The Pianista Observatorium, taken in 1913, location unknown. and other ceremonial participants to view constellations in the night sky at certain times of the year as well as the equinox sunrise. The circular constellations, that make up the walls of the Observatorium represent the various corresponding star configurations, and are grouped in frames known as ladders (for their shape) that could be removed and used individually as a sort of map for celestial navigation. It is said that the Pianistas believed that these circular forms directed positive energy from the universe to those who stood in the structure, and were thought of as “windows for looking within.”

(For this gallery installation, the constellations representing the night sky are distributed around the walls of the gallery, and can be viewed by standing in the middle of the structure and looking out at a certain angle.)

The Observatorium is constructed to be a temporary structure: members of the ceremonial party would carry the parts to a remote location away from the village, often miles away.

However, the parts are so numerous, the construction so complicated, and materials either extremely heavy or sharp, that it is believed that this particular example was only constructed once. We are fortunate to present the Observatorium, recently discovered in the basement of the Harvard Museum of Natural Ladder, made History in twenty-five crates marked “DEACQUISITIONED,” up of individual which were being used as a staging area for their recent constellations renovations.

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Recent Discoveries~ Each year, dozens of new artifacts related to the Pianista culture are discovered across North America. Some are found as part of archeological digs; some are discovered in antique shops and roadside curio shacks. Others occasionally emerge from deep storage in the natural history holdings of major museums. Recent findings include masks, weapons and other ceremonial objects, photographs, other documentation and at least one set of false teeth.

As this catalog went to print archeologists in the Midwest have discovered the remnants of large scale structures and what appear to be ceremonial wagons of some sort. As they are studied and documented, these exciting new finds will help us shed light on the history, traditions and wisdom of this unique culture. Perhaps we can learn something from a people who, misunderstood and occasionally attacked, steadfastly followed their vision, despite limited resources, physical injury and certain lack of common sense.

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Hoax? ~ Despite extensive physical evidence, in the form of ceremonial objects, weapons and other items, written accounts, field sketches and notes from various sources found in numerous geographical locations across North America over the last one-hundred years, there exists, in certain segments of the anthropological community, some doubt as to the very existence of the Pianistas as a legitimate tribe. This debate has been going on since the first artifacts were discovered in the late 1880’s.

The detractors have pointed to the very magnitude and variety of artifacts and the enormous geographical spread of the locations of their discovery. Most North American tribes settled in particular regions and, although some were sporadically nomadic (or later forced to move because of government policies) and would typically live in areas no larger than several hundred miles in any directions.

Accounts of the activities of the Pianistas have been documented from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, as far south as Northern Mexico and as far north as Canada, in terrain as diverse as desert, shoreline and mountain. This has lead some skeptics to wonder why a culture so widely spread geographically, has no surviving members, leaving no one who could pass on an oral history or contribute a personal account.

As this catalog went to press, information that seemed to confirm this doubt came to light based on the discovery of a hand-written journal by a little-known and enigmatic figure in the history of the Pianistas, one Alfonzo Renato Veneto, an Italian immigrant who arrived somewhere near the turn of the century. Veneto, a piano-tuner by trade, had a colorful background as, among other things, a saloon entertainer, railroad worker, snake-oil salesman, and a bit actor in early Hollywood westerns. In the journal, written in broken English and Italian, Veneto claims to have made “the Peonista artefacts (sic)” that had been on display at the Chicago Field Museum as early as 1891 (according to some sources.) The journal, described as “epic in length and in a style that alternates between self-aggrandizing poetics and confused rambling,” is said to be filled with sketches and notes, and is stuffed with newspaper clippings of the period, on subjects ranging from ethnographic exhibits to advertisements for dubious cure-all products. (This editor is currently awaiting permission to examine the journal and will, as time and inclination allows, add the “evidence” to future publications and exhibitions.

Whether or not this new twist in the saga of the Pianista turns out to be true, it is just another example of the complexity of a phenomenon that remains full of wonder.

The Pianistas were known for loving questions more than answers. The search for truth was more important than the discovery. In that spirit, we can all look within ourselves, and out at the world, and wonder.

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All there is to know in this world cannot be known; things of beauty and confusion are what make us most alive. May the music of mystery follow you like a hungry dog..

~ traditional Pianista farewell 29

Michael Frassinelli is a sculptor, occasional musician and documentary filmmaker, art educator, collector and archivist, and the foremost authority on the culture of the mysterious people known as the Pianistas.

Since 2003, he has been researching the history of this over-looked and misunderstood people, excavating and recreating artifacts, documenting anecdotal evidence and compiling various writings from a variety of sources.

He is currently working on a full-length film documentary on the subject, as well as an updated and expanded hardcover edition of this catalog.

Requests for information about upcoming events or acquiring artworks/artifacts can be sent to: michaelfrassinelliarts@earthlink.net More information can be found on the Pianistas and other artworks at: http://www.michaelfrassinelli.net

Copyright Š 2009 Vertical Piano Press Printed in the USA 31

Over the last hundred years or so, evidence of a mysterious, lost culture has surfaced in museums and a few obscure history books in many parts of America. A group of archivists, artists, and historians, working for the past decade, have brought these materials together here for the first time in order to take a closer look at the odd and creative people known as the Pianistas. Is it history ...or myth?

Š 2009 Vertical Piano Press