Conlon Nancarrow (born October 27, 1912 in Texarkana, Arkansas; died August 10, 1997 in Mexico City, Mexico) was a U.S.-born composer who lived and worked in Mexico for most of his life. He became a Mexican citizen in 1955.
Nancarrow is best remembered for the pieces he wrote for the player piano. He was one of the first composers to use musical instruments as mechanical machines, making them play far beyond human performance ability. He lived most of his life in relative isolation, not becoming widely known until the 1980s. Today, he is remembered as one of the most original and unusual composers of the 20th century.

Biography

Player piano

Blues (1935)
Prelude (1935)
Sonatina (1941)
3 Two-Part Studies (1940s)
Tango? (1983)
2 Canons for Ursula (1989) Piano

Sarabande and Scherzo for oboe, bassoon and piano (1930)
Toccata for violin and piano (1935)
Septet (1940)
Trio for clarinet, bassoon and piano, #1, (1942)
String Quartet #1 (1945)
String Quartet #2 (late 1940s) incomplete
String Quartet #3 (1987)
Trio for clarinet, bassoon and piano, #2 (1991)
Player Piano Study #34 arranged for string trio Orchestral

Opening of the Study 3a (file info) — play in browser (beta)

• 20 seconds, 92KB) - one of the first piano rolls that Nancarrow made, clearly showing the boogie-woogie influence of his early work.
  Ending of the Study 40b (file info) — play in browser (beta)
  
  
  
  • 16 seconds, 74KB) - this later piece demonstrates Nancarrow's mature, abstract style, with copious use of glissandi. 40b is one of the studies for two player pianos playing simultaneously.
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