It's a concerto with a cat. So it's a CATcerto.

July 25, 2009 9:15 AM

Mindaugas Piečaitis has performed his "CATcerto," an original score written to accompany Nora The Piano Cat's piano improvisation. Here's the video of kitty with orchestra.

Please don't show it to Uter the weiner dog. It'd make him feel terrible.

posted by jbickers (20 comments total)

Pretty excellent harmonization/orchestration on the part of the composer, although I noticed that some cutting and splicing had been put used to repeat certain parts of the cat's improv and thus create a bit of musical form. Nonetheless, I'm impressed with how he managed to fit most of the cat's stray keystrokes into an extended diatonic framework (i.e., "conventional" Western major/minor harmony with added notes, rapid key shifts, chromaticism).
posted by LMGM at 9:27 AM on July 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

put

10 min edit window pony, plz?
posted by LMGM at 9:28 AM on July 25, 2009

It's a concerto with a cat. So it's a CATcerto.

Oh come on. If anything, having a cat as the soloist is significantly less impressive than the standard of having a conch as the soloist.
posted by Flunkie at 9:32 AM on July 25, 2009 [2 favorites]

damn you jbickers! now i'm thinking about getting a piano & putting my 4 lazy cats to work!
posted by msconduct at 9:34 AM on July 25, 2009

inb4 keyboard cat joke
posted by nasreddin at 9:44 AM on July 25, 2009

The original \b\tard played a Katzenklavier.
posted by Mblue at 10:02 AM on July 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

That was really well done! I was a bit disappointed that the cat video was edited, but there were probably good musical reasons to do so, as LMGM said.

It reminded me of this. [caution: contains Palin.]
posted by moonmilk at 11:07 AM on July 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

The Catcerto and Palinade (linked above) are two of the best pieces of contemporary music I've heard in while. Sometimes I think Debussy had a cat providing similar inspiration.
posted by Faze at 11:23 AM on July 25, 2009

I was hoping for keyboard cat concerto.
posted by Edward L at 11:37 AM on July 25, 2009

Palinade--the delicious, all-natural, 100% Palin juice drink!
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 11:43 AM on July 25, 2009

(Also I really enjoyed this. Thanks.)
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 11:44 AM on July 25, 2009

The Cat Concerto (1946)
posted by Rhaomi at 12:16 PM on July 25, 2009

My bad -- somebody swapped out the soundtrack on that one for a different piano piece. I suppose that's what I get for trusting YouTube... here's the video with the original audio.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:24 PM on July 25, 2009

Wow, should have listened to my wife when she told me to record the ferret running over the keyboard... shoulda listened...
posted by sundri at 3:03 PM on July 25, 2009

Not snark: There are several points in the piece when that cat's posture and attitude toward the keys are intensely reminiscent of Glenn Gould.

(Also, I had the same thought as Flunkie, except with con[victs] instead of conches. But if modern marketers had been around during the early history of these forms, we probably wouldn't find the term "catcerto" remarkable at all. "Mozart's new Horncerto is superb! I simply must attend his next drawingroominar.")
posted by No-sword at 3:39 PM on July 25, 2009 [2 favorites]

There's something very cool about this.

*gives standing ovation*
posted by darkstar at 12:42 AM on July 26, 2009

Charming caturday smiles on Sunday. A treat. Thanks.
posted by nickyskye at 9:08 AM on July 26, 2009

Recently I took a few months of my free time and decided to recreate Arnold Schoenberg's 1909 op. 11 Drei Klavierstücke (aka Three Piano Pieces) by editing together videos of cats playing pianos downloaded from Youtube.
posted by homunculus at 11:15 AM on July 31, 2009 [1 favorite]

I just found that Op 11 rendition by Cory Arcangel myself and was about to post it independently, not realizing this thread existed. Yo, cat classical music fans, you must must must check out the Schoenberg-played-by-cats. It transcends goofy to become compellingly good art.

I think it's so good it's a shame fewer Mefites will see it down here. Sigh.
posted by fourcheesemac at 2:03 PM on July 31, 2009

Also that catcerto cat -- Nora -- IS Glenn Gould. Or was Gould also sticking something nice between the keys and then trying to snort it while he played?

You made me laugh No-sword.
posted by fourcheesemac at 2:05 PM on July 31, 2009