The Return of the Page-turner

Almost two years ago I posted about a Peter Serkin concert that I attended at the Saint Paul Ordway. In the post, I ruminated on the the craft of the gentleman who was turning pages for Mr. Serkin. Somehow, through the magic of Google and the blogosphere, said gentleman found the post, identified himself as the page-turner, and wrote me a nice note answering some of my questions regarding the practice. To wit:

““Page-turning” is indeed the name of the activity, and the person who does it is called a “page-turner.” A pianist will tell the concert presenter (like the Schubert Club): “I need a page-turner,” and it’s the presenter’s job, usu. to supply a person. It’s something that all pianists do at some point, though many people don’t like to do it. It can be nerve-wracking, and an inexperienced person can spoil a concert by dragging the music off the rack, or turning two pages at once, or simply getting lost. The ideal page-turner isn’t even noticed. Composers often like to do the job because they spend so much time looking at scores (the printed music). One has to be a fluent reader; with some modern music the printed page can be very hard to follow. I find that the activity has a rhythm: you look for the best place to turn, decide when to stand up, turn the page, then sit down and relax attentively.”

Composer David Evan Thomas served as ‘page-turner’ that night. The Schubert Club has some of his recording for sale.

Many thanks to Mr. Thomas for the insights. As an aside, I was a little disappointed to learn that ‘page-turner’ is indeed the actual title for someone who does that job. Although I appreciate the what-you-see-is-what-you-get aesthetic of it, it strikes me as a bit pedestrian next to the the ornamental and voluptuous latin derived nomenclature that populates the genre. I might suggest something like:

The Notation Agent
Sultan of Scales
Clef Steward
The Octave Officer
The Keeper of the Staff