The musical saw is played by bending a hand saw into an S shape and then drawing a double bass (or sometimes a cello or violin) bow across the flat portion. By manipulating the saw the player can move that flat portion to a part with a different width and thus adjust the pitch. Commonly thought to be an adaptation by ingenious musical amateurs, the musical saw actually has a long history that includes several manufacturers, both in the U.S. and abroad, that have made saws for specifically musical use. In recent decades the instrument's primary use has been in jazz, where its shimmering tone competes with a variety of rhythmic elements. The classical saw, as played here by Dale Struckenbruck (described as "a theological scholar and a classical virtuoso of the saw"), offers a listening experience distinct from the instrument's jazz uses. Accompanied only by a piano, the saw reveals twanging overtone-like sounds that have to be heard to be imagined; try out a few tracks here if you've never heard the classical saw before. The composer of this music, identified only as
Steve on the cover, is none other than
Steve Margoshes, the composer of the musical Fame (although not the
Irene Cara title track, which
Margoshes did not write), and the program includes several excerpts from that musical as well as original compositions that showcase the saw in its traditional salon atmosphere. If you've never heard the classical saw, it's well worth the experience, but be aware that you may either love it or hate it. All sales of this CD benefit the Father Fame foundation, set up by Struckenbruck to "actively promote the value of the arts in education, especially theater arts."~James Manheim