Talk:Concerto for Horn and Hardart

Schickele and Glass
The article, right now, states:


 * The composer Philip Glass, a student of Schickele's at the time, helped build the actual instrument; because Schickele was such a demanding ear training teacher, Glass and the others tasked to building the hardart made it a transposing instrument without telling Schickele.

Are there any references at all for Glass having been Schickele's *student*? Age-wise, they're a mere two years apart, and indeed, Schickele's own article asserts that they were classmates, as does this book, this bibliography of Schickele etc.

I'll take out the assertion that Glass was Schickele's student. Would still be nice to get a reference for the rest, though. -- Schneelocke (talk) 18:47, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

The Hardart as an instrument
I remember reading the back of the P.D.Q. Bach LP with the Concerto for Horn and Hardart on it. The hardart was a cabinet that sat on the floor on legs and it had multiple coin-operated windows that opened, the way they did when you bought food at a Horn & Hardart Automat. Tied to the edges of the cabinet were multiple helium balloons on strings. The hardart was a percussion instrument -- to make the percussive noise, you popped the balloons. Behind each window was a different sharp implement to be used to pop one of the balloons. You had to put a coin in the slot at just the right time to open the window and remove the awl, the icepick, the bodkin, the paring knife, the hypodermic syringe with needle, etc. so you could pop one of the balloons at just the right moment in the piece. What I don't remember is what the article says -- that behind each window was some kind of hammer, mallet or whatever to be used to strike whatever musical instrument was called for. I didn't change the article because I read of the hardart in the late 1960's when I was in high school and that was something like 45 years ago and I don't completely trust my memory. But I think I'm correct here. Can someone confirm or contradict, please?Toddabearsf (talk) 21:27, 10 April 2014 (UTC)
 * This sounds basically right, although I'm not certain enough to change the article either. There is more information about the Hardart in The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach. Newyorkbrad (talk) 21:37, 10 April 2014 (UTC)