The Last Typewriter
Summary
The Last Typewriter narrates the history and evolution of the typewriter in journalism, centered on a journalist who persistently uses a typewriter despite the shift to computers. The composition showcases different musical styles over time, while the journalist’s typing theme remains constant, played by various solo instruments. Nostalgia is a key emotion, highlighted by the typewriter’s sound paired with solo instruments. Commissioned for the Allgäuer Zeitung’s 75th anniversary, the piece ends with a clarinet solo as the typewriter falls silent, leaving a lasting memory.
About The Last Typewriter
This work describes the history and development of the typewriter in the newspaper world. The connecting thread is a journalist who stubbornly keeps using the familiar typewriter, even though, at the newspaper’s office, it has been replaced by a computer a long time ago. The development over time is depicted by the various styles that follow one another. Only the theme of the typing journalist stays the same.
You will hear the journalist typing again and again, each time with another solo instrument. But in the end, the music stops for the last time, and out of the blue the clarinet solo begins, together with the theme of the journalist, who will be typing the last words until the bell. The sound of the last typewriter has fallen silent, but the memory remains.
In The Last Typewriter Jacob de Haan incorporated various emotions, of which nostalgia is a very essential one. The parts where the Typewriter sounds, together with a solo instrument, are the best example of this. On the other hand, there are smooth pop parts, which on the one hand depict the modern era and on the other hand the cheerfulness of typing on the typewriter. Jacob de Haan created a very varied composition, in which the theatrical setting entertains the audience even more.
This work was composed on behalf of the Allgäuer Zeitung, on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. The world premiere was performed by the Euregio-Blasorchester conducted by Johann Mösenbichler.
Performance Note
Ideal performance: someone playing the journalist sits (dressed up) on the stage; in front of this person there’s an (old) typewriter with a microphone aimed at it. The journalist will be typing at the moments that are indicated in the score. The soloists stand beside the journalist – or take up a random position on stage – when they play their solos. Other theatrical ideas are up to the performers.