Piano burning

Piano burning is the act of setting on fire an acoustic piano, most commonly an upright, as either a ceremony or a form of performance art. Piano burning has been a tradition in the Royal Air Force since the period between World Wars I and II when, according to one version of its origin, pianos were set alight by pilots to avoid piano lessons aimed at improving their dexterity and general level of culture. Another version of the origin is that pianos were burnt in remembrance of fallen RAF pilots. Several contemporary musicians, including Annea Lockwood, Yōsuke Yamashita, and Diego Stocco, have composed for and performed on pianos which have been deliberately set alight.

Origins in the Royal Air Force
Piano burning has a long history with air forces, although the origin is often the subject of myth and decades of storytelling.

The most common tale traces its origin to the British Royal Air Force sometime between World War I and II. Because so many pilots died during World War I, the RAF was forced to select its pilots from the common population, instead of their usual preference for upper class families. Because of this, many attempts were made to educate the pilots on refined manners and tastes. These lessons became very unpopular among the pilots, especially the piano lessons that were forced on them. The Royal Air Force believed that the lessons would not only increase the pilots' level of culture, but also improve their dexterity. The source of the burning began at RAF Leuchars, where the only piano at the base burned down accidentally. Afterwards, the pilots realized the RAF could not afford to replace the piano, so piano lessons were cancelled. Word quickly spread, and soon pilots at more and more Royal Air Force bases began to burn the pianos to avoid lessons. Even after the lessons ceased, this act became a sign of triumph, defiance, and celebration.

Another version of the tradition's origin holds that RAF piano burning began as a tribute to fallen airmen. According to the New Zealand Herald, a piano-playing pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II played to his fellow airmen each time one of their number had been killed. When he himself was killed in action, his comrades decided that "if he couldn't play the piano any more, nobody would, so they dragged it outside and set it alight."

Piano burning ceremonies based on the RAF tradition are also held by the US Air Force. A piano was ceremonially burnt at Langley Air Force Base in 2011 to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the 94th Fighter Squadron. At Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the 4th Fighter Wing burns a piano each year in commemoration of the Battle of Britain, while Vance Air Force Base sometimes celebrates the graduation of trainee pilots with a piano burning.

Annea Lockwood
In 1968, New Zealand composer Annea Lockwood (whose father was an RAF pilot) wrote a piece called Piano Burning. The score specifies that the performer uses an upright piano that is beyond repair, specifically in the composers words, "Piano burning should really be done with an upright piano; the structure is much more beautiful than that of a grand when you watch it burn. The piano must always be one that’s irretrievable, that nobody could work on, that no tuner or rebuilder could possibly bring back. It’s got to be a truly defunct piano." She asks the performer to soak paper in lighter fluid, light it on fire, and drop it into the piano. She also specifies that balloons may be attached and the piano may be played for as long as the performer is able. Piano Burning is a part of her Piano Transplants series, which also includes Piano Drowning, Piano Garden, and Southern Exposure.

Yōsuke Yamashita
Yōsuke Yamashita first performed on a burning piano in 1973, when asked by Japanese graphic designer Kiyoshi Awazu to be the subject in his short film, burning piano. 35 years later, at the age of 66, Yamashita re-watched the film and was inspired to repeat the performance. Dressed in a protective firefighter's uniform, Yamashita improvised on the burning piano during sunset on a beach in western Japan. He said of the experience, "I did not think I was risking my life but I was almost suffocating from the smoke that was continuously getting into my eyes and nose. I had decided to keep on playing until the piano stopped making sounds, so though I did not mean it but it ended up having a life-or-death battle between the piano and myself." The pianos used for both performances were donated, decade-old broken ones.

Diego Stocco
Diego Stocco composed a piece called The Burning Piano, which is made up entirely of his recordings of a burning piano. Stocco began the burning process by pointing a butane lighter directly towards the strings and played single notes, and after the flame was extinguished he played with what remained. He recorded the entire process and later rearranged samples to create the piece of music. The virtual instrument company Spectrasonics created a sample library called Omnisphere which includes a Burning Piano sample recorded by Stocco.