The title of the [piano] piece Par T.S.F., H 173bis, alludes to a phenomenon that was of great concern to musicians of the time – “Par Télégraphie sans fils” – literally meaning “By Telegraphy without Wires” or, more aptly, “By radio” or “On the Radio Waves” [CZ: Rozhlasem / Na vlnách rozhlasu]. [The French title is also reminiscent of Jaroslav Seifert's 1925 poetry collection "On the Waves of TSF" (1925).]
The artistic quality and historical value far exceed the miniature dimensions of the thirty-eight-volume manuscript. The music shows how sensitive the composer was to wireless technology well before 1935, the same year he completed his radio operas. The date of performance and the French title refer to the origin of the composition in Paris.
Carol Robinson first performed the composition in public on 18 April 1926 in Portland, Oregon, followed by a performance in Woodstock, New York, in September of that year. Carol Robinson (1889–1979), American pianist and renowned teacher, lived in New York City. She probably met Martinů during her frequent visits to Paris in the 1920s. The dry ostinato reminds us of the Morse code, which was used by telegraph and radio operators of the time, and which Robinson taught during the First World War.
Robinson actually introduced the composer to the American listener through this piece. In addition, she brought this piece to the attention of the gifted dancer Elizabeth Delz (also known as Gorham Munson). Delz danced to the music of "Par T.S.F." in New York in 1933 and later choreographed a group performance of the piece.
Glenda Dawn Goss, Bohuslav Martinů: Par T.S.F., Panton, 1989 [shorted].