Reginald Reynolds - Stacks are the Stanford

Reginald Reynolds

6The P aJerews]ki

of the Player Piano 9

The AMICA BULLETINAUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION

MARCH/APRIL 1999 VOLUME 36, NUMBER 2

McCLURE'S MAGAZINE.

AEOLIANPRICES ((f! PLEASURE

-.t ..,..''---"

MANY PEOPLE are under the impression that Aeolians are very expensive instruments and

can be afforded only by the very wealthy. This is an error. Aeolians are made to suit allpurses, and in each case give a return in pleasure which more than compensates for their cost.

The fact that many of the styles are what might be considered high-priced, in no waydetracts from the value of those of less complicated construction. The more intricate styles are simplyevidences of the progressiveness of The Aeolian Company and the possibilities in musical developmentwhich are being made realities by the marvelous effects that are obtained.

The reputation which The Aeolian Company made more than ten years ago has been jealously

guarded.Its promises have been fulfilled and its statements command attention.Its highest achievement is the Aeolian Pipe-organ, for the tonal qualities of the pipe-organ are

unequaled, and the application of the Aeolian principle multiplies its scope and utilizes its possibilities .. The Aeolian Orchestrelle gives almost the same effects with less space and at a smaller cost.The various styles of regular Aeolians are the instruments from which The Aeolian Company has

received its marvelous endorsements from the musical world, and it is therefore unnecessary to speak oftheir pleasure-giving resources or their artistic qualities.

In summing up this statement of prices and pleasure and their relative ratio among all thestyles, a principle of The Aeolian Company, which has a pertinent bearing on the subject, should be

added:

IJ,

When Aeolians are exchanged for higher-priced styles the price of the old instruments, less a very small deduction for wearand tear, is allowed. A person not wishing to invest a large amount in an instrument about which he is uncertain as to the continuance of his interest, may first purchase a smaller style to suit his present purse conditions and afterward invest in a moreexpensive one at a slight increase in cost.

This has been done by a great number of our patrons.

Aeolians, $75 to $750. Aeolian Orchestrelles, $1,500 to $2,500.Aeolian Pipe-organs, $3,000 to $10,000 and upwards.

Can be bou&ht by instalments if desired. Visitors alway. welcome. ]f unable to call send for cal~ogue giving fult description. State styltin waich you arc specially interested.

.1

18 W. 23d St., New York. 500 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 124 E. 4th St., Cincinnati, O.

STYLB D. PR ICE, $300

A recent production. and has thefull scale. using the same music-rollas used on our most expensive instru~

ments.

PRINCESS. PRICE, $75The Princess. although the lowest

price instrument we makf", playsnearly eight thousand pieces-amlplays them well too.

AEOLIAN GRANDPRICE, $750

The Standard Aeolian, embodyingall the essential points of Aeoliandevelopment to date.

-, .......-:

PAN Y

AEOLIAN ORCHBSTRRLLR,RENAISSANCE. PRICE, $],800

Constructed on the celebrated Yocalion principle. and is distinctive inthe exquisite quality of its tone.

MocI A NLoA ETHE

Fleming & Camrfck Press. New YorkPlease mention McClure's when you write to advertiselll.

THE AMICA BULLETINAUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION

Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distributionand enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls and perforated music books. AMICA was founded in San Francisco, California in 1963.

ROBIN PRAn PUBLISHER, 515 scan ST., SANDUSKY, OH 44870-3736 -- Phone 419-626-1903, Fax 419-624-9454, e-mail: [email protected] the AMICA Web page at: http://www.amica.org

Associate Editor: Mr. Larry Givens Contributing Editor: Mr. Emmett M. Ford

VOLUME 36, Number 2 Marcb/April1999 AMICA BULLETIN

FEATURES _

Book Review

The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music by Rollin Smith - 80

Pioneer Preservationist Discovered - 82

Reginald Reynolds - 90

Boston Convention - 118

.JDEPARTMENTS _

President's Message - 75

From the Editor's Desk - 75

In Memoriam - 76-78

Calendar of Events - 76

Letters - 79

Tech Tips

Seeburg Transmission Neutral Gizzmo - 123

The Importance ofRegulation - 124

Chapter News - 126

Classified Ads - 140

Front Cover: Cover of Reginald Reynolds Book

~ide Front Cover: McClure's Magazine 1902, sent in by Anthony Engels

. Inside Back Cover: Cartoon sent in by Selmer Nielsen

Back Cover: The House Beautiful, January 1924, sent in by Anthony Engels

Display and Classified AdsArticles for PublicationLetters to the PublisherChapter News

UPCOMING PUBLICATIONDEADLINESThe ads and articles must be receivedby the Publisher on the Ist of theOdd number months:

January JulyMarch SeptemberMay November

Bulletins will be mailed on the 1st weekof the even months.

Robin Pratt, Publisher515 Scott StreetSandusky, Ohio 44870-3736Phone: 419-626-1903Fax: 419-624-9454e-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

New Memberships

Renewals

Address changes and corrections

Directory information updates

Additional copies ofMember Directory

Single copies of back issues($6.00 per issue - basedupon availability)

William Chapman (Bill)2150 Hastings CourtSanta Rosa, CA 95405-8377707-570-2258e-mail: [email protected]

To ensure timely delivery of yourBUllETIN, please allow 6-weeksadvance notice of address changes.

AMICA reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any and all submitted articles and advertising.

Entire contents 10 1999 AMICA International 73

AMICA INTERNATIONAL

COMMITTEES -

TREASURERRegistered agent for legal matters

r':.

TEXASPres: Ken LongVice Pres: Tony Palmer

Michael BarisonekHaden VandiverBryan Cather

Treas: Janet TonnesenSec: Janet TonnesenReporter: Bryan CatherBoard Rep: Dick Merchant

PACIFIC CAN-AMPres: Mark SmithbergVice Pres: Kurt MorrisonSec: Halie DodrillTreas: Ward FolsomReporter: Dan BrownBoard Rep: Fran Willyard

SIERRA NEVADAPres: John Motto-RosVice Pres: Sonja LemonSecffreas:

Tom & Virginia HawthornReporter: Doug & Vicki MahrBoard Rep: John Motto-Ros

SOWNY (Southern Ontario,Western New York)

Pres: Anne LemonVice Pres: Mike HamannSeclMem. Sec: John & Diane ThompsonTreas: Holly WalterPhotographer: Garry LemonReporter: Frank WarbisBoard Rep: Mike Walter

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAPres: Herb MercerVice Pres: James WestcottSec./Reporter. Shirley NixTreas: Ken HodgeBoard Rep: Frank Nix

SOUTHERN SKIESPres: Debra Legg -

(813) 734-3353Vice Pres: Bill ShriveSec: Howard Wyman (813) 689-6876Treas: Dee Kavouras (352) 527-9390Reporter: Dick & Dixie LeisBoard Rep: Debra Legg

CHAPTER OFFICERSNORTHERN LIGHTS .1fJ"'-.Pres: Donald B. Jones - (612) 824-48~Vice Pres: Jerrilyn Boehland -

(612) 780-5699Sec: Jason E. Beyer - (507) 454-3124Treas: Terry GoepelReporters: Paul & Barbara WatkinsBoard Rep: Dorothy Olds

BOSTON AREAPres. Edward Bordelieu - (603) 472-5566Vice Pres: Ken VolkSec: Robert HuntTreas: Alan JayneReporter: Don BrownBoard Rep: Sandy Libman

LADY LIBERTYPres: Keith Bigger - (718) 528-9443Vice Pres: David PalterSec: Richard KarlssonTreas: Joseph HutterReporter: Bill MaguireBoard Rep: Dianne Polan

- (516) 673-0388

MIDWEST (OH, MI, IN, KY)Pres: Harold Malakinian -

(248) 528-3111Vice Pres: Liz BarnhartSec: Judy WulfekuhlTreas: Alvin WulfekuhlReporter: Christy CountermanBoard Rep: Liz Barnhart

CmCAGOAREAPres: Richard VanMetreVice Pres: George WilderSec: Curt CliffordTreas: Joe PekarekReporter: Kathy Stone SeptonBoard Rep: Marty Persky

FOUNDING CHAPTERPres: Bing Gibbs - (408) 253-1866Vice Pres: Jack and Dianne EdwardsSec: Lyle Merithew & Sandy SwirskyTreas: Richard ReutlingerReporter: Bing GibbsBoard Rep: Richard Reutlinger

GATEWAY CHAPTERPres: Robert W. Taylor - (573) 875-6111Vice Pres: Dan SummersSec: Cynthia CraigTreas: Cynthia CraigReporter: Cynthia CraigHistorian: Larry HollenbergBoard Rep: Robert W. Taylor

HEART OF AMERICAPres: Ron Bopp - (918) 786-4988Vice Pres: Tom McAuleySecffreas: Linda KoehlerReporter: Joyce BriteBoard Rep: Ron Connor

Robin Pratt515 Scott Street

Sandusky, Ohio 44870-3736419-626-1903

e-mail: [email protected]

William Chapman (Bill)2150 Hastings Court

Santa Rosa, CA 95405-8377707-570-2258


Linda Bird3300 Robinson Pike

Grandview, MO 64030-2275Phone~ax 816-767-8246


Maurice Willyard1988 NW Palmer LaneBremerton, WA 98311

360-692-8885

Dan C. BrownN. 4828 Monroe Street

Spokane, WA 99205-5354509-325-2626


Shirley Nix6030 Oakdale Avenue

Woodland Hills, CA 91367818-884-6849


Robert Deland485 Gatewood LaneGrayslake, IL 60030

847-548-6416e-mail: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERSPRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENTChapter Coordinator

PUBLICATIONS

AMICA ARCHIVES

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

PUBLISHER

SECRETARYAMICA Headquarters

Harold Malakinian2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098

Robin Pratt515 Scott St., Sandusky, OH 44870-3736

Shawn Fox1319 Pearl St., Sandusky, OH 44870

419-621-9758

AUDIO-VISUAL Harold Malakinian2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098

CONVENTION COORDINATOR Liz Barnhart919 Lantern Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431

HONORARY MEMBERS Mike Walter65 Running Brook Dr., Lancaster, NY 14086-3314

716-656-9583

TECHNICAL

AFFILIATED SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONSAUSTRALIAN COLLECTORSOF MECHANICAL MUSICALINSTRUMENTS19 Waipori StreetSt. Ives NSW 2075, Australia

DUTCH PIANOLA ASSOC.Nederlandse Pianola VerenigingEikendreef 245342 HR Oss,Netherlands

PIANOLA INSTITUTEClair Cavanagh, Secretary43 Great Percy St., London WCIX 9RAEngland

INTERNATIONAL PIANOARCHIVES AT MARYLANDPerforming Arts Library, Hombake 3210University of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742

MUSICAL BOX SOCIETYINTERNATIONALP. O. Box 297Marietta, OH 45750

NETHERLANDS MECHANICALORGAN SOCIETY - KDVA. T. MeijerWilgenstraat 24NL-4462 VS Goes, Netherlands

NORTHWEST PLAYER PIANOASSOCIATIONEverson Whittle, SecretaryII Smiths Road, Darcy Lever,Bolton BL3 2PP, Gt. Manchester, EnglandHome Phone: 01204 529939Business Phone: 01772 208003

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONDivision of Musical HistoryWashington, D.C. 20560

PLAYER PIANO GROUPJulian Dyer, Bulletin Editor5 Richmond Rise, Workingham,Berkshire RG41 3XH, United KingdomPhone: 0118977 1057Email: [email protected]

SOCIETY FOR SELF-PLAYINGMUSICAL INSTRUMENTSGesellschaft fUr SelbstspielendeMusikinstrumente (GSM) E.V.Jiirgen HockerHeiligenstock 460-51465 Bergisch GladbachGermanyPhone: 2202-932524Fax:. 2202-932526

INT. VINTAGE PHONO & MECH.MUSIC SOCIETYC.G. Nijsen, Secretaire General19 Mackaylaan5631 NM EindhovenNetherlands

f'"

74

President's Message

·,...w~~.elcome spring! By the time you get this I hope youv are all enjoying the warmer air and the beautiful trees

and flowers. What a miracle it is to watch as naturecomes to life.

It has been brought to my attention, AGAIN, that we havemany members of local chapters that are not joining AMICAInternational. It is really disappointing to realize that people arenot willing to support the organization that makes their localchapter possible. If we didn't have the international organization, there would not be any chapter meetings to attend. If thiscontinues to happen, we won't have an organization to worryabout. I feel our international dues are really quite reasonable.We receive a first class publication six times per year. We havethe opportunity to attend a convention where we can meet fellow collectors from all over the world. Contacts can be madethat would otherwise never happen. Not only do you have thechance to make many lasting friendships, but you have manypeople to compare notes with about your particular interests.

I am challenging each and every chapter member to send inyour dues to Bill Chapman this month. This is a requirement inour by-laws. It isn't just coming from some scheme I haveinvented. As your President, I am obligated to try to run theorganization as was intended in the by-laws. I know that thiswon't reach the people that need to see it, so please take this toyour next chapter meeting and share it with the group. Please,"-make sure that all of your chapter members are International

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Finally we are on the downhill stretch of the 1999 AMICADirectory and it has been no small task. The final proof iscompleted and printing should begin soon. You should havethem in your hands before the next issue of the Bulletin arrives. _..

members. Bill Chapmanwould be glad to help you ifyou have any questions aboutmembership.

All of the informationabout the upcoming convention in Boston is included inthis issue. Please make surethat you get your registrationin the mail since we have alimit of 200. You also mayregister off of the AMICA website if you wish. The addressis www.amica.org. Terry continues to do a great job of keepingour site up to date on the latest activities.

I have some other good· convention news. The Heart ofAmerica Chapter will be hosting the 2002 convention inSpringdale, Arkansas. The dates will be June 26-30th. This is abeautiful area with more to do than we can possibly do. Somake plans for an extended vacation in 2002 to this lovely areaof the country.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Boston.

Linda

This has been an enormous task for not only myself, butfor Bill Chapman and the employees of our printer too. Billhad a group of AMICA members helping with reentering thedata assembled by former Membership Secretary MikeBarnhart. Then we decided that we needed to update all of yourmembership information so that it could be as accurate aspossible. That is when you received the form for updating.However, if you only sent in the update and didn't renew yourmembership, then well ... I think that the result would beobvious, right? No pay, no play. Sorry. So when you receiveyour new Directory, it should be as up to date as was humanlypossible within the parameters of dues paid, deadlines andlegible handwriting.

In the current issue of the Bulletin you will find an outstanding compilation of articles from British AMICA affiliate"The Player Piano Group" focusing on the life and career ofAeolian Duo-Art recording editor Reginald Reynolds. Thereare also a couple of very handy and historic Tech Tips. Hopeyou enjoy it all!

Robin

75

CALENDAR OF EVENTSCHAPTERS CALENDAR OF EVENTSFounding Chapter Meeting

May 1999 - John and Nadine Motlo·Ros, Sutter CreekContact: Jack or Diane Edwards 408-267-9554

Lady Liberty Chapter Meeting

May 2, 1999, 2:00 p.m. - Bob & Caty Martin, Litlle Falls, NJContact: ?????................................ ???-???-????

June 5, 1999 . Edison National Laboratories, West Orange, NJContact: ?????................................ ???-???-????

Heart ofAmerica Chapter

June 12-13, 1999· Band Organ Rally, Gage Park Topeka, KansasContact: ??????? ???-???-????

ANNUAL CONVENTIONS

August 12·15, 1999 AMICA Convention, Boston, Massachusetts

June 22·25,2000 AMICA Convention, Sacramento, California

February 16·26,2001 AMICA Convention,Melbourne, Australia

June 26·30, 2002 AMICA Convention, Springdale, Arkansas

~.I...

76

~~,iafft

JON LAWSON

Submitted by Shirley Nix, with tbariks to Robert Newton

Sadly, the Southern California Chapter has lost Jon Lawson, one of our founding members.Jon had been a fixture at 10calAMICA meetings for years iJntil recently, when- health problems made' itdifficult if not impossible for him to attend. Jon had a slight stroke which affected one eye, and he iostdepth perception due to this. The eye got very bad; so he couldri't do muchciriving. The second eyebegan to go, too, but laser surgery straightened that out O.K:

Born April 20, 1925; Jon moved out to California from Kansas City many years ago. It isn't knownwheilthe ~·Colle.ctoritis"set in, but Jon had a severe case of it. Perhaps "accumulator"was'a more apttitle for Jon than Collector according to hIS friends. He never saw a goodie he didn't like; and what heliked he wanted to have. When friends would ask him where he intended to put things he bought, hisanswer was usually "Well, the ceiling isn't full yet." .(The rest of the house was, though:)

He and his partner, Don Plagman, founded the Wedgwood Society of Southern California, arid it isstill in existence today. (Wedgwood, of course, was another ofIon's passion~.) He was interested inTheater Or~ans, and was active in the Los Angeles Theater Organ Society. .

Jon had hoped to move to Arizona, but never quite niadethat happen. Too many details stood inthe way. One can imagine that moving his collection had to be one of those details.

The official date of death was August 24, 1998. He died alone in his home. That was the date. thepolice found ~im so the actual date is riot known. Jon died of emphysema and hardening of tllearteries.He is survived by a brother and niece in Colorado. He WIll be.rilissed by all his friends in AMICA.

LOUIS SUIERVELD

Submitted by Jerry Doringn

In memory of Louis Suierveld who passed away December 30,' 1998. Louis was well. known among West'. Coast collectors as a master craftsman in the restoration of band organs and other large and small automatic musical

instruments. His love for fair organs originated from his birthplace in Wagnum, North Holland. The various. collectors he knew willrniss him and his expertise. Better known as just "Louie;" he is survived by his wife,

Johanna, eight children, and eighteen grandchildren. Louie leaves several fine fair organs in his estate and anyoneinterested in an organ of exceptional sound and quality may write to his son, John Suierveld; at 13635 Markdale,Norwalk, CA 90650to receive further infonnation.

~. /

Submitted by James Kelsey

RICHARD E. BARNES

The news of Dick's death has probably alrt:ady reached most of the AMICAns that knew him. OnFebruary 1 at 4:15 a.m.,he lostalongbattle with lung cancer and left behind a long list of friends aridacquaintances that cherished his uniqUeness and stimulating company. Dick had many friends inAMICA and was a walklng encyclopedia of music,obscure artist, recording companies, and esotericaconcerning phonographs, music boxes, and other musical instruments. Although he was mostlyself-educated, he was at a level of sophistication rare outside circles like AMICA. He deplored thecorruption of the language as.heard on radio and TV.

Dick was born in Mis$ouri, and his family moved to Colorado Springs when he was fairly young.He graduated from high schoolthere and began his interesting life by working at the top of Pike's Peakfor a couple of summers. He studied music,. mainly piano, under several well-known teachers in the.various places he has lived. He has lived ~nd worked in New York City on two separate occasions,Cape Cod, California, and more recently in Wichita, Kansas, and Lubbock, Texas. While livingiriColorado Springs, he worked fortheWuriltzer dealer as a salesman and discovered the harp andbecame a proficient harpist. He owned a rare Lyon and Healy instrument, restored and spld a beautifulantique Erard harp, and owned.anIrish harp. He studied here under the late Virginia Cline, a memberof our local chapter together. with her sister. Also his friend and teacher was the mother of Max Morathin Colorado Springs. He became friends with Ruth Ettingas well. .

During one of several times Dick lived in Colorado Springs, he became organist at the Air ForceAcademy, as well as at various churches from time to time. He used to also goto the ChiefTheatre andplay the Wurlitier. It was during this time that he went to work in the medical profession. Under very .fortunate circumstances he trained under aD- eminent pathologist in Colorado Springs, and, due to hisunbelievable capacity for detail, he quickly became recognized as a perfectionist and producedbeautifliitissue slides, This placed himin great demand and made iteasy for him to find work the restof his life.. In Dallashe was greatly appreciated by the pathologists for whom he made slides(Histotechnology).

This same meticulous perfectionism carried over into all his projects. The harp mentioned earlierwas iri very poor condition when he bought it. It'sgesso ornamentation was mostly missing but theremaining parts furnished him with a pattern and he completely replaced all the Gothic ornamentation

. and gold leafed the whole thing. Afterrestoration of the mechanism and the structural parts, it was abeautiful sight Also, he was into medieval manuscrIpts. He would spend a week on one page workingon the illumination. ItfofIows, uaturally, that his player and organ work was also perfect. Before.·becoming established in his profession in Dallas, hewotked for several organ builders.

Dick has left his huge collection of 18 r.p.m. records and collectible LP's· to the new music libraryat North Texas University..Some of these items were worth hundreds of dollars each. (He had a QRSrecord!)

His large collection of Ouo-Art rolls was sold. This library of rolls was unique, not because of itssize Japproximately 800}, but because every single selection was tine, without a· single kitchy title.

If everybody feels as! do about our loss ofRichard, then we c~m all say that we are better off forhaving known him.

77

78

~~riantALBERTA & STANLEY FAVRET.

Submitted by Liz Barnhart

Alberta Favret passed away suddenly on Christmas morning 1998 and her husband Stan died on March 16, 1999after a long battle with cancer. For many years they were active members of the Midwest Chapter and were familiar

faces at AMICA Conventions. Stan and Alberta, we wish you well and your friends will miss you both!

ALBERTAM. FAVRET

Published December 27,1998, Cincinnati, Ohio·

Sent in by Judy Wulfekuhl

Alberta M. (nee Berger) Favret, beloved wife of Stanley E. Favret passed away suddenly on December 25,1998 at the age of 75. She was the loving mother of Bruce Favret, Jane Cervantes, Julie Stincl1comb, SueInderhees, Mary Ann Wilson, Jeanne Daley, and the late Stanley J. Favret. Alberta is also survIved by 14grandchildren, brother Paul Berger, and sister Rose Ann Middeler. Visitation was on December-28 at 1mmaculateHeart of Mary Church Chapel before the funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. If desired, memorials, may be made toAmerican Heart Association, American Cancer Society or E. Roger Jackson, Hamilton County M.R.D.D., 5093Kingsley, Cincinnati, OH 45227. Witt, Good and Kelsch, Anderson Township was in charge of Funeralarrangements.

STANLEY E. FAVRET

From the Cincinnati, Ohio Enquirer, March 18, 1999

Sent in by Judy Wulfekuhl

Stanley E. Favret, a retired photographer who captured about 4,000 local weddings on film, died· of cancer onMarch 16, 1999. The Anderson Township resident was 77.

During his years behind the camera, Mr. Favret focused on many of Cincinnati's most joyous occasions,sometimes as many as five weddings a day. But he also was hired by Cincinnati businesses for photographs, aswell as publicity shoots of stars visiting the Queen City, said a daughter, Julie Stinchcomb of New Richmond.

But his heart was always with his family, she said. And when the rolls of film neared their end,he enjoyedtaking a few shots of his family, most of them in candid situations. The family has a massive I?hoto collection.

"He was always taking photos of us, whether we were reC\dy or not," Ms: Stinchcomb said. The photographsare priceless, she added.

. Her father ran his company, Stanley Favret Photography, out of his home, with the help of his latewife, Alberta. Favret. He retired in 1987 after a 43-year career.

Mr. Favret was aquiet and patient man, but he also pursued many hobbies, from flying airplanes to restoringplayer pianos. He also had a keen interest in boating and sports cars. Mr. Favret was an active member of theAirmen's Club, the British Car Club, and the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors Association.

Along with his wife, Mr. Favretwas preceded in death by a son, Stanley J. Favret. He is survived by fiveda].l.ghters, Jane Cervantes of Maineville, Julie Stinchcomb, Sue Inderhees of White Oak, MaryAnn Wilson ofMount Washington, and Jeanne Daly of Anderson Township; a son Bruce Favret of Anderson Township; a sisterThelma Williams of Owensville; and 15 grandchildren.

Family and friends were received at a visitation from 6-9 p.m., Thursday, March 18 at Immaculate Heart of ..Mary Church Chapel, along with a reception in the church hall. Mass of Christian Burial at Immaculate Heart ofMary Church was at 10 a.m., Friday March 19. Memorials can be made to the E. Roger Jackson Adult Center(MRDD), 5093 Kingsley, Cincinnati, OR 45227, .or to the Stan Favret Memorial Fund f'Of Oncology PatientComfort, P.O. Box 9104, Cincinnati, OH 45209. Elden A Good Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

.~

Letters to the Editor:Dear Robin,

I live in North Texas and have two reproducing pianos (Ampico and Duo-Art) and a Seeburg KTSpecial. Soon I will have a vacation retirement home in Durango, Colorado (elevation 6500 ft.). I wouldlike to take one or more of my pneumatic pianos to Colorado. I would appreciate information from themembership regarding feasibility, problems, treatment, and maintenance of pneumatic instruments in dryand higher altitude locations. Thanks in advance to all replies and help with information.

Tony Palmer,

609 Crown Colony Drive, Arlington, TX 76006.phone (817) 261-1334, fax (817) 261-1229, e-mail [email protected]

To All Members of the Player Piano Group and Affiliates

I am writing to you as a fellow member of the Player Piano Group to advise you that we have purchased the Materials and Supplies side of Laguna Rolls. This includes all their Stock in Trade, SuppliersContracts, etc.

Stephen and Jean Cox are continuing to trade as Laguna Rolls and will make and sell their own Rollsas before, and will also continue to deal in second hand rolls.

We intend to maintain the same level of prompt service as before, and we will always supply the bestquality of materials available and, with the exception of the Suction Unit, which is now priced at 260pounds, there will be no price changes for the first six months, unless suppliers increase theirs.

Our Terms of Business are cash/check with order, and we accept all credit/switch cards. Orders can beplaced bye-mail. Callers will be welcomed by appointment. You can work off Laguna Rolls Catalogue,but if you want a new one, the cost is 2 pounds. We intend to add to the items we offer as we are in touchwith many suppliers around the globe.

We have lists of professional restorers around the country and can put you in touch with them, shouldthe need arise.

Every good wish for 1999, From Nigel PerryNew Lagoon Player Piano Supplies36, The SquareEarls Barton, Northampton, NN6 ONA, EnglandTel/Fax: 01604810898, E-mail: [email protected]

MILLS AND REGINA MUSIC ROLLS

Dear Robin:

Our current roll projects are: Violano rolls continue to be produced. Present list has about 30 different popular, semi-classical, and classical rolls available.

We are starting Regina Sublima rolls in several weeks. Will eventually have a list of maybe a dozendifferent rolls available. This will be a limited production, as we can only cut six copies at a time. Willbe on original thickness paper of .011 and wood core, with deluxe boxes.

We will have Mills expression piano rolls available within the next year. The paper is already on handfor this project.

Thanks!

Dick HackHack Mec~~nical Music, Annapolis, Maryland(410) 757-2965

79

BMklleyiew..-......

Ever Wonder How the "Other Half' Lived?The above title is particularly accurate regarding the new book "The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its

Music" by Rollin Smith and published by The Organ Historical Society. Anyone who is or has ever beeninterested in the Duo-Art and the Aeolian Company should immediately order this book. Not only is itfilled with a detailed history of the Aeolian organ division, but it contains a wonderful selection ofphotographs of artists, instruments and their installations in mansions of the wealthy. Some of the interiors of these homes are mind boggling and are found only in your wildest imagination. There is a rollography of the recordings for the Aeolian Duo-Art organ as well as biographies of the Aeolian recordingartists. An opus list contains the locations of the instruments and also their subsequent locations if known.Specifications of some instruments and their locations with photographs are detailed while the tribulationssurrounding the installations of others will have you laughing out loud! Been there, done that!

I would encourage all of you reading this who care about paper roll operated instruments and theirpreservation to order Rollin Smith's "The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music". Don't be eternally quotedlike some cheapskate "editor" in the hobby who once said, "$39.00! Who can afford THAT!?!?!?" Youreally will enjoy this beautifully written history of the Aeolian Organ and try as you might, you won't beable to get it for free on the internet.

Robin Pratt

The Aeolian Pipe Organ and Its Music by Rollin Smith /""'0-

A New Book From the Organ Historical Society

T he OrganHistoricalSociety has

published TheAeolian Pipe Organand Its Music by

Rollin Smith as a hardbound book of 554pages and more than 150 photographsand illustrations. The book documentsthe oldest, largest, and longest-lived manufacturer of residence organs and themusic they were designed to reproduce.

Aeolian pipe organs, most of whichplay automatically via rolls as well askeyboards, were exclusively installed inthe homes of the wealthy to providemusic of high tonal quality in an erabefore the scratch and static of thephonograph and radio improved. A listof these owners, or "patrons" as theywere called by the company, includesAmerica's most prominent names:Carnegie, Rockefeller, Tiffany, du Pont,four Vanderbilts, Eastman, Schwab,Frick, Curtis, Wrigley, Reynolds,Woolworth, Penney, Packard, Olds, Ford,

80

Chrysler, the Dodge brothers, the Mayobrothers, and the Ringling brothers.

The book documents the organs andthe music they were programmed toreproduce. An annotated list of morethan 900 pipe organs built by the Aeolianfirm 1894-1932 includes contract dates,prices, additions and alterations, andindexes by owner and geographicallocation.

In addition to its prominence as thebuilder of the world's most advanced andlargest residence organs, some includingmore than 5,000 individual pipes, theAeolian Company made two contributions of enduring historical importance:I) the company commissioned four prestigious composers to write original worksfor the Aeolian player organ - VictorHerbert, Camille Saint-Saens, EngelbertHumperdinck, and Moritz Moszkowski;2) perfection of an automatic player thatenabled the exact reproduction of performances by world-famous organist such asBonnet, Dupre, Bossi, Vierne, and manywho made few or no phonograph records.

In addition to biographies of 54recording organists, each with a discussion of their rolls and contribution torecorded organ music, The Aeolian PipeOrgan and Its Music includes more than50 stoplists of unique installations. Some1,200 rolls produced by the firm arecataloged by both composer and organist- a veritable social history of music heardin America during 35 years. Additionalchapters examine Igor Stravinsky'sassociation with the Aeolian organ andanalyze Leopold Stokowski's organ"arrangement" of Bach's Passacaglia, ofwhich only one roll exists.

The Aeolian Pipe Organ and ItsMusic is available from the OrganHistorical Society for $39 plus $2.50shipping in the U.S. from OHS, P.O. Box26811, Richmond, VA 23261, phone804-353-9226, fax 804-353-9266, e-mail [email protected]. Payment isaccepted via check, Visa and MasterCard.

The organ of "Riverside, " the New York City residence ofCharles M. Schwab

Photos from"The Aeolian Pipe Organ

and Its Music"by Rollin Smith

Plate 39. Aeolian'sfirstfour-manual console: the 1906 rebuild ofCharles Schwab's sixty-two-rank organ in his New York residence,

"Riverside"

81

Pioneer Preservationist DiscoveredBy Robert W. Taylor

..,"

Prides Crossing, MA, Henry Clay Frick residence, Aeolian Organ #1008

Since I started collecting reproducing pianos in 1974, itdidn't take me long to figure out that I was far from theground floor in that endeavor. My predecessors were

well documented and published. Larry Givens, Dave Saul, Q.David Bowers, Richard Howe, and Nelson Barden, to mentiona few, had been very busy prior to my arrival on the Ampicoscene leaving little for me to claim as original discovery.

As collectors, we sometimes realize that our interestsdeveloped too late to be pioneers. The best specimens havealready been found, historical manufacturing equipment hasalready been scrapped, and precious records tossed in the trash.The items most worth saving have already been found bysomeone else. Realizing that there was little else for me todiscover about the reproducing piano, I decided to explore therealm of the reproducing pipe organ.

The Duo-Art reproducing pipe organ has always fascinatedme, but any notion of that pursuit was dismissed on practicalgrounds - until now. Clearly, ownership of an organ is anunrealistic endeavor. Consequently, many of these instrumentshave been destroyed as the era of elegance which they shared

82

has given way to more practical living. Adding to the lure andintrigue of the pipe organ was the possibility that there stillmight be many undiscovered secrets.

I began my quest, following many leads to various organs.Mansions being restored, organs being removed, parts beingsalvaged and so on were objects of my search. One night,through a path that I can no longer remember, a series of phonecalls alerted me to an instrument in New Jersey, that might befor sale at some future date. What was to come to fruition, wasbeyond my wildest dreams.

I found the collection of a true pioneer in this field. Thecollector was not the typical after the fact collector as we knowtoday, but rather a contemporary collector. He had started hiscollecting while the industry was still flourishing, andconsequently acquired many items before they found the trashbarrel. As a fan of the residence organ, its artists, and its 4patrons, he formed a link from the past up to today that isunparalleled. As I learned of the holdings within the collection,I became so overwhelmed that I could not comprehend theimportance of what had been amassed.

After negotiating for over a year, I was able to acquire theentire collection. Now safely stored, the instrument awaitsrestoration while the rolls, catalogs and writings of this pioneer

r "\ collector are the center of my interest and study.

It is my hope that I can now tell the story of this earlycollector in a manner that is both informative and inspirational.The facts that I relate are gleaned from his correspondence, hisnarration of a historical anthology of Archer Gibson's recordings, and anecdotal information supplied by his wife andfriends. The collector was the late Johnston F. Stewart ofConvent, New Jersey.

Johnston Stewart

Archer Gibson

surrounding New York.

Archer Gibsonrealized how important his music was tohis patrons and hetreated his role in theirlives with greatrespect. He wrote," .. .it has been a greatprivilege and pleasureto play for many ofmy patrons. The enormous pressure underwhich business leadershave to work, day inand day out, is knownonly to those whocome in intimatecontact with them.They arrive home from their offices after hours of intensemental activity, during which every decision may have vastsignificance in their fortunes and those of many employees andstockholders dependent upon those decisions. After they havedined and rested a little, what they need is a k.ind of dreamyrelaxation which seemingly music only can furnish ... manyhave told me that the following day they have felt the restorative benefit of the ... previous night. I have no fancy ideas uponmusical therapeutics, but ... I have been witnessing a kind ofmusical miracle."

The teenaged Johnston Stewart soon learned of the partiesat the Twombly mansion and set a course of action to becomeinvolved. Waiting in the nearby train station on Sunday afternoons, Johnston was able to intercept Archer Gibson a numberof times as he arrived to play the Sunday recitals. After severalmeetings, Gibson accepted the teenager as a serious protege andallowed Johnston to accompany him to the Twombly mansion.This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship that broughtJohnston in touch with many of wealthy Aeolian patrons andgained him access to their mansions.

As his protege, Johnston Stewart was able to attend recording sessions watching intently as Gibson played the recordingorgan at Aeolian. Stewart was even taken into the residences ofthe wealthy Aeolian patrons to watch Gibson perform forAmerica's richest families. In some performances, he sat on thebench and served as Gibson's page turner. Yet in otheroccasions, he was denied access at the front door as the following letter reveals. Here is an excerpt from one of Johnston'sletters seeking Duo-Art rolls.

July 20, 1963 to Rabbi Edward Shapiro, Norwich JewishCenter:

"Dear Rabbi Shapiro:

My interest in the Aeolian Duo-Art rolls arises frompersonal and nostalgic reasons.

Since young manhood days, covering a span of some25 years, I was associated with the late Archer Gibsonof New York, private organist to many of this country'sleading families ...

Johnston F. Stewartwas born in 1910.The family homewhere he lived hisentire life is adjacentto the Erie andLakawana tracks andConvent Station isonly 200 yards westof the home. Just 150yards eas t of theStewart home was the1,000-acre estate ofFlorence VanderbiltTwombly. While the100-room Twomblymansion held topbilling of noted resi-dences in Convent,

mansions were common in this area known as "millionairesrow".

As a child, Johnston Stewart learned to play the piano, butsoon became fascinated with the pipe organ in his localMethodist church. Johnston was to become a regular visitor tothe organ console under the guidance of the organ master.During the 1920's, Johnston entered his teenage years andbecame more aggressive in his pursuit of the organ.

Paralleling Johnston's growing interest in the organ was thebeginnings of a musical tradition at the nearby Twomblymansion. The Vanderbilt family was Aeolian's biggest organaccount. But of all the installations the Vanderbilts commissioned, the huge four manual, 71 rank Duo-art residence organin tbe Twombly mansion was the most impressive. Installed in1919, it cost $65,937. Mrs. Twombly resided in Convent onlyin the spring and fall of each year. During both of thoseseasons, she hosted five weekend grand house parties whichwould terminate on Sunday evening with an organ recitalpresented by Archer Gibson.

Archer Gibson's importance relating to the AeolianResidence Organ cannot be overemphasized. He helped designand adapt the organ to residential use. He was personal organistto a host of wealthy Aeolian patrons. Some of those patronswere John D. Rockefeller, Sr. and Jr., Charles E. Schwab, andAndrew Carnegie. He was the most prolific recording artist ofthe Aeolian Duo-Art Organ rolls with 75 rolls to his credit.In short, he was one of Aeolian's greatest assets in their pipe" '.organ business. His name was well known to all high society

/

83

The Aeolian organ was built primarily for the estatehomes. Mr. Gibson greatly influenced its design and success. Over a long period of years I would drive himabout to many of those estates and in consideration I wasprivileged to hear the concert. Where the society level atsome of these homes was too "ritzy", this fact coupledwith my obviously plebeian background, meant that Icould not negotiate the front door and I would repair tothe organ chamber, frequently located in the basement,and from that intimate and darkened location proceed toenjoy the music to the very utmost. "

While music was important to his life, Johnston's careerwas as an attorney specializing in labor law at the legislativelevel. But even through his study of law, Johnston continued tofind avenues leading to the pipe organ business. One ofJohnston's close college friends soon left the study of law topursue a music career. That friend, Joe Whiteford, was able tofollow his love of the pipe organ and became an executive inthe Aeolian-Skinner firm. This contact within the pipe organcompany provided Johnston an important resource for years tocome. As a matter of fact, when Johnston was traveling abroadin the early 1950's, he met a man tuning the organ in UsherHall, Edinburgh Scotland, just prior to a music festival. That

man and Johnston started corresponding and eventually in threeyears time, with Johnston as sponsor, the man was able to

. -immigrate to the United States. The man was noted organvoicer and executive Arthur Birchall who joined the Aeolian- r--Skinner firm as Executive Vice-President. Birchall remained at":"'. .Aeolian-Skinner until they went out of business. Arthur andJohnston became great friends and participated in many organprojects together. Arthur Birchall still maintains ties toJohnston's widow, Margaret.

In 1944, the executor of the Helen Gould Shepard estate(daughter of Jay Gould, one of the great robber barons) wassettling her affairs. Her residence at the corner of 5th Avenueand 47th Street, New York was being sold. The Aeolian organin the home, however, was being sold separately and ArcherGibson had suggested to Johnston Stewart that he becomeinvolved in placing the organ. As an attorney, Johnstonrepresented a Greek Orthodox Church in Brooklyn that wantedthe Shepard organ. The negotiations were protracted andcomplex. The church finally out-bid all others and acquired theorgan. For reasons unknown, the church never took delivery ofthe organ and it became the property of Johnston Stewart. Hehad the organ, Opus 1280, installed in his home in Convent,New Jersey. While Johnston considered the organ small, it stillis an impressive 3-manual, 34-rank instrument with a 116-noteroll player built into the console.

J

\ ..

Helen Gould Shepard home, NYC, 5th Avenue and 47th Street

84

,-

Interior ofHelen Gould Shepard Home, NYC, Organ installed under stairs

85

r-

J ..

"('--

Gould, her

SUNDAY, SEPT)

IN QUEENS AREAS

R Copyright. 1952, by The New York Times Company.

Tile Gould and Goelet Corners'at 47th and 48th Streets I

to Be Put to New Uses IWILL BE JOINED .IN REARj

L~~I'I

Eal'ly Home Era Recalled aSII~

Ivor Clark Reveals Plansfor Major Improvement j

OFFICES TO Fifth Ave. Offices for Gould and Goelet Corners

·FIFTH AVE. CITESOF OLD MANSIONS

By LEI<; E. COOPlmThe transition of. the Fifth. Ave- i

nue midtown district from a fash-!lonable residential center to a;choice business and commercial;district is about to be completed. I

The step which will wipe out the;'final vestiges of the colorful Nine-, Fifteen-story office building planned by Ivor B. Clark at northeast comer of Fifth Avenue andteenth Century era of mansions Forty-seventh Street. to replace the Helen Gould Shepard mansion. A sixteen-story structureand !uxmious private-horne life in of similar designed, joined to its companion building in the rear, is shown in right background,that area was taken yesterday.; and will occupy the old Goelet comer at Forty-eighth Street. Emery oRtb &, Sons are architects.

~~~ee:rc~~~~I~ o;~~~po:~:;':~~c~:~~iNEW HOMES GO UPstore buildings on the old Gould!and Goelet corners on the avenue, r ]

Ivor B. Clark has completedplans for the major improvement,which will mean the ~early razingof the well-known Helen GouldShepard house at the northeast I

comer of Fifth Avenue and Forty-;.. .second Street. and the building of Wide Variety of DeSigns NowIi. companion struc~ure on the va- . Ready in Flushing Baysidecant Goelet horne site at the soth- "east corner of the avenue and Rosedale and Little NeckForty-eighth Street.

, Symbol of Old Home Life i>."Although used in recent years A wide val'iety of ~ollses ~tl \'f:,.

for business, the old brownstone pl'ices from $11,990 to $23,500WIIIII>+residence erected in the latter part be offe~'ed in new cOI?nies open.ingl L'of the Nineteenth Century by Jay today In the Flushing, BaYSlde,J:,.Gould, financier, who was ·the Rosedale and Little Neck sections Ifather of Mrs..Shepard. still has of Queens. The openings have ~een, ..stood as a fad~ng sy~bol of the planned for observance of NatIOn- .earlier and qUieter life of New al Home Week.:York. Robert Ingressia, builder of Lane

In its place 'there will go up a home projects throughout the borfifteen-story air-conditioned office ough has a new group priced atbuilding with stores: . .. $21,000 and $23,500 at Fresh Ix

Acquisition of sItes adJommg Meadow Lane and Fiftieth Avenue •.the Shepard horne and the Goelet in FIush~g. A model home.is oncomer will permit Mr. Clark to display.connect this structure on the rear Designed by J. Herbert Burmeisof street side with the rear of the ter architect the six-room bungaQ~mpanion sixteen-story building lov,:.styled buildings have threemuich he will IlIl.onsor on the Forty- bedroc>ms, two baths. expansion'Igh1 'l ""~~.t ·col;.lt,r Of ~I!e. same. "._" ........~; "~" .. ..:.. .. _•.~bloc) ....~~. •...".,.lIiu:n~~~--L"W'1L&~en!l!~!

.;(i'~0~~.;~.!:6i~fr~~'~~~:I·b~A~~~~f':;eittt;IrCp~~"anorl:ih;]l~J;;~G~ld"Si:pard"~~~i~n, built by Jay~:\:~:&:'l>resldent "f l~~e-"l::en.tral houses was opened yesterday by . ..' father, as It appeared in 1908.8a"ngs Bank. who held It for eight Bp.rnln & Krull. bllilders. in Ba\"- . .

86

Having acquired his own Aeolian organ, Johnston Stewartstarted ambitiously collecting rolls. A lending library of rollswas still intact at Aeolian's New Jersey manufacturing site.Johnston was able to get the entire collection. The details ofhow Johnston proceeded to get these 116-note rolls have beenlost, but his endeavors later to obtain Duo-Art rolls are welldocumented. He bought collections advertised in newspapersand the Diapason. He also approached estate executors whereorgans were installed. As a result of his efforts, he obtainedover 1,300 organ rolls.

In 1961, he negotiated with Mrs. Alta Rockefeller Prenticefor her concertola. She obliged him with the gift and dedicatedit to the memory of Archer Gibson. She was Archer's last andlongest patron. Alta was a sister to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Therelationship of Gibson to the Rockefellers is best summed up inhis remarks in an unpublished (?) autobiography project initiated by Johnston Stewart.

"Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. plays the violin excellently. His sister, Mrs. Alta Rockefeller Prentice, is anaccomplished pianist, and another sister, the late Mrs.Edith Rockefeller McCormack, who had so much to dowith the building of the Chicago Civic Opera House, thedevelopment of the Chicago Symphony, and the generalpromotion of music in the Windy City, was a violoncellistof ability. At their home this distinguished group used toplay Beethoven trios and other chamber works of thegreat masters. They infact were taught by the best teachers and were raised in an atmosphere of high artisticidealism. This inevitably developed in them a life musicalinterest, which they never have relinquished. "

In later years, Johnston Stewart represented Archer Gibsonas legal council. While Gibson enjoyed the position as one ofAmerica's best paid organists, he did not always receive whatwas promised. Part of the Stewart collection contains thepapers in which Gibson tries to collect from the CharlesSchwab estate over $48,000 in unpaid retainers. Schwab hadpromised Gibson $6,000 per year, but eight years of Gibsonservice were not compensated. Here is part of thatcorrespondence.

"In 1931 Mr. Schwab paid me only one third of mysalary for the year. Since then I have asked for nothing,and presented no bill for services, and not received onepenny from Mr. Schwab. Mr. Schwab often told me 'thatif I could not stand the gaff, to come to him and he wouldgo to the bottom of the old sock and see what he couldfind.' "

Johnston's loyalty to the late Archer Gibson was manifest inmany letters to estates disposing of the organs and rolls.Notable in this group is correspondence with Governor NelsonRockefeller in 1963. Here is part of Rockefeller's reply.

"Dear Mr. Stewart:

Thank you for your letter of May fifth . .. I was nwstinterested to learn that my aunt, Mrs. Prentice, gave youher Aeolian Duo-Art player. It is good to know that theorgan is in the hands of one who truly enjoys and appreciates it.

You are correct in recalling that there was an organusing Duo-Art rolls in my father'S home. I have discussedthe rolls with my brothers and, although we do not wishto sell them, we no longer have any use for them andwould be delighted for you to have them . ..

Sincerely,

(signed)Nelson A. Rockefeller"

87

The scope of Johnston Stewart'scollection is huge and yet veryfocused. He left behind pictures ofmansions, roll catalogs, rolls, personal correspondence, discographies, acompleteorgan, a concertola, personal items belonging to Archer Gibson,original contracts for several organs,pipes from the Rockefeller andTwombly mansions, advertising literature, and newspaper clippings, toname a few.

Johnston Stewart, the collector,was known to several avid collectors,but since pipe organ collectors arefew in number, his existence was notwidely known. There seems to benew interest now in the Aeolian pipeorgan. Recently the Organ HistoricalSociety has published a comprehensive book on the subject. Author

JJ6-Note roll along side Duo-Art organ roll

Various Aeolian Promotional Catalogs

88

~ . I'~~g/:Z:::

~ ._-7.s-~

/ ......

Johnston Stewart seated at his AeolianOpus 1280 3 manual/34 rank, Convent, NJ

Johnston Stewartworking on Opus 1280

Convent, NJ

Johnston Stewart plays for his Bridge Club

Rollin Smith has done a magnificent job of presenting this material. While Johnston Stewart is mentioned in the book, his extremeinvolvement is not given adequate coverage. Perhaps Johnstonwas not ready to share what he had when Rollin Smith approachedhim. In truth, Johnston is the Rosetta stone. He bridged the timespan that connected the thriving Aeolian business to its ultimatedemise. Paramount in his research was his desire to keep thememory of his mentor and friend, Archer Gibson alive for thefuture.

Now it is my responsibility to preserve and share the JohnstonStewart collection. I have taken the first step with this article.There will be others to follow. There will also be roll projects toshare the vast library.

When I thought I might find some uncharted territory bybranching into the Pipe Organ field, I was totally unprepared forthis. I am still overwhelmed, but am I smiling. I never met Johnston Stewart, but I feel that he now is my friend, and he in turn hasintroduced me to Archer Gibson.

OrganconsoleAeolian

Opus 1280

89

Originally published as separate articles and then as a booklet, the following series ofnine articlesis courtesy ofBritish AMICA Affiliate "The Player Piano Group ". Special thanks to Editor

Julian Dyer who helped make this possible for us.. Thanks Julian for your help and enthusiasm!- Robin

ReginaldReynolds

•• '1' ••

Introduction

'ThePaclerewski

of thePlayer Piano'

~,- .-_I

/"

Rrginald Reynolds, 'The Paderewski of the PlayerPiano,' was born in London on 7 August 1877, and died'n Littlehampton on 10 September 1959, the year of the

formation of the Player Piano Group. Reynolds was probablythe person who did more than anyone in Britain to make theplayer piano a respected musical instrument; and who wasresponsible for the 'recording' - that is the presentation ofpianists' expression through the media of his own analyticalear, manual dexterity and musical sensibility - of the greatmajority of the English Duo-Art piano rolls.

During 1976-77 the Player Piano Group published in itsbulletins the Reginald Reynolds Memoirs and other related articles. This booklet reprints all these articles plus some materialthat has since become available. It also includes the instructionbooklet 'On playing the Pianola' which was issued by theAeolian Company, along with a separate practice roll which isavailable on the secondhand roll market.

These articles convey Reynolds' boundless and continuingenthusiasm for the player piano, and vividly describe the possibilities offered by this musical instrument. In his own words:

"I have come to the conclusion that the player piano mostadequately fulfills the requirements for a domestic instrument.

90

It is reasonaby easy to play; but (despite the glaring advertisements) a child cannot play it properly, neither can an adult whois hopelessly unmusical, nor can a musical person who declinesto devote a certain amount of study to the acquisition of itstechnique. This requires about 1% of the time and trouble needed for the average amateur's petformance upon the piano; andwhen once the technique of the Player-piano becomes sub-conscious the ability to petform is not limited to a tiny repertoire,but can be extended to every kind of composition within themusical perception of the player-pianist. Each work can bestudied just as carefully as if using the hands in the old- fashioned way, but without the annoyance of finding that thefingers are lagging behind the brain. Such study will result in abetter understanding of the composition, and will increase theamount of pleasure to be derived from the Player-piano.The intimate acquaintance with music gained by personalpetformance enhances the musical perception, creates a criticalfaculty and arouses a greater interest in the interpretations ofeminent musicians."

Maybe readers will likewise be inspired to pursue such aworthwhile goal.

~,

I

The Reginald Reynolds MemoirsReginald Reynolds wrote many pages ofnotes which were to form the basis ofan autobiography(unfortunately never completed). These notes were made in the late 1940s and early 50's. A typedtranscript of these has been made available by his daughters. Preparing them for publication hasinvolved very little modification of the original text; the material has been put into a reasonablychronological sequence and certain passages which nearly reduplicate others have been omitted.Essentially these notes are presented as Reginald Reynolds wrote them.

W en I was only four or fve years old it was decidedby my father that I should become a pianist, so Ireceived private tuition from Archibald Evans and

Kate Ralph, the latter being a cousin of mine, whose father wasHarpist to the Royal Family. Then I was sent to the RoyalCollege of Music at the absurdly early age of eleven. MyPianoforte Master was John Francis Garnet, best known for hisCantata The Ancient Mariner. He taught mainly by example:playing over the compositions he was teaching. He was kindlyand helpful.

As a second study I had to struggle with the violin. Myattitude towards it can best be gauged by a doggerel versewritten at the time:

The instrument I hate the mostThe one that makes me like a ghost.How people can see any style inThat beastly thing they call the violin!

Needless to say I did not please my Professor, Haydn-~- Inwards, who endeavoured to make me a violinist for five

years.

I continued my studies at the College, learning Harmonyfrom Mr. Higgs, Counterpoint and Fugue from Sir FrederickBridge (whose lessons were frequently relieved by his keensense of humour) and Music Classes under Sir Walter Parratt.This last had the habit of asking me uncomfortable questionswhich I was unable to answer, so I used to try to squeezemyself into an obscure corner of the room, but Sir Walter'seagle eye sought and found me; then he singled me out morehorribly conspicuously by calling me 'the little boy in the corner'.

When I fIrst went to the Royal College of Music it was situated in the old building in Kensington Gore. The principal thenwas Sir George Groves: elderly and kindly. Only once was Isummoned to his sanctum for a serious interview. A disagreeable Professor who temporarily took the place of J. F. Garnet,when the latter was absent for a short time, complained to thePrincipal that my practicing was not sufficiently careful. So SirGeorge sent for me. I went expecting a very severe reprimandbut he spoke in a gentle manner and suggested that perhaps Ilooked out of the window, or thought about the cat, while practicing; we fInally talked about cats in general so that I left theroom with a light heart, but with a determination to concentratemore thoroughly upon my work at home.

>- Without wishing to exonerate myself from this charge of'6 inattention to my practicing, I should like to mention two things

. which, I think, may have accounted for it. First, I was much tooyoung to derive all the benefIt possible from such an exhaustivemusical education. Then I consider that the methods (obtaining_ ..at that time) were not calculated to stimulate a student in the

work upon the principal instrument being studied. Much timeand attention went to the various other branches of music,including the second study, while the times of classes were sobadly arranged that hours were wasted between the lessons.There were very few rooms available for practice so I scarcelyever had the chance of doing any work at the piano during thedaytime. For a young person it is not pleasant, or benefIcial, tobe obliged to practice at night; when feeling energetic, onewould like recreation; if tired, would rather go to bed.

After five years at the College I continued to study thepiano under J. F. Garnet at the Guildhall School of Music,where also he was a Professor. This had the advantage that Iwas no longer obliged to struggle with the violin, and havingno Harmony or other kinds of musical work to take up my time,I could, and did, devote myself to the acquisition of profIciencyin pianoforte playing. At the end of three more years I enteredfor the Associate-ship of the Guildhall School of Music. I hadno thought of any other distinction than the passing of thisexamination so that I might add the letters AGSM to my name.Probably I did not even know that Gold, Silver and BronzeMedals were given to the students judged to be fIrst, secondand third out of all examinees. All students of every kind ofmusical activity were entitled to enter: soloists of any instrument, vocalists, and I believe students of composition, as wellas the pianists. After the examination I had gone to the north ofEngland for a holiday; while there I was immensely surprisedto learn that I had not only passed the exam., but had beenawarded the Gold Medal. Later I attended the Guildhall of theCity of London and received the medal at the hands of the LordMayor.

For the next two or three years I did a certain amount ofprofessional work, a few concerts, some teaching and a littleaccompanying of vocalists, occasionally privately for their personal practice. I even played the piano for a short time in theorchestra at the Comedy Theatre during the management ofJohn Hare. Phyllis Neilson Terry was acting and I also had toplay some music in the wings of the stage which was incidentalto the play. This was an interesting experience of being behindthe scenes.

My experience with one of the vocalists I used to accompany privately then (a somewhat eccentric lady who lived close tomy house) was so remarkable that I venture to include it as anexample of one form of madness still rampant in this generation; though it goes far outside the realms of music. This ladywas the authoress of a play for which I not only wrote someincidental music, but in which I was persuaded to act. Fortunately it was performed privately.

This kindly but rather neurotic soul suddenly fell prey tothe Spiritualists. They worked upon her feeble mind and madeher a complete convert to their ideas. She used to allow seances

to be held in her house; so as I had never attended anything ofthe kind I thought it might be interesting to see what happenedat one of these affairs. The medium was a man of small intellectand a dangerous supply of knowledge, who pretended to go intoa trance, during which he proclaimed himself to be imbued withthe spirit of Ruskin. The appalling twaddle that he talked wouldhave disgraced the meanest lout who ever tried to think, whileRuskin must have spun round in his grave with righteous indignation. Yet this poor lady drank in these foolish words, asthough they had been the greatest wisdom coming from Ruskinhimself.

This was bad enough, but the Spiritualists went to theextreme limit of their terrific power; they convinced this ladythat she would become more 'spiritual' if she abstained fromsolid food. So she gave up eating and starved herself to death.

For this, I can never forgive the Spiritualists..,.,".These activities were not sufficiently profitable to justify

any thought of marriage. I had become engaged to my futurewife; her father had died some time previously, and her brothershad become her guardians. They very wisely decreed that Icould not marry her until I had a settled and certain income ofat least £300 a year. The profession seemed quite hopeless forthe fulfillment of these conditions. These brothers had manybusiness acquaintances and they arranged for me to take chargeof the Piano Department at Maple Co. of Tottenham CourtRoad.

I settled down into this semi-musical work and found theconditions quite agreeable. The post brought in an income offully £300 a year; so I was able to marry and had every prospectof living happily ever after.

Almost entirely I was occupied in playing upon the variousmakes and models of pianos to prospective purchasers, and seldom had to concern myself with the monetary side of the business. The commercial part of the transaction was usually doneby the salesmen from the furnishing departments who broughttheir clients to me in order to add a piano to the various household requirements which were being bought. It was in fact verypleasant to have such a wide range of excellent instrumentsupon which to play, including the three great makers Bechstein,Bluthner and Steinway. There was a Mr. Ball who acted asBuyer for both the Picture and Piano Departments, so I wasrelieved of the responsibility for purchasing the stock.

In some unlucky moment before my advent, a most extraordinary-looking grand piano had been put into the showroom. Ithad casework of Bird's Eye Maple, curious looking enough inits natural state, but actually it had been stained a vivid green!My predecessor, during his management of the Department, hadtried for a considerable time to effect a sale of this hideousobject, without success; but by some miracle someone (whomust have been either blind or mad) came in to me one day andactually purchased this atrocity. I am told that when the previous manager heard of this sale he was frantically jealous of myachievement.

While at Maples I first became acquainted with the pianoplayer, an ingenious method of playing the piano through themedium of a perforated music-roll, while enabling the performer to obtain almost infinite variety of touch, by the correctuse of foot pedals, a simple lever giving absolute control of thetempo (including the most subtle tempo-rubato) and a means ofdifferentiating between the melody and the accompaniment. I

92

was fascinated by this new instrument, which was called the'. -'Cecilian', and quickly learned to play it quite effectively.

So enthusiastic was I about the artistic possibilities of the·piano-player that, within a few months of my first acquaintancewith the instrument, I arranged to give a public recital on thepiano-player at Steinway Hall on March 2nd 1902.

The Manager of the Piano-Player Company was skepticalof getting an audience, and he also said that my idea of playingaccompaniments would not be possible, because he had tried toaccompany his daughter (quite a good vocalist) and had failedutterly. However, I gave the recital to a good-sized and appreciative audience, and accompanied Miss Maggie Purvis, a talented soprano, in Tosti's well known song Goodbye and Schubert's delightful Who is Sylvia? Also I played the accompaniment for a transcription of the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana which was rendered as a 'cello solo by my brotherBernard Reynolds. There being perfect control of the tempo, Iwas able to follow all the effects of rubato these artists chose tointroduce into their performances.

Alas! tragedy followed closely upon the date of that concert. I had an attack of German measles, resulting in a collapseof my health ending in hemorrhage of the right lung. NaturallyI was away from business for a long time, and the doctor whowas attending me then told them at Maple's that I should neverreturn; for Sir Douglas Portall, the great specialist in diseases ofthe lungs, had said that I had only three weeks to live! In viewof this the post in the Piano Department was filled by a mannamed Darkin and I received the news that my salary was at anend. This was staggering news for my young wife, for we hadbeen married only a short time. In this crisis, as in all othertroubles, she was brave and resourceful.

We went away together to Cliftonville as recommended bythe old family doctor; and in that limit of three weeks the amazingly beneficial air of Margate healed my lung so completely thatI have never had any serious illness of that kind during the longperiod (nearly half a century) since that prediction of my death.

•• 11...

It was while recuperating at Cliftonville that Mr. Wood ofthe Farrand Company (makers of the Cecilian piano- player)wrote to me saying that he had heard of my illness and the lossof my position at Maple's. He also said that he had written toan agent of the Farrand Company in Denver, Colorado askingthem to give me a post with them; but in the meantime he wanted me to join him in his business at Denman Street, LondonBridge, as soon as I felt able to do so. This I managed within amonth. Then commenced my close association with WilliamDave Wood, the finest type of American I have ever known.His motto was: 'twenty shillings in the pound' and, so far ascommercial conditions permitted, he lived up to the practice ofgiving full value for money. In all personal matters he wasabsolutely fair and very kindly.

The small premises at Denman Street did not lend themselves to any appreciable amount of retail business. The MusicRoll Library was operated from there, so for a time I helped todeal with this; but occasionally I had a chance of demonstratingthe Cecilian piano-player which was attached to a very niceLipp grand piano.

I still remember being challenged by a pompous prejudicedProfessor of Music to play Schumann's Symphonic Studies.This I did to the best of my ability, only to be told by thisorganist that any of his pupils could have played it better. To

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offset this slur upon my manipulation of a piano-player, Ishould like to add that, a few years later, when playing thesesame variations at a Cecilian concert in the nice little hall in

.'" Great Marlborough Street, Aston Johnson, a well-known music\J critic, sent up a note to me on the platform saying that he .had

heard the great pianist Busoni play the same work the prevIOusday and that he preferred my performance!

This move into the West End was a great opportunity forme to give recitals on the Cecilian. For three or four years Iwas able to give weekly recitals, engaging well-known vocalists and instrumentalists, all of whom I accompanied on theCecilian. Mr. Wood's daughter Irene was not only a welltrainedvocalist, but was an exceedingly charming girl of the Americantype of beauty.

POST CARD.

Advertising postcard for the CecilianPre-printed 'message' on the back

refers to Reginald Reynolds.

During the period of occupation of these excellent premisesin Great Marlborough Street, the fIrst practicable phonographswere introduced into England. Mr. Wood became fascinatedwith the idea, and told me he proposed stocking then as aside-line to the Cecilian. So far the phonograph had only beensold in odd little shops as an amusing novelty without any pretension to musical quality, so I was horrifIed at the idea of lowering the prestige of a really musical instrument capable of suchintimate artistic interpretation, by associating it with a purelymechanical and (at that time) unsatisfactory reproduction ofvarious forms of music, usually prefaced by a raucous American voice announcing the title and giving the trade name of themaker, such as: "Edison-Bell Record". My feelings were sostrong about this matter that doubtless I said more than I oughtto Mr. Wood, this creating almost the only unpleasant scenewith this most genial of men. He promptly replied that he wasthe manager of the business; moreover he was sure that theowners of the Farrand Company in America (of which these

./ premises were the English branch) would quite agree with his'.11 action, and anyhow he was going to do what he liked.

There was nothing further for me to say. But, the very nextday Mr. Wood said to me: "Say, Reynolds, I've been thinkingabout phonographs and have come to the conclusion that they - -are not quite in our class. I have bought two. I shall keep onemyself; would you like to buy the other?"

The price was about £5, and, at that time, such an amountwas of some moment in my fInances, but I decided to buy thephonograph, which is still in working order though nearly fIftyyears of age. It has provided an immense amount of pleasureand amusement to me as well as to my family and friends,mainly because of the fact that one can make records and reproduce them immediately.

Since those early days of sound reproduction the developments have been very great. The gramophone has become amedium for the introduction of music to millions of people, notonly in the home by means of records therein, but by being usedfor broadcasting all kinds of music including the finest classics.Thus it is quite reasonable that the gramophone should now be onsale in premises where real musical instruments are displayed.

After some years of success the business at Great Marlborough Street deteriorated, and as I had the opportunity of takinga good position with Chappells of Bond Street, I reluctantlysevered my connection with Mr. Wood. He and the staff presented me with a tie-pin (a ruby set in diamonds) which I stilltreasure in memory of happy associations.

My duties at Chappells included attendance of all theimportant concerts taking place in London. This was a greatexperience and must have added considerably to my musicalknowledge.

93

For three years I acted as a private critic to the ManagingDirector of this well-known publishing firm, who were also themakers of the celebrated Chappell piano. I had to send in areport upon the respective merits of pianists and vocalistsappearing at any of the concert halls, chiefly Queen's, Aeolianand Bechstein (the name of the last has since been changed toWigmore Hall).

Owing to the controlling interest which Chappells had inthe Queen's Hall, they were able to nominate ten pianists foreach season of Promenade Concerts. Of course these artistswere only those who would use the Chappell concert grand fortheir performances. Perhaps my most important function was tomake out this list of pianists from my own choice, and to feelthat I was responsible for their appearance at these very popularconcerts.

Of course I had to attend all the Promenade Concerts and Iwas on very friendly terms with the manager of Queen's Hall.In fact, occasionally, if he wished to be absent from the Hall forany considerable time he would ask me to take charge in hisplace. This temporary responsibility rather thrilled me.

During these visits to Queen's Hall some of my time wasspent in the Artistes' Room, interviewing the soloists and seeinga good deal of Sir Henry 1. Wood. My most vivid impression ofhim is his state of exhaustion after conducting the first half ofthe evening's programme. Few people realize the immenseamount of physical and emotional energy this celebrated conductor unstintingly gave to ensure the artistic performance provided for the Promenade audience. I have seen the perspirationpouring down his face, and making his collar so limp that it hadto be changed more than once during a particularly warm or trying evening.

Some excellent artists did make contracts to use the Chappell piano at all their concerts, not only in London but whereverthey were playing throughout the British Isles.

The greatest of these pianists was Backhaus. It was a part ofmy duties to see that a suitable instrument was provided for hisuse wherever he might be playing; sometimes the transportingand handling of these huge and heavy instruments requiredelaborate preparation and careful timing.

At that time (about 1910) Backhaus was young and handsome; he had a charming manner, and was especially friendly tome. I remember two particular occasions of intimate talks withhim. One of these took place at Chappells.

He demonstrated to me the comparatively small range ofdynamic power in the playing of a single note from pianissimoto fortissimo. He commenced counting the number of absolutely perceptible differences of increasing power from the softesttouch he could produce up to the limit of tone volume of whichthe instrument (a good concert grand) was capable. It wasastonishing how soon the limit was reached. One, two, three,four, five! Backhaus did not consider there were many moretruly perceptible gradations of power. Yet in a particular type ofplayer piano (designed to reproduce music rolls speciallyrecorded) a device is used to give a variation in dynamic power,for each note of the instrument, from zero to fifteen differentand increasing degrees in the weight of touch.

Probably the changes noticeable to an acute ear would bebetween these two rather divergent figures five and sixteen.

The other occasion I specially remember of intimate association with Backhaus was when he asked me to go back to his

94

house one evening after a concert at which he had been playing.It was just after The Merry Widow had been produced in

. Germany, but was not yet known in England. Backhaus hadattended a performance in Berlin, and the music of Lehar evi-:''''''dently had haunted him; for he sat down at his piano and played "practically all the most pleasing items in this gay comic operafor my edification. Apart from enjoying his playing of thesetuneful excerpts I marvelled at his great gift of instinctivereproduction of melodies and harmonies heard once, the notesof which he had never seen.

During the First World War Backhaus came no more toEngland, and it was not until some years after I had been incharge of the Duo-Art recording department of the AeolianCompany, that he came to the Aeolian Hall. In these intermediate years I had heard an immense amount of pianoforte playing;I had indeed been privileged to have most of the great pianistsin my recording room, playing with me as their sole audience,so that I had exceptional opportunities of judging their capabilities. Yet when I found Backhaus trying over a piano in one ofthe large showrooms and heard him playing a few brilliant passages, I realized that no one else had conveyed to me such asense of flawless technique and miraculous facility.

While I was at Chappells they were running the popularseries of Ballad Concerts at Queen's Hall; so naturally I had toattend each one of these. They took place on Saturday afternoons and I grudged the loss of my half-holiday which otherwise could have been spent with my family. Yet it was interesting to meet the various artists who appeared at these concerts.

Kreisler was one of the most celebrated. He was genial, andI specially remember a particularly handsome and valuable I""" .tie-pin which he said was presented by some European monarch- I fail to recollect which one.

These concerts were a means of 'plugging' (a hateful wordfor the equally hateful commercial necessity of advertising)new songs being published by Chappells. These were usuallycomposed by Guy d'Hardelot, Frank Lambert or Teresa delRiego. Some are still popular today. Most of the vocalistswould be unknown to those attending concerts at the presenttime; but in far off days Carmen Hill, Gregory Hart andGrainger Kerr were known and appreciated. Perhaps I enjoyedmeeting the accompanists more than those for whom theyplayed. There were three particularly clever fellows who officiated at the piano for these Ballad Concerts. They were Hamilton Harty, who became a celebrated conductor, Liddle, the composer ofthe best-known setting of 'Abide with me', and Kiddie,organist of Marylebone Parish Church.

Harty was the most entertaining member of this trio ofpianists, and was a very lively person in the Artistes' Room. Infact he was rather too fond of telling tales quite unprintable.

Many years later it so happened that I was asked to entertain Hamilton Harty by taking him to dine at a small cafe nearKing's Cross. At that time he was somewhat interested in Spiri-tualism and I was obliged to simulate a little interest in that sub- Jject in order to play my role of host. I

When I first became associated with Chappells they wereexhibiting and selling the Cecilian piano-player, so that I was ~~able to do a certain amount of helpful work for myoid friendMr. W. D. Wood. But after about three years the Cecilian wasdropped in favor of a new player piano called the 'Triste'. Ithad an elaborate electrical device as well as the ordinary pneu-matic action, and was complicated and extremely clumsy in

appearance; the casework of the piano was about twice thenormal size.

When Mr. Wood heard of this change in the type of player, being exploited by Chappells, he suggested to me that I should

go back with him, on the Cecilian, in new premises which hehad acquired in Wigmore Street.

This offer tempted me to give up my position at Chappellswhich I did by writing a rather strongly worded letter to theManaging Director, in which I criticized the Triste player piano,foretelling its failure; a prediction very soon fulfilled. In fact theinvention proved a terribly costly failure for all concerned,scarcely any models were sold, and even these were returned asunsatisfactory, leaving the manufacturers and agents with bulkyunsaleable instruments, which were eventually stripped of theirplayer mechanism and disposed of, with difficulty, as ordinarypianos, but with extraordinary sized casework.

Afterwards I rather regretted the tone of my letter of resignation, for I had enjoyed my three years at Chappells, being ongood terms with many members of the firm.

e ......

The Wigmore Street premises acquired by Mr. Wood had nospace for a Concert Hall, so I had little opportunity to do anydemonstrating of the Cecilian piano-player; indeed, at this timemotor cars were coming into vogue, and Mr. Wood decided tobecome the agent for one of the American cars. This new interest took some of his attention away from the instrument inwhich I was so keenly interested. My work was varied by writing advertisements and sketching out show-cards for display inthe window.

It so happened that a 'Pianola' (made by the AeolianOrchestrelle Company, later known as the Aeolian Company)was taken in exchange for a Cecilian. Obviously this secondhand instrument had to be sold, so I was asked to sketch out ashow-card describing the characteristics of this particular typeof player. There are two special features - the Themodist: amethod of making the melody predominant, and the Metrostyle:a means of indicating variation of tempo; so I gave prominenceto these two trade names in my sketch, which was handed to theprofessional sign-writer for the production of a suitableshow-card. In due course the card came in. The artist (if such a

man working for commercial concerns can be so called) unfortunately used his own intelligence to make a word unknown tohim into two words of logical meaning, instead of blindly following my lettering; and so transformed "Themodist Pianola"into "The Modest Pianola". Mr. Wood saw the humor to beobtained from the mistake and promptly placed the show-cardin the window on the top of the second-hand Pianola. It wasparticularly ironical at that tilJle, because just then theOrchestrelle Company advertised more lavishly and blatantlythan anyone else in the player piano business. Thus the very lastword likely to be used in connection with the Pianola would be'modest' !

My business life during this period was quite pleasant.There was even a little billiard table in the basement uponwhich I had many delightful games with Mr. Wood. He alsoliked to play the flute to my accompaniment, frequently gettingnew-flute solos for the joy of trying fresh pieces. These formsof recreation took place after business hours, and occasionallyhe would give a little musical evening for some of his specialfriends.

It so happened that business did not flourish very greatly,and after about eighteen months Mr. Wood thought I ought toget into a position where more could be made of my capacityfor demonstrating player pianos. He was on very friendly termswith G. W. Reed of the Orchestrelle Company, in spite of therivalry between that firm and the makers of the Cecilian, so oneday Mr. Reed· was asked to come in and I was called upon toplaya roll or two to impress him, not only as to the merits ofthe instrument, but as to my qualification for joining the staff ofhis great organization.

Within a very short time I found myself again in business inBond Street, but upon the other side of the road. In other words,I was installed in the building now known as the Aeolian Hall.

For nearly twenty years my life was devoted to musicalwork connected with the Pianola and its companion instrumentthe Duo-Art, the latter being (in my opinion) an unfortunatedevelopment of the player piano.

When I first joined the Orchestrelle Company, the chiefdemonstrator there was Easthope Martin, well known for hisexcellent songs, particularly Four Songs of the Fair. He was a

Reginald Reynolds with Duo-Art recording artists

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Leff Pouishnoff Irene Scharrer

95

good musician and a fine demonstrator of the player. However,in a short time I took over the recital work, which was beingvigorously used as advertising propaganda in all parts of theBritish Isles.

For these concerts various artists were engaged to sing orplay instrumental solos to the accompaniment of the Pianola. Itis therefore not surprising that one, at least, of these artistsshould have resented the introduction of a new 'pianolist'; and Iremember seeing a note written to Easthope Martin by a charming young violinist saying, reluctantly, that she would rehearsewith his "substitute"! This sounded so much like the idea ofputting up with an inferior article, that I treasured the word inmy mind for a long time. Then, after having played ever somany accompaniments for this same violinist at a large numberof concerts, with conspicuous success, I ventured to remind herof the uncomplimentary word she had used when writing aboutour first rehearsal.

These recitals gave me some interesting, occasionally exciting, visits to all sorts of places in England, Wales, Scotland andIreland. Upon many of these tours I traveled with one, or more,of the artists appearing at these same concerts. Prima donnasare credited (or discredited) with extremely bad tempers. Theycertainly are high strung and frequently become irritable. Oneof the worst of these, by her own admission, was a good vocalist who was engaged by the Orchestrelle Company for a lengthytour throughout England and Wales; so she went with me, and Ihad to use such diplomacy as I possessed to smooth her downwhen things ruffled her. There were numerous occasions onwhich she objected to the discomforts of various hotels, butnever have I seen anyone so furiously disgusted as she was withthe meagre accommodation at Nelson. At that time this Lancastrian town had only one possible sort of hotel. It was reallymerely a commercial inn, and the proprietor would far ratherhave had a hard-drinking commercial traveler than a temperamental lady. Doubtless the room she had to occupy was smalland none too clean, while the service was quite inadequate forher demands. She raved and stormed, but without avail, therebeing nowhere else to sleep that night. So the unfortunate primadonna had to put up with it. Later on in this tour, after a concertat Cardiff, this vocalist said she felt too ill to go on to

Liverpool, at which city she was due to appear; so, although I. felt pretty sure her 'illness' was only a specially bad attack of.ill-temper, I had to go on alone, after telegraphing to GeorgeBaker asking him to come and fill the place of vocalist in the or---...program. Luckily he was able and willing to do so, and the ~ ,

. .....Jconcert was qUIte successful.

On another tour I had with me Frank Titterton and HerbertFryer. They appeared with me in a concert at St. Anne's on thenight of the disastrous railway accident near Lytham and it wassaddening to see some members of the audience being calledout of the concert room to be told the news of the injury or perhaps even death of relatives. That night, there being no possibility of leaving by train, a taxi had to be hired to take the concertparty to the next town on the tour. I have a vivid recollection ofseeing the flares lighting up the wreckage of the train as the taxiwent along a road running parallel to the railway lines. Onanother occasion, I had the somewhat curious experience oftraveling down from the North of England by a night train withthe wife of a well-known Concert Agent; she was an excellentvocalist, and had been singing at my recital in Sunderland. Ifound an empty first-class carriage and, as no-one else got in,during the whole of the journey to London she was able to liedown on one side of the carriage while I stretched my somewhat weary limbs upon the other seat. Naturally the movablearm-rests were folded back out of the way. Thus I slept throughout the night, and presumably the good lady did likewise. Forme it was the first and last time that I ever spent a night incircumstances so unorthodox.

Perhaps the recital which tested my endurance more thanany other, was one at Bristol. I had just got an attack of influenza, but the concert had been arranged and no-one was availableto take my place; so I went to the concert hall and, as a matterof personal interest, took my own temperature just before goingon to the platform. It was 102°! Somehow, or other, I gotthrough the performance, and later went on to the Hydro Hotelat Bath. Fortunately the next day was Sunday. I remained in bedthe whole day, and was then fairly fit for my concert in Baththat Monday.

During the period covered by my Pianola recitals, I had thethrill of playing the solo part in concertos on two occasions:


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Eric Komgold Max Darewski

once in Dublin, when I played the Grieg Concerto with a localorchestra; and once with the orchestra of the Wimbledon Conservatoire, when I played the first movement of the SchumannConcerto.

I used the word 'thrill' in connection with these experiences, but even that scarcely expresses the amazing feeling ofbeing uplifted and carried away with the volume of sound whenaccompanied by a full orchestra. In such circumstances oneplays with an intensity of emotion transcending all ordinaryperformances.

Another tour of great interest to me was with Sir Henry J.Wood, Herbert Fryer and the Symphony Orchestra to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee. This tour was sponsored (a wordhaving a horrid modern commercial meaning) by the AeolianCompany, the firm having, by this time, adopted the new name,and having ceased to be known as the Orchestrelle Company.The idea of engaging a great conductor and a fine orchestra wasto exploit the Duo-Art reproducing piano, by giving concerts inScotland at which the Duo-Art would play the solo part in aconcerto as part of the program. It was also to be used in a formof duet in conjunction with Herbert Fryer at the same concerts.

For my part, I was only concerned to put into the instrument the music rolls, changing them for each movement, andmaking sure that the tempo control was set to the speed indicated at the commencement of each roll. Then the electric powerwas switched on and the mechanism produced a performance inaccordance with the interpretation of the artist who recorded themusic roll.

I was asked to suggest which one of the recorded concertosshould be used for these concerts. The program was to be thesame for each town, so I had to decide which concerto would bemost effective and impressive.

All my life I have loathed the commercial side of the firmswith which I have been associated, but, knowing the necessityfor advertising (in this lunatic competitive system), I alwaystried to see the most advantageous methods for giving publicityto the instrument being demonstrated.

Thus it was obvious to me that the more names of celebrated pianists (who had recorded concertos for the Duo-Art) thatcould be included in the program for the Scotch tour, the greaterimpression would be made upon the audiences. There were several Duo-Art recordings of concertos, the best of these being:Concerto No.2 (Op. 22) by Saint-Saens played by HaroldBauer, the Tchaikowsky Concerto, by Percy Grainger, and theGrieg Concerto, by Myra Hess. Which should I choose? Well, Idecided to suggest a most unorthodox idea, feeling pretty surethat Sir Henry J. Wood would refuse, with horror, such an innovation.

The idea was to use the first movement of the Grieg Concerto, which is a singularly complete entity in itself; then tohave the Scherzo from the Saint-Saens Concerto: a movementlight and informal enough to act as a kind of interlude; while Iproposed to end this curious composite concerto with the Finaleof the Tchaikowsky, which certainly would make a fine finish.By this means I could bring into the program the well-knownnames of Myra Hess, Harold Bauer and Percy Grainger.

To my immense surprise Sir Henry said: "Well - why notTSo it was decided to perform this patchwork Concerto and it .was enthusiastically applauded at each of the three great Scotch- .cities. I never saw any adverse criticism of the strange idea, in

the newspaper notices relating to these concerts.During this short tour I had one uncomfortable moment. It

was at Dundee, the third and last of the concerts, when SirHenry was conducting the Finale of the Tchaikowsky, which atthe other places had gone without a hitch. Suddenly, only aboutfifty bars from the end of the movement, the orchestra got outof step with the Duo-Art record and I greatly feared that therewould be a disastrous finish, with the solo instrument endingquite independently of the orchestra, in a manner only too obvious to almost everyone in the audience. All the blame for such acontretemps would be heaped upon the mechanical instrument,and I felt indirectly responsible for the honor of the AeolianCompany as their representative. Of course it was not due toany fault of the Duo-Art. It may have been misjudgement onthe part of Sir Henry, who occasionally had to press a button forthe electric control of a device to start up the music roll afterwhat is known as an orchestral tutti-this is when the solist hasseveral bars rest, while the orchestra continues to play. On theDuo-Art music roll in such circumstances a marginal perforation in the roll automatically switches off the motor, and it hasto be started just a fraction of a second before the re-entry of thesolo instrument. For this purpose the electric push-button isusually fixed upon the conductor's desk, and he presses thisbutton at the critical moment.

Whatever the cause, the fact remains that the orchestra, onthis particular occasion, failed to keep with the piano, and for atime things were chaotic; but Sir Henry by superb skill managed to pull them together and the movement ended with a perfect finish.

This reminds me that myoId piano professor, John FrancisBarnett, speaking to me about playing in public, said: 'So longas you make a good start and a good finish, very few peoplewill notice any defects in the middle."

This does not apply to a listener who is a critical musician,as is instanced in the following example taken from a performance at one of those same concerts in Scotland.

Herbert Fryer, who, by the way, was a champion skater aswell as being a good pianist, happened to be rather badly out ofform one evening, and, unhappily, Sir Henry was listening tothe piano solo from a passage leading on to the platform. As thesolo ended he turned to me and said: "I have never heard somany wrong notes played in such a short space of time."

• llIU.

While on the subject of Duo-Art records of concertos, Imay as well refer to a concert at the Albert Hall, London, whichwas a hair-raising ordeal for me.

It was one of the popular Sunday Afternoon Concerts, andthe Aeolian Company had managed to arrange for Sir ThomasBeecham to conduct the orchestra with the Duo-Art as soloist.The concerto chosen for this occasion was the one bySaint-Saens, Op. 22 in G minor, recorded by Harold Bauer.

There was considerable difficulty in persuading Sir Thomasto condescend to associate himself with a mechanical instrument and the Concert Agent was quite certain that someone elsewould have to 'press the button' (the electric control previouslymentioned in relation to Sir Henry Wood's Scotch concerts). Inthe words of the agent: "It's no use asking Tommy to press thatbutton."

The someone else had to be the writer, and I did not relishthe task; but there was a still greater responsibility thrust upon

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me. The Manager of the Aeolian Company feared the possibility of Sir Thomas refusing to go through with it, when it came tothe point of rehearsing, and as this manager had to be in Liverpool on the day of the rehearsal, it was left to me to get a deputyconductor if any hitch occurred at the last moment! The deputyin mind was Mr. Cuthbert Whitemore, who was prepared to stepinto the breach if required. Naturally I had to attend therehearsal, which took place on the Saturday morning, the daybefore the concert. Not only did I have to place the rolls in theinstrument, changing them for each movement and seeing thatthey were perfectly set for the correct tempo and all ready forinstant use, but I had to sit in the middle of the orchestra, withthe electric button in my hand to bring in the piano solo in precise time with the conductor's beat. This necessitated the manipulation of that button many times during the Concerto, particularly in the Scherzo. The task was the more difficult because(due to time lag in the 'starting up' of the music-roll) I had to beabout half a second in advance of the exact point of entry.

However, I managed to do my part of the rehearsal withoutany mishaps; but Sir Thomas was flummoxed (there is no moresuitable word) by having to contend with a solo piano partbeing played without the slightest attention, or reference, to hisconducting. Whatever Harold Bauer had done, when recordingthe Concerto, was now being done regardless of what SirThomas wished.

I have heard very many rehearsals during my lifetime, butnever anything so disastrously hopeless as that strugglebetween an autocratic conductor and a stolid mechanical instrument going on its way regardless of consequences. Thereseemed no chance of the orchestra and piano keeping together,and finally Sir Thomas passed on to the rehearsal of other itemsfor the concert.

Suddenly there was an interruption: someone came on tothe platform and whispered to the conductor. Sir Thomas thensaid: "Gentlemen, I am extremely sorry, but I have been summoned to attend the Judge in Chambers and must go immediately. Kindly be here at 8 o'clock this evening, and I will continue the rehearsal."

I knew that he would not do anything further with the Concerto but I thought it better to go up to the Albert Hall in theevening.

It was rather late when the rehearsal was over; but, as SirThomas was still on the platform, I took the liberty of taking themusic rolls to him and suggesting that he might care to hearthem played through so that he could hear Harold Bauer's interpretation of the Concerto. The great conductor hesitated for amoment and then said: "Yes, it might be a good idea." So he satand listened while the three rolls were played through.

My state of mind can be imagined when the next day Ifound myself seated in the orchestra looking up at the vast interior of the Albert Hall, with a large audience in which I knewthere would be many severely critical musicians; with my memory of the appalling rehearsal still so vivid. In this condition ofnervousness I had to place the rolls in the instrument, set thecontrols, and handle that vital button.

By what miracle it happened I shall never know, butBeecham subordinated his own ideas to every whim of HaroldBauer's recording and succeeded in giving a really artistic performance of the entire Concerto.

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98

Another very interesting experience was that of broadcast, jng. Filson Young, who was then a prominent figure at the. BBC, wrote asking me to visit him at his house in Kensington. Ifound him ill in bed with influenza, so interviewed him in the ' r--..bedroom. He explained that he wanted me to use the Pianola in ,,'a new feature he was introducing into the BBC programs, called -/The Foundations of Music. He proposed that I should use thePianola to play all the 48 Preludes and Fugues by Bach whichare known by the title of The Well-tempered Clavier. (A seriesof compositions in two volumes, each of which contains 24examples in every major and minor key available in musicalnotation used since Bach invented what is known as equal temperament: a special form of tuning for keyboard instruments.)

Unfortunately the Aeolian Company had only made musicrolls for the 24 Preludes and Fugues in the first volume. Iexplained this difficulty to Filson Young, who said that I shouldplay all those available for the Pianola, and that he would getMr. Victor Hely-Hutchinson to play the other 24 on the piano inthe usual way. So I found myself committed to the task ofbroadcasting each evening at 7.15 for a quarter of an hour, overa period of two or three weeks.

It was exciting to start these broadcasts, particularly as Iwas asked to make my own announcement. I was in Studio 6 atSavoy Hill and, facing the microphone, I said, "Tonight youwill hear Prelude and Fugue in C major from the first book ofthe 48 Preludes and Fugues by Bach." There was no mention ofwho was playing, nor of the instrument being used for the purpose.

Apparently no listener ever suspected that these eveningsessions of Bach's music were being played through the medium of the piano-player, for no letters to that effect werereceived; though letters of appreciation did arrive.

After several of these broadcasts, I was allowed to have theStudio entirely to myself and even press the button at the termination of the session. This signified to the Control that the nextfeature of the evening's program could commence. In the Studio was a telephone receiver connected to the radio set in themain building, so that one could hear whatever was beingbroadcast; thus I usually listened to the item previous to myown. On one occasion I felt specially honored by followingimmediately upon the voice of Sir Oliver Lodge with my littleannouncement and the playing of the music.

After I had played as many of the Preludes and Fugues aswere available for the Pianola and Mr. Hely-Hutchinson hadplayed the remainder of the 48, Filson Young asked me to do allthe Beethoven Sonatas, 32 in number, most of which are solong that a complete sonata cannot be played in fifteen minutes.

Thus, my visits to Savoy Hill were extended to severalmore weeks, during which a special Bank Holiday occurred onwhich I particularly wanted to be away from London, and onceagain Mr. Hely-Hutchinson most kindly consented to take myplace, and played the sonata, or portion of it, due for that particular date.

It was on one of my many visits to Savoy Hill that I wastaken to see what was called 'The Echo Room' .

Truly this was a revelation - not particularly to the credit ofthe BBC at that time. It is to be hoped that such methods haveceased to be used. The idea arose from effects noticed in thecourse of broadcasting. First from Studios heavily carpeted anddraped with thick curtains, purposely to prevent any possibilityof echo; then from cork-lined Studios such as No.6, the one in

which I played; but the awakening came from an outside broadcast at the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne. A small group of instrumentalists, with a fine conductor, commenced a series of broad-

I cast concerts from the ground floor lounge of this Hotel.,;

.~/ It was not a place apparently likely to give good acousticeffects. There was a fairly large floor space from which ascended the galleries of the upper floors so that one looked up to aroof very high above one's head. From this huge well the musiccame through the Radio more effectively and with greater resonance than it ever did from any BBC Studio constructed at thattime.

Noting this, the 'powers who were' at Savoy Hill jumped tothe conclusion that an echo was a desirable addition to musicalbroadcasts. They constructed a small chamber of concrete entirely bare of carpets or any soft material. In this vault or cellthey placed a microphone designed to pick up the sound from aloudspeaker in another part of the chamber.

The wiring from the Studio was so arranged that the musicbeing played, or sung, was conveyed from the microphone intwo directions, one going straight to the control board fromwhich all broadcasting is modulated by the person in control;the other going down to the loudspeaker in the Echo Room.Here the microphone picked up the sound plus the echo of theroom and conveyed the resultant distortion also to the controlboard. It was then the very invidious task of the controller toblend the actual studio sound with such a percentage of EchoRoom distortion as he might think fit and desirable beforeallowing the result to go out over the Air!

I Perhaps I may be forgiven by my friends at the BBC if I--.J call this a most inartistic piece of trickery. It could and did pro

duce ridiculous results. I remember 'listening in' to the broadcast of a soprano solo, at that period, and wondering why itsounded like a duet with a bass voice of poor quality providingthe other part - until I thought of that Echo Room. Then thesecret of the blend was revealed.

•••••••Apart from broadcasting The Foundations of Music I was

engaged by the BBC to give a few player piano recitals. For oneof these I was allowed to give a short introductory talk, explaining the artistic capabilities of the player mechanism; but, of

course, was not allowed to mention the particular make ofinstrument I was going to use. In fact so strict were the rules ofthe BBC in those days, that I had one recital cancelled becausea provincial Agent put an announcement in his local paper tothe effect that on such a date Mr. Reynolds would be broadcasting on an 'Angelus' player piano. This was evidently reportedto the BBC and I received a telegram cancelling my recital,almost at the last moment. Although I explained that theannouncement had been made without my knowledge or consent, I still was forbidden to play, but, quite generously, wasgiven my full fee.

This incident rather rankles in my mind, now that TheatricalAgents are allowed to insist upon their own names being broadcast in conjunction with those of Artistes with whom they happen to have a contract; while plays are advertised by the broadcast statement that some particular Artiste 'is now appearing inSee How They Run' etc. Even at the time of the cancellationabout which I still feel sore, the BBC used to give the numbersand manufacturers of the gramophone records then beingbroadcast. This was blatant advertising of specific firms, whichwent on daily for several years; though now that particular violation of the publicity ban is no longer in evidence.

Oh! how I hate inconsistency. Far rather would I have anunpleasant rule carried out consistently, than a beneficent edictupon which one could never depend.

In the period of nearly twenty years spent with the AeolianCompany I had various occupations; one of which was to 'Metrostyle' each new Pianola music roll. Once this was consideredof sufficient importance to occupy my whole time and I wasgiven a separate room in the factory at Hayes, where I couldwork entirely free from interruption. This was a particularlypleasant period of my business life. The work was interestingand ought to have been of some assistance to owners ofPianolas.

The principle of the Metrostyle is the marking of a red lineon the music roll by means of a Stylographic pen attached tothe tempo lever of the Pianola. Thus every acceleration or retardation of time made by the person playing that music roll causes the lever to shift either to right or to left, and a graph is


Myra Hess Frederic Lamond

99

fonned of all variations of tempo used in his interpretation ofthe composition. Some such movements of the tempo lever areabsolutely necessary to obviate the mechanical effect producedby playing an ordinary Pianola roll at an unchanging tempo. Asall Pianolas are provided with a pointer attached to the tempolever, and reaching up close to the music roll, it is possible foranyone to make the pointer follow the red line, moving thetempo lever to right or left; thus reproducing the variations oftime of the original interpretation.

That is the theory. In practice, commercialism makes it afarce.

I can vouch for the extreme care with which I Metrostyledthe hundreds of new Pianola rolls. My interpretations were tothe best of my ability. Each roll was studied carefully beforebeing marked, and after the Metrostyle line had been made, Ichecked it through with the pointer; then, if not satisfied withany phrase or section of the tempo, and variations of tempo,indicated, I crossed out those portions of the original line andre-Metrostyled the particular sections, until the whole musicroll was marked with an interpretation satisfactory to my musical taste. All this care was rendered useless, owing to themethod by which these Metrostyle lines were reproduced uponthe music rolls supplied to the public.

Each roll that I had marked was used as a pattern upon acurious machine consisting of a series of shelves, the top onebeing provided with a pointer which could be moved right orleft across the shelf. This pointer was connected to arms carrying stylographic pens, containing red ink, one for each of thelower shelves (which were vertically below the top shelf) sothat any movement of the pointer caused a correspondingmovement of all the pens. My Metrostyled roll and a row ofunmarked copies were moved across the shelves simultaneouslywhile the operator of the machine had to use the pointer inaccordance with the varying positions of the Metrostyle line.Theoretically this should have given good reproductions. Commercially it did not.

The conditions under which the operator worked were notconducive to accuracy in following my line. The machine wasin a large room with many other fonns of machinery includingthose for punching out the perforations in the music rolls, so thenoise was terrific, enough to distract anyone from doing a delicate piece of work. Those last three words remind me of another cause of error on the part of the operator, who was always agirl paid (as little as possible) by piece-work. This naturallyinduced her to get through as many rolls as possible, with theleast amount of trouble, and it is doubtful if she followed theMetrostyle line round all its devious curves. Yet, even if she didgo faithfully over every little variation in the line, there was yetanother source of error, due to the method of moving themusic-rolls across the shelves. This resulted in some rolls moving more quickly, or more slowly, than the pattern roll, with theconsequence that the pens, while coinciding with the pointer,were marking in different places in the copies to those in thepattern.

The possibility of this error was recognized by the manufacturers of the music rolls, and someone was supposed to keepan eye on the various shelves and adjust the rolls from time totime so that they synchronized with the pattern. I can only say,after playing hundreds of Metrostyled rolls, and frequentlycomparing a number of copies of the same composition, that Ifound the reproduction of my line so inaccurate that I could not

100

have recognized it, and certainly would not admit that it repre. _sented my interpretation.

The same criticism applied to the line of dots marked uponPianola music rolls which should indicate the shades of expres-' ..-.sion found marked in printed music by the familiar words, orletters, such as: cresc., dim., pp, p, rnf, f and ff. I say should,because these dotted lines are inadequate and inaccurate. Evenif they were correctly marked on the music rolls, the fonn of theline is too clumsy to give an adequate idea of all the subtlechanges of touch, or volume of tone, indicated in musical compositions. Accents and sforzando effects could not possibly berepresented by this system of large dots ranging over the widthof the music roll. When, moreover, this dotted line is markedwith the same discrepancies as those mentioned in connectionwith the Metrostyle line, the thing becomes hopelessly mislead-ing and is worse than leaving the expression to the tender mer-cies (or heavy hooves) of the Pianolist.

Yet it would have been quite possible to have marked ordinary Pianola rolls with the essential indication of expressionaccurately, thus giving the Pianolist real help in playing properly. The Manager of the music roll factory admitted that thiscould be done for an additional cost of sixpence per roll (probably he was erring on the excess side); but even this small amountwas considered uncommercial by the Aeolian Company.

An improvement in making the music rolls did take place,when the 'Audiographic' idea was launched by the AeolianCompany, with a lavish expenditure that ultimately ruined theCompany. It was estimated that this venture cost about one hundred thousand pounds, and the whole scheme was a ghastly fail-ure. For the music rolls produced under the title Audiographic, r"a special printing press was constructed at a cost of two thou-sand pounds, and upon this it was possible to mark with reason-able precision not only the kind of expression lines I have mentioned but even phrasing marks and details never beforeattempted. This was going too far in the other extreme; themusic rolls were loaded with masses of technical infonnation,of which most owners of Pianolas knew nothing and did notwant to know.

In consequence of the cost of production (estimated at fivepounds) these rolls were catalogued at high prices. Very fewwere purchased and eventually when they were placed in theLibrary the subscribers used to avoid them whenever possible.

The loss of capital involved in their educational venturecaused the collapse of the Aeolian Company so that its magnificent premises in Bond Street had to be put up to auction. Mostof the staff, including myself, had to seek other employment,and eventually I secured a position with Sir Herbert Marshall &Co. in Regent Street. As this finn manufactured an excellentplayer piano named the Angelus, I was able to continue myplayer activities; but first I had to acquire complete manipulation of the Angelus method of tempo control, which is entirelydifferent to that of the Pianola.

The latter, and to me infinitely more satisfactory, has a sin-gle lever moving from left to right for the increase of speed,from a pause to presto. This is definite in effect and can berelied upon to produce exactly relative speeds in accordance _I"'"'with the change of position along the fairly wide slot in whichthe lever moves. The Angelus is provided with a similar tempolever working over a shorter distance and not intended as ameans of varying the speed during the playing of a music roll.In addition, there is a tablet on the principle of a see-saw, so

arranged that pressing it down on the left side retards the speedand if pressed right down will produce a pause; pressure on theright side causes acceleration.

It was originally claimed by the makers of the Angelus thatthis system of tempo control had the great advantage onenabling the performer to return to the tempo-primo simply byreleasing all pressure on the little tablet. Thus the ordinarytempo lever was set at the speed marked on the music roll,which was determined by the arranger of the roll from the sheetmusic. His idea might or (more probably) might not be thesame as the composer's conception of the tempo-primo. Even ifquite right for the commencement, there may be sectionsintended to be quicker, or slower, than the general speed; insuch cases releasing the phrasing lever would not give the newspeed of the particular section, and a separate movement of theordinary tempo lever would be required.

This double manipulation is awkward, so, to avoid this, thedemonstrators of the Angelus usually set the central tempo control at the highest possible speed and kept their fingers upon thephrasing lever continually to check the speed down to thetempo required, in all sections of the compositionbeing played, as well asfor the variations of tempoin accordance with theirown personal interpretation. As the total movement of the phrasing leveris much less than the lateral movement of thePianola tempo lever, it ismuch more difficult toeffect fine gradations oftempo with the formerthan with the latter. Moreover the Pianola tempocontrol is almost entirelyindependent of fluctuations of foot-pressurewhile the phrasing leverof the Angelus wobbles upand down in accordance with light, or heavy, pedal pressure,thus tending to react against control by the fingers.

There is a further complication in the manipulation of thetempo of the Angelus in the fact that the lever for controllingthe sustaining pedal is placed so as to necessitate the use of itby the same hand as is used for the phrasing lever. It is indeedan art and a feat of manipulation to use the thumb for theimportant and almost incessant use of the sustaining pedal,while the most delicate tempo phrasing is being controlled bythe fingers of the same hand!

This new manipulation occupied me for some weeks, buteventually I became quite used to the new form of control, andaccepted an engagement by the BBC to give player recitals forwhich I intended to use the Angelus.

After only about a year with Sir Herbert Marshall & Co.that firm had financial troubles and was obliged to give up thefine Regent Street premises, and again I found myself withoutemployment. There being no other player piano manufacturersenterprising enough to organize recitals, I had to find some_-_other means of utilizing my musical training.

Fortunately I had a good friend in Mr. AiI'd, who was thenthe 'buyer' (i.e. Manager) of the Piano Department at Harrods.He was instituting a series of concerts to be given in a smallhall adjoining the department. He persuaded the firm to engageme, so that I might undertake the management of these concerts, besides giving some assistance to the salesmen by playingpianos to prospective purchasers.

My work was very pleasant and again brought me into contact with interesting people. I was at Harrods for seven years, atthe end of which I reached the compulsory retiring age, and wasthankful to receive an allowance from the Royal Society ofMusicians which enabled me to live quite quietly in the place Ihave always loved: Littlehampton.

It has always been a matter of amazement to me that somany retired men find their new life boring. They complain thatit is difficult to find enough to occupy their time. Why, goodness knows, I never seem to have half the hours I could use todo the manifold things wanted to be done, to say nothing of theendless list of hobbies I should enjoy doing.

Probably it is true to say that I have done more useful worksince I retired seven yearsago than I ever achievedduring my musical careerof forty years.

The house in which Ilive was erected by mygreat, great grandmother,so it presents considerablescope for modern electricwiring, and plenty ofpaint. Then there is awilderness of a fairly largegarden, while utterlybeyond my control, yetforces me to struggle withlittle bits for the sake ofappearances and the cultivation of a few plants.

Such a house and gardencould keep me fully occupied for all the remaining

years of my life; but much has to be neglected if I am to get anytime for the hobbies so enjoyable to me. In fact when writingthis I am suffering from a badly strained back, having torn amuscle by trying some idiotic acrobatic trick about four monthsago, and this still limits my ability to do many of the things Ienjoy.

However, under normal conditions I have had much pleasure in my little boat, now moored at Bury, where my grandmother was born and married. The reaches of the river Arun arelovely all the way from 'The Black Rabbit' to Greatham andfrom Pulborough to Stopham Bridge. It is a joy to be able to geton the Arun, take advantage of the swift tide, and use oars, orsail, as may be most suitable.

Then I rejoice in a six-and-a-quarter inch telescope with anEllison mirror that I picked up very cheaply. It gives wonderfuldetail of the moon, and good views of the principal planets.

The tandem sports tricycle has given beneficial exercise andmany pleasant excursions to my wife and myself. So far it hasregistered three thousand miles on the cyclometer and I trust itwill show a higher figure in the course of the next few years.

101

During the shortage of petrol it served as a means of visitingpeople and places independent of motor vehicles.

This account of my life would be less than half-told if I leftout my better half: my dear good and helpful wife, who haspatiently put up with all the vagaries of a musician, the messyexperiments of an inventor, the unreasonableness of a reformer.She indeed has been a never failing source of inspiration and amost skillful and efficient manager of the children, the house

and my slender resources. Though descended from an aristo. crat.ic French family she is essentially English and has such,sound common sense that she can view social problems in theirtrue perspective. It is impossible to do justice to all my wife'svirtues; I can only say that any success I may have achievedhas been entirely due to her untiring cooperation andencouragement.

;-.~

.j

•• 1....

Appendices to the memoirsThe original manuscript contained a few paragraphs which did not fit readily into thenarrative, and are printed below as appendices,

TWO GREAT PIANISTS

Busoni

This great pianist made records of all the Chopin Preludes;they were played brilliantly, yet I could have wished that he hadchosen more substantial compositions. His style would havesuited the three Bs (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms) better thanthe romantic and fanciful little sketches he elected to play.

However, it is of the man rather than of his performancesthat I cherish the most pleasant memories.

Busoni seemed to me one of the most genial pianists I haveever met. He chatted very freely and amused me that, as ayoung man, he used to be meticulously careful to avoid theplaying of wrong notes, but in his later years, he only cared forthe artistic interpretation. This frank announcement of indifference to errors was not so amusing to me as it might have been ifI had not dreaded the amount of correction which would be necessary to make his records presentable. As a matter of fact,there were not more wrong notes in those recordings than Ihave found in Duo-Art records by pianists who were trying toplay quite accurately.

Bauer

Although Bauer did not record in England, I had so much todo with his recording of the G minor Concerto by Saint Saens,that I seemed to know him intimately, though I only had a shortvisit with him at the Aeolian Hall.

This recorded concerto was used several times for orchestral concerts in this country. The most memorable to me wasone of the Sunday concerts at the Albert Hall conducted by SirThomas Beecham. [The story of this occasion is related in themain part of the memoirs.]

{<'--;

PATENTS AND INVENTIONS

The beginning of this section of the manuscript is lost. Mr. Reynolds has beendescribing his invention of a form of electrical connection by which the points onthe base of the appliance penetrate a woven cloth and impinge on conductorsplaced beneath.

I

~

This successful introduction to the patent office induced meto work out other ideas, including a pneumatic typewriter, anew form of musical notation, a method of marking bar linesand impression indications accurately on the music rolls usedfor piano players and a means of obtaining three differentdegrees of touch intensity simultaneously when playing thePianola upon which normally it is only possible to produce two

102

different degrees at the same moment. This last patent was purchased by the Aeolian Company who also paid me a royalty for ~the use of the bar-lining patent when used upon their music rolls. So I suppose I ought to consider myself fortunate, for theway of the inventor is hard! Yet I still feel that a method ofwiring up switches, lamp holders etc. which was so simple thatanyone could do it with his eyes shut, and be free from any

likelihood of a short circuit, would have had a commercial success; while I believe that the pneumatic typewriter would havereduced the finger work of thousands of typists (the keys needed less than an eighth of an inch impression). Noise would havebeen eliminated (surely, a blessing, not only to the typists),evenness of the impression would have been independent of theuneven strength of the fingers, even the full stop, which usually

perforates the paper and injures the platen could have beenrestricted to a minimum impact regardless of the figure of thetypists, and it would have been possible to arrange for smallwords in frequent use to be typed by the pressing of one keyonly, the series of letters occurring in the right order as arrangedby connected pneumatics. However, these ideas must be addedto the list of lost causes!

"THE LITTLE PIANO"

My wife possessed a beautifully made model of an uprightpiano which she remembers having had from the earliest daysof her childhood. Probably it was made by one of Broadwood'semployees. It has a miniature keyboard of two octaves with asimple piano action, minus dampers, with short steel wires.

In 1922 one of the legs came loose, so I took the littlemodel (quite reasonably) up to the Aeolian Hall and had the legglued up. While it was in my room in the Duo-Art recordingdepartment Irene Scharrer happened to see it. She at once fell inlove with it and wanted me to let her have it for her two young

children. Obviously I could not dispose of my wife's pet piano,but this pianist's enthusiasm gave me an idea. Why not ask herand all the celebrated pianists who came to the Aeolian Hall toplaya few notes on this little instrument, and then persuadethem to sign their names upon a slip of paper attached to theinside of the lid?

This seemed a novel form of autograph collecting because,apart from the signature one could say "Paderewski playedupon this piano". Not only he, but many other well knownmusicians did so.

• ..,II.

A Note on the Technique of RecordingBy R. Reynolds, A.G.S.M.

From supplement to "The Gramophone ", February 1924.

Very many pianists perform at the Aeolian Hall, in London, leaving no trace of those delightful sounds withwhich they have charmed their audience during a brief

recital; yet fortunately other and greater pianists have foundtheir way to the top story of the Aeolian building, and there discovered a means of perpetuating their interpretation for all time.

In a secluded room stands a Weber grand piano, in tone andoutward appearance not different from the usual model, nordoes the touch betray the magic power beneath the keys. Uponcloser inspection the secret is partially revealed by the electriccable which can be seen coming from beneath the instrument;and if it were possible to trace this back into the piano, therewould be found 160 wires, half of them leading to speciallydevised contacts under the keys, the remainder running to positions near the point where the hammers strike the strings, whilethe cable itself passes through the wall of the room, coming outinto a sound-proof chamber, in which is installed the amazingmechanism that constitutes the Duo-Art recording apparatus.Here the other ends of the wires attached to electro-magnets,which operate the punches in the powerful perforating machine,each punch corresponding with each key of the piano. Thepianist plays - the punches perforate - the record is produced:

-J This method of recording ensures absolute accuracy ofr reproduction, the length of the perforations being determined by

.period for which the key is held down. Thus staccato notes produce little round holes about 1-32 of an inch in diameter, a tribute to the agility of the fingers and also to the rapidity of .recording punches which are working at 4,000 pulsations per

minute. The rhythm is determined by the spacing of the perforations in the music roll as it passes through the recordingmachine at a uniform speed (usually 8 feet·in one minute), andthis spacing is in exact accordance with the interval between thenotes played by the pianist, so that when the music roll isplaced upon a Duo-Art piano, and caused to play at the samespeed, there must result an exact reproduction of all the mostsubtle nuances of rhythm.

Similarly the touch of the pianist is recorded and reproduced still by means of perforations in the music roll, in conjunction with the most ingenious mechanism, both in therecording machine and in the Duo-Art piano. By the use of only8 "dynamic controls" no less than 32 variations of touch can beproduced, extending over the whole range of finger power, fromthe lightest pianissimo to the strongest accent, and in combination with the well-known "Themodist" device ("Pianola"patent) the melody is differentiated from the accompaniment,each having its own free modulation of tonal effect.

Such fidelity of reproduction will not only perpetuate theartist's performance, but will also show any errors of technique,and will record the stray wrong notes from which no pianist canentirely escape when playing passages requiring great force andextreme rapidity. One of the finest artists in playing a singlecomposition recorded no less than 360 false notes!

Fortunately there is a means by which the "Duo-Art" musicroll can be edited under the supervision of the pianist, and everyblemish easily and effectively removed, while omitted notes

103

Vladimir de Pachmann

~I

, .- /

can be cut into their proper places; nor do the possibilities ofediting end at note corrections; the touch itself and even therhythm can be improved upon if the artist so desires. Thesealterations are made by means of paper patches over theperforations to be eliminated, or by neatly cutting much notesand "dynamic control" perforations as may be required. Theoriginal record (signed by the artist) is then duplicated upon a"stencil", from which all future copies are produced.

It is obvious that when this revision of the record is carefully carried out under the direction of the pianist there will resulta most finely finished interpretation. This is why PercyGrainger was moved to confess that his records represent himnot merely as he did play, but - as he "would like to play"!While Paderewski paid the greatest tribute to the artistic effectwhen, referring to the Duo-Art record of his well-knownMinuet, he said that listening to this gave him the same feelingin his heart as when he played it himself.

Almost all the great pianists have recorded for the Duo-Arteither in London or New York, and many interesting personalities have revealed themselves to the person in charge of therecording department. Pachmann's quaint self-appreciation wasdelightfully illustrated when he prefaced his recording by saying: "I have heard Rubinstein play this piece, and Liszt also;they both played it beautifully - very beautifully, but - I shallplay it much more beautifully!" Busoni stated that he used to beextremely particular about the accuracy of his technique, butnow he did not care how many wrong notes he played providing he obtained an artistic effect. This sounded a little alarmingto the Duo-Art editor, who foresaw shoals of false notes whichwould have to be eliminated, because, although not very noticeable at a concert performance in a large hall, they would berather too obvious in a drawing-room where the Duo-Art is usually heard. However, the Busoni records were quite as free fromblemish as those of the other great pianists.

Lamond has taken much care with the editing of hisrecords, and during his several visits has shown the versatilityand wide vista of his thoughts by discussing many subjects,

104

even extending to the immensity of astronomical investigation.Harold Bauer and Hofmann are both enthusiastic recorders forthe Duo-Art; while the latter declares that he is greatly indebtedto his own records which have revealed certain points in hisplaying he had not previously realized; and, by taking advantage of the knowledge thus gained, he has attained even greaterartistic success in his public performances.

This is perhaps the highest compliment payable to theDuo-Art, that it not only serves as a most valuable educationalmedium, already in use at the Royal College of Music, theRoyal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music andmany other similar establishments throughout England andAmerica, but it has also proved to be of real value to the recording artists by enabling them to hear themselves as others hearthem.

The lecture given by the author at the Royal Institution onFebruary 19th, was in the nature of a demonstration of the following article; and included charts showing the comparativerhythms and touch-values in two records of the first four bars ofthe Raindrop Prelude (Chopin), as played by Busoni and Pachmann. Miss Lilian Southgate played a duet for two pianos witha Duo-Art Cortot roll; and M. Jean Pouguet played a violinsonata (Cesar Franck) with another Duo-Art roll.

. ,..~~ .

FULL SCA\.E

THEMODIST----

'Pianola'Practice Roll

THIS R..n should he .tudied inC:OlljllDCtion with it • accompanyiDg

booklet "On Playing the Pianola."

Tn" A"or,UN COllPAIIY. LTD,LONDON AND Nt:w YOltKMade In Groa.t Britain

·......On Playing the "Pianola"

By Reginald Reynolds

This article appeared both in 'The appreciation ofmusic by means of the "Pianola" and"Duo-Art'" by Percy A. Scholes, Oxford University Press, 1925, and as a separatebooklet by the Aeolian Company to accompany the Themodist 'Pianola' practice Roll,which is reasonably common and well worth using.

I n view of the statement that 'a child can play it', the following instructions may seem unnecessary. It may, therefore, bewell to explain the apparent paradox of an instrument so

simple that a child can certainly produce quite musical resultswithout previous knowledge or practice, yet so vast is its potential power for the interpretation of music that not one of theso-called demonstrators of the instrument can be said to havereached the limit of its possibilities - just as it is impossible tosay that even the greatest pianist has ever acquired completemastery over the resources of the Pianoforte.

The truth of the matter is that, with the Pianola, a child caninstantly produce the most brilliant technical passages with aclearness, equality and faultlessness beyond the power of themost eminent virtuoso, and if the composition depends almostexclusively upon brilliant technique for its effectiveness thenthe child will succeed in giving a performance in which the

- shortcomings in expression way be outweighed by the amazing""--./ execution; but, before sentiment can be adequately expressed,

the Pianola player will need much practice to acquire qualityand variety of touch, the power to bring about subtle and sudden changes of tempo, prominence of the melody, a nicely balanced accompaniment, and skill in the use of the levers foractuating the soft and sustaining pedals of the Pianoforte.

READING THE ROLLSIt will be found necessary, and is fortunately easy, to be

able to read and understand the perforations in the music rollssufficiently well to know what to expect before the notes areactually played. This form of notation may be regarded as avisual representation of music as played upon the Pianofortekeyboard, for the perforations are in precisely their proper relative positions of pitch, their length in the roll indicates theirduration of sound (apart from the effect of the sustaining pedal)and the distance at which they follow each other across theTracker-bar will determine their rhythmical spacing, which inalmost all Pianola rolls will be found to be in exact accordancewith the time value of the notes in the printed music.

POSITION AT THE INSTRUMENTBefore attempting to play the Pianola, obtain a suitable

seat; this should not be less than 22 inches high, preferably withthe top slanting from a height of 23 1/2 inches at the back to 221/2 inches at the front. Such seats are, of course, to be had.

Place the feet upon the treadles of the Pianola, with the toesslightly projecting over the top ends and the heels not above the _'.centres. Sit sufficiently far from the instrument to avoid any

uncomfortable bendingback of the feet when thetreadles are in their normal position, because it isimportant that theseshould completely returnafter each stroke and notbe kept partially depressedall the time.

THE DUTIES OFTHE FEET

As the 'touch' of thePianola is controlled by the feet, each foot must be trained toact independently of the other, in somewhat the same way as apianist's hands are trained, but with this difference, that forPianola playing one foot should be practically exclusively prepared for melody playing, accentuation and phrasing, the otherfoot serving as an auxiliary, to provide sufficient reserve power,and also to play the accompaniment and any passages in whichgeneral modulation of tone is more important than subtle phrasing.

Both treadles acting equally throughout the entire compassof the instrument, it does not matter whether the right or leftfoot is used for the more important portion of the touch, but it isbest to use for this purpose the foot which happens to be themore active - if the feet are not equal in strength and agility.

If the heel of the accentuating foot be raised, the thrust ofthe toe can be quicker and stronger; while for the other foot, asmooth ankle movement is usually best.

Although this different action of the two feet will be almostalways desirable, it may sometimes (when no melodic phrasingor accentuation is required) be found convenient to use bothfeet equally. More rarely, there will occur cases when two ormore strong accents follow in rapid succession, making it necessary to use the feet alternately for accentuation.

AMOUNT OF FORCEAlthough for a single accent all possible power can be used

without obtaining more tone than is sometimes needed, onemust carefully avoid too much continuous power, for this iscapable of being not only greater than a pianist could produce,but also much more than is desirable. The two most noticeablecases in which this fault is likely to occur will be found in rapidsuccessions of chords and brilliant passages, particularly if thelatter are in the upper treble. It should be remembered that themoment a strong accent has been made the pressure should be

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released by both feet, unless another accent is required immediately, otherwise the following notes will probably be too loud,and unnecessary energy will be expended. There is nearlyalways sufficient reserve power left in the instrument, afteraccenting strongly, to play several notes without any furthermovement of the treadles.

Very light rapidly alternating foot work is best for obtaining

extremely soft effects of touch, especially if the passages are- rapid, or if there are quick repetitions of the same note, orchord, whereas when more tone is desirable a longer stroke canbe taken, though seldom more than half the available move- ~.

ment of the treadles, while the accentuating foot should makethe shortest stroke with which the effect can be obtained.

METHOD OF HOLDING THE CONTROL LEVERS

E c

.- .

A B

F DA-Tempo Lever. .B.-Gear Lever (Re-roll-Siltmt-Play).

C-Bass Subduinv; Lever } .D-Treble Subduing Lever or Graduated Accompanuncnt Levers.

E-Soft Pedal Lever. F-Sustaining Pedal Lever.

The Tempo Lever should be held lightly and freely betweenthe thumb and forefinger of the right hand.

The Subduing Levers can, in most cases, be used by thethumb of the left hand, enabling the middle finger to be used forthe sustaining pedal, with the forefinger available for the softpedal. But when the isolation of individual notes (not already'themodised') may be desired, it will be found necessary to use

the thumb upon the lever for subduing the treble, and the forefinger upon the lever for subduing the bass, in which case thesustaining pedal must be controlled by the little finger. Whenthis form of manipulation is required it will be best to turn theleft wrist and elbow outwards; the forefinger can then bereleased while the thumb is held back.

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PLACING THE ROLL IN POSITION

oA -Flanged Roll-holder. B-Tracker-bar. C-Take-up Spool.

D-Tempo Indicator. E-Lever for Automatic Sustaining Pedal.

Keeping the Gear Lever at the left, as for re-rolling, placethe roll in position between the metal holders, making sure thatthe flange of the right-hand holder goes into the groove in thespool end. To make certain of this it is advisable to press a finger upon the right-hand metal holder, while you turn the rollround with the left hand; then, if the holder is rotated by the roll,

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the flange is doubtless in the correct position or if the roll can be ~turned without moving the holder, the flange is not in thegroove, but will probably slip into its place during the rotationof the roll.

Then place the ring of the roll upon the hook in the take-upspool, and before commencing to use the treadles. turn the

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take-up spool with your hand until you have wound past thethicker front portion of the roll, and brought the thinner paperon to the Tracker-bar.

For Pianola playing the Tempo Lever can be moved over tothe highest speed, then, after placing the Gear Levers to theright, the treadles can be used to hurry over the plain paper.Now the Tempo Lever should be pushed over to the extremeleft, about two inches before the first perforation reaches theTracker-bar. This will stop the roll and give you the opportunityto decide at what speed, and with what particular degree ofpower, you will commence to play.

DIRECTIONS FOR USING THEPIANOLA PRACTICE ROLL

During the practicing of the first five excerpts, the automatic sustaining pedal should be made use of, by placing its leverto the on position.

The first two examples are intended for the study of footwork only. Therefore, the Tempo Lever should be set at thespeed number indicated upon the roll, and all the control leversshould be left entirely alone. The hands, however, should holdon firmly to the hinged cover for the levers. Then the whole ofthe attention must be given to the foot work.

EXAMPLE I. The roll begins with the well-known Prelude, Op.18, No. 20, of Chopin. The expression indications have beenpurposely omitted, in order that entire freedom of touch can beused in various ways, at the will of the performer. Studentsshould play this Prelude several times, and endeavor to obtainevery conceivable modification of power from fortissimo downto the lightest pianissimo at which the notes will actually play atall.

EXAMPLE II. For the practice of accent, an excerpt has beentaken from the Noel of Balfour Gardiner.

There are three essentials for an effective and powerfulaccent. First, there must be enough reserve power in the instrument to cause the treadle to offer some resistance to the pressure of the foot, otherwise the treadle will sink away and theenergy be wasted; this resistance can be created by strong pressure with the reserve foot just before the accent is required.Next, a sharp thrust must be used, as a heavy push does not givea crisp accent. Finally, and most important, the action of theaccenting foot must take place at the instant the first fraction ofthe perforation belonging to the particular note reaches the corresponding hole in the Tracker-bar. As only a short strokeshould be used, if this action occurs even a very small distancein advance of the note, the foot will have expended its forcealmost uselessly in merely creating reserve power which neverapproaches the force that can be exerted upon a note, or chord,by the direct and instantaneous action of the foot. And, if thestroke is used after the note has played, the energy is utterlywasted so far as that attempted accent is concerned.

The rhythm of this fragment from Noel being so obvious, itis only necessary to remark that as much contrast as possibleshould be made between the accented and the un-accentedchords, making the former crisp and incisive, whilst taking carenot to use a downward thrust of the foot upon the latter. Everypossible degree of accentuation should be tried, from a light butdistinct touch to the terrific power that may be exerted upon the .chords at the end of this short extract. - .

EXAMPLE III. After acquiring the art of obtaining a widerange of touch (including definite accents), surely and withoutundue effort, it is well to proceed to a careful study of theTempo control, for which purpose the third extract has beenchosen as a type of light, fanciful music, in which considerableexcesses of tempo variation can be used.

Before attempting to practice this, certain combinations oftempo and touch should be considered, because the manipulation of the Tempo Lever must be accompanied by suitable footwork.

The well-known effects of rallentando and diminuendo,crescendo and accellerando, also the usual form of allargando,can only be artistically expressed if the gradations of touch arein exact accordance with the gradations of tempo.

When practicing these effects it must be remembered thatthe Pianola requires at a rapid tempo more power than it does ata slow tempo, to produce the same degree of force, whilst thenumber of notes to be played will also considerably affect thecase.

In addition to the gradations mentioned, rapid movementsof the Tempo Lever will be required for sudden effects. Frequently a tenuto must be made upon some individual note, orchord; sometimes it is necessary to halt for an instant before anaccented note in order to broaden the effect, or it may be that a'breath' is needed between two phrases, and occasionally a sudden pause is required. These quick movements of the TempoLever will vary in amount, according to the speed at which theroll is being played and the nature of the effect required, whilstthe accompanying touch must be suited to the particular purpose.

The Metrostyle line has been specially marked for thisextract (from the Serenade Badine, by Gabriel-Marie) and canbe used as a guide for the tempo by following the red line withthe pointer attached to the tempo indicator. This will result invariations of speed in accordance with the interpretation of theperson who originally marked this line. The amount of movement has been purposely exaggerated, but in such an avowedlyfrivolous piece, considerable freedom is permissible, and itmust be remembered that in Pianola playing it is most important to avoid any stiffness of the tempo movement, or the effectwill become extremely mechanical.

For practice, first play this extract through, following theMetrostyle line with the pointer, keeping the touch rather light,without attempting special variations of power. It may be desirable to repeat this once or twice in the same manner, until thevarious effects of tempo can be made smoothly, or rapidly, asrequired. Then endeavor to combine the variations of touch, asindicated by the usual expression marks, with the same movements of the tempo as before. Finally, disregarding both the redline and the expression marks, play this excerpt again, usingyour own interpretation, which should result in the gradations oftempo and touch being felt and expressed in their true proportions, through the medium of the Tempo Lever and the treadles.

EXAMPLE IV. Throughout the next extract the two SubduingLevers must be held hard over to the left and kept there,because the whole of the attention is now to be given to themelody playing; thus the accompaniment must be kept subdued,while the Tempo Lever had better be set at a moderate speedand allowed to remain there. In fact, we are to treat this extractmerely as a study in obtaining the right kind of touch for eachmelody note, without distracting the attention by any other

107

manipulation, although in actual performance of Grieg'sdelightful tribute To the Spring, variations of tempo and modifications of the accompaniment tone would of course be made.

Take the greatest care to play every melody note with a definite touch from the phrasing foot, making sure that the exactdegree of power required is produced at the commencement ofeach note, and using short strokes of the greatest possible variety of strength. Do not pass from this extract until you can hearthe melody, not only clearly and distinctly, but with a certainquality of touch that is acceptable to your musical taste.

EXAMPLE V. The next extract is from Raff's La Fileuse,which will serve as a study for the use of the Subduing Leversas 'graduating accompaniment levers'.

Bear in mind the following broad rule: When the melody isThemodised by means of the double perforations (near the treble or bass edge of the roll), if any melody note requires to bedistinctly stronger than any accompaniment note occurringsimultaneously, both of the Subduing Levers must be held hardover to the left and kept there during the whole section in whichthe Themodist perforations appear. The word Solo should befound on the roll at the commencement of each Themodisedsection, and the word Normal should be found at the end ofsuch sections, but the double perforations will serve as the bestguide for holding back the two levers, the broad rule being thatwhile these pairs of perforations are visible between the topspool and the Tracker-bar, on whichever side of the paper theyoccur, the Subduing Levers should be tightly held over to theleft.

There are, however, some important exceptions from thisrule. The space between two successive melody notes may besufficient to allow for special phrasing of the intermediate notesof the subordinate part; it will, therefore, be found necessary inmany cases to allow these levers to return partially, or entirely,to their normal position after the first of the widely separatedmelody notes, making sure that they are again held over to theleft in time for the playing of the next Themodised note.

These levers of the Pianola have a graduated effect upon theaccompaniment, inasmuch as they allow more power to be produced when fully over to the right than when nearly over to theleft, but as the variation of foot pressure will very considerablyaffect the result (except when the Levers are held hard over tothe left) care must be taken not to counteract the graduation byfaulty foot work.

Further cases in which these levers should be released oronly partially held over will be found when the melody is beingplayed strongly and the accompaniment may seem too weak; orwhen volume of tone is required, when the accompaniment mayhave to be brought up to such a strength that it will probablyoverpower the melody before sufficient fullness of tone isobtained.

If the mechanism of the accompaniment control has beenadjusted to give extremely soft effects for single notes, it maybe necessary slightly to release the levers when rapidly repeatednotes occur in the accompaniment sections, otherwise the controlled power may not be sufficient to play such portions satisfactorily.

In the extract from La Fileuse, some of these exceptionaluses of the Subduing levers can be practiced, and for this purpose marks of crescendo and diminuendo have been made atplaces where fairly long intervals occur between the melody

108

notes. At these points the levers should be released after the one. !TIelody note and brought back to the left before the next, the. movement being as gradual as the space of time will allow, andthe foot pressure conforming to the variation of touch required.

Where the long crescendo is marked as extending over several bars, the beginning of this should merely be an increase intone of the melody. Then the levers may be gradually released,together with increasing foot pressure, until the greatest poweris reached at the end of this section; before arriving there theaccompaniment will probably equal the melody in strength, butthe general effect will be better than weakening the accompaniment and sacrificing power for the sake of emphasizing themelody. In addition to these methods of using the SubduingLevers as illustrated in the excerpt, there will be found, in theperformance of different compositions, cases necessitating theindependent use of the bass or treble lever.

During an unthemodised phrase the treble or bass sectionmay have more effect if the opposite section is subdued, andthis can be accomplished by holding back the lever corresponding to the section it is desired to subdue.

It is also possible to emphasize certain notes, not alreadythemodised, if the desired note occurs without any other beingstruck simultaneously in the same portion of the keyboard (bassor treble), by releasing the corresponding lever for the commencement of the note, and returning the lever to the left beforeany note of the accompaniment occurs in the same section ofthe instrument.

EXAMPLE VI. Finally one must add the use of the SustainingPedal, and also the less needed soft pedal, to the manipulationof the other levers. For although an automatic sustaining pedalis provided in the Pianola, most people will prefer to have thisvital part of the Pianoforte under personal control, and the lastextract will serve to show the way in which the automatic sustaining pedal is introduced into the Pianola music roll.

In the section of Tchaikovsky's Valse des Fleurs given, theSustaining Pedal perforations will be found, as usual, on theextreme left-hand side of the roll, and when the automatic leveris placed to the 'On' position, these perforations will removethe dampers from the strings, during each group of these holes.It will be easy to note the difference in effect if the automaticlever is turned 'Off'. You are then free to use the SustainingPedal Lever more or less than the amount automatically provided, but this is a matter for your own taste and judgment.

With regard to the soft pedal, it might be well to point outthat it should not be used for merely producing pianissimoeffects if these can be obtained by light foot work. But in casesof rapidly repeated notes, as in that of the frequently foundtremolo accompaniment, it will be desirable to use the softpedal for modifying the touch of the reiterated notes, whichrequire a fair amount of power in the instrument or they will notplay properly.

As the last remark may be remembered best, may I conclude by urging all would-be Pianola players to begin by believing in the artistic possibilities of the instrument, and entreatthem not to end their efforts until they are able to give proof ofthe justification of their faith.

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THE ELECTRIC DUO-ART PIANOLA

A-Themodist Lever. B & E-Accent Levers.C-Graduated Accompaniment or Temponamic Disc.

D-Gear Lever-Re·roll, Silent, Play.

The Electric Duo-Art Model is primarily intended for thereproduction of records by celebrated pianists, so that theirinterpretations can be studied and enjoyed. Doubtless it willprove of interest to give a short account of the method bywhich the Duo-Art records are produced-

The 'celebratedpianist' is asked to playupon a Grand Piano thatin outward appearancedoes not differ from theusual instrument. Intothis piano is inserted anelectric cable containinga large number of wires,half of these leading tospecially devised contacts under the keys, theremainder running topositions near the pointwhere the hammersstrike the strings, whilstthe cable itself passesthrough the wall of the room, coming out into a sound-proofchamber, in which is installed the Duo-Art Recording Apparatus. Here the other ends of the wires are attached toelectro-magnetswhich operate thepunches in thepowerful perforatingmachine, each punchcorresponding with itsproper note upon thePiano.

The Pianist plays,the punches perforate,the permanent recordis produced!

This method ofrecording ensuresaccuracy of reproduction, the length of theperforation beingdetermined by theperiod during whichthe key is held down.As the machine causes the punches torepeat at the rate of4,000 pulsations tothe minute, it is aproof of the agility of the Pianist's finger if he is able to attackand leave the key of the Piano during a single movement of thepunch, yet such staccato notes are frequently found in therecords, and these perforations measure about the 32nd part ofan inch in diameter.

The Rhythm is determined by the spacing of the perforations in the music roll as it passes through the recordingmachine at a uniform speed (usually eight feet in one minute), _-_and this spacing is in exact accordance with the interval

between the notes played by the Pianist, so that when the musicroll is placed upon a Duo-Art Piano and caused to move at thesame speed, there must result perfect reproduction of the mostsubtle rhythm. Mr. John B. McEwen (Principal of the RoyalAcademy of Music) has mapped out a chart to illustrate the dif

ferent tempo phrasingused by two greatPianists when playingthe first four bars of thewell known so-calledRaindrop Prelude byChopin.

The Melodic outlineis shown by its positionin the horizontal sections; the verticalcolumns represent theregular divisions of therhythm, each one beingof the value of one quaver; the Bar lines areshown by darker lines.

The MIDDLE SECTION shows the rigid metronometempo with the notes occurring exactly upon the rhythmicpositions indicated in the printed music.

The UPPERSECTION is taken fromthe Duo-Art music rollrecorded by Busoni.

The LOWERSECTION shows theamount of tempo rubatoused by Pachmann.

In both records thefirst note is in excess ofits actual value. Busoniheld it an extra quaver,while Pachmannincreased its normallength by a dotted semiquaver.

The short notes areall extended beyondtheir value by both theseartists, and this excess oftime is balanced by areduction of some of thelonger notes, particularlythe dotted minim in thesecond bar, so that even

tually the termination of the phrase occurs very close to itsactual rhythmic position.

Where the note F is repeated at the beginning of the fourthbar, theoretically the previous note should extend exactly to thecommencement of the bar, but if the note is to be played twice,there must be a point at which the finger is raised, and this isshown by a slight division in the marking of the two notes justbefore the bar line in the middle section. It is interesting toobserve that while Busoni raised the finger for a very short time

109

and played the two notes with the different values indicated bythe composer, Pachmann made a wider space between the notesand played them as though they were of equal value!

The highest note of the phrase is slightly shortened by bothpianists, but it is almost certain that if a vocalist had to sing thatmelody, the top G would be considerably extended.

Likewise the Touch of the pianist is recorded and reproduced, still by means of perforations in the music roll, in conjunction with mechanism in the recording machine and in theDuo-Art Piano. With four Dynamic Controls, sixteen differentdegrees of touch can be produced; extending over the wholerange of finger power, from the lightest pianissimo to thestrongest accent, and in combination with the Themodist devicethe melody is differentiated from the accompaniment, each having its own set of dynamic controls with the full range of touchjust explained.

When the original record is made it contains several straywrong notes which no pianist can entirely avoid when playingpassages requiring force and rapidity. One of the finest artistsrecorded no less than three-hundred and sixty false notes in asingle composition. Fortunately there is a method by which themusic roll can be edited under the supervision of the pianisthimself, and every blemish removed, whilst omitted notes canbe cut into their proper places. Nor do the possibilities of editing end at note correction; the touch itself and even the rhythmcan be improved upon if the artist should so desire.

It is obvious that when this revision is carefully carried outunder the direction of the pianist, there must result a most finished interpretation. This explains Percy Grainger's statementthat his records represent him not merely as he did play, but ashe 'would like to play'.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to the artistic effect came fromPaderewski, when, speaking of his Duo-Art record of one of hisown compositions, he said that listening to the reproductiongave him the same feeling in his heart as when he played ithimself.

For the purpose of playing artists' records upon the ElectricDuo-Art it is only necessary to place the roll in position, set theTempo Lever at the figure indicated upon the music roll, andstart the electric motor. The Duo-Art record will then be playedwith all its variety of expression and will re-roll itself withoutany further attention.

Ordinary Pianola music rolls can be played upon the Electric Duo-Art instrument; then the expression is under your personal control by means of the levers already illustrated (see diagram).

The lateral movement of the Temponamic Lever will givethe whole range of tempo variation, from a pause to presto,whilst the turning of the milled head of this same lever will givegradations of tone to the unthemodised notes. The effect of thislever should first be tried in the 'Normal' sections of the roll,but it can of course be used to vary the accompaniment during'Solo' sections, and in these themodised portions the lever Amust be used to vary the touch of the melody notes. This willincrease the strength of the themodised notes as the lever ismoved to the right, and the manipulation of this lever should beslightly in advance of the playing of the notes.

During unthemodised portions of the roll, the levers E andB can be used to take the place of the themodist perforations,the upper one opening th~ss valve, and the lower opening the

110

treble valve, but these two levers will have no appreciable. _effect until the lever A is also moved, when the power will be. proportionate to the position of this lever and will be exerted

upon either the bass or treble portion of the Piano or the entire·keyboard, according to the independent or simultaneous use ofthe levers E and B.

The most effective way of obtaining sudden accents will befound by holding the lever A nearly, or hard, over to the rightand then quickly moving the levers E and B at the moment thechord you desire to accent is about to play. Or, of course, if theaccented chord, or note, occurs in either the treble or bass, onlythe lever corresponding to that section of the Piano need bemoved, but lever A must still be held over to the right in orderto provide the necessary power.

The ordinary pedals of the Pianoforte can be used by thefeet, as usual; or the automatic pedal can be made use of by setting the lever in the music aperture in the correct position forthis purpose.

With practice it is possible to obtain wonderful effects withthe controls in this Electric Model.

THE DUO-ART PIANOLA PIANO FOOT-OPERATED MODEL

This instrument is intended for cases where the ordinaryelectric current is not available. It serves for the playing ofDuo-Art records without the manipulation of any levers, givingan exact reproduction of the tempo phrasing, but it requirescareful foot work to give the correct amount of power for thethemodised notes.

It is possible to estimate the strength required, by observingthe value of the dynamic perforations on the right-hand side ofthe roll. These occur in four parallel lines, the outermost beingof the value of one degree of power, the next, two; then four;while the inside line is of eight degrees. The various combinations of these will produce all the numbers from one to fifteen,so these perforations serve as an indication of the power neededfor reproducing the touch, as recorded upon the roll.

The unthemodised notes will not be affected by the variations of foot pressure, unless the power is dropped to a loweramount than that arranged for by the dynamic perforations onthe left-hand side of the roll, but no amount of effort willincrease the tone of the unthemodised notes beyond the limitsimposed upon them by these dynamic perforations.

As a broad general rule, it may be said that one can feel thetrend of the power required for the melody by keeping it clearlyabove the tone of the accompaniment.

This instrument is specially suitable for the use of ordinaryPianola rolls, since the controls are quite the same as in thePianola Piano. Hence nothing more need be said, except thatthe Duo-Art lever in the music aperture must be set accordingto the kind of music roll it is desired to play - Duo-Art or ordinary Pianola.

THE DUO-ART PIANOLA PIANO PEDAL ELECTRIC MODEL

The latest and most complete instrument combines theadvantages of the electrically controlled Duo-Art with all thefeatures characteristic of the Pianola itself. Consequently the

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remarks relating to the Pianola Piano will apply to the corresponding mechanism of this instrument.

It is also immediately available as an Electric Duo-ArtPiano for reproducing the records of the great Pianists, in precisely the same manner as the ordinary electric model, but thelever controls are different in the Pedal Electric instrument,being mainly designed for use in Pianola playing.

If it is desired to use the electric motor in place of footwork, whilst playing the music rolls with your own expression,it will be found that the four levers, used by the left hand, arejust the same as in the Pianola Piano, while the TemponamicLever is now arranged so that the themodised notes can be modified in tone by turning the milled head to the left.

In this form of control some practice will be necessarybefore it is possible to judge the exact manipulation of thelevers for producing the effects required. The graduated leverscan now be made use of for effects of crescendo and diminuendo in unthemodised passages; there being a constant source ofpower, the graduating of these levers will give the exact values

for which they have been adjusted. \It would, however, be well to state that when you substitute

the electric motor for your own personal energy, you are depriving yourself of the main enjoyment of Pianola playing, and cannot hope to derive as much musical satisfaction as you willwhen you shut off the motor and get into intimate touch withthe source of tone production. Whereas for the playing ofDuo-Art records the electric motor is by far the best form ofmotive power, because the dynamic effects have been calculated to reproduce the required expression under the condition of aconstant source of power of a definite amount.

If this wonderful instrument is used for the two proper purposes for which it is designed, i.e., Pianola playing by footwork and reproduction of artists' records by means of the electric Duo-Art control, you will derive the greatest possible pleasure, musical gratification, and educational advantage that anyexpenditure could provide.

.......The Wimbledon Festival

-J Rginald Reynolds was nothing if not industrious. Whatwith broadcasts, talks and concerts (including the world

remiere of at least six works), plus all the Duo-Artdynamics and Metrostyle lines that he arranged, it is understandable that he preferred to take in sandwiches for lunch!

One little-known project with which not only he, but alsohis elder daughter, was closely associated was the WimbledonFestival of 1930, which is the only British festival ever to haveintroduced classes for the pianola. Since Reginald Reynoldslived nearby in Barnes at that time, it seems very likely that hewas the moving spirit behind these classes, for the organizer ofthe Festival, Willoughby Walmisley, although open-minded,was not a particular supporter of the player-piano. Also, it wasReginald Reynolds who performed the winning entry from thepianola composition class at the Festival prizewinners concert.

Certainly, the establishment of such a competition for thepianola and its music was new; in an article in Musical Timesfor September 1930, Harry Ellingham quotes Wimbledon as apioneering venture, and this is echoed in the Wimbledon Borough News for 28 March 1930:

"A striking innovation was the introduction of two classesfor the pianola. This is probably the first time that such classeshave been included in any music festival, and it is gratifyingthat there were twelve entries in the two classes. The judge, Dr.G. Oldroyd, remarked at the conclusion of these classes thatthey showed the pianola could be regarded as a musical instrument, even if there were mechanism between the player and thedesired effect. This could be discerned in the different render-

. ings of the competitors. He could think of no greater source ofpleasure for those who had learned a little music in the past and.wished to pick it up again."

It is not clear who all the twelve competitors were, though

no less than eight of them received medals or certificates. Hereare the complete lists of those mentioned, in case anyone recognizes their Uncle Fred or Aunt Jemima:

"SATURDAY (22.3.30)Pianola Solo (pieces, "Arabesque," Debussy, and

"Nocturne", Chopin). Silver Medal, Vera Reade(Mitcham), 88 marks; Bronze medal, William Emuss(Balham), 84 marks; certificates, James Munden (Balham), Frederick Emuss (Dalbam), Cecily Clark (Balham),Harry Duffil (Harlington), John Clapham (Forest Hill)and Jane Wood (Wimbledon Park).

Pianola Song Accompaniment (pieces, "Sea Fever",Ireland, and "Love went a-riding", Bridges). Silver medal,Vera Reade (Mitcham), 84 marks; Bronze medal, JohnClapham (Forest Hill), 82 marks; certificates, WilliamEmuss (Balham) and Cicily Clark (Balham)."

Sharp PPG eyes may have picked out the name ofVera Reade, the winner of both classes, as the daughter ofReginald Reynolds, and it is a happy thought that the onlywinner of such a competition in this country should be amember of the Group. Incidentally, we know from theMusical Times that one of the singers who was accompanied by the assorted pianolists was Miss Amy Dearden,who continued to teach music in Wimbledon until veryrecently.

On the following Saturday the compositions forpianola were judged by Dr. Oldroyd again, but this timewith the assistance of Percy Scholes, propagandist of theplayer-piano and editor of all those expensive AudioGraphic music rolls. The results were as follow:

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Solo for Pianola (open), - Goldmedal, Harry Gill (Leeds), 88 marks;Silver medal, William McNaught(Chancery Lane), 82 marks; certificates,William McNaught, Maud Emily Marshall (Kensington) and DorothyCranston (SW 17).

Harry Gill's "Caprice" was in factmade into a roll and performed at theprize concert at the Wimbledon BathsHall on the evening of Thursday March13th, by Reginald Reynolds of course,as mentioned earlier. It seems that it wasthen issued in Mayas a commercialAeolian roll T30479, and was reviewedin Musical Times for June 1930.

One other development of the Wimbledon Festival was that a Pianolists'Club was formed by some of the competitors, holding monthly meetings atAeolian and later Angelus Hall. So thePPG is by no means the first such organization in Britain.

Rex Lawson Reginald Reynolds with Vera Read, winner of the Pianola competition atthe Wimbledon Festival, and John Hinde-Smith, past secretary of the

Player-Piano Group. 1950's.

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Honorary Member'S Card1930·31

ThePIANOLISTS' CLUB

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Thia Ticket Bxpirea

.L@§.~o........l.9.31

Member'. Name

.....B.~.&!.Ml.l:l ..~~.d.s. ...E8~.

THE PIANOLISTS' CLUBIlltADQUARTl:RB

AJl.OLIAN HALL, LONDON

Pmi4nlMao ERNEST NEWMAN

C.w_ML G. KIRKHAM JONES

H"". S""u-, ...., Twos..".Mao MONTAGUE WATSON

324 CoulD" ROAD. N·1

C-'IIHMao J. H. C..........Jib. Lao.~ CLuIlMao EDw~ GoDnno

Mao J...... PaAuo1<Mao bGDI.&LD RaYIIOLDa

Mao P. Ruano.Mao Wa.r.oUODY W .......I1JIY

ADd Of&con of lluI Club.

MeetiusI beId fortDJabtly dltl'iDS lluI s-IouOIl the lit Uld pel Weem.day _ IIl.OIIth

at 1.30 p.m.

MOLIAN HALLLONDON, W.1

EXTRACT FROM THE RULES

I. Tbe C1ab aha1I bo bown u lluI PI""oUsto'C1ab.

•• The objectll of lluI C1I1b shaU bo th. studyUld practlco of th. Player Piaao. aad th.COIlIideratioa of masicaJ topi"" &ad aIIainu they &/feet it.

3. IIombonhip of tbe Club shall be open to auown.. of Player Pl&DOI wbo are la_tediD lluI obje<:tI of tb. Club.

4. Sut.:l'iptioa for the Soasloa. Oct. I to jua.30. shaI1 be ,I· per &IIIIum. explrias j uao 30.

,. A III01Ilbar ahaII be colllidered a laboc:riberfew tho eaauiaS year aul... bla realsuatioaiD writiaS aIuill bave beea five.. to th.Secreta:y boloro th••ad of July.

6. M....b-. aha1I have tho riSbt of introdacitlSfriOllda Uld relativ.. at th. ordlJlary mtetfDc1of tho Club. but tho Committee lJl&y at itsdlacretion approach memben' mends on thenbJect of t&ldnS up m.mbonhip.

,. Aayll101llbarwisbiuS to.all au E"lraordllUlryGeneral Meetius shall rive at leut.8 daysDotice in writiaS to the Secretary. 1tatiastho object of th. moetillS. sucb ..olice toboar tho slsaatureo of at -. 6 member$of the Club.

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'-..) The Domestic Instrument of the FutureLetter to the Radio Times, 29 March 1932.

Seeing that the Radio Times will give both sides of anargument, I am tempted to put forward an idea that willrouse a storm of indignation from the majority of Musi

cians, especially the Pianists.

May be, it is probably fortunate that there is no record ofwhat the Harpists thought about the Harpsichord, while franklyI think they were justified in a certain amount of strongly worded criticism of that instrument. It purported to produce aHarp-like effect by plucking wire strings with a quill or leatherthong, actuated by mechanism through the medium of akey-board. Instead of the sensitive personal contact of the fingers upon the cat-gut strings used for the majority of notes inthe harp. The lifeless plectron was so incapable of respondingto variety of touch, that a 'swell shutter' had to be added inorder to obtain effects of crescendo and diminuendo. In fact, theHarpsichord introduced much mechanism between the performer and the source of sound. Yet the comparative ease oftechnique afforded by this instrument brought it into generalfavor, while its capacity for rapid execution tempted composersto write, music such as would have been utterly impossible tothe most skillful harpist. Then the manufacturers devised newforms of mechanism which were added to the Harpsichord. Itwas provided with two manuals, Draw- stops and levers foractuating different methods of plucking the strings.

Eventually the idea of throwing the hammer at a stringsuperseded the notion of pecking at a bit of wire with the quillof a bird, and the public accepted this method of tone production, finding it capable of a greater volume of sound and subjectto a fair amount of touch control. Again, composers wrotemusic suited to the tonal and technical capacity of the newinstrument; thus the Pianoforte became firmly established as themost desirable domestic instrument.

Still, with all its mechanism of tapes and springs, jacks anddampers, in addition to the hammers and key-board, thePianoforte remains a difficult instrument to play, with any presence of proficiency. Fingers must be trained to play the notesindicated by the composer, who usually writes for the virtuoso.Even the acquisition of a brilliant technique does not necessarily mean the ability to play every pianoforte composition atsight. For most mortals it is only possible to concentrate upon asmall repertoire, the result of much arduous labor, while tempting works remain unplayed, or skimmed through so inadequately that the true worth of the music is not revealed. In truth thePiano is too difficult an instrument for the unleisured amateur,and it is no more use to urge its revival as a means of makingmusic in the home, than to cry out for the resuscitation of theHarp for household use.

What, then, is to be the domestic instrument of the future?

. It must be playable without too much practice, yet capableof sympathetic response to personal emotion, giving the senseof achievement due to skillful performance. Completeness oL·.effect is desirable, not needing any accompanying instrument

but serving as a medium for accompaniment to vocalists andinstrumentalists. While it should be suitable for playing theutmost range of compositions and not restricted to those writtenfor itself.

After thirty years of personal experience with thePlayer-piano, I have come to the conclusion that it most adequately fulfills the requirements for a domestic instrument. It isreasonable easy to play; but (despite the glaring advertisements)a child cannot play it properly, neither can an adult who ishopelessly unmusical, nor can a musical person who declines todevote a certain amount of study to the acquisition of its technique. This requires about I % of the time and trouble neededfor the average amateur's performance upon the piano; andwhen once the technique of the Player-piano becomes sub-conscious the ability to perform is not limited to a tiny repertoire,but can be extended to every kind of composition within themusical perception of the player-pianist. Each work can bestudied just as carefully as if using the hands in the old-fashioned way, but without the annoyance of finding that the fingersare lagging behind the brain. Such study will result in a betterunderstanding of the composition, and will increase the amountof pleasure to be derived from the Player-piano. The intimateacquaintance with music gained by personal performanceenhances the musical perception, creates a critical faculty andarouses a greater interest in the interpretations of eminent musicians; so that Player-pianists become properly appreciative ofthe sumptuous musical feast provided by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Then there is the immense joy which the Player-pianoaffords in the facility for sight-reading, note perfectly with afreshness of enthusiasm and the zest of an explorer into theunknown, giving a result distinctly superior to the efforts of themost accomplished sight-reading pianist.

The pneumatic action, with the equivalent of a finger forevery note of the piano, can obviously accomplish much that isbeyond the capacity of eight fingers and two thumbs.

Orchestral and various forms of music, when transcribedfor two hands will be found painfully cramped by such limitations; but the player-piano affords a far greater scope for thearranger, who need not confine his chords to the stretch of thehuman hand, nor take account of the difficulties of fingering.Even effects unobtainable with four hands can be producedwith this amazing instrument. Already these possibilities haveinduced some celebrated composers (including Stravinsky) towrite works in which full advantage has been taken of the pneumatic technique. While the future may have in store an entirelynew form of pianoforte, music, brought into being by the instrument now scorned by some musicians.

It is probable that the art of the Player-pianist will be developed, and there may be many virtuosi of the instrument whowill display their prowess in public.

If so, they will be judged entirely upon the merit of their

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interpretations. Whereas, at present, some pianists are givenconsiderable credit for displaying brilliancy of technique,while others fail to gain a proper appreciation of their artisticvirtues because their fingers do not succeed in performingacrobatic feats with sufficient agility.

Perhaps it may be argued that the finest performance uponthe player-piano never equals that of a great pianist. If so thismay be due to the fact that no eminent pianist has used thePlayer for public performance, although Paderewski hasowned a player from the earliest days of its inception, and itwould be indeed interesting to hear his inspired interpretationthrough the medium of the pneumatic action.

Yet, remember, I have only put forward a claim for thedomestic use of this instrument; it is probable that the ordinarypiano will continue to be used in the Concert Hall, just as theHarp is still employed in the Orchestra; but I firmly believethat in a not far distant future, it will be as difficult to discoverin the homes of the World, a Piano without a pneumatic actionsas it is now to find a keyboardless Harp.

~~:-'~cl~~ :l.a;..",.~

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Reginald Reynolds with Vera Read, and behindhim Yvonne Hinde-Smith, now Vice-President for

the Player Piano Group

.."".

Renew Your Faith in the Player..pianoby Reginald Reynolds

From the 21st Birthday Number of 'The Pianomaker, Music and Radio', June 1934.

(Mr. Reynolds is probably the world's best player-pianist.In this article we have allowed him to write just what he thinks,and though some of his statements relative to the piano andplayer may seem overpowering, yet they represent his honestbelief.)

W riting this article for the trade is very like "teachingmy grandmother to suck eggs," for you all knoweverything there is to know about the player-piano.

But the trouble is that you have lost faith in it as a musicalinstrument and as a selling proposition. So I want to remind youof facts relating to its saleability and superiority to other instruments for the purpose of self-expression. Perhaps few dealerswill admit that they are old enough to remember the coming ofthe piano-player into this country; but I am not ashamed of thefact that I sold some of the very earliest models, while I was incharge of Maple's piano department more than 30 years ago.Those were wonderful days! A short demonstration on the new

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instrument convinced the client that it was the easiest method ofmaking music. Orders were in excess of production, and somepurchasers were so anxious to possess their piano-player thatthey insisted upon taking it away on the top of a four-wheelercab, commonly called a "growler." Nowadays that term mightbe applied to some piano dealers! They growl because of thedecline in the sale of pianos, just as dealers in harps must havecomplained about the decreasing demand for those charminginstruments, so difficult to play effectively. Doubtless thoseworthy men were as prejudiced against the newfangled harpsichord (with its mechanical action and keyboard interposedbetween the fingers and the strings) as the modern dealer whoobjects to the addition of the pneumatic action to the alreadyhighly mechanized pianoforte. Yet the state of passive andactive resistance to the harpsichord turned into great popularity,and was only ousted by another form of keyboard instrument,the pianoforte, by means of which greater effects were produced with less effort.

/

PERSONAL EXPRESSIONEven so will it be with the player-piano. People will find

that the pneumatic action enables them to achieve results utterly-- beyond the capacity of two human hands, with an ease and cer-

"..../- tainty unknown to the performer upon any other instrument.Then they will insist upon having the 100 per cent of efficacy,whether the dealer likes it or not. Of course, you are not interested in the dim and distant future; you want sales now. Well,you can have them if you stock reliable "players" at a moderateprice, demonstrate them properly, and see that the client knowshow to make the best use of his purchase. Remember that manya man, to whom an ordinary piano is useless, can get infinitejoy out of a "player-piano". There are lots of people who feelthe impulse to express their own idea of their favorite music,who have no technical ability. Each one of these is a potentialpurchaser of a "player".

DO YOU REALIZE?At present this amazing invention is suffering from diminu

tion of propaganda, lack of enthusiastic exponents, and apathyof the trade. While the public can scarcely be blamed for forming the idea that it is "a beastly mechanical instrument" if it isjudged by its effect when played by novices or unmusical owners. Do you judge a piano when it is being thrashed by a rottenpianist? How would the harpsichord have fared if it had neverbeen taught? In its early days it was played without using thethumbs; and there are plenty of "player" owners who fail to usethe available controls of the instruments. Yet the manufacturersof the players deliberately negatived the necessity for tuition.They advertised that "a child can play it," the most misleadingstatement that could be made about this wonderfulmusic-maker. It is all the worse, because the phrase contains amolecule of truth. For, unfortunately, a child can grind out thenotes with appalling precision. But this is only letting themusic-roll play itself, and should be forbidden by Act of Parliament under penalty of death, because it is nothing short of"murdering" music. With stupidity, the producers of the "player" introduced an instrument with astounding artistic possibilities as a toy for a child!

Now the child has found other toys, while the adult, wholongs to make sweet music in accord with the emotion of themoment, does not know (after 35 years of player publicity) thatthe "player-piano" is the one and only instrument that will satisfy the cravings of a musical soul for self-expression with theleast possible expenditure of time and trouble. The hard-headeddealer will merely say: "That's only your opinion. You're a'player' crank." Yes, perhaps I am, but I was a pianist, and it ispossible that I still know something about piano playing. So,here are a few facts regarding the capabilities and limitationsof a pianist, contrasted with the wider scope of the"player"-pianist.

Eight fingers and two thumbs cannot achieve the samefacility of technique as when every note of the piano is provided with a separate unit capable of playing with varying degreesof touch at a speed of repetition equal to the efficiency of thepianoforte action. Thus it happens that all rapid passages can be

. played more clearly and cleanly by the "player"-pianist than a"dozen Paderewski's rolled into one." I am quoting Sir AugustManns.

Now for the comparison of hand-touch versus foot-feeling.

First, remember that the pianist's finger is not in contact withthe string. If you object to the interposition of mechanism, youmust go back to the harp! The pneumatic action adds comparatively little to the complexity of the pianoforte action. While thefoot-pedals can be so sensitive to variations of pressure, thatdelicate inflexions of touch can be imparted to successivenotes, or sudden accents made instantaneously with a sharpmovement of the foot. This being so, the question comes: "Is itmore natural to use the hand or the foot as a means of expressing emotion and as a medium of rhythmical impulse?"

DELICACY OF TOUCHWhen a person wishes to express "a big, big D" without

using the objectionable word, it is more instinctive to stamp thefoot, than to thump the table. As for rhythm, the foot taps outthe accentuations far more naturally than the hand beats time.From which I am entitled to conclude that the foot is a verysuitable part of the human being for the transmission of emotional feeling. In fact, a "wag" once said that "suitors for thehand of my daughter had better beware of my foot!" It is truethat I try to express every phrase of passionate or subtle feelingthrough the movement of my feet; and the sensation of doing sogives me even greater gratification than the use of my hands,which were trained as a pianist for six hours a day over a verylong period.

This brings me to the most vital comparison between thepossible achievement of pianists and of "player"- pianists. Theformer have to work terribly hard to acquire any considerableproficiency of technique; and then each new solo of any appreciable difficulty must be given a lot of practice before it is fit toplay, even to the satisfaction of the pianist. Now see the advantage held by the "player"-pianist who has acquired a fair control of the instrument - a matter of a few weeks' acquaintancewith "player"-piano. The world of music is literally "at hisfeet". Difficulty of technique is of no consequence; there willbe no wrong notes, no scrambling and fumbling about. The newsolo can be taken at the right tempo, and a really good readingof it can be obtained straight away. This is a joy unknown to thepianist. For I will wager that no one can play faultlessly atsight, such music as I could choose.

HAVE FAITHOh! Believe me! The "player" is the better half of the

"player"-piano. But there is still the keyboard for those whowant to use their fingers in the old-fashioned way. So why letyour clients buy the worst half of the instrument? You have it inyour power to persuade them to get the completely satisfying"player"- piano. You say: "Price counts." Yes, it does; but theadditional cost of the pneumatic action is only a tithe of itsactual value to the purchaser. A "player"-piano is worth at leastten ordinary pianos, and viewed from that standpoint is alwaysa good investment.

I am in such deadly earnest about this subject and am soanxious to convert the world to a belief in the true type ofinstrument for the home, that I would submit to be crematedalive upon a "player"-piano, if it would have the desired effect.But in these materialistic days it would only make a headline ina sensational journal, and the verdict would be "Suicide, whileof unsound mind." Lives are so cheap today, that mine wouldcount for nothing, amid those sacrificed for a more flourishingindustry.

115

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If you dealers will only have faith in the musical capacityof the instrument and its unique utility for personal performance, you can bring about such a revival of "player" prosperi-

ty, that not only will it benefit you and the manufacturers, but'. -will bring happiness into thousands of homes.

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Reginald Reynolds on discRecord review 'The Gramophone', June 1935.

ruginald Reynolds (Weber Player Piano): La Belle AuBois Dormant (Tchaikowsky err. Rachmaninoff) and

utumo (Chaminade) HMV C2746. One 12 in. 4s.Ernest Newman thought the player piano sufficiently

important to write a book about it and its literature; SidneyGrew was well known as one of the chief exponents of thiscurious art; old readers will recall the piano player supplementwhich used to be published with this paper.

I think that now the instrument has rather fallen into disuse.Mr. Reynolds shows very convincingly what it can do in thehands of an understanding player, but there are times when the

all important pedalling feet become too discernible - particularly during the accelerandos in Chaminade's piece - and when themechanism cannot, all too plainly, mould an accompanying figure or achieve a true rubato.

Mr. Rorke's book The Musical Pilgrim's Progress showed whatboon the player piano was to one who disliked the gramophoneand had no skill in his fmgers, but plenty of music in his soul.

This record should prove a good advertisement for aninstrument which, doubtless, has still many benefits to conferupon the would-be pianist.

A.R.

.1'1" •

The Retirement of Reginald ReynoldsFrom The Harrodian Gazette ofJune 1938

MUSIC SECTION

New weeks ago a representative gathering of the Staff ofthe Music Section met to bid farewell to Mr. Reginald

eynolds on his retirement./-.J-c Mr. Gifford, the Buyer of the Department, in an apt and

witty speech paid tribute to Mr. Reynolds' many excellent qualities and presented him on behalf of all those present with a vacuum cleaner and a number of gadgets for his new tandem tricycle, expressing the hope that both he and Mrs. Reynolds wouldbe spared for many years to enjoy the freedom he had earned.

Mr. Reynolds' reply was both gracious and adequate, and itwas obvious that he was looking forward to the future withunalloyed pleasure.

With his departure the Department loses rather a remarkable man. Fastidious about his appearance - he would ratherhave missed his lunch than his "wash and brush up" - dignifiedin bearing and courteous in manner, he commanded the respectof all with whom he came into contact.

Unlike many musicians, Mr. Reynolds had plenty of otherinterests. Astronomy and colour and other photography claimeda good deal of his spare time, but he was never a "dabbler";whatever he took up was pursued with a thoroughness andenergy characteristic of the man.

Prior to joining Harrods he was for many years with theAeolian Co. as Editor-inChief of the production of Duo-Artmusic rolls, in which capacity he became acquainted withpractically every concert pianist of international repute, and hetreasures a small model piano which practically all theserenowned pianists have autographed.

Thirty-three years ago he gave the first public recital in thiscountry on the player-piano, and it is because of his artistic andmasterly performances on the "Pianola" that he will perhaps bebest remembered. Incidentally he was responsible for a numberof inventions in connection with the instrument.

He expressed his confidence and belief in the Pianola witha vigour which amounted at times almost to fierceness, indeedthis was characteristic of his attitude to any subject whichinterested him or called for his attention - having made up hismind he admitted no compromise.

We hope therefore that his retirement will make himhappier. He certainly will not be idle.

By the way if, during the summer, any reader should findhimself in or near Littlehampton, he may see an elderly butdetermined-looking gentleman - probably with his daughter trundling a tricycle along the road. That'll be Mr. Reynolds.

• "I.'.The Editor of the Harrodian Gazette.

Dear Sir,As it was impossible to say goodbye to all those Harrodians who have been so kind to me, during my seven

years of service in the Piano department, I should like to let them know how greatly I appreciated their friendliness and help on many occasions.

While to those who over-generously contributed towards my valuable parting gifts, I wish to convey the mostsincere thanks from my wife and myself.

In the use of these somewhat unusual articles, I shall constantly be reminded of my colleagues and of thepleasant associations with them. .

Yours very truly,R. Reynolds.

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AMICA Boston 1999 .~

-,

The Charles River, foreground, and Boston Harbor frame a world-class city, rich in history.Logan Airport is visible to the left ofcenter at the top.

118

Automatic Musical InstrumentCollectors' Association

j

Here it comes! The Tenth Anniversary of the First

Pumper Contest. The Boston Area Chapter welcomes

~ hobbyists and technicians of the mechanical music." field. Part traditional, part new, the 1999 convention features

enjoyable experiences in the setting of a rich historical, cultural,

and scenic region. The Westin Hotel Waltham-Boston is locat

ed in suburban Boston in the town of Waltham, just 20 minutes

from downtown Boston and 30 minutes from Logan Interna

tional Airport. As you drive south on Route 95/128 you look up

to the left and see shimmering blue glass, the facade of the

Westin, a AAA Four Diamond Award winner. Amenities there

include an Executive Business Center as well as health and

fitness facilities with pool and spa.

ALOOK AT CONVENTION ACTIVITIES

WEDNESDAY, August 11Board of Directors meeting 8:00 AM. in the Alcott Room.

Registration will be available Wednesday evening.

THURSDAY, August 12An opportunity to have a tour of Boston or go shopping at

Quincy Market. Here's the way it works. We pile into buses

(please be in the bus loading area at the hotel no later than 1:40PM) and we head for Boston. The touring people are dropped

off at Prudential Center. Duck Tour vehicles depart from there.

[, The shoppers are taken to Quincy Market with its many shops

/'~ and a chance to visit historic Fanueil Hall (rhymes with panel).

The Duck Tour vehicle with enthusiastic passengers.

About that Duck Tour: The ride is so named because it takesplace on both land and water. World War II amphibious vehicles

(called "Ducks") have been adapted to take visitors to Boston

on a unique tour. The 80-minute narrated trip covers significant

sites and a chance to see the city while "driving around" on the

~'----/ Charles River. You can even take a tum at driving.

When the tour of Boston is over, the touring people will bebrought to Quincy Market. Dinner on your own is an easy - '.

matter at Quincy Market with many choices of menu and

ambiance. Everyone then assembles, gets back on the buses,and heads for Boston University and the evening's concert.

Theatre organist John Cook will demonstrate the features of the

John R. Silber Symphonic Organ. This instrument is an instal

lation by Nelson Barden of two small player organs, a 1930

Skinner and a 1930 Aeolian. The latter came from theWinchester, Massachusetts mansion of Boston candy-maker

William E. Schrafft. Additions have been made to these two

from other vintage Skinner and Aeolian organs, enlarging the

instrument from 35 to 62 ranks. John Cook will present a

mini-concert and follow this by accompanying a silent movie.

FRIDAY, August 13Eight seminars illustrate various facets of mechanical

music. There is a section on the convention registration form

where you may indicate up to three selections. These choices

are not actual seminar enrollments but will give the committee

an indication of the rooms that will be needed.

The American Magic-Lantern Theatre's Terry Borton andmagic lantern

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Seminar A: Mel Septon "Resurrecting a 9'6" SteinwayDuo-Art"

Seminar B: Bill Koenigsberg "Restoring the First 6'11"Mason & Hamlin Ampico B Piano (RBB 40084)"

Seminar C: Gary Rassmussen "What is a PowerRoll?"

Seminar D: Allan Jayne "Snap-On Adapters"

Seminar E: Bob Hunt "Restoration Techniques"

Seminar F: Larry Norman "How to Restore and PreserveMusic Rolls"

Seminar G: Ken Yolk "The Tel-Electric Player Piano"

Seminar H: Liz Barnhart "AMICA Boston 1999 Cross-Stitch"

Among the AMICAns who will be coming from Englandare Peter and Margaret Davis.

Margaret performed with piano roll accompaniment duringthe 1995 AMICA convention in London. If you have neverheard soprano with accompaniment roll, you have a treat instore and will have an opportunity to meet a gracious personwith a beautiful voice.

The Magic Lantern goes back to the 17th Century, whentraveling entertainers carried their projectors and a hurdy gurdy,going from town to town. On Friday, lanternist Terry Bortoncomes to AMICA Boston 1999 with a patriotic show, incorporating mechanical music instruments. An Organ Grind in thehotel parking lot follows. The busy afternoon continues withthe Pumper Contest.

Then it's a return to Boston by bus for dinner on the catamaran ship "Freedom." The city comes alive from a differentperspective as we cruise Boston Harbor and are entertained bypiano rolls for listening and dancing.

SATURDAY,August 14The AMICA Mart gets the day off to a traditional start.

Afternoon bus tours go to the private collection of Joseph andPat Lavacchia in Woburn. Two museums are also visited: theCharles River Museum of Industry in Waltham (of watch making fame) and the American Textile History Museum in Lowell,known for historic mills.

The Saturday night Banquet is a costume affair for thosewho wish to dress for a particular era in the past. The programwill be by a ragtime/Dixieland jazz band for entertainment anddancing.

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CONVENTION REGISTRATION:

Registration is limited to 200, the capacity of the harborcruise ship. When you mail your form, you will receive a con- ~.fmnation, along with a sheet of tips and schedule details. Those ~.

who indicate participation in the Pumper Contest will also getcontest rules. If you will be using a table at the Mart, you willreceive a confirmation of Mart space and additional informa-tion. Families are welcome. Reminder: The registration feeis payable in US dollars and drawn on a US bank.

To assist in making the Banquet entree choice, here are thetasty descriptions:

Chicken and Wild Mushrooms in pastaGrainy Mustard and Cognac Sauce

Grilled Marinated SalmonPlum Tomato, Artichokeand White Bean Vinaigrette

Slow Roasted Black Angus RibeyeHorseradish and Wild Mushroom Jus

oHOTEL REGISTRATION

If you want to arrive prior to, or remain past, the conventiondates, the request will be handled individually, based on availability. The group rate will be extended two days prior toAugust 10 and two days after August 15. Note the deadline forreservations. After July 21, the group rate is not guaranteed.The details on the hotel registration form are intended to answeryour questions, but please call the hotel if anything is not clear.

More about area attractions:A special museum, ten minutes from the hotel, is the

Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington. Founded andsupported by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the NorthernMasonic Jurisdiction of the USA, it contains special exhibitsplus two permanent exhibits, "Lexington Alarm'd!" and"Initiating America." This latter exhibit contains extensivememorabilia of fraternal organizations, with emphasis onMasonic Lodges, including an impressive list of famous menwho were Masons. Entrance to the museum is free.

/".-

The Main Exhibit Hall at the Charles River Museum of Industry

The AMICA web site, authored by Terry Smythe, offers thisarticle, the convention registration form, the hotel registrationform, and links to descriptions of some of the convention activities. http://www.amica.org/

AMICA Boston 1999 contact person:Dorothy Bromage, Chairman8 Skyline DriveBillerica MA 01821-1117978-670-1269 voice or faxEmail: [email protected]

Automatic Musical InstrumentCollectors' Association

The power loom at the American Textile History Museum,which was used in weaving ofhorsehair for upholstery fabrics,

included innovations used in modern machinery.

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I take it you already knowOf tough and bough and cough and dough?

Others may stumble, but not youOn hiccough, thorough, slough, and through?

'Cr09ZY EX9IighSent in by Dean Randall

We'll begin with box, and the plural is boxes;But the plural of ox should be oxen, not axes.

Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geeseYet the plural of moose should never be meese.

/

122

You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,But the plural of house is houses, not hice.If the plural of man is always called men,

When couldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

The cow in the plural may be cows or kine,But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.

And I speak of a foot, and you show me your feet,But I give a boot - would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

If the singular is this. and plural is these,Why shouldn't the plural of kiss be nicknamed kese?

Then one may be that, and three may be those,Yet the plural of hat would never be hose;

We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,But though we say mother, we never say methren.

The masculine pronouns are he, his and him,But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim!

So our English, I think you will all agree,Is the trickiest language you ever did see.

Well done! And now you wish perhaps. To learn of less familiar traps?

Beware of heard, a dreadful wordThat looks like beard and sounds like bird.

And dead; it's said like bed, not bead;For goodness sake, don't call it deed!

Watch out for meat and great and threat,They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.

A moth is not a moth in mother.Nor both in bother, broth in brother.And here is not a match for there.

And dear and fear for bear and pear.

And then there's dose and rose and lose- Just look them up - and goose and choose.

, And cork and work and card and ward,And font and front and word and sword.

And do and go, then thwart and cart.Come, come, I've hardly made a start.

A dreadful language? Man alive,I'd learned to speak it when I was five,

And yet to write it, the more I sigh,I'll not learn how 'till the day I die.

J/

TECH TIPSSeeburg Tral1smission Neutral Gizzmo

By Mel Septon

One of the handiestdevices that I havedesigned is a small wireclamp that holds theroll drive on Seeburgorchestrions in neutral.

The function of the clamp is to keep thetake-up spool drive gear disengaged while nottripping the action cut out pallet. You might ask,why would someone want to do this? With themotor and therefore the pump running, but withthe roll drive gear disengaged, you can manuallyadvance a test roll to check each note individually. This also makes tuning pipes much easier. Inaddition, with the roll rewound and motor turnedoff, it is a bit easier to remove and replace themusic roll. Finally, you can manually advance aroll to do minor roll repairs.

As photo #1 shows, thedistance between theinsides of the clamp isapproximately 3 3/8".This dimension may varyfrom machine to machine

but it is usually close to this size. Photo #2shows installation. Simply collapse the pneumatic and slip the clamp over the entire rerollbox. Photo #3 shows the clamp installed.

For material, you can use either highstrength aircraft alloy rod or do as I have and usea piece of a coat hanger. I always include one ofthese clamps with each Seeburg that I restoreand customers seem to appreciate it.

123

~ TECH-TIPSFrom Standard Player Monthly, November, 1917

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STANDARD .1·~. PLA'rnR. MONTHLY

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The Importance ofRegulation

Regulation is probably the mostimportant item in player maintenance.

124

T HE more we investigate the condition ofplayer pianos in the homes of the people,the more are we convinced that by far the

most important feature of player maintenance,and the one that is the most prolific source ofunsatisfactory results, if neglected, is that of regulating the player action to the piano action.

As the player actionleaves our factory and isturned over to the piano manufacturer, the striker line inour product is absolutely leveland is in proper shape for theinstaller to go ahead and produce perfect cohesion, if hegives proper care and attention to the setting of the twoactions, i.e., the player actionand the piano action.

Consider for a momentthe care with which the quality piano manufacturer regulates the piano action andkeys. His expert regulatorgoes carefully down the keyboard of a piano, raising thiskey and that, perhaps only thethickness of a thin piece ofpaper, in order to obtain perfect regulation. Too frequently the installation department,when installing the playeraction, gives little attention to the regulation ofthe striking finger to the whippen, and this striking finger bears the same relation to the pianoaction that the key does.

We are sure if this important function isattended to regularly it will, more than anythingelse, tend to cure not only the thumping noisethat invariably develops wherever there is a lostmotion, but will also automatically stop many a

"knock" from the customer about the conditionof his player piano. When the player gets intothe home of the purchaser, it is almost sure toneed regulation between the striking finger andthe whippen after a short time - just as certain asit is that the piano action will need regulation.Now we have all been taught, and correctly, too,that touch is a very important factor in obtaining

musical results from pianoplaying. This element oftouch is just as important yes, even more so - in the caseof a player piano as it is in thecase of a straight piano, and itmust be remembered that theplayer piano is used a greatdeal more than the averagestraight piano.

The pianist, playing manually, cannot possibly get thedesired touch if the pianoaction is out of regulation, andcertainly the player pianistcannot get the desired touch ifproper regulation is notmaintained between the playeraction and the piano action.

The fact that the regulationbetween the striking finger onthe player action and thewhippen of the piano actionwill become imperfect is by

no means the fault of the maker of the playeraction. We might make a player action of solidsteel or concrete that could not vary a thousandthpart of an inch under any conditions, and yet itwould get out of regulation with the pianoaction.

We have a patented regulating rail on theStandard player action for the express purpose ofgiving tuners the facility for getting perfect

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regulation between the player action and striking fingers to the piano action. Andpiano action. This regulating rail checks our experience has been that it is well tothe upward stroke of the striking finger regulate them so that the capstans on thewhich corresponds to the upward stroke striking finger just barely touch the feltof the rear of the piano key when the on the under side of the whippens.piano is played manually. The upward Some tuners seem to think that it isstroke of the rear of the piano key is reg- ad vantageous to leave a little playulated by the downward stroke of the between this capstan screw and the feltfront of the key on the other side of the on the underside of the whippen. Theyfulcrum, hence to regulate this key we seem to think that it is advantageous forsee the manufacturers the striking finger toof pianos carefully gain a little momen-putting felt and paper tum before it hits thepunchings under its whippen. We believe,front, and in addition however, that thisthere is a capstan theory is erroneous.screw on the rear of You might just as wellthe key so that the say that the back endupward sweep of the of the key should besticker will be just so regulated that thisright to the smallest capstan is a shortfraction of an inch. distance away from &

Just imagine for a the sticker cloth. Atmoment that the any rate, the constantstriking finger is a pounding will producepiano key. On its end a little lost motionis a capstan, and between the strikinginasmuch as it does finger capstan and thenot work over a whippen soon enough.fulcrum, its upward We must understandstroke on one side that these parts arecannot be regulated made of wood andby lim i tin g the The tuner slwuld /Wt jail to regulate the cloth and metal anddownward stroke on striking fingers to the pia/W action. that when a piece ofanother side. There- metal (the capstan'fore, the Standard provides a stop rail, screw) swung on an arm of wood (theknown as the patented regulating rail, flexible striking finger - ours is patented)and in this rail are regulating buttons, is pounded against a surface of clothone for each striking finger. Therefore, (under the whippen) glued on anotherwith this rail to check the upward stroke piece of wood (the whippen) theof the striking finger, or pneumatic key, constant pounding is certain to produce aand the capstan screw in the striking fin- little lost motion in time.ger, which answers exactly the same pur- Let every manufacturer, dealer,pose as the capstan screw in the piano salesman, tuner and repairman remem-key, the tuner can regulate to a nicety. ber this matter of regulation, as it is most

When a tuner is called upon to put a important because of the frequency withplayer piano in shape, he has not done which it is required as a factor in thehis duty until he has regulated these matter of player maintenance.

125

News Frolll The Chapters

CmCAGO CHAPTERReporter:·Kathy Septon

President: Richard VanMetre

Christmas MeetingThe Chicago Area Chapter celebrated the Holidays by meet

ing at a local restaurant for dinner and then spending the eveningat the home of Marian and Jasper Sanfilippo.

We met for an early dinner and socializing at the GazeboRestaurant where we enjoyed the varied menu and our own private dining room. We then caravaned to the Sanfilippo's wherewe gathered in the balcony of the "Victorian Palace of Music"for a short business meeting. Nominations were taken for theLeo Ornstein Award and new chapter officers were elected:

President, Richard VanMetre; Vice President, GeorgeWilder; Secretary, Curt Clifford; Treasurer, Joe Pekarek;Reporter, Kathy Stone Septon.

We then enjoyed the beautiful home and collection of the

Curator Robert Ridgeway poses in front of the computers thatoperate the 114 Key Mortier, the 5 manual 80 rank theatreorgan, the Gaviolli fairground organ and the Welte Wotanorchestrion.

126

Our host Jasper Sanfilippo flanked by his 114-key Mortierdance organ which plays via book music or a computer whichcontains over 1800 selections.

Sanfilippo's. The Sanfilippo "Victorian Palace" contains amagnificent collection of restored automatic musical instruments, including over 200 phonographs and music boxes,approximately 65 coin-operated pianos, violin machines andphotoplayers, 60 large American and European orchestrions, 25dance organs, fairground and band organs and calliopes and an8,000-pipe theatre organ. In addition, we were treated to therecently restored spectacular European salon carousel - the"Eden Palais" (or Eden Palace). The carousel building alsohouses street and tower clocks, steam engines, a restored railroad locomotive and many band organs.

The highlight of the evening was a mini-concert coordinated by Marty Persky that featured a comparison of phonographrecords and reproducing rolls made by the same artist. The rollswere performed on either the 7' Steinway Duo-Art or the 9'Concert Grand Knabe Ampico.

Refreshments and desserts were enjoyed by all, followed bya Holiday gift exchange.

It was a great evening and we thank the Sanfilippo's fortheir hospitality and generosity and for sharing their extensivecollection.

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Curt Mangel demonstrates the style 3010 Spanish A.R. SteinwayDuo-Art.

Sherrie Krughoffvisits with our hostess Marian Sanfilippo.

March MeetingThe Chicago Chapter of AMICA's first meeting of 1999 was

held on March 7th at the home of our newly elected president,Richard Van Metre and his wife our former presidentMargaret Bisberg. This was a combined business meeting anda celebration of the lOath birthday of their 20 3/4" Regina discchanger music box. In addition to the Regina changer, theircollection includes a 1926 Steinway Duo-Art model XR andnumerous disc and cylinder music boxes. The star of theircollection is a magnificent Greiner Overture cylinder box.Overture boxes were the "Rolls Royces" of music boxes. Theyhad fewer tunes per cylinder but many more teeth resulting inthe most delicate and haunting music.

Our business meeting was most productive as we arerevising our chapter by-laws and a lengthy discussion resulted ina new document. Thanks to Bennet Leedy for supplying a copyof the Midwest chapter by-laws which served as a frameworkfor ours. A final draft of our new by-laws will be sent to chaptermembers with the next meeting notice. Additional itemscovered in the meeting are the establishment of chapter archivesmaintained by Rob Deland, and our new procedure fornotifying members and collecting dues, Chapter members cannow pay dues in advance for up to four years,

After the business meeting came several hours of socializing.accompanied by Margaret's gourmet baking. The GermanChocolate and Lemon Pound cakes were among the superb treats~ .,

Again, thanks to our host and hostess Richard and Margaretfor an enjoyable Sunday afternoon.

Tim Trager demonstrates the Steinway Duo-Art.

Regina 203;4" Changer, Happy lOOth Birthday!

George Wilder, new chapter v.P. chats with Curt Clifford ournew secretary

127

The business meeting led by our new chapter president RichardVan Metre (center) is about to begin.

Chapter Board Representative Fran Willyard discussed. Jhe annual AMICA awards and several nominations were made

for the AMICA International and Leo Ornstein Literary awards.

Show and Tell included Peg Kehret's book of Christmas' .Carols, which bore a striking resemblance to the AMICA\~reprint. Larry Siosson shared piano rolls with their sheetmusic counterparts and Carl Dodrill showed photos of theMike Ames collection in California.

The white elephant gift exchange was, to put it politely,spirited. Popular exchange items included a revolving musicalcake plate, Almond Roca candy, and an AMICA conventionsouvenir. These changed hands often and no mercy was shownin the "highest number picks last" event. The perfect end to themeeting was a great potluck dinner. The Spring meeting willbe at Becvar's in Kent, Washington and the Summer meetingwill be at the yet-to-be-completed new home of Peg and CarlKehret in Buckley, Washington, dates to be announced.

--,A

Ina Spady got quite a treasure, a book by member Peg Kehret.

The group gathers for the business meeting and annual whiteelephant gift exchange.

The gift exchange excitement continues and Carl Kehret modelshis unique sweater.

Hosts Sally and Norm Gibson and the musical monk automatonhe built.

128

~

Ri!pOl1er: Dan BrownPresident: Ron Babb (253)'759-1588

PACIFIC CAN-AM CHAPTER

The holiday chapter meeting was hosted December 12th bySally and Norm Gibson in Federal Way, Washington. Theyhave a varied collection including an Aeolian Grand playerorgan, a Hamilton Welte Licensee upright, a German streetorgan, a huge whistle collection, puppets, clown paraphernalia,stereo views and viewers, and the mechanical music makersNorm has built. His latest, a large pipe organ playing monk, wasimpressive in size and performance.

Many of the chapter's current 43 members were inattendance and the following were elected to office for 1999:Mark Smithberg, President; Kurt Morrison, Vice-President:Ward Folsom, Treasurer; and Halie Dodrill, Secretary. Thereporter position was left open for lack of a volunteer.

Bill Masterman snags an 88-note roll as Kurt Morrison andNorm Gibson admire his treasure.

Fran Willyard and Larry Slosson between the Hamilton WelteLicensee and Aeolian Grand organ.

SOWNY CHAPTERReporters: Garry Lemon & prank Warbis,

PreSident: Anne Lenion .

Fall MeetingSOWNY Chapter members are always looking for a good

reason to "party." Wayne and Sharon Sockovie, hosts for ourfall gathering, had the Ennis piano all set to play and guests humming melodies to guess the names of those tunes. Mike Walter,our amiable Board Representative, foot pumper contestant andChapter T-shirt fashion coordinator, celebrated his birthday in

, \ .../ good spirits. Holly, ever proud of her "Niagara Falls" T-shirt and. Mike's "age-significant" accomplishment, presented a cake andled the "Happy Birthday" sing-song. Apart from good food,news catch-up and business meeting, our gatherings always hav.e.a technical component.

Stan Aldridge brought some of his projects and news abouthis latest - a pneumatic stack for a Yamaha Keyboard that willplay both Welte and Ampico rolls - this will be quite thecreation! Stan and Harrold Hodgkins give the advice andencouragement needed to keep the instruments running. TheChristmas Party was at the home of Anne and Garry Lemon.Anne's festive decorations provided the setting and the potluckfoods spoiled the guests. As our members tried out new recipesfrom the SOWNY Cookbook (a few copies are available fromMuriel Hodgkins) and as the warming aromas from stove andoven drifted past our noses, we all knew a feast was coming.

Stan Aldridge, John Cairns, Randy and Wayne Sockovie in amini tech talk.

Wayne Sockovie and the Ennis Player

129

The Christmas gift exchange is always eagerly awaited.The gifts are exchanged by number. All gifts are to be openedand shown to all. Now, the fun starts! The next number drawnallows the ticket holder to have the option to either choose awrapped gift or to take a previously opened present. Guests areplotting strategies, keeping count of the number of giftexchanges and having a great time.

As we travel into a momentous new year, SOWNY wisheshealth and good spirits to all members. It is always good torenew friendships and interests in the musical instruments. Itwas good to see Jan and Rick Drewniak and Rosemary andGary Will. It was especially good to have Ramsi Tick "outand about." Our thoughts are extended to our dear friend andteller of good stories, John Cairns. We all hope you have ahealthy recovery and that Ada's cooking will give you theappetite and sustenance for the next SOWNY gathering.

Our chapter elections acclaimed and applauded the fine jobby existing members and introduced Frank Warbis as our newreporter. Congratulations to Frank and thanks to all membersfor your support.

Holly Walter presenting the birthday cake to Mike.

Congratulations - Rick Drewniak shows the "ShleppingQueen" certificate to Harrold Hodgkins.

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Desserts - Mike Hamman, Ramsi Tick, Rosemary and Gary Willenjoying their desserts.

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Christmas Gift Exchange - now you have, then you don't Jan Drewniak plotting strategies with Stan and Muriel Fred Buchwald having the best place ofthe house.

130

Tech Talk - Mike Walter, Frank Warbis, Colin Hintz listening toStan's explanations, /-

Roy Beltz and Bill Mintz sharing a laugh.

flying by, and the later it gets the more pennies you have tosave per day. Jan Ham had sent me a picture taken in herbackyard right after their last trip here, and I passed it around.It shows a family of kangaroos just a short hop (of course) fromtheir back door. We asked for a show of hands of peopleplanning on going, and I think So. California will be wellrepresented when we go. I know it's still a couple of years off,but it does require more planning and savings than the normalconvention, so we keep reminding everyone. I think it is goingto be a great trip, especially after talking to Jan and John Hamwhen they were here. Everyone should plan to go if theypossibly can.

It was decided to send a donation to the Merry-Go-Roundat Griffith Park for our annual gift. Rosemary and Warren hostmeetings for us nearly every summer, and they stay after hours,pay their help, and generally treat us so well. They have arestoration fund, and that was the recipient of our donation.This suggestion waswell-received, and thevote was unanimouslyin favor.

The gift exchangefollowed, which isalways a fun thing.This year was noexception, with giftsranging from aChristmas wreathwith a musical themeto musical animals tovarious Christmasdecorations (musical,of course), to all typesand kinds of things.This year we hadrequested that tapesand CD's not begiven, since manypeople don't haveplayers and can't usethem. I think this led David Bernsteinto a lot of reallycreative gifts, and itwas an experience just to see all the different things. HerbMercer, our President, made a very good Santa Claus, evenwithout a beard!

After dinner, whichfound a lot of us outon the patio eating,we had a short meeting, including theresult of the election.Surprise, surprise, allthe nominees wereelected with nodissent. Actually, thisyear all the officersstayed in place, whichsure made it easy forthe nomination committee, headed up byDiane Lloyd. Theballots had beenmailed to her, and shehad absolutely novotes against thenominated slate. As Isaid before, "Surprise,surprise!"

I reminded everyoneto keep saving theirpennies (?) for the trip'to Australia. Time isAmy Shrider andfriend

• III

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTERReporter: Shirley Nix

President: Herb Mercer·

December MeetingDecember 13th was the date for our December meeting and

Holiday party, and with the rest of the country battling coldweather, we had a lovely spring-like day for our festivities.

We met at the home of Rikki Marvin, who graciouslyoffered to open her wonderful house to us. This home is steepedin Hollywood history, with people like James Cagney and ClarkGable having lived there at one time or another. Its is a lovelyhome, and we appreciate Rikki's hospitality. She had room forall of us, with room to spare. She and the Mercers had decorated the house with a mix of cultures so both Christian and Jewishmembers were well represented, and the house was gorgeous.

As usual, we invited the local chapter of MBSI to join us,and that added to the fun, to say nothing of all the extra dishes atthe potluck dinner! What a spread that was - no one went homehungry this year unless it was by design.

Rikki has some lovely automata, and we enjoyed them fully.The clown acrobat is a real favorite with everyone, and he wasglad to perform for us.

131

Leora Sear, Diane Reidy and Diane Lloyd enjoying the day.

It was good to see Ben and Mary Lilien at the meeting.They have been missing from the group too much lately. Ben isin a wheelchair now, and it is harder for them to get out andaround, but they do what they can. We have missed them at thelast few meetings. Just isn't the same without the Liliens.

We have had a really busy year, with Herb arranging lots ofreally good meetings, and look forward to another exciting yearahead. I know he is looking forward to find more meetingplaces, with several good ideas already on the table.

This last year has flown by, as the years all seem to do anymore, and here we are in 1999 already. We here in Southern

Our hostess Rikki Marvin (left) and Shirley Nix.

New (?) officers: Shirley Nix, Secretary; Herb Mercer,President; Ken Hodge, Treasurer; Jim Westcott, V. President.Rochelle Mercer on left keeping the officers on their toes, whileLeora Sear hides behind the potted palm.

132

California wish you all a great New Year, and hope it is ahealthy, happy year for all, filled with peace on earth.

For all those hearty souls who live back east and are busyshoveling their way out of their homes, we wish we could·~

~ "-share with you our lovely weather. It has been ranging from-: )

"-.--.70-85 degrees out here, and shorts and tees are the uniform of ~.

the day. (I have to mention this, since last year we were alltaking courses in ark building and swimming, getting ready forthe El Nino storms. What a difference!!!)

New Member Article

Meet Joshua RapierBy Shirley Nix

Joshua Rapier and Reese Banister

Every meeting a lot is said about needing new members,and how to get them. I think it's a given that we need newmembers, but along with that goes the fact that we needquality members. By that I mean that what we need is newmembers who are truly interested in the mechanical musicalinstrument field, with a love of the music and the machines.

With that in mind, I thought it would be a good ideato introduce one of our newer members here in SouthernCalifornia. (He was younger and a newer member when Iapproached him about doing an article about him, but that's thestory of my life lately. I have a lot of projects, a lot of goodintentions, but not enough time or ambition, not necessarily inthat order, to do them all.)

The first time we met Joshua was at a meeting he attendedwith his mother, Laura. One of the first things I noticed was theobvious respect and affection between them. One of the secondthings I noticed was that Joshua was, while a young man, still:;very interested in the instruments, and could often be found with /his head in the intestines of one of these instruments.

A little background: Josh was born in 1979 in Orange,California. That's right - a Native Californian. His brother,Geoff, and sister, Ellisha both play musical instruments, the

piano and organ for Geoff, and the clarinet for Ellisha. Both likemusic of the mechanical instrument variety, too. That is probably lucky for all concerned.

,---......., Josh has been interested in the mechanical music field asVong as he can remembe~, and got the bug for pla~er pian~s at

- the ripe old age of 12. HIs mother found a pumper In an antIquestore and brought it home. Good move, Mom. When she got ithome, it was up to Josh to make it play, since it was in originalcondition and everything was worn out - a daunting task for a12-year old, right?

Well, since the piano movers had recommended theBanisters to get it working, Josh started taking parts to them oneby one by one - you all know the routine. As these parts wererestored, Reese Banister told Josh he should be doing the workhimself, and the rest of the piano work was done under Reesestutelage. As it happened, all that really needed doing was thepneumatics had to be recovered and the lead tubing replaced.

Somewhere along the line, though, Josh must have prickedhis finger with a part of the piano, or perhaps it was an airbornegerm that got to him, but whatever happened, Josh was infectedwith the bug - that incurable disease of mechanical musicitis.

See, as his piano was done, he began doing other odd jobsaround the shop for the Banisters, eventually working on otherplayers that came into the shop. Now Josh is thinking it wouldbe nice to do restoration for a living, but since he is an intelligent young man, he realizes that there is always the chance thathe could not get enough work to make it pay enough.

In the meantime, he is attending college with the idea of".,becoming an Engineer and doing restoration of his own instru

ments, and perhaps for others, too, in his spare time. (Little does

he know that spare time is a commodity in short supply, especially when you get into these instruments.)

Josh bought an organ from Richard Rigg when Richard leftus for the wilds of Solvang. It is a five-rank Wicks organ, with aWangerin organ player hooked up to it, playing 88-note rolls.

There is also an unrestored Moller Artiste reproducing organplayer that will be restored, and along with the organ there are afew extra ranks of pipes which will be installed in time. Theseextra pipes will make the organ into more of a Theater Organ.

Along with the organ is a 1915 Behr Brothers upright StandardArtists Record player piano. The artist record means it was set upto play any roll reproducing or not, since it only plays 80 notes.

Different than the late Duo-Arts commonly seen is a 1929George Steck 5' Duo-Art with the late style tubes over the keys,with all the controls in the spool box. This has a two-toned case,partial art case.

He also has an early Apollo 58-note push up piano playerthat will play 82 notes on the piano by coupling 12 notes oneach end. This is unrestored for now.

Josh and his brother are currently working on the organ toget it working and get it installed in the house. By now, it maybe finished and in fine working order.

This, to me, is the real "new member" we need. This is ayoung man who is a real asset to the hobby, and I'm sure we willhear more from him in the years to come. I wish we could find awhole lot more new members like him, and although I know thatis impossible, since most of us don't have that much natural talent and drive, it sure is refreshing to find him. If we can findpeople with half his enthusiasm and ability, we will thrive as anorganization.

v

The Midwest Chapter is cruisin' in host Robin Pratt's burgundy1965 Buick Electra, which was purchased new by his mother!

MIDWEST CHAPTERReporter: Christy Counterman

President: Harold Malakinian

December (!!!) Meeting

It may seem unlikely, but the pictures don't lie. December5-6 Christmas meeting brought record temperatures in the 70sas we started the weekend in Sandusky, Ohio at the restorationshop of Robin Pratt. We were treated to refreshments whilebeing entertained by his 1926 Collard and Collard Ampico builtin London. Among the many instruments in various stages ofrestoration was the Brabb's nearly completed Premier WelteMignon Licensee grand. Bill Ackman brought along a van fullof rolls for a curbside mart, as our group of almost 40 spilledoutside onto the sidewalk as more members arrived.

We next took a scenic drive south to Norwalk and the 1835home of Beverly Brabb and her son, Jeff. The hors d'ouvreswere accompanied by Bev's famous "Bishop's Downfall

133

;~'-..::..:-'" .

Emily Snyder, LizBarnhart, MiriamWard, MargaretFrazer and BobPorter listening tothe Ampico inRobin s shop.

Doris Kline and Shawn Fox unwraptheir rolls as June Fox looks on.

Soloist Carol/seman withaccompanistRobin Pratt.

Bill Ackman sponsored the Outdoor Mart in December in Ohio.Hal Malakinian gathers purchases as John Maslen, SylviaChappel and daughter add to their selections. (Note: Childrenare always welcome at Mid- West Meetings.)

65 or 88-note rolls - Lawrence Frazer checksout the works ofthe Weber.

Hal and Betty Malakinian with Clark Counterman uncover the Mason and Hamlin under restoration at Robin'sshop.

Punch" which put everyone in a festivemood. Then we took a walk downtown toBerry's historic restaurant, which featuredlocal memorabilia as part of the decor. Afterdinner it was back to the Brabb's where wetoured the wonderful house, top to bottom,counting each sighting of Bev's collection ofpigs along the way. (We had a hint of whatwas to come when we received the great"Santa pig" invitations made by StuartGrigg.) The highlight of the evening was aspecial performance of "Holiday Memoriesin Song" by soprano soloist Carol Icsmanaccompanied by Robin on the Weber DuoArt piano. That led to the unveiling of thenew Christmas Carols Bulletin, from whichwe sang every song! Next came the annualroll exchange, as we tried to figure out thebest box to choose. The festivities lasted lateinto the night - playing our newfound rollsand more Christmas songs.

Sunday morning it was back to Sanduskyand the home of Shawn Fox. There was stillroom for a Christmas tree decorated with

134

antique ornaments even with his diverse collection of pianos. Wehad a continental breakfast before our business meeting and thenadjourned to listen to the 1932 Weber Duo-Art, a Hazelton Bros.

r---.Welte from New York, a John Broadwood Ampico and a Grinnell.: ,.:pros. Themodist-Metrostyle upright! But finally, the nice weather">?-beckoned and we assembled outside in and around Robin's 1965

Buick Electra 225 convertible with the top down! Thanks to ourhosts for an enjoyable weekend!

Dave Van Oosten and Jim Althouse enjoybreakfast at the John Broadwood.

Caroling, caroling ... from left Clark and DonnaCounterman, Judy Beaver, Jim Fleissner, Doris Kline.

135

Jeff Brabb and Shawn Fox check out what'sunder the hood with Rick Ellis and DonnaCounterman looking on.

Hal Malakinian conducts the business meeting atShawn ·s... Alvin Wulfekuhl, Judy Beaver, BettyMalakinian and Rick Ellis in attendance.

Betty Malakinianand Stuart Grigg

watch as HalMalakinian

unwraps his roll infront ofone ofthe

Brabb's trees.

Mike Stephens. Jim Fleissner, andShawn Fox listen to Weber Duo-Art'srendition of Rex and Denis' roll sentfrom England.

Mike Kukral, Hal Estry and Hal Malakinianexamine the finish on Shawn's Welte.

Judy Wulfekuhl and BettyMalakinian look over pictures

of the Barnhart's trip toEngland as Shawn Fox and

Mike Barnhart look on.

I

Alvin Wulfekuhl at the Duo-Art asMike Stephens and Robin Prattchoose the next selection.

Note the art case shadingon Shawn's Hazelton Bros.Welte

LADY LmERTY ,CHAPTER

We sure had lots of fun. One of the highlights was Walter'. "pulling out all stops" to play the William Tell Overture on the

large Aeolian Orchestrelle player reed organ. Walter really ,~

knew how to bring out the maximum capabilities of these instru.:'"jments and demonstrate them with "gusto". Great people, instru-~ments, food and warm sunny day. Thanks, Walter and Kay foryet another great meeting!

'J

Reporter: Bill Maguire Photos: Marvin Polan

President: Keith Bigger Phone: 718-528-9443

Host, Walter Kehoe, explaining to the group

Our August meeting took place at the home of Walter andKay Kehoe, Syosset, New York. This meeting had somethingfor just about everyone - a hand-painted Weber player grand, anAeolian Orchestrelle, many music boxes, phonographs, clocks,and musical novelties. Probably Walter's most prized possessionis a Wurlitzer Piano-Orchestra which he co-owns with fellowmember Joe Hanulec. This elaborate machine which is one ofmaybe six in existence is kept in Joe Hanulec's home. Nonetheless all else was more than enough to attract a large crowd andkeep their intense interest throughout.

Walter is more than capable of doing his own restorationwork and all was in excellent working order. Walter demonstrated all the instruments and told the story behind each one.I sometimes find the stories behind the instruments to be justas and even more interesting than what they are and what theycan do.

Lady Liberty's youngest member, Walter's grandson

136

-~

../

SIERRA NEVADA CHAPTERReporter: Lori Deal

President: John Motto-Ros

December Meeting

Reporter: Richard Karlsson

Lady Liberty enjoyed a wonderful holiday party inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, hosted by Richard Groman ofKeystone Music Rolls. His Dutch colonial house bas been knownas "the Haunted House" by the neighborhood children, probablydue to its similarity to the "Amityville Horror House" and theirsightings of the piano playing itself. Richard has been workingexpertly to return the interior of the house from its 1960's renovation back to an elegant 1920's decor, including a large collectionof stuffed and mounted animal heads and a stuffed parrot on aperch in the front window. Richard is an authority on cakes, andthe ones he chose for us tasted even better than they looked. Oneof the items in the house I liked the best was a rare Gothic style Dale Rowe at the Duo-Art-in-A-DrawerVictrola (shown in the book Look for the Dog).

Two of the members, Sam and Anna Samuelian, broughtcopies of a beautiful book they have just published on motionlamps, with photos of many of the four to five hundred they havein their collection. These lamps are mostly from the pre-lavalamp era and might show a scene with moving water, fire, trains,and such, the motion simulated by a twirling inner cylinder powered by the heat of the light bulb.

Bob Leys and Alan Taylor were visiting from Scotland.Alan collects and restores busses in addition to running his musicmuseum. Rex Lawson, a Duo-Art virtuoso, was here fromLondon, England.

The business meeting

The business meeting

On December 13th we celebrated Christmas early at Dougand Vicki Mahr's house in Orangevale, California. Weenjoyed a great potluck and gift exchange. They have somegreat instruments - among their collection is a Seeburg C, thedealer Peter Baeigalupi 1909, they are currently restOling it.Their Knabe Ampico 1919 has a great sound and we enjoyedhearing it play rolls like "Papa Better Watch Your Step." TheirWurlitzer photoplayer, 1916 piano mandolin, bass dmm, snaredmm, woodblock, triangle, flute pipes, violin pipes, and tambourine. Also in their collection is a 1922 Chickering Ampico5'8" with a ribbon mahogany case, a 1927 Seeburg B, and aT1928 Haines Ampico A.

We had a great meeting and everyone always enjoys goingto the Mahrs. Hope to see you at the "2000" Convention inSacramento, California.

-/...

138

."_ ..OC.'VO,......_~ >oc_...__ ........_~.

ADVERTISING

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(Rev. 6-98)

"CAN YOU I~TALl. A MUTE BUTTON?"

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUTALL ADVERTISING IN THE AMICA BULLETIN

All advertising should be directed to:Robin Pratt515 Scott StreetSandusky, Ohio 44870-3736Phone (4l9) 626-l903 Fax (4l9) 624-9454e-mail: [email protected]

Ad copy must contain text directly related to the product/servicebeing offered. Extraneous text will be deleted at the Publisher'sdiscretion. All advertising must be accompanied by payment inU.S. funds. No telephone ads or written ads without payment willbe accepted. This policy was established by a unanimous vote ofthe AMICA Board at the 1991 Board Meeting and reaffirmed atthe 1992 meeting. AMICA reserves the right to edit or toreject any ad deemed inappropriate or not in keeping withAMICA's objectives.

The BULLETIN accepts advertising without endorsement,implied or otherwise, of the products or services being offered.Publication of business advertising in no way implies AMICA'sendorsement of any commercial operation.

All items for publication must be submitted directly to thePublisher for consideration.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: $.20 per word, $5.00 minimumfor AMiCA members. Non-members may advertise double themember rates ($lO.OO minimum). Because of the low cost ofadvertising, we are unable to provide proof copies or "tear sheets".

AMICA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT, REJECT,OR EDIT ANY AND ALL SUBMITTED ARTICLES ANDADVERTISING.

DISPLAY ADVERTISINGFull Page _7 11z" x 10" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. $150.00Half Page - 711z" X 43

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Non-member rates are double for all advertising.Special 6 for 5 Ad Offer· Place any ad, with no changes, for afull year (6 issues), and pay for only 5 issues. Payable in advance.Photographs or halftones $l5.00 eachLoose Sheet or Insert Advertising: Inquire

We recommend that display advertisers supply camera-readycopy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed tocorrect size at your cost. We can prepare advertisements fromyour suggested layout at cost.

PAYMENT: U.S. funds must accompany ad order. Make checkpayable to AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Typesetting andlayout size alterations charges will be billed.

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FOR SALEPIANO ROLL AUCTIONS, reproducing, 88-Note, and literature bymail auction. Serving collectors since 1970. Bennet Leedy Rolls - ThePiano Roll Center, 4660 Hagar Shore Road, Coloma, MI 49038; phone616-468-5986, Fax 616-468-0019, E-mail: [email protected];Web page: http://www.ameritech.net/users/leedyrolls/player.html. (1-00)88·NOTE and Ampico rolls for sale. Send for free list. 930 CornellAve., Gladstone, OR 97027. (3-99)KIMBALL ELECTRAMATIC Player Organ, in pieces but complete.Player mechanism out of Kimball Electramatic Player Piano,circa 1965. Everything for $300 OBO. F.O.B. Lima, Ohio Phone419-227-8565. (3-99)ELECTRIC ORCHESTRAS "MC-2" (used to convert Pianocorder toMidi or Midi to Pianocorder format) $350. Also have an assortment ofAmpico "B" parts, including drive motor with governor. Call or E-mailfor list. I have several Ampico rolls I would like to convert to Midi. Cananyone help me? Jim Blanchard, 2203 West Third Street, Pecos, Texas79772; phone: 915-445-5150, E-mail: [email protected] (3-99)CABLE BABY GRAND Player Piano sin 254454 with Recordo player (1931). Best offer. (310) 715-1493 CA. (3-99)REPRODUCO, Operators Piano Co., two complete units in goodcondition with many rolls. Jerry Cuda, 417-753-2063, E-mail:[email protected] (2-00)PLAYER PIANO upright, restored mechanically, cabinet refinished,dark mahogany; manufactured by Sir Herbert Marshall, Sons & Rose,London, Serial #587 - $3,000, includes bench and 20+ rolls. LindaMarshall, Santa Barbara, CA (805) 967-7929. (2-99)1899 KALLIOPE Model 200 upright 64.5 em coin-op disk music boxwll2 saucer bells, outstanding condition, comes with 10 excellentdisks, serial #39747. Photos and cassette tape for serious inquiries ormay be seen on the InterNet at www.mts.net/-smythe/kalliope.htm orBowers, pg. 110, priced as $23,000 (US$) OBO. Contact TerrySmythe, 55 Rowand Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J 2N6,(204) 832-3982, e-mail: [email protected]. (2-99)1926 KNABE 6'4" Ampico A reproducing grand piano, serial #99681,mahogany case, not refinished, visually presentable. Ampico playermechanism complete, not restored, piano action well maintained, playing normally, matching oversize bench. Priced at $8,975 (US dollars),comes with a gorgeous roll cabinet in stunning condition. Photos available upon serious inquiries or may be seen on the InterNet atwww.mts.netl-smythe/harold01.htm. Contact Harold Braker,8527 - Illth Street, Delta, BC Canada V4C 7E3, (604) 572-6110. (2-99)PIANO ROLL AUCTIONS - Periodic mail auctions of mostly88-note rolls and some reproducing and expression rolls from thecollection of the late Si Riman. For the latest auction, call orwrite: Dan Inglima, P.O. Box 769, Hayesville, NC 28904;phone: 828-389-3744, Fax: 828-389-4023 or e-mail:<dan@£umachemical.com (2-00)1928 GEORGE STECK DUO·ART Grand 5'6" -petite semi-artcase - beautiful hand rubbed mahogany lacquer finish w. matchingoriginal bench - re-gilded plate is out, new pin block rough cut, DuoArt out, but complete and original, electric motor reconditioned, newprofessional keytops, new Mapes bass strings still in box - $4000.(offer). 1926 WEBER Duo-Art model WR, 5'8" ser. #77300, excellentoriginal condition w/some professional work done to expressioncomponents, otherwise original, $3500; 1926 HAINES BROTHERSAmpico mahogany upright in petite case, complete original anduntouched, w/original bench, original/complete, needs restoration,beautiful perfect orig. ivory keyboard $750; walnut APOLLO (ArtApollo) with phonograph spring-type roll drive, pinblock loose fromthe frame, but original and complete; assorted DUO-ART parts including accessory items, pumps, (upright and grand), upper grand actions,upright stacks and grand stacks. Reproduction Nickelodeon PartsIncluding Roll Frame for O-Roll ala Player Piano Company - rollframe $400. - snare drum w. beaters, triangle, 2 wood blocks, castanets, wood pipes, all removed from water damaged piano. What doyou need? No inventory sheet so don't ask for one. Tell me what youwant! Robin Pratt, 419-626-1903 (Ohio) or [email protected] (3-99)WURLITZER "Treasure Chest of Music" baby grand Recordo playerpiano; original finish trimmed in Treasure Chest Turquoise Blue playerin very good condition. Bench and 30 rolls included, asking $3,000.Call after 6:00 p.m. 813-681-2364 FL (2-99)500 FINE GRANDS - Antiques and New Disc, Cassette, Duo-Art,Ampico, Vorsetzer. Victor's, 300 N.W. 54th St., Miami, Florida33127; 305-751-7502 (5-99)

140

AMPICO ROLLS, newest technology punch-for-punch replicas fromdigital masters. Write for list featuring hard-to-find popular selections

'. - from the 1930s in B format, perforated exactly like the originals, orE-mail: [email protected] Precision Music Rolls, 1043 EastsideRoad, EI Cajon, CA 92020. (6-99) ~~ ..88 NOTE PIANO ROLLS, hundreds of used rolls, Fox Trots,.'Waltzes, Marches, Hymns, Song Ballads, Classicals - $3.00 each plus '-- /shipping. Nice clean playable rolls. Also new old stock Q.R.S.ROLLS $5.00 each. Will furnish lists on request. Dave Caldwell,400 Lincoln Lake Rd. NE, Lowell, Michigan 49331; phone(616) 897-5609. (4-99)1925 KNABE AMPICO, Louis XV, walnut, single leg, rollcollection, Bulletins, catalogues, matching bench, original family, refinished and rebuilt, price negotiable. Call Bill 510-482-2221 CA. (2-99)STEINWAY B 7'3" #160274 "Welte" dual roll player system builtinto piano (one in the world). Vast library (both type rolls), recentrestrung, new hammers, etc. Finish-custom walnut (inlaid) photo alsoschematic avail asking $30,000. Charles Crenshaw, 816 NorthHollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505; Phone 818-845-7674. (3-99)ORANGE COAST PIANO to offer entire collection of APOLLO Xrolls in our shop. Over 34 in this lot to be sold to the highest bidder. Allof these rolls are from a very nice collection. The grade ranges from A+to B- only, nothing below B- in this collection. The "Bidding" for this lotbegins at $5.00 per roll. Call for titles, highest bidder pays shipping andhandling. Auction begins this issue for 30 days of this notice! 1910LINK Keyboardless Tiger Oak case pianolMandolin with "A" roll frameand 2 "A" rolls, $8,500; 1910 WESTERN ELECTRIC Nickelodeonwith rinky tink rail includes 3 "A" rolls, works great, Tiger Oak Case,$4,800; SEEBURG Model "A" with Mandolin, 100% restoredMahogany case original Art-Glass, includes 1 "A" roll, $7,500; 1914WURLITZER ''BX'' Orchestrion with 6 roll changer, also includes fluterank of pipes, bass drum, snare drum, triangle and banjo rail all 100%restored, Tiger Oak case and original Art-Glass, $37,500 includes: 40APP rolls; 1917 ENGLEHARDT Nickelodeon wlMandolin rail, TigerOak case and original Art-Glass, excellent condition, includes 5 "A" rolls,$8,900; NICKELODEON to be offered from "KNOTT'S BERRYFARM", original collection: NELSON-WIGGENS Style 3A w/reiterat-ing xylophone and banjo rail, $10,900; SEEBURG Model "A" with !'"'~

glockenspiel, snare and bass drums and banjo rail, restrung and refinishedand 3 "G" rolls, $12,900; 1900 STELLA 17 1/4" completely restored"Tiger Oak both Music Box and Storage Cabinet, includes 23 Discs,$9,100. Current floor inventory also includes Bird Automatons, varioussized Music Boxes and Cylinders. We also carry the largest collection ofUsed Player Rolls available anywhere. Call for more information at (714)836-7368, ask for Kim, 9-5 p.m. P.S.T. Also can arrange low rate mov-ing charges anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. We accept Checks, MoneyOrders, MasterCard or Visa. Our Fax Number is (714) 543-0835 or e-mail address is [email protected] Our Websites arewww.forpianos.com or www.findpianos.com (3-99)New QRS ROLLS: 20% off catalogue price for orders over $100, or5% off all orders less than $100. Refurbished Player Rolls (with newtabs, leaders, and labels) starting at $4.00 each. Good to excellent usedrolls starting at $4.50. Royce Rolls, Hesperia, CAwww.rorcerolls.com Phone 760-244-Roll. (6-99)AMPICHRON clock for the Ampico "B" grand player piano or theAmpico "A" with the B drawer. Includes chime roll and installationinstruction. Phone (360) 653-1799 or Fax (360) 653-8811. F. Adams.(5-99)1912 MELVILLE CLARK APOLLOPHONE (crank phonographmodel) red mahogany, bench, orig. ivory, complete and in good condition, $1500; APOLLO player piano that plays 65 and 58-note rolls, bestoffer; STROUD Duo-Art upright, orig., best offer; 25 good old playerpianos, $250 and up; PADEREWSKI piano, gift to the PaderewskiClub of Chicago 1907, plaque and autograph of Paderewski on plateand story of instrument on inside of lid, single valve Standard playeraction, clean original condition, pictures available; need benches? Wegot' em! Frank Trotta (Chica~o) 773-581-0684 eves. (2-99)IVORY KEY TOPS. Pre-ban ivory cut to your specs. forkeyboards. Most sets are $500.00, U.S. customers only. DavidWarther Museum, 2561 Crestview Drive NW, Dover, Ohio 44622;(330) 852-3455 Days - (330) 343-1868 Eves. (3-99) ,0THE AMERICAN CAROUSEL ORGAN, a photographic encyclope:-'"dia devoted to band organs made in the United States, is now available. '/Written by Ron Bopp and edited by Matthew Caulfield, this 8 1/2" x 11"book contains 308 pages and has over 450 illustrations, 20 tables and aCD of a Wurlitzer 153 band organ. Price: $59.00 plus $5.00 forpostage. Bopp's Carousel Music, 55801 E. 365, Jay, OK 74346. (3-99)

1927 STEINWAY XR Duo-Art, restored w/approximately 600Duo-Art rolls, $13,500; 1927 KNABE Ampico B, with jumbo roll collection, beautiful case, $11,500; 1927 REPRODUCO, recent restoration with large OS/NOS roll collection, $23,500; 1927 LINK AX

, ,.Qrchestrion w/complete roll library, $20,500. All instruments look,.-- -;Jlay and sound excellent. 1913 BRUDER 48 Key Model 79 BandV"---Organ w/trailer and 16 crates of book music. Al Lohman

920-854-5715 (WI) (2-99)AEOLIAN Duo-Art #1461, 212IHC Carved decorated console. Cashor trade. Want solo Orchestrelle, classic car, mechanical music items.Thomas Brainerd, One Thimble Islands Rd., Branford, CT 06405; (203)488-0310, Fax: (203) 481-5863, E-mail: [email protected] (2-99-G)SEEBURG Celeste piano with 98 pipes, plays H or MSR rolls, has75-note split stack with solo, beauty. Gerald Wagner, San Francisco,CA, (415) 563-3367. (2-99-G)#155 NORTH TONAWANDA Band Organ (page #910 Encyclopedia) or trade for: Link #2E w/xylophone, KT Special or??? ElmerKroesel, Rochester, MN, phone 507-289-6700. (2-99-G)STEINWAY Duo-Art XR 6'1" walnut, serial #262226, meticulouslyrestored 1995; mint original condition; magnificent sound; perfectworking order; includes 300 rolls (mostly classical, approx. 35 Audiographic) fIrm at $18,000. Please call 212-873-9584. (2-99-0)EDISON Diamond tip table top Gramophone with 10 records, $500;wanted- Rollosax and rolls. Peter W. Hudson, Australia; Phone:0893163166. (2-99-G)SEEBURG Player Pipe Organ with Tubular Chimes. Beautifullyrebuilt and refInished. (Page 616 Bowers Encyclopedia) Plays HOand 88-note player rolls, $14,500. Warren Deasy, 7793 Skyhill Dr.,Los Angeles, CA 90068; 323-874-0303. (2-99-G)1926 Piano, FISCHER reproducing Ampico A, 5' with bench androlls, $2,750. Ruby Ahneman, MPLS, 612-824-3839. (2-99-G)Red WELTE Vorsetzer in fIne original ebony case, colonial style,poughkeepsie Made 1917, restored, regulated and ready to play yoursilent piano, includes 20 rolls, asking $10,500. 716-692-7643.(2-99-G)1927 STEINWAY XR Grand, 6', Ser. #248444, walnut case,refinished, action restored with Steinway parts, restored Duo-Art

'--!reproducer, excellent condition, $20,000. Mike Wirth, Lexington,KY; 606-299-0587. (2-99-G)One of the fInest selections of restored music boxes and antique clocksin the country, plus 7,000 square feet of quality furniture and generalantiques. Buying single pieces or entire collections. Solvang AntiqueCenter, Ron and Julie Palladino, 486 First St., Solvang, CA 93463;805-688-6222. (2-99-G)Wurlitzer keyboard NICKELODEON plate and backframe;2-WEBER upright Duo-Art reproducing pianos; ART-ECHO pianorolls, MILLS VIOLANO rolls. Walter F. Nuss, 4470 Lake Rd.,NewfIeld, NJ 08344; 609-694-0025. (2-99-G)CONN speaker pipes, 7 units and amp - amp needs work on some channels, $500 neg. Perry Farrant, LI, New York; 516-243-3258. (2-99-G)BURSENS ARBURO 97-key dance organ, $22,000; Artizan 61-keyband organ, very nice, original paint, $20,000; Seeburg A Nickelodeon, $4,800; player pianos, $200 and up; reproducing, $700 andup. Call 215-659-5333. (2-99-G)Trade/Sell: FRATI Barrel Organ, 17 114" STELLA BURSENS organ,SEEBURG B, 153 Facade, repro hand carved wood, WURLITZERpumps; photoplayer, piano, band organ, WURLITZER angle driveorgan crank, piano crank, SEEBURG L Doors/glass, TANGLEY player mechanism w/roll frame. Alan Erb, 510-783-5068 CA. (2-99-G)Leather For Sale: highest quality for re-builders and restorers of AMI,Player Pianos, Organs, etc. Free catalog. Leather Supply House,412 W. Marion St., South Bend, IN 46601-1128; 219-234-8990,leathersupplyhouse.com (2-99-G)

AEOLIAN DUO-ART Organ Roll Player, complete player with relaybox; WELTE PHILHARMONIC single roll Organ RollPlayer, complete with relay and pedal relay box. Both can be ex console or stand alone cabinet players. Jim Crank, 1621 Palm Ave.,Redwood City, CA 94061; phone 650-365-2005 ans. mach. (3-99)ORIGINAL BAND ORGAN and calliope literature, photographs, catalogs, correspondence, sales materials, etc., all makes, foreign anddomestic. Fred Dahlinger, 451 Roblee Road, Baraboo, WI 53913;(608) 356-1030. (2-99-G)Pipe valve chest for WURLITZER APP machine (38 notes) with orwithout pipes. Also APP rolls for changer. Also Bells for same. DavidReichert, 7295 S. Rt. 202, Tipp City, Ohio; (937) 667-5828. (2-99-G)DUO-ART Piano Roll: classical music, better recut new roll.Shoichi Nakamura, Fax: 03-3849-6524 (Japan); E-mail:[email protected] (2-99-G)Wanted for CREMONA style-2 coin box, coin chute, junction box,roll idler, mandolin hardware, 2-shift linkage rods (from rewindpneumatic), motor spring mount assembly thumb screw, motor pulley.Fred Deal, 2611 Kim Ave, Sacto, CA 95832; 916-428-4842. (2-99-G)12-Note ROLMONICA harmonica itself, also Rolmonica rolls; also looking for copy of Treasures of Mechanical Music-new or used. Please write:Nick Rosica, 85 Stonehenge Road, Rochester, New York 14609. (2-99-G)ROLLS: National, OS, Mandolin PianOrchestra, Wurlitzer 5 tune Appfor changer; also Reproduco bass pipes and chest, trumpet pipes forWurlitzer 103. Carl Moss, 1617 Military Street, Port Huron, MI48060; 810-982-4771. (2-99-G)Buying HUPFELD Tri-phonola rolls. Please send number and price. Ialso have some Tri-phonola for exchange. Antonia Latanza, VIACrescenzio, 19,00193 Rome, Italy; Phone and Fax 06-6896042. (2-99-G)Copy of "KAISER MARCH" by Richard Wagner, Connorized 88note #744 or other music roll label. Henry S. Prellwitz, 572 Briar CliffRoad, Pittsburgh, PA 15221; 412-242-6105. (2-99-G)AMPICO piano rolls. Will buy all you have, sell your duplicates orentire collection. Phone me to discuss. Peter Manno, 204 EsparadaDr., Georgetown, TX 78628; 512-869-8008. (2-99-G)Xylophone for SEEBURG style "c" OR Western Electric style "c"piano - please call collect. Ed Young, 594 Cavitt Creek Road, Glide,Oregon 97443; 541-496-3801. (2-99-G)SOUSA MARCH ROLLS: Belle of Chicago, Crusader, Golden StarMemorial, Imperial Edward, Lambs, Naval Reserve, PowhatansDaughter, The Coquette - playing well. Jack Linker, 1211 LaurenceRoad, Cincinnati OH 45215; 513-821-1744. (2-99-G)AMPICO ROLLS WANTED: #2971 April In Paris; #211941Do Something and #216061 I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.Original rolls only, top prices paid. Bill Burkhardt, 2133 Osceola,Grand Rapids, MI 49506; 616-245-0866. (3-99-G)

MISCELLANEOUSWe are considering possibly reproducing, in limited quantity, the mostimpressive AMPICO advertising artwork: "More Great Pianists MayBe Heard On The Ampico Than On Any Other Instrument." Thismagnificent black and white poster measuring three and one-half feetwide by five feet tall features the photographs of 240 Ampico artists.Interested parties please contact: David Clemens, 940 Maltman Avenue,Los Angeles, CA 90026; phone 323-663-6787. (3-99)BIRD MUSIC - buy, sell, trade. http://www.98.net/birdmusic;(816) 767-8246; [email protected]. Galen Bird, Grandview, MO64030; (816) 767-8246. (2-99-G)

A pneumatic restoration service for reproducingpianos, nickelodeons and player pianos. Factory

new restoration techniques will insure many years

of trouble free operation. UPS shipping cartons

furnished for any style action.

464 Dugan Rd. • Richfield Springs, NY 13439

WANTEDGrasshopper (alligator?) pump for the AMPICO spinet piano (19361938), original, unrestored condition. Also - Jumbo Duo-Art rolls(9riginals, please) - the boxes are 4" x 4" at the end panels. Identifying

. ~umbers are of the form P-3XX (like P-301). Please contact BillKoenigsberg, 77 High Pine Circle, Concord, MA 01742; phone 978369-8523 or E-mail [email protected] (6-99)PIANO ROLL, 88-note or reproducing, song title "Velvet Moon".Tony Engels, 11736 Crestwood Ave. N., Brandywine, MD 20613;phone 301-372-6777. (3-99)

315-858-2164 (2-00)

141

Put this in your piano and play it!Converts your piano instantlyto play hundreds ofmusic rollsfrom a single disc!

The PowerRol{fM fits instantly onto the tracker bar ofyour piano and may be connected to yourlaptop or desktop computer or to a disc player, enabling you to play hundreds ofsongs from CDs. For example,you may purchase a single CD that will perform 460 Ampico Rolls. Your piano can playcontinuously for hours, with selections grouped by title, pianist, composer, roll number, or just by favorites!Music programs for the Duo-Art, Welte-Mignon or 88-note system (foot-pumped or electric) are alsoavailable.

Special Introductory Price ... $1,495

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142

Video-taped Interviewof AMICA Honoraryand QRS Roll Artist

Hi BabitInterview and piano playing of Hi Babit

videotaped at the

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Keith Bigger227-46 114th Road

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(2-99)

Dave Bower'sEncyclopedia of

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1000+ page hardbound oversized"bible" covering most formsof antique mechanical music.

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ONLY THE BESTFor well over a decade Miner MaunfacturingCompany has been producing some of thefinest mechanical music instruments ever built.We "brought back" the brass whistle Tangley®Calliaphone® calliope and produce it in manystyles and models.

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143

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Marion RoehlRecordings

A DIVISION OF MINER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC.

2208 220th Street, Donnellson, IA 52625Phone: (319) 837-8106

Fax: (319) 837-6080www.mrrecordings.com

email: [email protected] WANTED - LOW MINIMUMS

(2-99)

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Always in the market for better quality disc and cylindermusic boxes, musical clocks, singing birds, band organs,player organs, monkey organs, Wurlitzer 78rpm jukeboxes,slot machines. Any condition.

(6-99) L' --'

MUSIC BOXESMUSICAL CLOCKS

MECHANICAL ORGANS

MARTIN ROENIGK26 Barton Hill

East Hampton, Connecticut 06424

(800) 671-633 • Fax (860) 267-1120

www.mwchantique.com·[email protected]

WANTED TO BUY

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Selmer Nielsen

JANUARY 1924

The 'Duo·Art gi'Yes more than any other musical instrument eyer made. "c'Yerything in music played by the best illterprete~s"

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:

~he Duo.-ART •In the STEINWAY

T HE Stei'nway Piano is today, and has been formore than half a century, the greatest piano in

the world. In this country and abroad its leadership is unquestioned.

Combined with the Duo-Art, this superb instrument will bring into your home the master-

pieces of music interpreted by the world's greatestpianists. '

Through the medium of the Steinway Duo-Artyou can hear the playing of the world's greatestartists reproduced upon the same piano which themajority of them playin private and in public.

Authorized Medium of the Great PianistsImagine, if you can, your piano ringing with the marvelous which' are available for anyone who owns a Duo-Art Piano.

touch of the great Paderewski! Think of the fingers of the Moreover, though some of the~e artists have previouslyworld's piano masters stealing over the keys-pouring forth recorded for other reproducing pianos, they now make Duo-Artthe genius and art that only they possess! The greatest records <xclusivdy. The Duo-Art is the instrument of their

,pianists of the world-Paderewski, Hofmann, de Pachmann;' maturer choice- the instrument which, they feel will best.Bauer, Cortot, Friedman, Gabrilowitsch, Grainger, Ganz, perpetuate 'their art for the benefit of music lovers of theBorovsky', and scores of others have made Duo-Art Record Rolls future. '

The DUO-ART is obtainabla in The STEINWAY, STECK, WHEELOCK,STROUD, AEOLIAN and famous WEBER PIANOS-grand and Upright

Foot-Operated from $695 Electric from $995 Grands from $185°

The AEOLIAN COMPANY '/

NEW YORK

.:Makers ofthe Aeolian·Vocalion--The Phonograph' Supreme

LONDON PARIS MADRID SYDNEY MELBOURNE.

Reginald Reynolds - Stacks are the Stanford

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