The
www.amica.org AMICA Bulletin Volume 50, Number 6 November-December 2013 Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association
ISSN #1533-9726 The AMICA BulleTIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION
Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Visit the AMICA web site at: http://www.amica.org Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax exempt group devot- to enter the “Members-Only” portal, ed to the restoration, distribution, research and enjoyment of Current User Name: AMICA automatic musical instruments. AMICA was founded in San Password: hotglue (to 5 Jan 2014) Francisco, California in 1963. Password: bellows (after 5 January 2014)
VOLUME 50, Number 6 November-December 2013 AMICA BULLETIN
FEATURES DEADLINES Ads and articles must be received preparing a violano on or before the 1st of these ODD for next generation. . by Dr. Wayne Finger ...... 248 months: nickel notes ...... by Matthew Jaro ...... 252 January July scott Joplin endores apollo . . . by Bryan Cather ...... 257 March September May November angelo Barbieri organs ...... by Dr. giorgio Farabegoli . . . 261 the Footsie Chronicles ...... by John grant ...... 277 Bulletins will ordinarily be mailed in sutter Creek organ Rally ...... by shirley nix ...... 280 the 1st week of the even months, for expected delivery mid-month.
COLUMNS Terry Smythe 55 Rowand Avenue president’s Message...... 240 Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J2N6 vice-president’s Message ...... 204-832-3982 (email preferred) 240 [email protected] editorial observations ...... 241 awards nominations ...... 242 MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Letters ...... 243 Membership Update ...... 245 Membership Dues: 2014 Convention ...... USA Bulk Mail ...... $55.00 246 USA First Class ...... $70.00 Web sites of interest ...... 276 Overseas ...... $70.00 on-Line Research Library ...... 276 Canada-Mexico ...... $65.00 Chapter news ...... Renewals – Additional $5.00 due if 282 renewed past the Jan. 31 deadline aMiCans Making Music ...... 291 Address changes and corrections in the news ...... 295 Directory information updates in Memoriam ...... 293 Additional copies of ads ...... 303 Member Directory . . . $25.00 Single copies of back issues ($10.00 per issue – based upon availability)
Lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirski 416 Colfax Drive San Jose, CA 95123-3403 408-227-9284 Front Cover: Preparing a Violano for Next Generation [email protected] Inside Front Cover: An Apollo Player Piano at Christmas To ensure timely delivery of your Outside Back Cover: Puck Christmas Cover from 1889 BULLETIN, please allow 6-weeks advance notice of address changes. Inside back cover: Music Roll Suppliers
AMICA Publications reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any and all submitted articles and advertising. While the AMICA Bulletin offers accurate and historic information to its members, the bulletin, its publisher and the AMICA Board cannot be held responsible for contributions that may be considered by some as inaccurate, speculative, or of an OP/ED Format
Entire contents © 2013 AMICA International Printed by Engler Printing Co., Fremont, OH • [email protected] 237 AMICA INTERNATIONAL - International Officers -
PRESIDENT PAST PRESIDENT EDITOR Tim Baxter John Motto-Ros Terry Smythe 939 Briarcliff Rd ne 110 allen Ranch Road 55 Rowand avenue atlanta, ga 30306-4664 sutter Creek, Ca 95685 Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J2n6 404-377-1220 209-267-9252 204-832-3982 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER Alan Turner Joe Orens 148 kingsway avenue 8917 Wooden Bridge Road Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3M 0h1 potomac, MD 20854-2448 204-489-3075 301-340-6664 [email protected] [email protected]
SECRETARY MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Bob and Bonnie Gonzalez lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirsky 26 Foremast Cove 416 Colfax Drive Corte Madera, Ca 94925 san Jose, Ca 95123-3403 415-924-6834 408-227-9284 [email protected] [email protected]
- Committees -
AMICA ARCHIVES CONVENTION COORDINATOR Tom hutchinson Frank Nix 15361 hopper Road 6030 oakdale avenue sturgeon, Mo 65284 Woodland hills, Ca 91367 573-442-6675 818-884-6849 [email protected] [email protected]
AMICA MEMORIAL FUND AMICA Honor Roll Ray Dietz Thomas & Donna Stengel 1250 Lanier Road 46 Court st. Martinsville, va 24112-5212 Lancaster nY 14086-2302 276-638-8563 716-683-5309 [email protected] [email protected]
AUDIO-VISUAL & TECHNICAL WEBSITE MANAGER Karl ellison Vacant 6 Lions Lane salem, Ma 01970-1784 978-740-5680 [email protected]
238 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 AMICA INTERNATIONAL Chapter Officers
FOUNDING CHAPTER LADY LIBERTY ROCKY MOUNTAIN pres: John Ulrich - 510-223-9587
Affiliated Societies and Organizations
American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) Friends of Scott Joplin Northwest Player Piano Association president/Ceo – ken Double 1217 st. Croix Ct. everson Whittle, secretary 1815 DeFoors Walk, nW kirkwood, Mo 63122-2326 11 smiths Road, Darcy Lever, atlanta, ga 30318 website: http//stlouis.missouri.org/fsjoplin Bolton BL3 2pp, gt. Manchester, england ph: 404-790-5400 email: [email protected] home phone: 01204 529939 e-mail: [email protected] Business phone: 01772 208003 International Piano Archives at Maryland email: [email protected] theatRe oRgan Co-editors – Mike Bryant and Don Feely performing arts Library,University of Maryland editorial office 2511 Clarice smith performing arts Center Reed Organ Society 3111 ne 165th pl. College park, MD 20742 Jim tyler, editor, vancouver, Wa 98682 phone:301-405-9224 email: [email protected] phone: 206-619-6645 Fax: 301-314-7170 e-Mail: [email protected] email: [email protected] Organ Historical Society International Vintage Phono Rollin smith, editor, The Tracker Associazione Italiana Musica Meccanica & Mechanical Music Society email: [email protected] villa silvia - via Lizzano, 1241 C.g. nijsen, secretaire general 47023 Cesena (FC), italy 19 Mackaylaan Pianola Institute phone: 0039-547-323425 5631 nM eindhoven, netherlands Clair Cavanagh, secretary Fax: 0039-547-661264 43 great percy st., London WC1X 9Ra, england email: [email protected] Musical Box Society of Great Britain Website: www.ammi-italia.com alison Biden Player Piano Group st giles hilltop, northbrook Close Duncan James (secretary), Australian Collectors of Mechanical Musical Winchester, hants. 9 Christy avenue, Chelmsford, essex, Instruments so23 0JR, Uk CM1 2Bg, england. peter phillips - editor email: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] 26 alice street padstow, nsW 221, australia Musical Box Society International Smithsonian Institution phone: (612) 9773-4734 Rosanna harris, editor Division of Musical history email: [email protected] p.o. Box 111, Washington, D.C. 20560 Custer, sD 57730 Netherlands Pianola Association 605-673-3068 Society For Self-Playing Musical Instruments nederlandse pianola vereniging email: [email protected] gesellschaft fur selbstspielende att. Jan van hulzen, Member of the Board Musikinstrumente (gsM) e.v. Chopinrode 25 Netherlands Mechanical Organ Society-KDV Ralf smolne, president 2717 Bh Zoetermeer, netherlands a. t. Meijer emmastr. 56 email: [email protected] Wilgenstraat 24 D-45130 essen, germany nL-4462 vs goes, netherlands phone: **49-201-784927 Carousel Organ Association of America Fax :**49-201-7266240 editor/publisher: Ron Bopp email: [email protected] (918) 527-0589 4725 Montrose Dr., Bradenton, FL, 34210 [email protected]
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 239 President’s Message greetings aMiCans, (1) enjoy the holidays ! showcase your instruments at holiday gatherings, and enjoy yourself the cornucopia of holiday musical delights that are available for most instruments. (2) please mark your calendars to attend our 2014 convention in Fresno. i have been enjoying the great promotional video prepared by Frank nix, and it really looks like a unique and fun place for us to meet. the hotel looks out of this world (and rea- sonably priced!) and the attractions are world class. i think it is important for us to meet face to face from across the world to share fellowship and knowledge. enjoy this special time of with friends and family ! sincerely, tim Baxter [email protected]
Vice-President’s Message
Dear aMiCans, happy holidays and season’s greetings to one and all! i hope this past year has been good for everyone and next year is even better!! next year is look- ing like it will be another fun and exciting year for aMiCa, we have a very full and interesting convention lined up in Fresno, California in May. i hope to see many of our members attending and meeting as many of you as i can. if you see me, please don't be shy, come on over and say hello. Membership renewals are coming along nicely, but there are still a few of you that have yet to renew, please send in your renewals as soon as possible so you don't miss out on any of the bul- letins or the other benefits aMiCa has to offer. please take note of the request for nominations for aMiCa’s annual awards on page 242 of this AMICA Bulletin. please forward any suggested nominations for the awards through to your local aMiCa chapters. You may also send your nominations directly to me at the email address below. Despite all the exciting things planned for this year (and tentatively planned for the next few years) aMiCa still has one major challenge. that is maintaining and growing our membership. We need to find ways to bring new and younger blood into the organization. i have talked on this subject many times in the past (and i will continue to do so) i am certain there is no single way we can achieve this, but do look back through my previous messages and try to apply some of those ideas where you can. Musically, alan turner [email protected]
240 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Editorial Observations
this being our annual Christmas issue, we have for you a fine array of articles as a gift to all. there is a timely focus on research from the viewpoint of research resources by Matthew Jaro, then an excellent article illustrating the result of research, by Dr. Giorgio Farabegoli, a member of aMMi, our ital- ian affiliate. after some 10 years of nourishment, our on-Line Research Library now has within it great value, all made possible by the magic and power of the internet. all members are encouraged to follow Matthew Jaro’s counsel and guidance and do some serious research for our aMiCa Bulletin. as Bryan Cather was doing research through the Music trade Review, he happened upon an interesting reference to scott Joplin as he commended the apollo player piano in its ability to enhance perfor- mance by means of “couplers”. Yet another good example of research resulting in an examination of the little known apollo cou- pler mechanism. Dr. Wayne Finger brings us an important consideration relative to future generations of owners/caretakers of our beloved instruments. Basically a marriage of old and new technologies, something that future generations will understand and appreciate. John Grant brings to a conclusion his series on the Footsie Chronicles, a fascinating review of the birth, life and future of Footsie, our tangible reward for excellence. our international vice-president, Alan Turner, focuses attention on a compelling need to harvest new members, of all age groups. With so many free player pianos emerging in the market place almost universally, we have a fine opportunity to identify these instruments in our local area, then find homes for them with future members. prospective members tend to view aMiCa with a critical eye, perhaps curiosity about what aMiCa is all about, what it stands for, and its dedication to the preservation of a most unique slice of our musical heritage. When presented with these opportu- nities, what we need to do is enthusiastically extoll the virtues of aMiCa beyond its obvious social attributes. i’m reminded at this time by a well known public appeal that seems especially appropriate – Ask not what AMICA can do for you. Rather, ask what you can do for AMICA! the Christmas season is all about sharing, giving and support. May you and your families be beneficiaries of the spirit of Christmas.
Regards, terry smythe [email protected]
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 241 Call for 2014 AMICA Award Nominations
as vice-president one of my duties is to chair the nominations committee for the awards aMiCa gives out each year. please do some thinking about worthy recipients and send your suggestions for nominations for both awards to your Local AMICA Chapter- who will then pass those nominations up to me and the awards committee. .please submit your suggestions to your local AMICA Chapter at your earliest convenience so that we can meet the deadline of December 31, 2013 for the nominations for each of the two annual awards to be reach me and the awards committee. each Local aMiCa Chapter should compile the award nominations received from their membership and submit up to three nominations for each award to me and the awards committee. please try to get the nominations to me before December 31, 2012. send these nominations to me by email at [email protected] if an aMiCa member who is not a member of a Local Chapter would like to nominate someone for an award, please send that nomination directly to me at the above email address. Award by-laws and a brief description of the awards the awards: presented in the form of an engraved brass and wood plaque. in addition, the basic registration fee for the annu- al membership meeting for the year of the award will be waived for each recipient in attendance. the plaques may be accepted by any aMiCa member designated by the recipient in the event the recipient cannot be present. the award shall be funded by the aMiCa treasury. Mechanism of awarding: an awards committee will be appointed annually by the president. the committee will be chaired by the vice-president and have two additional members. the Board Representative for each chapter shall be asked to obtain from the membership of their chapter three nominations for each award each year. these nominations shall be submitted to the chairman of the awards Committee to arrive no later than December 31st of the year prior to the year the award is to be presented. at that time the committee will convene by mail/phone/email and select the three best candidates by number of ballot and/or outstanding qualifica- tions. the awards Committee will present the lists of the three best candidates for each award to the executive Committee who will vote to select the final winners from these lists. the awards Committee Chair will then have the plaques made up and make arrange- ments for the presentation of the awards at the next annual membership meeting. Leo Ornstein Literary Award AMICA International Award presented for contributing in some way in a literary presented for contributing substantially to the promotion effort to further and promote the goals of aMiCa - either by con- of automatic music and aMiCa as viewed technically, musically, tributions to the Bulletin or by independent books, articles, etc. archivally or from the perspective of the general public the contributions must have been made in the past two years. Past Winners Past Winners
2013: Matthew Jaro 1997: David saul 2013: Jim and sherrie 2000: Richard & Janet 2012: terry smythe 1996: harvey & Marion Roehl krughoff tonnesen 2011: hi Babit 1995: Bob & ginny Billings 2012: Bill Chapman 1999: Richard Reutlinger 2010: (no valid nominations) 1994: Richard J. howe 2011: John Motto-Ros 1998: Liz Barnhart 2009: Brian Dolan 1993: art Reblitz 2010: Robbie Rhodes & Jody 1997: Mike Barnhart 2008: vincent Morgan 1992: (no award presented) kravitz 1996: J. B. nethercutt 2007: Julian Dyer 1991: emmett M. Ford 2009: Jim & sherri krughoff 1995: Jasper and Marian 2006: Yousuf Wilson 2008: kenneth k. Caswell sanfilippo 2005: art Reblitz 2007: siegfried Wendel 1994: Mary and Ben Lilien 2004: Mike Barnhart 2006: Blaine thomas 1993: Charles Davis smith 2003: Rob Bopp 2005: kurt Morrison & Ron 2002: Bob & ginny Billings Babb 2001: (none this year) 2004: galen and Linda Bird 2000: Denis hall 2003: Ray & nancy Dietz 1999: Jeffery Morgan 2002: Richard and Janet 1998: Robin pratt tonnesen 2001: (none this year) Alan Turner - Vice-President International [email protected]
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2012 242 Letters
email from John Dousmanis
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 243 date on the issue, e.g., January/February 2014 will mail in early email from Matthew Caulfield
244 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Membership Update
Lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirsky Stephen Bruzzone Gary Goldsmith Thaine & elizabeth Morris 899 hope Lane 17160 245th avenue 7511 Dunbarton ave Lafayette, Ca, 94549 Big Lake, Mn, 55309 Los angeles, Ca, 90045 (925) 788-8437 [email protected] 310-874-1390 [email protected] [email protected] Dr. & Mrs. James Greenwood Dave Calendine 129 preston Forest tower Bernard Ricca 2627 John R #501 5925 Forest Lane 8 Locke Drive Detroit, Mi, 48201 Dallas, tX, 75230 pittsford, nY, 14534 810-449-8037c 585-385-6392 [email protected] harold & Barbara hastain [email protected] 709 W palm ave John Coleman Redlands, Ca, 92373-5835 edward Ruble 519 san Remo st 909-792-8931 37 albemarle street Fairfield, Ca, 94533 [email protected] Rochester, nY, 14613 707-425-6350 585-647-2315 [email protected] Marshall Jose [email protected] 2838 graybill Ct. Ian Fraser new Windsor, MD, 21776 Sachiya Sasaki 323 hampton green [email protected] 433-8122 shizuoka staten island, nY, 10312 hamamatsu, naka-ku kamijima, 4-21-6- 718-317-8032 Doug Miller 203 [email protected] 1316 Milestone Dr Japan silver spring, MD, 20904-2735 +81-53-4116976 301-622-3252 [email protected] [email protected]
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 245 2014 AMICA Convention Why Fresno?
by Frank Nix
When my family went on camping vacations architectural wonders, before WWii, Fresno was just another farming community which have been lovingly Frank Nix on the way to Yosemite. it had probably a population of kept over the years. a walk- about 10,000 people, and maybe one stop light in town. ing tour of downtown will take you back in time to another there were two gas stations with old time pumps with a era. glass container on top. gas was pumped into this container getting back to the Convention in 2014, we’ll see which held 10 gallons to be released into your tank. Yosemite, one of the most spectacular and beautiful nation- at that time, and for a long time after, you would- al parks in the world - Yosemite. We’ll have lunch at the n’t see a light in town after 9:00 p.m. Farmers went to bed famous ahwanee hotel and have time to explore the area early and got up early. with wonderful scenic views and many waterfalls, which the san Juoaquin and sacramento valleys were should be running fast at this time of year. the foliage considered the bread basket of america with all kinds of should be fruit and nut orchards, corn and cotton, truck crops, and dry spectacular, too. land farming of oats, wheat, and barley extended across the on another trip, we’ll be entertained by the won- valleys from the sierras to the Coast Range.. derful collection of american and european instruments at .Cattle, hogs and sheep were raised in large num- the home of Mike argain, many of which you just don’t see bers. in most collections, and all are expertly restored. Mike has Fresno was the raisin capital of the world for many been restoring instruments for collectors all over the coun- decades with massive vineyards. try for 40 plus years, and does a fantastic job When shirley and i were married in 1954, i was the up and coming collection of Rick shaw will be finishing my Bs Degree at Fresno state. We of course, another treat. Rick is putting together a really nice collec- moved to Fresno and figured we’d spend our lives there or tion, redoing his home to accommodate it. these collec- somewhere similar. By this time the population was near- tions are not easily accessible, and we are very fortunate to ing 40,000. When the Federal offices came to town Fresno have them open for us. went to over 500,000 population. other events include a trip to the famous Forestiere Fresno has a very interesting history of theaters Underground gardens, and a tour of the 1928 Warnors the- (vaudeville) and of sports (the West Coast Relays were ater, (no, that’s not a misspelling, and you will hear why held there, a track event that attracted athletes from around during the tour) with an organ concert. this was originally the world. a Burlesque theater, and has its’ original Wurlitzer organ. one of the big things to come from Fresno was of course, we’ll have a pumper contest, a mart, when Bank of america launched their BankamericaCard in workshops, and a banquet. 1958. this was the first successful credit card, and it even- We will be staying at the lovely Radisson hotel for tually spun off to the visa Card. only $99. this includes FRee parking and airport shuttle Fresno isn’t the sleepy little town anymore. it has from Fresno/Yosemite international airport. grown into a modern, up-to-date city, but still has a lot of all this and more answers the question “Why Fres- no?”.
246 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Don’t miss this Convention. We have never been The Chaffee Zoo in this area before, and it is lovely. You will be sorry if you https://www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/ miss it. Because of space and other considerations, regis- tration will be limited to 160, so register early. Fresno Art Museum sunday open houses and attractions include the http://www.fresnoartmuseum.org/ home of Rick shaw’s aunt and uncle in visalia. their col- lection includes a working carousel, cars, clothes, music, and a large home organ, with other treasures mixed in. it’s Forestiere Underground Gardens all for fun here. http://undergroundgardens.com/ stephen kent goodman is opening his home and collection also. stephen has done some great arranging for Saroyan Theatre rolls for various machines. he is quite talented, and does http://www.fresnoconventioncenter.com/william.php restorations also. there are also the Japanese gardens, two mansions Warnors Theater (silent films and Wurlitzer pipe organ) from the early Fresno era, and other attractions. http://tinyurl.com/ldb6e2y all this adds up to “Why not Fresno?” hope to see you there. Arte Americana any questions? Call Frank at 818-884-6849 or email - [email protected] http://www.arteamericas.org/ Web Sites of Interest: Fresno Shinzen Japanese Gardens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQfgPyNPseI Yosemite National Park http://www.yosemitepark.com/
Tower District (arts and entertainment district) http://www.towerdistrict.org/ Examples of rare, beautifully restored instruments to be seen and heard, along with things to do in the Fresno area.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 247 Preparing a Violano for the Next Generation by Dr. G. Wayne Finger
Dr. G. Wayne Finger the Mills violano virtuoso is a special favorite of face) system, in parallel. the any collection. it plays both piano and violin. it is a reli- MiDi system allows anyone in the ipad generation and able, great sounding instrument. My kids really like it, too. beyond to play music from a “playlist”. it also enables a i hope one day to pass it on to them. MiDi arranger to play contemporary or original piano-vio- this violano is serial number 2402. it was made lin duet music. during the middle of the production run, about 1922. Planning the Violano Rebuild over the years, i rebuilt a Weber Duoart grand piano, a polyphon 19 5/8” disc music box, a Mills auto- matic phonograph and several other mechanical music machines. they all play well and i am proud of these rebuilds. Unfortunately, my work cannot compare to the work of the really good, professional rebuilders. this violano needed a professional with experience in both violanos and with MiDi. there aren’t that many rebuilders who are expert on the Mills violano. even fewer rebuilders know MiDi. i was very interested when a member of MBsi, rebuilder and friend (Robert Loeffler of Roberts Musical Restorations) invited me over to his shop to see a violano that he had just completely rebuilt. he had also added a MiDi system. it looked brand new and sounded beautiful from paper rolls and MiDi. i inquired about the cost and got a ballpark amount for a complete rebuild and MiDi installation. after considering other restoration options and viewing several videos on “Youtube”, Roberts Musical Restorations was the right choice for me. extent of the Rebuild the rebuild was extensive. the wooden front doors were warped, the piano strings were old and breaking, the hammers were too hard; the wooden back door (which sup- ports the piano harp) was rotten at the bottom and wouldn’t open or close properly. the bow motors were not changing speeds correctly, the metal fingers were worn … and the list went on. except for maintenance, it had not been rebuilt since manu- Roberts Musical Restorations disassembled and facture. this got me got wondering, “Will it still play 50 rebuilt the case. the rotten wood was replaced. Reproduc- years from now? how can today’s collectors make sure that tion front doors were made. new castors installed. one part their violano will stay interesting and reliable for the next of the case had been trimmed about half an inch - this wood generations?” so i came to two conclusions: was replaced. some surfaces were re-veneered. First, it would get a complete rebuild by someone the violin finish was restored and polished. the who was expert in the field to bring its appearance, musical violin now has an exceptional hand buffed mirror finish performance and technical reliability back to like new con- like no others that i have seen. the piano was restrung, dition. this will assure it plays well for the next several (photo 2) given new hammers and given a complete regula- generations. tion (photo 3). second, in addition to the paper roll playing sys- Most of the metal components had lost their sur- tem, i would add a MiDi (Musical instrument Digital inter- face finish. these were re-plated and polished. (photo 4)
248 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 4. Components replated.
2. Piano harp refinished and restrung. 5. Stop fin- gers individu- ally restored.
the MiDi system was installed out of sight behind the roll frame and in parallel with it, so that the violano would now play from both paper rolls and from computer 3. Piano action completely rebuilt. files. (photo 7) a wireless receiver was added so that it could be played without a hard wired connection. each of the violano’s mechanisms were complete- ly disassembled and restored. this included the roll frame, The Beautiful Music and Beautiful Machine piano action, inverter and coin mechanism. every finger was hand filed to restore its ability to play the violin strings When Robert delivered it and set it up i was eager properly (photos 5 and 6), Missing components were to hear it play again. First we listened to a well known roll. replaced with original parts obtained by Roberts Musical i immediately heard several notes which the pre-rebuild Restorations from spare violanos. instrument had never played. it was like we had been miss-
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 249 circuit board which creates signals to parallel those from the roll frame. now that it is running on the ipad, i can instantly select and play any individual tune or group of tunes to play in any order. some tunes are too fast or too slow for dancing, so i adjust the tempo for each tune to slow it down or speed it up. if someone comes by for a quick demonstration of the instrument, i stick a coin in the slot and play one song. But if we want to listen to music over dinner or dance for a while, the playlist on the ipad plays our selected songs without interruption or re-roll delays at a quick touch. the kids and grandkids like it even more than before. there are so many more possibilities now for the instrument than just the music on the rolls repeating the same sequence of five tunes. the MiDi system will play an unlimited number of tunes in any order you chose. a big 6. Fingering action rebuilt. advantage of this particular system is that it uses unscram- bled MiDi files. Users of this violano MiDi system can ing 20% of the music. the rebuilt instrument played sweet- share their roll scans or original compositions with others er and more complete than before. additionally, since the who have this same system. Using this MiDi capability, i bow motor speeds had been restored and set correctly, it soon hope to arrange new music written as a violin – piano now played with real expression. it sounded great. next we duet for the violano. played the MiDi files that were provided by Roberts Musi- cal Restorations. these were scanned from original rolls and sounded great. What really impressed me was the Opportunity to View and listen “Flight of the Bumble Bee” because the rebuilt mechanism MBsi members have an opportunity to see and fingered all the notes that the pre-rebuilt machine had hear this instrument. this instrument will be shown and missed. played as part of one of the home collection visits at the the instrument looked as perfect as a new car in a southeast Chapter’s winter meeting being held in showroom. not a scratch, split or uneven surface. every titusville, Florida in January, 2014. the January meeting part was shining. i could now open the back door easily to welcomes many “snowbirds” from other parts of the coun- access the rear of the machine. it was now a beautiful try who enjoy warm Florida during winter. the Chapter machine making beautiful music. invites all fellow MBsi members for this fun filled musical weekend. experiencing the MIDI if you would like to learn the specifics about the MiDi setup and operation, make plans to attend the 2014 it is fairly straightforward to play the MiDi music annual Meeting in Weston, Florida. it will include a work- using a pC. it can be done either wired or wireless. Wire- shop on how to setup practical wireless MiDi control from less MiDi from an ipad took some thought and some com- an ipad. this is going to be a great annual meeting with puter savvy. photo 7 shows the setup. the MiDi files are several interesting workshops. uploaded with itunes to the ipad. they are played by an app named, “sweet MiDi player”, which outputs to an Ed. Notes: Dr. Wayne Finger's background in mechanical “iRig” adapter. From there the signal goes to a “WiDi and aeronautical engineering has created a deep apprecia- Wireless MiDi” unit. Within the violano is a matching tion of the mechanisms and the music. He has been inter- “WiDi Wireless MiDi” unit which connects directly to the ested in all forms of mechanical music for over 30 years. He currently serves as Sr. Vice President for RS&H, Inc. (http://www.rsandh.com) a nationwide engineering and architecture firm. For a more complete description of this rebuild, go to: http://tinyurl.com/qakqcmg Dr. Finger may be contacted at: [email protected] Roberts Restorations may be contacted through: http://www.robertsmusicalrestorations.com/ This article first appeared in MBSI’s official journal, Mechanical Music, Nov/Dec 2013 issue, and is reproduced here with permission.
7. MIDI Installation behind roll frame.
250 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Playing a selection from an iPad.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 251 Nickel Notes by Matthew Jaro
Matthew Jaro Preserving Our Mechanical Music Heritage
it’s been about one hundred years since some of one of the most our nickelodeons and orchestrions have been built. it’s truly important. this was a remarkable that painstaking restoration projects have main- weekly newspaper tained these machines in factory-new condition and that that discussed all modern restorers have the skill to work on machines that aspects of the music belonged to a completely different age. original music rolls industry, including pianos, nickelodeons, orchestrions, have been recut, thereby preserving performances and tunes player pianos, music rolls, radios, phonographs, records from the distant past. What other machinery from an era and sheet music. Art Reblitz knew about the MtR from long gone has been so lovingly cared for? college days where the University of illinois library had the preceding paints a picture of the bright side of some issues. Later, art and Q. David Bowers spent some mechanical music. a darker view also prevails. i’m sure time at the Lincoln Center special Collections Department that visitors to your collections have said “i didn’t even of the new York public know these existed!” the associations are constantly hav- Library. they photographed ing trouble maintaining membership levels due to lack of what they could. interest from younger people. the companies that made Later, in the 1980’s these wonderful instruments and rolls have been out of Dave Bowers made an agree- business for many years. no one is alive today to remember ment with the library to photo- the earlier days of nickelodeons and very few have any graph all the issues onto micro- memory at all of seeing machines in actual settings. even fiche in return for acquiring the svoboda’s nickelodeon tavern has been gone for many physical collection. Dave sub- years and public displays such as Disneyland and knott’s sequently donated the collection to the Musical Box Society Berry Farm have essentially sold off most of their International (MBsi). eventually, The National Associa- machines. the music from the 1920’s used to be played on tion of Music Merchants (NAMM), recognizing the extreme television with Laurel and hardy films, Betty Boop car- value of this published heritage, funded scanning by scan- toons, etc. now, young people have no exposure to this go in Denver, Co. after scanning, the papers were pal- music. letized, shrink-wrapped and sent to the MBsi museum as time goes on, these machines and their music under the care of Don Neilson. now all the issues are avail- become more and more distant. Research becomes increas- able in searchable pDF format on the MBsi web site ingly important. this research is difficult due to the sparsity (www.mbsi.org) hosted by the International Arcade Muse- of information and the period of time that has elapsed. um. the issues run from 1880 to 1954 with very few however, a lot has been done both to make original sources breaks. of information available and to uncover secrets from the past. even more must be done in the future. this column Presto will discuss some of the people and the products they pro- duced and what areas still need work. it is important to the Presto trade paper was a competitor to the stress that only american companies and music are present- MtR and there is ed. this is not meant to disparage our european compatri- modest overlap of ots, but i should stick to subjects that i know. information, but fundamentally of Current Sources equal vale to the The Music Trade Review Music Trade Review. the issues run from 1902 to 1941. it is also available on the MBsi web site. the music trade papers have provided a wealth of information regarding companies and music. the collection of The Music Trade Review (which we will call MTR) is
252 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 252 The Music Trades terry smythe realized the capabilities of the inter- net when it was still a university-to-university network. he built a personal web site to facilitate putting AMICA Bul- The Music Trades is still another trade periodical letins on the web, which later became aMiCa’s official competing with the MtR and Presto, of equal research web site. a major event was the donation of the Billings value. Terry Smythe discovered one issue being auctioned Rollography to aMiCa which is now online in the web on eBay. he saw that it was significantly different from the site. MtR and could add additional information for serious research. he bought an issue from the The Musical Box Society International vendor, who turned Web Site (MBSI) out to be a personal friend of pioneer the MBsi is a sister organization of aMiCa. they Mike Montgomery. have a great web site at www.mbsi.org. this web site has then terry bought all Mike’s issues for 1925 from his links to the MtR and Presto collections and all of the estate. aMiCa has since established an acquisition Fund MBsi publications since 1954. in addition, there are arti- so opportunities like this could be seized quickly. Many cles, links to museums, a glossary of manufacturers, an more issues were bought, creating an enormous pile. terry event calendar, and many other features. the MBsi is has scanned and posted ~250 issues out of a total of ~600 interested in orchestrions, nickelodeons, band organs and issues bought. if anyone has research needs for particular reproducing pianos in addition to musical boxes. time periods not yet scanned, terry would be willing to give those scanning priority. those issues scanned are The Mechanical Music Press available in searchable pDF format on aMiCa’s web site. this website is a bit deceiving. at first glance, it The AMICA Web Site looks like a standard commercial web site. however, all that glitters is gold, and the site contains a staggering in early recognition of the magic and power of the amount of information that has never been available before. internet, terry smythe perceived that it would make possi- the address of the site is www.mechanicalmusicpress.com. ble a widely accessible on-line the left part of the home research library, and made a page is where all beginning by scanning his the action is. always personal library of original lit- look on the left of each erature. there are now over page to see all of the 1000 documents that terry has stuff. For e x a m p l e , made available for download- the part on the left ing in searchable pDF format labeled “historical articles and instrument profiles” has a on the aMiCa Web site. to bunch of sub headings. Click on “articles and stories”. access this, go to then click on something like “the vestal press story” and www.amica.org then click on read about harvey Roehl. Click on “tracker Bar hole “Members only”. You will be asked for a user name and spacing” and read a very informative and well-researched password. these can be found on the masthead of the treatise on the various roll spacing units. the “Mechanical AMICA Bulletin. now click on “original Literature” and Music Registry” is much more than just a registry of feast your eyes on this treasure! terry continues to scan machines. You will see a section “seeburg and Western documents and post them. all of the files are searchable electric Cos.” this section discusses models, histories, art (you can use CtRL-F in the adobe Reader to search for glass, etc. Click on any of the small pictures to the right to any text). Users of the full adobe acrobat can index all see expanded sets of pictures. none other than Art Reblitz issues desired so that a single search can span many issues. is responsible for this content. Terry hathaway provided in addition to the Music Trades, there are issues of detailed information about Wurlitzer machines and rolls. The Piano Magazine; there are some issues of the Music Dana Johnson provided a lot of detailed information. Trade Review to fill in gaps in the MBsi collection. there one paragraph in the acknowledgments section are also issues of The Tuners Journal. the “Miscella- really seemed to encapsulate the spirit of research: neous” section contains catalogs, books, brochures and And, of course, there are many other contributors almost anything related to mechanical music. i’m looking of small bits and pieces of information who unin- at this section as i am writing this text, and it has greatly tentionally go unnamed here, but who have, never- delayed my writing progress, since i am forced by curiosity theless, contributed equally important pieces of the to look at some of these documents. all you have to do is overall puzzle that deserve our recognition and click on any document picture to see the entire document. heartfelt appreciation. If you sent Art Reblitz infor- You can also download anything. the “Music Roll / instru- mation sometime in the last 40 years and you do ment Catalogs” is another trap that will keep you entranced not find your name in the list below, please call it for hours. to our attention and we will be happy to add it.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 253 Additionally, there are those who have yet to dis- a discussion group, taking full advantage of the promise of cover our united effort here, which has culminated the internet. it is organized and maintained by Jody in this Mechanical Music Registry, but who will Kravitz. Robbie Rhodes and Matthew Caulfield are the someday also contribute important information to editors. this ongoing historical log. To these future enthusi- the digest can be accessed by asts we also extend our heartfelt appreciation and www.mmdigest.com an invitation to join us in our historical endeavor. You can subscribe to emails delivered daily with new postings. MMD depends on individual contributions to The Mechanical Music Library keep running. there are archives, calendars of events, links to other web sites, and much more. this is an extremely International (MMLI) valuable resource. Bill edgerton started the MMLi by personally contributing over one thousand items. the library is The Carousel Organ Association described in the Jan-Feb, 2013 issue of the AMICA Bul- of America (COAA) letin. Currently over 4,800 documents have been cataloged. the Coaa has a web site at www.coaa.us. the Coaa concentrates on band organs and crank organs, but their interest encom- passes all of mechanical music. they hold many rallies each year where each document is an issue of a journal, a book, a members bring band letter, a clipping, a brochure, a compact disk or a phono- organs and crank organs graph record. there are still 1,200 items to be cataloged. to public places. their about half of the items come from the MBsi and half are motto is “the happiest donated by others. the following statement from their web Music on earth”. their site sums it up: home page states It is the mission of the Mechanical Music Library “Coaa is dedicated to enjoying, preserving and sharing International, Inc. to collect, preserve, and make knowledge of all mechanical musical instruments.” the available for reference or dissemination the follow- site has many interesting features and should be of interest ing items pertaining to mechanical music and to aMiCa members. mechanical musical instruments: books, pam- phlets, journals, audio tapes, video tapes, CDs, DVDs, posters, catalogs, photographs, patents, The International Piano Archives postcards, correspondence, and other ephemera. at Maryland (IPAM) An IRS Section 501 (c) (3) designation was granted as of June 7, 2010. Thus, gifts and contributions to Richard howe contributed a large collection to the the Library are tax deductible. University of Maryland as follows: The Howe Collection of Musical Instrument almost every sotheby’s and Christie’s auction cat- Literature, 1854-1992. 192.50 Linear Feet. alog where mechanical music is involved is in the library. Location: Special Collections in Performing Arts the web site address is The Howe Collection of Musical Instrument Lit- www.mechanicalmusiclibrary.com erature brings together historical artifacts and Documents of interest can be copied for a nominal documents from the music industry in the United cost. the web site provides an excel spreadsheet and a States. It contains material about the manufac- keyword search capability. Donations are welcomed and ture of pianos, organs, and mechanical musical are tax deductible. instruments. The collection is divided into five separate series: Piano, Organ, Mechanical Musi- The Mechanical Music Digest (MMD) cal Instruments, Phonographic, and General Music. It was created, and given to the University the Mechanical of Maryland, by Richard J. Howe. Music Digest provides a forum for sharing informa- tion about mechanical music. it was born in 1995 by Jody Kravitz and Terry Smythe who found one another on the early internet and shared a desire to create
254 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 the international piano archives web site is www.lib.umd.edu/ipam it has been reported that the archives is difficult to use since requests must be submitted in advance and copying is very expensive. there is a great amount of material that should be unearthed by serious researchers. however, the experience may be frustrating. items for sale, an interesting series of frequently asked The Pianola Institute Web Site questions and general information. there is an extremely well-done violano factory tour. the pianola institute is an organization based in the Unit- ed kingdom. their web site is www.pianola.org it has The International Association of Mechan- ical Music Preservationists (IAMMP)
this site, www.iammp.org is a primary resource for those interested in music roll scanning and the build-
ing of devices to scan rolls. there is an extensive archive of scanned rolls and interesting links, also terry smythe’s web page devoted to roll scanning interesting historical information dating all the way back www.members.shaw.ca/smythe/rebirth, containing many to Jacquard looms —- the first programmable machine. thousands of freely available midi files emerging from the term “pianola” has become an alternate name for scanning a wide variety of music rolls. “player piano”. it originally referred to edwin scott votey’s invention of 1895, eventually marketed by the aeolian Company. the web site also discusses composi- facebook tions for player piano, the repertoire, orchestrions, pipe there is even a facebook page for mechanical organs and many topics. music which has a number of followers, www.facebook.com/MechanicalMusic personally, i am The Mills Novelty Company Web Site not a member of facebook since it can eat up an enor- the Mills novelty company was the company that originally produced the Mills violano virtuoso, an
mous amount of time, thereby reducing our already short life-spans. however, maybe someone wants to join this and give me a report. aMiCa has its own facebook electrically-operated violin-playing machine. the new page: www.facebook.com/groups/aMiCa.international Mills novelty Company is dedicated to providing music, restoration and other services for the Mills violano. items are also offered for sale and there are links to other resources. their web site is www.millsnovelty.com. Tim Trager’s Web Site
tim trager has a very informative web site, www.timtrager.com, which includes original catalogs,
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 255 Intertique Rollographies
the web site www.intertique.com/links.htm con- Rollographies are listings or databases providing information about music rolls. a few notable rollogra- phies are: Ginny and Bob Billings —- player piano rolls including QRs from 1916-1994 and the tel-electric Company 1905 to 1917. this is available through the aMiCa web site. Matthew Caulfield —- a comprehensive catalog of all known style 125, 150, 165 and 180 rolls, including com- tains links to many mechanical music sites and to phono- posers and publication dates. www.wurlitzer-rolls.com. graph sites. it’s based on work begun by gary Watkins. Jack Breen –- a comprehensive rollography of Mills flickr violano rolls as a Microsoft access database www.violanomusic.com. Based on work begun by Art the photo sharing site, flickr, has a mechanical Reblitz and Dave Junchen. music group: www.flickr.com/groups/mechanicalmusic/ Matthew Jaro —- a database of nickelodeon rolls for styles a, g, 4X, h and MsR rolls as a Microsoft access application. it includes composer and song publication date information and lists original and recut rolls. this database was based on work conducted by Alan light- cap, Mike Montgomery and Robert Deland. Contact me for information: [email protected] elaine Obenchain —- The Complete Catalog of AMPI- there are over 764 photos and 79 members as of this CO Reproducing Piano Rolls. this was a book published writing. it is very impressive – you should take a look at by Bill edgerton. this can be downloaded from the it. aMiCa web site. Charles Davis Smith and Richard J. howe —- Welte- Twitter Mignon: Its Music and Musicians. – this was published Yes, even twitter has a mechanical music group: by aMiCa in 1994 and doesn’t seem to be currently www.twitter.com/mechanicalmusik. i can’t tell how many available. members or tweets are posted on this. Terry hathaway —- Wurlitzer PianOrchestra, Harp and Paganini Music Rolls. this can be downloaded from the Mechanical Music press web site. Future Research
there have been a number of areas that have been well covered by researchers or are in the process of being well covered. these include music boxes, nick- elodeons, orchestrions, band organs and music rolls. however, the field of reproducing pianos (aMpiCo, Duo-art, Welte-Mignon, seeburg Xp, and others) and Books their artists have not been covered much. this topic is of great interest to aMiCa members and information should there are a number of books that are important to be preserved while it is still possible. someone can make have for any serious researcher or hobbyist. this list only a real contribution to mechanical music history and i includes currently available books: encourage all the budding researchers to step up to the The Golden Age of Automatic Musical Instruments by plate. arthur a. Reblitz (Mechanical Music press). The Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments by Q. David Bowers (seems to be available on Apology amazon.com). i knew when i started this article that it would be The Violin-Playing Machines by Q. David Bowers (avail- impossible to mention everyone in the field or every able from amica.org) resource. Consequently, i apologize in advance for any also keep an eye out for the publications of: such oversights. please feel free to contact me at * The Reblitz-Bowers Guide to Coin-Operated American [email protected] and i will try to rectify any such laps- Pianos and Orchestrions by arthur Reblitz and Q. David es in a future column. Bowers, and in development: * Q. David Bowers’ Encyclopedia of Disc Music Boxes 256 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Scott Joplin Endorses Apollo Player Piano Rolls by Bryan S. Cather
Bryan S. Cather in recent years, as more and more printed archival ered levers. the first of these, the “pianola” was brought material is scanned and made available via the internet, on the market about 1895, by the aeolian Company. soon interesting bits of information, never before seen, occasion- other makers followed, and within a decade's time, there ally come to light. one good example of this is the follow- were dozens of different types of “piano players” on the ing notice, which appeared in the Music Trade Review, an industry trade magazine in 1906. From a larger, regular column in the magazine about current trade news from st Louis, an extract reads as follows:
market. What none of these companies advertised, howev- er, was that their machines only played some of the piano's 88 keys. some played 46 notes, some, like the apollo piano player pictured here, played 58 notes. increasingly, though,these machines were becoming standardized at a 65-note range. still, none played the full 88-note compass until the Melville Clark piano Company brought out their “apollo grand” piano player in 1901. one wonders which pieces of Joplin's were issued on apollo rolls by Melville Clark, and, why Joplin would be writing to the kieselhorst piano Company, a retailer in st Louis, about the rolls made by a manufacturer in Chica- go. the search for an answer to the first leads, in part, to the answer to the second. every manufacturer of player rolls issued a standard catalog, usually annually. Most would also issue monthly updates, listing the newest several things here are of interest. note, for exam- releases. this standard catalog would list each piece, and ple, Joplin uses the term “piano often group them according to music type, composer, and player” instead of “player so forth. Fortunately, a goodly number of these catalogs piano”. this is because, in have survived, and, even more fortunately, many of them 1906, the player piano as we have been digitized and are available online. they allow know it today was practically us a fascinating look at what music was available commer- unknown. What was known, cially a century or more ago. though, were “piano players”, among the roll catalogs to be found online is one external devices that sat in front issued in 1905 by the Melville Clark piano Company. the of a piano, and, by playing a “Catalog of Music Rolls for the apollo piano, apollo Con- perforated paper roll in much cert grand, apollo and apolloette piano players and the the same way the later player orpheus self-playing orchestrion” details the musical pianos did, played the piano it offerings available on the firm's apollo rolls. a broad was in front of by actually push- selection of music, everything from the classics of ing the keys down with felt-cov-
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec2013 257 Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin, the operatic works of Meyerbeer, Rossini, Berlioz and verdi, musical theater hits from the current shows, to the current song and dance hits
of the day: marches, waltzes, polkas, scottisches, one steps, two steps, and, of course ragtime. all of it was carefully arranged so that anyone could easily find their favorite We can surmise, then, which pieces Joplin would musical selections. almost from the start, we find some- have been referring to in his 1906 letter to the kieselhorst thing of interest. piano Company. the question remains, though: “Why the title page, inside the front cover, indicates a kieselhorst?” Why not write directly to the Melville Clark connection between the Melville Clark piano Company piano Company in Chicago? By 1906 Joplin had already and the “QRs Co., Manufacturers of perforated Music spent a considerable amount of time in the windy city. Rolls.” indeed, the QRs Company began in 1900 as the Joplin thanked kieselhorst for “having his compositions music roll division of the Melville Clark piano Company, arranged for the apollo”. how much influence might a and, in 1905 the two were still intertwined. More on why retailer like kieselhorst have with a manufacturer like the this is significant, in just a moment. But first to answer the Melville Clark piano Company? in this case quite a bit. an question of which Joplin pieces would have been arranged 1931 article in presto times, a trade journal discussed vari- for the apollo, which Joplin seemed to be endorsing in his ous changes at QRs since its earliest days, and commented letter to the kieselhorst piano Co that practically all of the individuals...connected with the that's easy enough to determine, by going through house in the early days have severed their connection with the “composers' list” section until one finds Joplin's name, the business, with the single exception of Mr E. A. Kiesel- after which appear all of his compositions currently in the horst of St. Louis, who for many hears has been a stock- catalog. We find two Joplin collaborations, with arthur holder and on the board of control. Marshall on swipesy and Charles Daniels on original the article went on to explain the QRs company's Rags, as well as five by Joplin himself: The Easy Winners, origins as the roll division of the Melville Clark piano The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, Palm Leaf Rag, and A Company, and that the name QRs was originally chosen as Princeton Tiger. if A Princeton Tiger doesn't seem familiar a “placeholder”, rather like “abc” or “xyz”, while the legal to you, it shouldn't. the listing caused considerable inter- paperwork was being drawn up when the roll division was est and consternation among roll collectors and ragtime spun off as a separate company. eventually the name QRs fans for years. A Princeton Tiger was not written by Joplin stuck and became a trademark. kieselhort's long-term but by another composer, gerald Burke. the roll issued presence on the board of QRs, then, would explain the st. was Burke's composition, rather than being another “lost Louis firm's influence with the Melville Clark piano Co., piece” along the lines of Silver Swan Rag, as some had including kiselehorst's apparent ability to suggest composi- hoped. Listing scott Joplin as composer of A Princeton tions or composers. By extension, it also explains why Tiger is simply a printing error. Joplin would have written them, thanking them for “having
258 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 [his] compositions arranged for the apollo”, rather than writing directly to the Melville Clark piano Company in Chicago. Joplin may not have known the details of kisel- horst's influence, but it seems he was aware that someone within the kieselhorst firm had been instrumental the inclusion of his works in the apollo catalog. interestingly one of kieselhort's competitors in st. Louis, the Bollman Bros. Company, sold and extensively advertised the aeo- lian Company’s “pianola” piano player. the presence of three times the number of Joplin pieces in the 1905 apollo catalog as are found in the aeolian catalog of the same year would seem to indicate a greater level of interest on the part of the Melville Clark piano Co. in Joplin's music. the final statement in Joplin's letter that seems puzzling. Joplin states: I also like the arrangement of my compositions when played on the Apollo Grand, as the couplers give it much more harmony and make it more like an orchestral arrangement. What “couplers” would he have been referring to? to add further confusion and complexity to the in advertising their 88-note rolls, the Melville question of couplers, when the apollo grand piano player Clark piano Company made great use of the idea that the was first introduced in 1901, it has a feature, referred to as 'complete score' of symphonic works could only be played “pneumatic couplers” that seem to have allowed the user to on the full range of an instrument, and only with their 88- double the upper and lower octaves when playing 58-note note “apollo grand” rolls could everything from piccolo rolls on the device. this feature added considerably to the to the contrabassoon parts be adequately represented. on complexity of the apollo grand's design, and, by 1906, the music like Joplin's, the effect of an “orchestral arrange- same time Joplin's letter was published, the Melville Clark ment” he referred to was achieved by, at various times dou- piano Co. and dropped this feature in fact, the firm was in bling the bass lines, and sometimes doubling the treble the midst of an ad campaign for the apollo grand piano melody as well. so what does this have to do with “cou- player stressing that the orchestral effects produced by the plers”? instrument were obtained without the use of couplers. one possible explanation involves reed organs. Joplin may have simply been referring to this earlier model the ubiquitous parlor instruments common in so many of the apollo grand in his letter. however, that Joplin victorian homes were often equipped with “treble cou- would have been familiar enough with inner workings this plers” and “bass couplers”, which, when engaged, play the earlier model to mention it in his letter seems somewhat note an octave above or below as well as the note played. questionable. in either case, his mention of couplers clear- as a musician, Joplin would have certainly been familiar ly indicates that the authorship of the letter rests firmly with these instruments, and most likely had from time to with Joplin. a piece of advertising hype from within the time been called upon to play them. noting the doubled firm that Joplin was paid to sign his name to would not octaves found in both the bass and treble notes of the apol- contain the “coupler” reference at the time the letter was lo grand rolls, and, presumably, knowing little or nothing written. about how the rolls were created, it was, most likely, a logi- to my knowledge Joplin's endorsement was never cal assumption on his part that something similar to the used in display advertising by the Melville Clark piano Co. couplers found on a reed organ was used to achieve what if this is true, it further supports Joplin's authorship of the letter, as it would make little sense for kieselhorst to write was, essentially, the same effect.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 259 the letter and to pay Joplin to put his name on it, and then never make use of it. it is interesting, i think, that this is the only known endorsement we have by Joplin for any kind of player roll, until a decade later, when rolls were issued both by the aeolian and Connorized companies, bearing Joplin's name as performer, assuming that he gave his approval to perfor- mances issued by these firms. in the intervening years, several of Joplin's works were issued by a variety of manu- facturers, yet thus far at least we find no other endorse- ments.
Technical Appendix
in researching and preparing this article, there were many technical questions regarding the couplers that could octave below, on the lowest 12 notes. additionally, it will only be fully answered by examining one of these rare play the apollo Concert grand 14 ½” wide 88-note rolls, instruments. Fortunately, i came to realize that aMiCa overriding the couplers. vice-president alan turner has been restoring an apollo the way the couplers work is interesting. i had Concert grand piano player for some time, and posted sev- assumed that they were simply teed from the affected eral photos of the restoration on Facebook. tracker bar ports, with a ganged slide valve, that, when i contacted engaged, would allow open channels to allow the extra alan; he confirms notes to play. the actual mechanism is far more elegant, in my suspicions my opinion. Firstly, there is set of slide valves that totally about the nature of shut off 15 notes on both the bass and treble ends of the the couplers. the tracker bar which is used when playing 58 note rolls with- apollo Concert out coupling the additional bass and treble octaves, this grand piano player valve arrangement also slides a small horizontal piece of has several differ- wood in the vacuum chamber which shuts off the bleeds to ent configurations the affected notes when in 58 note mode. this is illustrated in which it can in the photo above, the rearmost gang of tubing that is visi- play rolls. it can ble is the 15 note cut-off and is shown in the 88 note posi- play regular 58- tion, the horizontal bleed cut-off is shown near the middle note apollo rolls of the image with brass springs holding it in place. there “as is”, either a tre- is also another set of ganged slide valves which operate the ble coupler or bass coupling of the bass and treble octaves, these valves can be coupler can be operated independently, coupling either the bass or treble turned on or off at octaves at will. the bass end slide valve that operates the will. When turned on, the treble coupler, in addition to bass coupler is illustrated in the photo above and is the playing whatever note is indicated by the roll, will also foremost gang of tubing that is visible and is shown in the play the octave above for the top 12 notes of the 58 note coupled position. roll. Likewise, the bass coupler, when turned on, will, in Author Bryan Cather may be contacted at: addition to the note indicated by the roll, play the note an [email protected]
Need to iden- tify this instru- ment and its location? If someone knows, the answer in next issue of our AMICA Bulletin.
260 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Angelo Barbieri Organs by Dr. Giorgio Farabegoli
Angelo Barbieri (Figure 1) was born in Bagnolo Cre- shortly after he finally masco (Cremona) in 1875 and was ordained a priest in acquires possession of the 18981, and from 1903 to 1909 he lived in Marudo2, in the device, and uses it immediately province of Lodi3, where, satisfying his passion for music to compose his opera Dr. Giorgio Farabegoli (8 years old he was playing very well on the organ4) dedi- “isabeau”.7 this equipment is cated himself to the design and implementation of a device, composed of two distinct parts: the transmission frame and which he called Automusicograph5, able to automatically the Recording mechanism.8 record the music, while it was performed on the piano, by means of graphic signs on rolls of paper. 1. the transmissions frame (Figure 2), made in 2 dif- ferent types (one for the upright piano and one for the grand piano), is connected to the piano and has the function of concentrating on a small space the displace- ment of the individual keys presses by the executor, in order to bring them within reach of the Recording mechanism. it is equipped with a lever, which allows to remove or put it in communication with the keyboard, depending on requirements.
Figure 2. Transmissions frame for the upright piano, “The Automusico- graph Barbieri”, Society for the manufacture of the Automusicograph Figure 1. Don Angelo Barbieri at the beginning of 1930, photo Barbieri, Barbieri & C., Milan (courtesy “Gambalunga”, Public taken from the brochure “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, Barbi- Library of the town of Rimini, Italy). eri Organs (Gt. Britain) LTD. (Courtesy AMMI, Italian Associa- tion for Mechanical Music) 2. the Recording mechanism (Figure 3) rests on the piano, picks up the movement of the keys received the Master pietro Mascagni, after trying it the first from the transmission frame and records graphically time in early 1909, said on March 12 of that year: on the staff of the paper roll that runs in its front at constant speed. to suit the aesthetics of the piano that I had the opportunity to examine some practical result of the was connected, this device is enclosed in an elegant device invented by Don Angelo Barbieri, called Automusico- case fashioned in the style of the piano (Figure 4). graph, and I was convinced that this device will bring aid to composers, help of importance and of absolute value. The results offered by the machine are clear, visual, very perfect; Figure 3. Writing device with- and every composer will find in this device the complement out housing, “The Automu- of his faculties, as it will be able to make and reproduce sicograph Barbieri”, Society exactly all the ideas, all the inspirations that at every for the manufacture of the moment, and suddenly come from the mind and heart of the Automusicograph Barbieri, composer, who creates and does not manufactures its own Barbieri & C., Milan (cour- music. For my part, I declare that I look forward to the time tesy “Gambalunga”, Public when the Automusicograph of Barbieri is offered for sale for Library of the town of Rimini, purchase and use of it at any time to work.6 Italy).
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 261 bellows for the control of manual and registers; in the pneumatic organ by small electropneumatic windchests and in the elecric organ by electric switches. the two parts are connected to each other by a cable, to be able at the closure of one or more circuits of the transmitter, to actuate the corresponding coils that will play the notes or will command the registers to which they relate.12
* Pipe organ itself. . Figure 5. Transmitter group of the Auto- organ Barbieri, advertising brochure “Auto-organ Barbieri - some reviews in chronological order from July 1933 to July Figure 4. Writing device with a holster, placed on top of a piano, “The 1934”, factory SAB- Automusicograph Barbieri”, Society for the manufacture of the Automu- BAEM, Milan (cour- sicograph Barbieri, Barbieri & C., Milan (courtesy “Gambalunga”, tesy AMMI, Italian Public Library of the town of Rimini, Italy) Association for Mechanical Music). as angelo Barbieri’s passion for music machines could not find outcome in a small town, in 1909 he moved to Milan, the city where he could devote himself fully to inventions and achievements of mechanical musical instru- ments.9 here he founded a factory of electromechanical music equipment, called S.A.B.B.A.E.M., (Società Anonima Brevetti Barbieri per Applicazioni Elettro Musicali)10, which produced: 1) pipe organs; 2) automatic organs (or Auto-organs); 3) Music on rolls of perforated paper for Auto-organs.
to satisfy the curiosity of the readers, we first Figure 6. Transmitter group of the Auto-organ Barbieri “Cantan- make a brief digression on the SABBAEM production of tibus Organis”, with double player rolls of punched paper, made automatic organs and Music on perforated paper rolls, from the factory SABBAEM Cantù (Como), now fully restored which constituted the most important achievements of Bar- and running, Museum of Mechanical Music, Villa Silvia in Cese- na (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music). bieri, then we move on to the production of pipe organs in depth, which is what is relevant for the present article, as it is the one that will be then launched for sale in great the automatic organs Barbieri for the churches Britain through a company created for the purpose. were the devices most popular and widespread of the SAB- BAEM production. the models in the catalog were many, Automatic Organs (or Auto-organs) and it also provided various customizations to adapt the instrument to any kind of liturgical environment. a Barbieri automatic organ, whose marketing and an advertising brochure of the years ‘3013 states sales to the public began in italy in 1931, is composed of that the smallest automatic organ was the model three distinct parts or incorporated into a single device:11 Microorgano (Figure 7), for small churches which did not have sufficient space to install a normal organ, which was * Transmitter Group, consisting of an electro-pneu- equipped with a small expressive electric organ completed matic reader of music engraved on rolls of perforated with the addition of a small console, which could be paper, which can be connected to any type of organ, installed at any distance from the organ, with the automatic even at a distance (Figures 5 and 6). reading device for rolls of perforated paper. * Receiver Apparatus, constituted by different devices depending on the organ that has to make play: in mechanical organ is constituted by a group of coils and
262 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Figure 8. Small expressive electro pneumatic organ “Minimum”, advertising brochure “Cantantibus Organis”, factory SABBAEM a.r.l., Cantù (Como) (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music). Figure 7. Small expressive electro pneumatic organ model “Microorgano”, advertising brochure “Auto-organ Barbieri - some reviews in chronological order from July 1933 to July 1934”, fac- tory SABBAEM, Milan (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music) on a subsequent advertising brochure of the years ‘4014, after 1943 (but prior to 1950, the year of the death of Don angelo), when the SABBAEM moved from Milan to the town of Cantù, to reduce the risk of damage caused by the aircraft bombing15, it was presented the model Mini- mum (Figure 8), the evolution of the previous Figure 9. Two manuals Electric Console Barbieri with Auto-organ Microorgano, which incorporated into a single element and Harmonium, advertising brochure “Auto-organ Barbieri - both the reader of the music and a small organ. some reviews in chronological order from July 1933 to July 1934”, the SABBAEM production then continued with factory SABBAEM, Milan (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for largest and most important automatic organs, such as the Mechanical Music). one installed in 1934 in the choir of the Basilica porziana 16 the organ of sant’adolfo was extraordinary and prepositurale of san vittore al Corpo, Milan (Figure 9). unique on account of several technical properties which then we arrive to the most impressive and original were novel for that time: inventions and achievements of Don angelo Barbieri, one of which is the huge automatic organ installed in 1937 in * the organ was equipped, instead of the usual bells, the new Church of sant’adolfo (now st. Joseph) in aielli with 25 tubes which the historic documents called (L’aquila). “tubular bells”. they were located in the steeple whose facade was covered with glass elements in form of
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 263 organ pipes. the steeple was equipped with four loud- Music on rolls of punched paper speakers instead of bells. this way not only the sound for Auto-organs of the tubular bells of the steeple could be heard even at large distances but also the sound of the organ inside thanks to the appreciation of prominent personalities the church. from the ecclesiastical and musical world for the perfection attained * an auto-organo Barbieri was incorporated into the by the Barbieri equipment, the most popular and famous organists console which consisted of two manuals and could be of the time recorded thousands of titles of music on rolls of controlled independently by two music rolls. punched paper intended for Barbieri Auto-organs.20 * the instrument had an electric clock which at fixed the organ recordings of the great Masters organists of the times started the playing of the 25 tubular bells of the time were made through another device invented and patented by steeple from the music rolls with optional predeter- Don angelo Barbieri, the Autoperforator.21 this device, connected mined music.17 to the console of an organ, allowed to “record’, by drilling a roller Master of cardboard, any execution, in real time, with interpretation the organ and the auto-organ of Barbieri at aielli and desired key22 (Figure 11). were preserved yet unfortunately not completely, because subsequently, the original Master cartons were placed in a the 25 tubular bells, the four loudspeakers and the electric machine that made copies of rolls of paper taken from a reel, and clock were lost at an unknown time. they finally were held for sale. in the website of the historical archive “istituto the aMMi, italian association for Mechanical Music23, Luce” there is a video of the october 6, 1937, entitled “the has a musical repertoire which consists of over 2,000 rolls of Barbi- work ordered by the prefect of novara Letta”, in which, for eri Master cardboard (Figure 12), among which are the music of a short time, you see the Auto-organ Barbieri installed in Bach, perosi, Mozart, guilmant, Bottazzo, Bossi, Beethoven, han- 18 the church of sant’adolfo of aielli. del, gounod, albinoni, Mendelssohn, etc. You can see two frames taken from this movie (unfortunately in low resolution), which show the steeple facade covered with glass elements in form of organ pipes (Figure 10) as they were at the time of the inauguration (now the steeple is more modestly closed with modern flat glass).
Figure 11. (above left) Autoperforator connected to its console, adver- tising brochure “Cantantibus Organis”, factory SABBAEM a.r.l., Cantù (Como). (above right) Autoperforator removed pending restoration (photo by the author). (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechani- cal Music).
since the aMMi is also in possession of the machinery to make copies of the rolls of Master cardboard (single copy of this Figure 10. The 25 pipes coming up through the bell tower of the equipment arrived intact to this day), it is therefore possible to pro- Church of Sant’Adolfo (now St. Joseph) in Aielli (L’Aquila), frames vide new rolls of punched paper with the great performances of the taken from the movie “Giornale Luce B1177” of 06/10/1937, titled organ of the Masters organists of the past. “The work ordered by the prefect of Novara Letta” (courtesy His- torical Archive “Istituto Luce”).
the wide variety of models in the catalog, as well as the original adaptations and customizations that allowed the installation of equipment in any type of environment, enabled the factory saBBaeM to build and install over Figure 12. (Above left) Some rolls of Master cardboard boxes 19 1,600 pipe organs and automatic organs throughout italy. made from the factory SABBAEM, Milan. (Above right) roll of this enormous equipment production was made possible paper to be sold from the factory SABBAEM, Milan. Barbieri Col- thanks to the genius of Don angelo Barbieri, who created lection of the Museum of Mechanical Music, Villa Silvia in Cesena and deposited dozens of patents of its equipment in eight (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music). countries in the world (italy, germany, austria, spain, France, Belgium, england, Usa).
264 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Barbieri Organs in Great Britain chasers”) of the third part WHEREAS the Vendor has been granted the Letters Patent short particulars whereof are set as the fame of the Barbieri equipment became forth in the Schedule hereto in respect of the invention in the such as to go beyond the italian borders (there are reports said Schedule mentioned and hereinafter referred to as “the of Barbieri organs installed in France24 and switzerland25), Scheduled Letters Patent”. Don angelo in 1930 tried to enter the great Britain market, creating for this purpose the company “Barbieri organs (great Britain) Limited”, with a capital of £ 15,000 (Figure 13), which produced and distributed, on the basis of patents registered in england, Barbieri pipe organs. this sum of £15,000 in 1930 which equates at least to £778,200 today, was definitely a lot of money to start significantly the activity in a new very competitive selling market.26 to make a simple comparison, with £15,000 you could buy as many as 50 Barbieri pipe organs F6 model, suitable for rooms from 300 to 500 seats!
Figure 14. Top of the first page of the Agreement of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited”. (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music).
in the penultimate and last page of the agreement there is the list of the referred english registered patents (with handwritten U.s.a. registered patents to which it refers) and original signatures of interested parties to the agreement (Figures 15 and 16): * Don angelo Barbieri * Umberto Corvi * norman hall Figure 13. Fifty Ordinary Shares of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) * george palmer Limited” held by Don Angelo Barbieri (courtesy AMMI, Italian Associa- * John Wilson White tion for Mechanical Music). * Frank Robinson Ward
For its entry into the great Britain market in cine- ma and Church organs, on april 2, 1930, Don angelo Bar- bieri made an agreement between the seller and the italian dealers and British buyers. on the first page of the agreement we see the interested parties (Figure 14).
An Agreement made the Second day of April One thousand nine hundred and thirty BETWEEN DON ANGELO BARBI- ERI of Via S. Vincenzo 26 Milano Italy (hereinafter called “the Vendor”) of the first part CORVI & SEMERARO SOCIETA ACCOMANDITA of Via Carducci 30 Milano aforesaid (hereinafter called “the Concessionaires”) of the second part NORMAN HALL of Woodleigh Edgerton Hud- dersfield in the County of York Manufacturer GEORGE PALMER of 23 King Street in the City of London Incorpo- rated Accountant JOHN WILSON WHITE of 463 Princes Gardens London W.3 in the County of Middlesex Engineer and FRANK ROBINSON WARD of 14 Queen Victoria Street Figure 15. Bottom of the penultimate page of the Agreement of “Barbi- in the City of London Engineer (hereinafter called “the Pur- eri Organs (Great Britain) Limited”. (courtesy AMMI, Italian Associa- tion for Mechanical Music).
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 265 of the first part, Corvi and Semeraro Società Accomandita of the second part, and Norman Hall, George Palmer, John Wilson White and Frank Robinson Ward (for and on behalf of the Company) of the third part, or otherwise to purchase or acquire the letters patent granted to the said Don Angelo Barbieri in the British Empire, and the United States of America, for an invention relating to improvements in the manufacture of electrically controlled organs and piano- players, and the apparatus and machinery therefore, being British patents numbered 271,126, 218,333, 223,842, 219,148 and 295,468 respectively, and U.S.A. patents num- bered 1622364, 1637674 and 1620711 respectively, and any subsequent improvements in or upon the said manufacture, apparatus and machinery which may be invented by the said Don Angelo Barbieri, and all extensions of the said letters patent or any of them.
Figure 16. Top of the last page of the Agreement of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited”. (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music).
a very interesting part of the agreement is the first point of the agreement between the parties, which refers not only to the sale of Barbieri equipment in great Britain alone, but even across the British empire27 and the United states of america, a sign that Don angelo had the ambi- tious goal to greatly expand its sphere of action, which until that year was limited to only the italian territory.
the venDoR with the approval of the Concessionaires (signified by its being a party to and executing this agree- ment) will sell and the purchasers will purchase a) the said invention and the scheduled Letters patent and all rights privileges and advantages appertaining therefore, the patents that Don angelo Barbieri thereto in the British empire and the United states of used for the creation and implementation of the organs to america including the right to manufacture or assemble all things covered by the scheduled Letters patent in be sold on the great Britain market are those reported in any of the said territories. the article 3 of the association (these are the same also b) the right to apply in the name of the purchasers or reported on the agreement, the english ones typescripted of the Company hereinafter mentioned or in the name of and the U.s.a. ones handwritten, Figure 15), and are pre- and as attorney for the vendor for Letters patent or like cisely the following: privileges in any part of the British empire and the United states of america in which such Letters patent British Patents or privileges have not yet been granted in respect of the said invention. * patent specification no. 271,126 (application date: c) all improvements upon or additions to the said December 23, 1925. Complete accepted: May 23, inventions at any time hereafter made by the vendor and all rights privileges and advantages appertaining thereto. 1927), “improvements relating to the Control of elec- d) the right to apply in the name of the purchasers or tric orchestral instrument of the organ type.”. of the said Company or in the name of and as attorney * patent specification no. 218,333 (application Date: for the vendor for Letters patent or like privileges in the January 2, 1923. Complete accepted: July 2, 1924), British empire and the United states of america in “improvements in and relating to Combined pianoforte respect of the said improvements or additions. and organ instruments.”. in the Memorandum and articles of association of * patent specification no. 223,842 (application date: June 22, 1923. Complete accepted: october 22, 1924), “Barbieri organs (great Britain) Limited” (Figure 17), “improvements in or relating to Music Recording article 3, is written: Devices.”. To adopt and carry into effect an agreement dated the 2nd * patent specification no. 219,148 (application date: day of April 1930, and made between Don Angelo Barbieri June 22, 1923. Complete accepted: July 24, 1924),
266 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 “improvements in or relating to Music Recording Devices.”. * patent specification no. 295,468 (application date: June 10, 1927. Complete accepted: august 16, 1928), “improvements in and relating to a Combination of Musical instruments electrically operated by Means of keyboard and pedals.”. u.S.A. Patents Figure 18. (above left) Part of the electric music recorder for recording * patent specification no. 1622364 (patented March the notes as applied for instance to a pianoforte. (above right) Device 29, 1927), “Combined electric pianoforte and organ.”. for feeding the paper band on which the music is recorded and for actu- * patent specification no. 1637674 (patented august ating the device indicating the metre, also the paper band itself. Patent 2, 1927), “electric Musical Recorder.”. Specification No. 219,148 (Application date: June 22, 1923. Complete * patent specification no. 1620711 (patented March Accepted: July 24, 1924), “Improvements in or relating to Music 15, 1927), “perforating apparatus.”. Recording Devices.”.
now let’s see what machines and devices are the second patent is the Patent Specification No. described in the five British patents listed as those 223.842, “improvements in or Relating to Music Record- described in the three U.s. patents are equal to the British ing Devices.” (Figure 19), which describes the Autoperfo- ones.28 rator device, we have already seen above in Figure 11. i subdivide these five British patents in two dis- tinct branches: machine to record the music as it is per- This invention relates to a device for use with key operated formed; innovative devices for operation and interconnec- musical instruments which effects the automatic perforation of a paper band while a musical piece is played on the tion of pipe organs. instrument so that when the band thus perforated is used in Machines used to record the music while it is per- combination with automatic musical instruments, the exact formed reproduction of the music originally played may be attained and particularly refers to apparatus of the type comprising the first patent to consider is the Patent Specifica- a number of solenoids each electrically connected to a cor- tion No. 219.148, “improvements in or Relating to Music responding key of the musical instrument and adapted to Recording Devices.” (Figure 18), which is essentially an operate a corresponding perforating punch when a key is improvement and development of the Automusicograph depressed. device previously seen (Figures 2, 3 and 4), patented in england in 1909.29 in this patent the device for automatically record- ing music played on a key operated musical instrument has an electro-mechanical operation, while the previous Auto- musicograph of 1909 had a purely mechanical operation.
This invention relates to an electrical device for automati- cally recording music played on a key operated musical Figure 19. (above left) Diagrammatic vertical sectional view of the instrument for instance a pianoforte of the type in which Autoperforator. (above right) Portion of a tune sheet as reproduced by each key of the instrument actuates on being depressed a Autoperforator. Patent Specification No. 223,842 (Application date: small rod which closes an electric circuit operating a mark- June 22, 1923. Complete Accepted: October 22, 1924), “Improvements er which produces by means of an inked ribbon a mark upon in or relating to Music Recording Devices.”. a travelling paper band corresponding to the note played; an electrically operated device also being provided to mark upon the same paper the metre or time beats. […….] the these two patents, named in the Memorandum and recording of the music upon the paper band is effected by articles of association of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) closing the electric circuit of a solenoid which is adapted to Limited”, are inherent to recording devices of perforated raise its core to actuate a double armed lever carrying a cardboard rolls, widely used in italy by saBBaeM to marking disc which by means of an inked ribbon produces a record the performances of the great Masters organists, and mark upon the said band and in which a pedal operated then realize copies for sale for use on its automatic organs. device is provided to actuate through a system of levers, a i can assume that Don angelo Barbieri had planned, if its band arranged below the inking ribbon and having pipe organs had broken through the great Britain market, embossed thereon the numbers of the metronome, and to to then market also its auto-organs. control the closing of an electric circuit to indicate the metre upon the said paper band.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 267 Innovative devices for operation and interconnec- This invention relates to improvements in electric orchestral tion of pipe organs instruments as described in Specification No. 218,333 which substantially consists in the combination of a piano and the first patent i take up of this type is the Patent organ which are so connected together electrically that all Specification No. 218.333, “improvements in and Relating the notes of the organ or some of them, according to choice, to Combined piano and organ instruments.” (Figure 20), may be brought into play, optionally, either when the piano deposited at the beginning of 1923, regarding the connec- is played or when action is made on a second key-board tion systems between piano and pipe organ, devices that which for better accommodation is mounted on the piano, will be one of the strengths of future models “Barbieri per- for the purpose of controlling only the pipes of the organ; a fect Unit organs”, marketed seven years after by the com- corresponding pedal key-board, also disposed at the piano, pany “Barbieri organs (great Britain) Limited”. being adapted to transmit electrically its movement to the pedal department of the organ. This invention relates to a combined musical instrument comprising a piano and organ electrically connected togeth- er. Musical instruments are already known comprising a pianoforte and an organ connected together in such a man- ner that, by playing the pianoforte, the organ is caused to play. [………] The present invention consist in a musical instrument formed by a piano and an organ electrically con- nected together, and provided with three different keyboards applied to the piano (that is, the keyboard of the piano prop- er, a manual keyboard only serving for playing the organ Figure 21. (above left) Front elevation partially in section of the mecha- and a pedal keyboard for the organ) which are all connected nism of an organ taken away from the organ case or shell. (above right) to the valves of the pipes of the organ by means of a system An elevation of a combination of solenoid controlled electric switch con- of solenoids and movable contacts disposed in such a man- tacts. Patent Specification No. 271,126 (Application date: December 23, 1925. Complete Accepted: May 23, 1927), “Improvements relating to ner that, by closing by means of suitable stops the circuits of the Control of Electric Orchestral Instrument of the Organ Type.”. corresponding independent double solenoids designed to act upon said movable contact, it is possible to connect either all the keyboards or one or two of them, according to the the third and last of the patents is the Patent Specification No. 295.468, “improvements in and Relating playing effect desired, either to all the registers of the organ to a Combination of Musical instruments electrically or only to a portion suitably chosen whereby a player is operated by Means of keyboard and pedals.” (Figure 22), able to obtain by this musical instrument the effects of a filed in mid-1927, which concerns an invention relating to small orchestra. percussive sound effects, which will be equipped with the more complex “Barbieri perfect Unit organs” and the machine “electrically Controlled Jazz sets” (Figure 32). This invention relates to that type of apparatus comprising a combination of electrically operated percussion sound pro- ducers with a piano, which instruments are actuated from the keyboard or pedals, the movements of which close elec- tric circuits whereby the particular instrument is directly struck through the attraction of the armature of an electro- magnet. [……..] The operation of the jazz instruments is obtained as already proposed through a small system of Figure 20. (above left) Vertical section of an ordinary pianoforte con- pedals.30 nected electrically to an organ. (above right) Separate view of one of the constructional forms of the electric mechanism with which every one Figure 22. Pratical of the keys carried by the pianoforte is provided. Patent Specification embodiment of the No. 218,333 (Application Date: January 2, 1923. Complete Accepted: electrical connec- July 2, 1924), “Improvements in and relating to Combined Pianoforte tions of apparatus comprising a com- and Organ Instruments.”. bination of electri- cally operated per- cussion sound pro- the second patent is the Patent Specification No. ducers with a piano. 271.126, “improvements Relating to the Control of electric Patent Specification orchestral instrument of the organ type.” (Figure 21), No. 295,468 (Appli- cation date: June filed at the end of 1925, which relates to an improvement 10, 1927. Complete of the link between piano and pipe organ, described in pre- Accepted: August vious patent specification no. 218.333, which are subse- 16, 1928), “Improvements in and relating to a Combination of Musical quently used in the production of “Barbieri perfect Unit Instruments Electrically Operated by Means of Keyboard and Pedals.”. organs”.
268 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 angelo Barbieri, for his input on the great Britain in the technical/commercial catalog of the models market, aimed particularly on cinema organs, pipe organs of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” specifically designed to imitate an orchestra. company, their positive characteristics are publicized, these organs were built to provide the greatest which distinguish them from all other equipments of the variety of timbres, and often had pianos and percussion competitors. the following is an excerpt from the “Barbieri perfect Unit organs” catalog. instruments built in, and some sound effects such siren, harps, chimes, etc. By virtue of the numerous novel devices embodied in the Barbieri During the 1920s and the 1930s the cinema organs Perfect Unit Organs and the range of sizes and prices at which they are offered, it is difficult to make any comparison between were built in a great variety of sizes, because, at a much them and others on the market, but some of the outstanding fea- lower cost, replacing the orchestra before in the accompa- tures may be enumerated as follows: niment of silent movies, then to insert musical interludes 1. Absolute and positive electrical control from keyboard and between a film projection and the subsequent one. stop to pipes, including all couplers and combinations, tremo- in england, the two leading companies in the pro- lo and swell (Figure 24). duction and sale of cinema organs were the german-amer- ican Wurlitzer and english Compton, the latter is the com- pany that has sold more cinema organs in the great Britain, for a total of 261 units! to get into a so competitive market, Don angelo Barbieri did things in a big way, offering a full range of models, called “Barbieri perfect Unit organs”, which made Figure 24. Keyboard of “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” it possible to be installed in any hall, whatever its capacity, company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music). whether it be 300 or 5,000 seats, a pipe organ suitable in tone and volume to its size. 2. A perfect volume of wind for all types of pipes, no matter its technical/commercial catalog had 18 pages how many are in operation and if every pipe in the organ is (Figure 23), and can be dated around 1930, the year of maintained at full pressure; and yet it is impossible for any incorporation of the “Barbieri organs (great Britain) Lim- pipe to be overblown. ited” company. 3. Power required to operate blower and control-small, giving low cost of running. Unlike other organs which demand with every 4. Simplicity in construction and maintenance. There is noth- alleged improvement greater skill and agility on the part of ing in the electrical mechanism which cannot be repaired by the organist, the Barbieri perfect Unit organ could in the any competent electrician. smaller sizes be played with a few hours practice by any 5. The operation of one stop automatically annuls the previous one, unless it is desired to retain both, thus eliminating the good pianist, and could be played from the keyboard of an pauses necessary between the cutting out of one stop and ordinary piano without affecting the normal operation, sep- employing the next. Yet at the same time, when desired, the arately or in conjunction with the organ, even to the extent combinations can be built up by the gradual pressure of one of the treble being rendered on the piano and the bass on foot until the whole force of the organ is combined in a crash the organ, and vice versa, giving effects until that moment of melody which may be gradually allowed to die away to nothing by the reverse operation (Figure 25). impossible with one performer.31
Figure 23. “Bar- bieri Perfect Unit Organs”, catalog cover of pipe organs of “Bar- bieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” compa- Figure 25. Stop panel, two manual console, of “Barbieri Perfect Unit ny (courtesy Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs AMMI, Italian (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association Association for for Mechanical Music). Mechanical Music) 6. Any organ, from the smallest chamber type to the largest, can be supplied to any specification of pipes to meet the individual need of the organist or his audience, and, if desired, such pipes may be changed in half an hour or so.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 269 7. Owing to its simplified Unit construction and com- plete electrical control an organ of any size can be easi- ly adapted to the space available, no matter how irregu- larly shaped. The pipes may be fitted in the roof, under the stage, or in any place however apparently inconve- nient. 8. The stops are divided so that any combination of bass and treble can be produced, each pair of stops control- ling half the register – the right half operating the treble and the left half the bass, the two together operating the whole register. 9. Price: there is no other organ in the world which can supply such volume of power and tone and such a num- ber of combinations at the prices at which the Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs are offered.32
in addition to the technical specifications, in this catalog there are the five standard sizes in which the Barbi- eri perfect Unit organs were produced, including the rele- vant prices and the number of seats in the room to which each model was more suitable33 (Figure 26).
Figure 27. Models “F6” and “F6c” of “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music).
We then move on to intermediate models, “nR” and “nRc”, suitable for halls from 500 to 1400 seats (Fig- ure 28), with two manual console, the price went from 290 pounds to 415 pounds, that equates at least from £22,570 to £36,310 today.35
Figure 26. Sizes and prices of “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music).
sizes of Barbieri organs started with the small “F6” and “F6c” models, suitable for halls from 300 to 600 seats (Figure 27), the most economical and compact, the Figure 28. Models “NR” and “NRc” of “Barbieri Perfect Unit price went from 290 pounds to 415 pounds, that equates at Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association 34 least from £15,040 to £21,530. for Mechanical Music).
270 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Finally you get to the giant model “super o” (Fig- the organist, giving effects hitherto unobtainable. [……] ures 29 and 30), which in italy had been installed at the Second console comprises two manuals, consisting of a new “odeon Cinema” in Milan in the year 192936, cinema piano with an extra set of keys. This arrangement allows which had a huge auditorium with 3,800-seater (Figure 31). two persons to play the organ at the same time and permits the room was so great to have twice the size (a house dou- the use of the piano keyboard as a piano or an organ key- ble the size) than the famous “teatro alla scala” in Milan! board. The upper register of the piano keyboard can be divided from the lower half, so that any combination can be This organ is probably the largest organ in Europe and has made; and with two operators effects can be obtained and five manuals on two consoles, including piano, enabling two combinations produced which on any other organ are organist to produce effects hitherto unattainable by even the impossible.38 most accomplished of modern performers. Owing to the sim- plicity of its construction and entirely electrical operation, it would be possible to install such an organ in Great Britain at a considerably lower figure than has been paid for any of the more important recent installations in this country.37
Figure 30. Specifications of model “Super O” of “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music)
according to angelo Barbieri, his organ model “super o” was probably the largest organ ever installed in europe. the other organ models of the time, of which we know, which could compete in size with the “super o” are: Figure 29. The two consoles of “Super O” model of “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri 1. Wurlitzer pipe organ installed in 1930 for the grand Organs (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian opening of the 3,500-seater trocadero cinema, at the Association for Mechanical Music). elephant and Castle, London, the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ ever installed in an european cinema. it was four as can be seen from Figure 30, “specification of manuals on one console, 21 ranks. the Barbieri Double grand organ as installed at the new 2. Compton pipe organ installed in 1937 at 2,116-seater odeon Cinema, Milan” (it’s the model “super o”), it was a odeon cinema, Leicester square, London. it was five five manuals, 32 ranks, and 21 effects organ. manuals on one console, 17 ranks.
It is operated on five manuals and one 88-note piano key- the following table highlights better the different board on two consoles, which enable the piano to be played technical characteristics between the Barbieri “super o” separately or in conjunction with the organ at the wish of and these other two huge organ models (table 1).
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 271 table 1. Technical specifications for “Super O” of “Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs”, as compared with those of two of the largest pipe organ ever installed in Europe, Wurlitzer and Compton.
in the following Figure 31 you see two images of the interior of the new odeon Cinema in Milan in 1929.
1. STAGE. The organ is installed in the proscenium, the sound passing through the decorative perforation seen in the illustration. The two consoles of the Barbieri “Super O’ Organ are seen in the centre below the stage. 2. AUDITORIUM. The organ at its softest can be heard clearly from every seat, yet the sound is not oppressive any- where when played full forte.39
Figure 32. Standard specifications of “Electrically Controlled Jazz Sets”, taken from the catalog of pipe organs of “Barbieri Organs (Great Britain) Limited” company (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music).
A wrong approach to the Great Britain market?
of all this work of Don angelo Barbieri to launch its pipe organs in the great Britain market, now we ask: how many of them have been sold? there is some one kept up to date? From some research carried out by experts and fans of musical instruments, organs in particular, there has been only one news about one Barbieri organ installed in 1931 in a British cinema, namely the “Regal Cinema” (now “apollo Cinemas”), Leamington spa, Warwickshire. on the “Cinema treasures” website you will find this informa- tion:43
The Regal Cinema was equipped with a Barbieri 3 Manu- in the catalog “Barbieri organs (great Britain) al/6 Rank organ which was opened by Frederick Jukes. It is LtD.” also appears a system specifically designed to pro- thought that this was the only British cinema installation of duce effects and noises in films, called “electrically Con- this Italian made instrument. The organ was removed in trolled Jazz sets”40, which was patented in 192741, whose 1955 when CinemaScope was installed. retail prices ranged from from £65 for the smallest and Mr Richard Cole44 confirmed to me that this is the simplest model to £310 for the model more elaborate and only Barbieri Cinema organ installed in england. he also rich sound effects model (Figure 32), that equates at least provided me with some information on its technical charac- from £3,372 to £16,080 today.42 teristics:
272 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 It was the only Barbieri organ to be installed in an English 3 tiziano Casartelli, I sotterranei di San Michele - La cinema. It was removed from the cinema in the 1950s and broken-up for parts. […….] The Regal, Leamington Spa, ditta organaria Barbieri a Cantù negli anni di guerra, in “Cantu- had a 3 manual, 6 unit Barbieri organ: Vox Humana, String, rium - periodico di storia, arte e ambiente del Canturino e della Flute, Trumpet, Tibia Clausa, Diapason. [……..] I have now Brianza”, issue 33, Year iX, July 2012, Borghi publisher, p. 50. been informed that the pipework probably still exists, spread 4 Piccolo notiziario della Parrocchia di S. Michele Arcan- about various instruments, but that the console, chests, reg- ulators, etc, were all broken-up many years ago. A sad end gelo, Cantù, number 6, June 1948. for the only Barbieri organ in England! 5 patent specification no. 29,685 (application Date: December 18, 1909. accepted: December 15, 1910), An the only images, unfortunately in low resolution, Improved Apparatus for Recording Music Played on Keyed which i was able to find of this Barbieri organ and of the Instruments. interior of the era of the “Regal Cinema” are those of Fig- 6 Brochure L’Automusicografo Barbieri, society for the ure 33. manufacture of the Barbieri automusicograph, Barbieri & C., Milan, (1910), p. 2. 7 The Washington Herald, Wednesday, september 14, 1910, p. 4. 8 giorgio Farabegoli (author), aldo Laus (translator), The Automusicograph of Angelo Barbieri (1875-1950), in: “L’antico organetto”, italian association for Mechanical Music, issue 3, Year 14, Dicember 2012. “The AMICA Bulletin”, vol- ume 50, number 2, March-april 2013. 9 Piccolo notiziario della Parrocchia di S. Michele Arcan- Figure 33. (above left) Auditorium of the “Regal Cinema”, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. (above right) Three manuals console of Barbieri gelo, Cantù, number 6, June 1948. 10 Organ installed in “Regal Cinema”, here played by the organist Leslie Attestato di Trascrizione di Marchio (Certificate of Norris (courtesy AMMI, Italian Association for Mechanical Music). trade-Mark Registration) della S.A.B.B.A.E.M., società anonima Brevetti Barbieri per applicazioni elettro Musicali, Milano, therefore, from the little information received, it depositato il 1 aprile 1924, e registrato il 24 Marzo 1925, in pos- appears that Don angelo Barbieri has failed to break into session of aMMi. the great Britain market, despite: 11 Auto-organo Barbieri - alcuni giudizi in ordine cronolo- gico dal Luglio 1933 al Luglio 1934, advertising brochure of the * the vast experience and success obtained in italy factory saBBaeM, Milan. with the sale, up to that time, of over 1,600 organs (the 12 Rudolph Wurlitzer company, the most prolific manu- giorgio Farabegoli, “angelo Barbieri (1875-1950), facturer, built 2,234 organs, not many more than those inventore di organi automatici ed altre meraviglie per registrare e who sold the SABBAEM company of angelo Barbieri); riprodurre la musica” (angelo Barbieri (1875-1950), inventor of * the several innovative devices, filed with three automatic organs and other devices for recording and reprodu- important patents since in the 1920s, of its “perfect cing music), Arte Organaria e Organistica, n. 86, January-March Unit organs”; 2013, edizioni Carrara, Bergamo, p. 36. * the technical, economic and commercial commit- 13 Auto-organo Barbieri - alcuni giudizi in ordine cronolo- ment devoted in the creation of an ad hoc company, gico dal Luglio 1933 al Luglio 1934, advertising brochure of the “Barbieri organs (great Britain) Limited”, with a reg- factory saBBaeM, Milan. istered capital of respect for the time of £ 15,000. 14 Cantantibus Organis, advertising brochure of the facto- ry saBBaeM a.r.l. Cantù (Como), p. 9. it would be interesting to understand why Don 15 tiziano Casartelli, I sotterranei di San Michele - La angelo Barbieri has sold only one copy of its “perfect Unit ditta organaria Barbieri a Cantù negli anni di guerra, in “Cantu- organs” in the great Britain market, or, if he has sold rium - periodico di storia, arte e ambiente del Canturino e della more, why tracks have been lost..... Brianza”, issue 33, Year iX, July 2012, Borghi publisher, p. 50. We hope, sooner or later, to find answers to these 16 Auto-organo Barbieri - alcuni giudizi in ordine cronolo- questions, perhaps even with the help of our readers. gico dal Luglio 1933 al Luglio 1934, advertising brochure of the end Notes factory saBBaeM, Milan, pp. 12-13. 17 giorgio Farabegoli (author), albert Loetz (translator), 1 Archivio della Curia vescovile di Lodi, serie Registri del “angelo Barbieri (1875-1950), erfinder selbstspielender orgeln clero, registro n. iX 1893-1900, p. 38; registro Census cleri, p.94 und anderer apparate zur aufnahme und Wiedergabe von 2 Archivio della Curia vescovile di Lodi, serie Clero Musik” (angelo Barbieri (1875-1950), inventor of automatic nominato, cartella Barbieri angelo. organs and other devices for recording and reproducing music), Archivio della Curia vescovile di Lodi, stati personali Das Mechanische Musikinstrument, Journal der gesellschaft für dei sacerdoti. selbstspielende Musikinstrumente, n. 117, august 2013, pp. 22- Archivio della Curia vescovile di Lodi, serie parrocchie, 23. Marudo.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 273 18 giornale Luce B1177, 06/10/1937, italy, aielli it stretched on all five continents, from Canada to (L’aquila), The work ordered by the prefect of Novara Letta, guyana, from egypt to south africa, from india to australia; it artistic director arnaldo Ricotti. controlled territories rich in raw materials, and this allowed the the historical archive “istituto Luce” is an italian insti- United kingdom to become the largest economic and military tution which houses a vast heritage of and photograph and film power of the planet for almost a hundred years. consisting of documents of its production (from 1924, the year of 28 U.s.a. patent specification no. 1622364 is equal to his birth), from private collections and audiovisual funds British patent specification no. 218,333; U.s.a. patent specifi- acquired over time from different sources. the assets currently cation no. 1637674 is equal to British patent specification no. consists of 12,000 newsreels, 4,700 documentaries and other 219,148; U.s.a. patent specification no. 1620711 is equal to types of films, ranging from the origins of the cinema to the doc- British patent specification no. 223,842. umentation of events and social life in recent decades. 29 patent specification no. 29,685 (application Date: http://www.archivioluce.com/archivio December 18, 1909. accepted: December 15, 1910), An 19 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- Improved Apparatus for Recording Music Played on Keyed alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” Instruments. company, p. 2. 30 patent specification no. 295,468 (application date: 20 Auto-organo Barbieri - alcuni giudizi in ordine cronolo- June 10, 1927. Complete accepted: august 16, 1928), Improve- gico dal Marzo 1931 al Giugno 1933, advertising brochure of the ments in and relating to a Combination of Musical Instruments factory saBBaeM, Milan. Electrically Operated by Means of Keyboard and Pedals. 21 Auto-organo Barbieri - alcuni giudizi in ordine cronolo- 31 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- gico dal Luglio 1933 al Luglio 1934, advertising brochure of the alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” factory saBBaeM, Milan. company, p. 1. 22 patent specification no. 221,880 (application date: 32 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- June 22, 1923. Complete accepted: september 22, 1924), alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” Improvements in or relating to Music Recording Devices. patent company, pp. 2-3. specification no. 223,842 (application date: June 22, 1923. 33 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- Complete accepted: october 22, 1924), Improvements in or alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” relating to Music Recording Devices. company, p. 4. 23 AMMI, italian association for Mechanical Music, 34 MeasuringWorth, Five Ways to Compute the Relative founded in Cesena in 1998, is responsible for recovering and Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present: http://www.mea- spreading the mechanical music, currently has a few hundred suringworth.com/m/calculators/ukcompare/, for conversion of members, of whom 10 % are foreigners. 1930’s price to 2011’s price, consulted on november 9, 2013. AMMI combines and connects all the knowledge in italy 35 MeasuringWorth, Five Ways to Compute the Relative dedicated to this culture, is the referent of the institutions for all Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present: http://www.mea- major repairs of mechanical musical instruments, has a technical suringworth.com/m/calculators/ukcompare/, for conversion of library of the most important in the world and publishes a quar- 1930’s price to 2011’s price, consulted on november 9, 2013. terly magazine. 36 http://www.ammi-italia.com/aMMi/home.html the Odeon cinema-theater in Milan was built, on the http://www.museomusicalia.it design of ing. g. Laveni and arch. a. avati, from 1926 to 1929, and was inaugurated on 26 november 1929. 24 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- this building, in addition to cinema, which was devel- alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” oped in height to three storeys, included a 900-seat underground company, p. 17. theater, a dining hall and a ballroom. 25 Auto-organo Barbieri - alcuni giudizi in ordine cronolo- Unfortunately this building since the war has undergone gico dal Luglio 1933 al Luglio 1934, advertising brochure of the various interventions that have fundamentally altered it, until the factory saBBaeM, Milan, p. 2. current intended use in eight multiplex cinema halls. 26 MeasuringWorth, Five Ways to Compute the Relative http://www.giusepperausa.it/cinema_odeon.html Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present: http://www.mea- 37 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- suringworth.com/m/calculators/ukcompare/, for conversion of alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” 1930’s price to 2011’s price, consulted on november 9, 2013. company, p. 2. 27 the British Empire was the largest empire in human his- 38 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- tory; in 1921 it ruled over a population of over 500 million peo- alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” ple, although more than half of them, or about 300 million, had company, p. 9. settled in india. 39 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- if we also consider the antarctic domains, it measured alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” 45.218.448 millions of km ², 30% of the total surface of the company, p. 11. earth. its maximum area was reached in 1918 and maintained that until 1932 (the year it was granted independence in iraq).
274 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 40 Barbieri Perfect Unit Organs, technical/commercial cat- Editor Notes: Dr. Farabegoli may be contacted at: alog of pipe organs of “Barbieri organs (great Britain) LtD.” Dr. giorgio Farabegoli company, p. 10. piazzale Ruffio, 22 41 patent specification no. 295,468 (application date: 47521 – Cesena (FC) June 10, 1927. Complete accepted: august 16, 1928), Improve- italy ments in and relating to a Combination of Musical Instruments e-mail: [email protected] Electrically Operated by Means of Keyboard and Pedals. telephone number: 00393285871093 42 MeasuringWorth, Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present: http://www.mea- Article translated from Italian by: suringworth.com/m/calculators/ukcompare/, for conversion of Mr. aldo Laus 1930’s price to 2011’s price, consulted on november 9, 2013. e-mail: [email protected] 43 Website Cinema Treasures: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/24797 44 Richard Cole, Curator at The Musical Museum, Brent- ford, Middlesex, england.
Postcard, ~1890 contributed by James Huffer
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 275 Web Sites of Interest
AMICA's 2014 Convention Promo. A Mathematical Force Model for a Piano Action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbr2pkX6Rlg http://tinyurl.com/nthuvu4 Mechanical Music Press Free Sheet Music www.mechanicalmusicpress.com http://www.free-scores.com/ The Writer Automaton Rob Goodale's Wurlitzer 146A on halloween (contributed by ken vinen) in las Vegas Town Square shopping plaza. http://tinyurl.com/lzmxldp http://tinyurl.com/pjz393n Niaga-Rag Follies - QRS history Project Snippet of QRS automatic violin (contributed by adam Ramet) with piano accompaniment. http://www.hallwalls.org/visual/5136.html http://tinyurl.com/op9esq6 hamanako Music Box Museum in Japan Teánola Mechanical Music http://tinyurl.com/kl4oz5s http://www.teanola.com/ Phil Dayson's Wine Bottle Organ Review of Q. David Bowers' new book, http://tinyurl.com/9bx7eyf 1000 Nights At The Movies Tulane university Sheet Music Collection http://tinyurl.com/k9roo8k http://tinyurl.com/pcwpsmk Organ Rally in France uClA Sheet Music Consortium (contributed by Bill sharkey and Wallace venable) http://tinyurl.com/nz538sf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itlB-j55-4i (click 'digital', search on *.*) The Orchestrion on Facebook Construction of a Steinway B grand piano https://www.facebook.com/orchestrion?ref=profile (contributed by Max Lakeman) Four-fingered piano player - unbelievable! http://tinyurl.com/pbs5law (contributed by vincent Morgan) history of Music in 7 Minutes http://tinyurl.com/n2r36te http://tinyurl.com/ls4wupo
Our On-Line Research Library by Terry Smythe new files added to our on-Line Research Library:
Duo-art_grand_tubing_Chart standard_player_Magazine_nov-Dec1929 Metro-art_Uk_1913_Roll_Catalog standard_player_Monthly_Jan-Feb_1928 Music_trades_19260102 standard_player_Monthly_Jul-aug_1928 Music_trades_19260109 standard_player_Monthly_Mar-apr_1928 Music_trades_19260116 standard_player_Monthly_May-Jun_1928 Music_trades_19260123 standard_player_Monthly_nov-Dec_1927 Music_trades_19260130 standard_player_Monthly_sep-oct_1928 Recordo_grand_tubing_Chart_1929 steck_piano_Catalog_Usa_1913 Recordo_tubing_Chart_1929 the_tuners_Journal_Dec_1925 standard_player_Magazine_Jan-Mar_1929 standard_player_Magazine_Jul-sep_1929
276 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 The “Footsie Chronicles (Part the sixth - Epilogue) by John R. Grant, pe (pumper emeritus)
(cough, cough) visual aspects of “It’s all fun and games until somebody gets an eye put the trophy. and so began the John R. Grant out.” – Your Mother search for such a music box with said tune. Zip, zero, zilch, nada, nix, nothing, nil, nope, [it appears that due to scheduled vacations (mine) naught, goose egg, null, cipher, not to Be FoUnD. nor and procrastination (also mine), this final installment of the did anyone in the music box business on this Continent Chronicles will appear in the november-December issue of anD who spoke english, have any encouraging words, the Bulletin rather than the July-august issue where the especially when i had to answer the question of “how “normal” schedule would have placed it. i also regret hav- many do you need?” with the answer, “one.” i rapidly ing to miss this year’s Convention in san Francisco and came to the conclusion that if i wanted a music box with congratulate this year’s winner in advance. Well, it that tune, i would have to build it myself. “another WoULD be in advance if this was published BeFoRe the chance to excel!” as my college physics professor was contest, but since it will appear aFteR the contest, i can wont to say when handing out the pop quiz questions. hardly congratulate the winner in advance, now can i? i now pause to give recognition to this same gen- Whatever, i believe it’s Larry norman’s turn.] tleman, whose name i am ashamed to say i cannot now recall. it was he who would always remark as we were ThIS NeWS JuST IN: the 2013 “Footsie” Contest win- undertaking an assignment in the physics lab that, “the ner was Diane DeTarr, our first distaff recipient. keep try- experiment can always be solved with the materials in the ing Larry, your time will come! room.” (see the beginning of part three of the Chronicles.) What is, on the surface a simple, almost self-evident state- We begin this final installment of the “Footsie” ment has stayed with me as one of the most profound guid- Chronicles (no applause please) with some additional ing principles of my life, along with the quote by edwin h. information that has been provided by other aMiCa mem- Land at the beginning of part two, “every creative act bers since the publication of previous installments: results from a sudden cessation of stupidity.” these two John semmens kindly informed me that he and the statements have come to my rescue innumerable times, late Denis Condon served as judges for the 2001 pumper when i was stuck on a thorny problem, usually mechanical Contest in Melbourne, australia. also, ken hodge of the in nature, that required some creative, out-of-the-box think- Rocky Mountain Chapter relates that the contestants in the ing. i would pause, take a deep breath, recite those state- 2005 contest (in Minneapolis) were alan turner, ken ments, frequently aloud, look around and find some small hodge, Larry norman and (winner) alex thompson. bit of material that, sometimes with a slight modification, i this installment was conceived as a discussion, could fashion into a tool to get the job-at-hand done. the albeit one-sided, of my proposed re-design of the Footsie final aphorism for life is "You can eat an elephant if you award, the original creation of which was thoroughly dis- just take one bite at a time." if you remember nothing else cussed in part three of the Chronicles. i figured that since i from this series of articles, remember those three phrases. designed and fabricated it in the first place, i should have pass them on to your kids and grandkids. one day they will the right to modify that design. that “right”, of course, may be grateful that you did. But i digress. be open to discussion, but said vacations and procrastina- in my search for “custom tune” music boxes, tion combined to render said re-design unachievable for the assisted immeasurably by Mr. google, i first came upon 2013 Convention. But, never one to be dissuaded by being some eBay items that looked intriguing. Manufactured by a slave to the clock and calendar, i somehow stumble an outfit named “kikkerland” it is a “do-it-yourself” music onward. the difficult i can accomplished immediately; the box that can be custom “programmed” by punching holes impossible takes a little longer. in a strip of paper. What a concept! the paper strip is then Like many (most?) of my projects, it started out as fed through the mechanism, powered by a small crank, a simple concept: i wanted to add a small music box to the where a star wheel arrangement “reads” the holes and “Footsie” that would play the tune, “the old piano Roll plucks the teeth of an otherwise ordinary music box comb. Blues”, which i thought topically appropriate and would i was then to find a version of this music box encased in a lend a nice audible enhancement to the already handsome miniature piano. now we were getting somewhere! i ordered one of these and waited anxiously for it to arrive.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 277 Fig. 1 -15note mech- Fig. 2 - Playing a Fig. 3 - Tune strip anism as supplied. tune strip. exiting from rear.
When it did, i immediately discovered a fatal flaw: the mechanism had (only)15 notes which turned out to be only the “white” notes of a piano keyboard, starting at C and ending at C two octaves higher, with no half-step inter- Fig. 7 - Proof-of-concept for 30-note mecha- vals except e-F and B-C. there was simply no way the nism. Mounted on a hollow wooden box to melody of “the old piano Roll blues” would “fit” this enhance sound quality. scale satisfactorily without some “accidentals”. Upon inspection, it became apparent where were “fit” issues of a different sort. to begin with, the 30-note model was physically larger than the 15-note model that came in the piano case, about one and a half times as wide, and just slightly narrower than the space available inside the case. in addition, the 15-note movement rested horizon- tally on a shelf inside the case where it received the punched tune strip through a slot in the front of the case, discharging it through a slot in the back. in my envisioned Fig. 4 -Interior detail of 15-note “piano”. design it would not be acceptable to have to continually hand-feed the strip through the mechanism whenever i wanted to hear the tune. so, it was back to google. after much searching, i so, i sat down and had a séance with edwin Link, was able to locate a larger version of this mechanism that and instead of a simple rectangular strip with a beginning had a compass of 20 notes, but again, only white keys! and an end, i fashioned the tune strip in the form of a cylin- again, the melody would not fit. Dang! der about 2 ¾” wide and 2 ½” in diameter. (the first cylin- der i made, pictured in Figure 6, contained two repeats of Finally, i discovered a web site in the Uk with the the 25-note melody line. this proved to be too bulky for name grand illusions (www.grand-illusions.com). this is a the volume inside the piano case, so i reduced it to one very interesting enterprise with many magic tricks, toys repeat for the final version.) instead of a straight-across and various entertainment devices including a selection of butt joint of the two ends, i cut it in a spiral fashion so that music boxes. in addition to the 15 and 20 note movements the cylinder pretty much maintains its shape without a i had already found, they also carry a 30-note movement noticeable discontinuity. (a trip through the laser printer which turns out to be chromatic throughout most of its added the lyric syllables before cutting.) With some care- compass. see http://tinyurl.com/lvh5uxs) ful disassembly, i was able to fit the cylinder into the mechanism so that it would play “endlessly” as long as the crank is turned. Much more satisfactory! some woodworking and millwork was now in order: i swapped portions of the cranking components between the original 15-note movement and the 30-note movement to reduce overall width, then milled off one of the stock mounting ears, replacing it with a newly drilled and tapped hole. i then removed the original 15-note Fig. 5 - 20-Note Do-It-Yourself Fig. 6 - 30-note, mostly chromatic movement mounting shelf entirely and milled a “window” Music Box DIY Music Box with hand punch. through which the “roll” and lyrics could be seen. Finally, the melody would fit! an order was placed . and it arrived in due course.
278 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Fig. 8 - “A” is where an original threaded mounting lug was removed.“B is where a new hole was drilled and tapped to take its place Fig. 11 - Milling an assembly slot for the crank handle.
Fig. 12 - The finished Fig. 13 - Finished assembly, “roll”. interior detail.
Fig. 9 - Bottom view showing the original mounting shelf for the 15-note mechanism which was milled out in its entirety.
Fig. 14 - The assembly with an Fig. 15 - Rear view of the assembly. added “keyboard”. Rear slot could be filled for appearance.
determined that my original purpose of adding this gadget to the “Footsie” award would be problematic. it could, however be a possible candidate for the table favor of a future convention. Unfortunately, buying these mechanisms at MsRp and considering all of the custom machining work that would be necessary, would probably put the pro- duction cost far beyond a reasonable budget for this pur- pose. thus ends “The Footsie Chronicles”. i hope you Fig. 10 - Milling the “window” for the “roll” have found them entertaining, informative and that they have given you a new appreciation for the contest that helps define our interest in automated music. this is as far as i have gotten with this project. i had hoped to be able to record a video of it in operation John grant and provide a link to Youtube where i will (eventually) october, 2013 upload it, but as terry has a publication deadline approach- [email protected] ing, i will defer this link until a future issue. i have also
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 279 Sutter Creek Organ Rally 28-29 September 2013 by Shirley Nix photos by Shirley Nix and Darryl Coe
Frank and i set up the Limon- several years ago Frank and i were visiting John aire next to them…..not an and nadine Motto-Ros in sutter Creek and while we were accidental choice.) sitting at their table the subject of an organ rally came up. i it’s a great venue for an Shirley Nix don’t remember whether it was Frank or John who first organ rally, and we hope to be doing it for at least six more thought it was a good idea, but it grew into a trip down- years. town to visit sites where organs could be placed, and it was i won’t mention all those who brought organs off and running. because i’d be sure to miss someone and that would be a this year was our sixth rally, and it continues to very bad thing. it’s work to bring instruments of any size grow. the first couple of years it was really the southern to something like this, and each one is admired and appre- California Chapter of aMiCa who brought organs, but ciated. so thanks to all who participate. then it peaked the interest of the Founding Chapter and oth- ers in the northern California area. John has a lot of clout with the City Fathers, and he has arranged for us to have plenty of room in really good sites in downtown sutter Creek. (here i should mention that sutter Creek downtown consists of two long blocks.) We look forward to the event each year, and the townspeople seem to enjoy the spectacle. it isn’t unusual to see people dancing down the street to the beat of a fair- ground organ. We get a lot of good questions and lots of thank yous. this year John came up with a new banner, which flew over the main street showing that aMiCa sponsored the event. this is great exposure. We hand out a lot of applications for aMiCa. i don’t think many, if any, come back with actual new mem- All participants performing a monket organ concert in the main church in Sutter Creek. bers, but i think it is still good. it gives people an idea of what we are all about, and who knows that one day some- one won’t decide that it was a lot of fun grinding that mon- key organ and perhaps he (or she) wants to own one. John and nadine always feed us a great meal sat- urday night, and this was no exception. John had won first prize in the local chili cookout and delighted us with a meal of his prize-winning chili. they really go to a lot of trouble for us, and we appreciate it immensely. John is busy run- ning around town all day both days making sure all is well for us, while nadine is home getting ready for the saturday night crowd to arrive. she may be in the background a lot, All performers lined up ready to move out but she is a worker, and we thank them both. to their assigned spots on Sutter Creek’s main street. saturday is usually quite busy, with a good size crowd and sunday is quieter. there are lots of cute shops in town, and our mem- bers manage to check them all out. the ice cream shop really does a landmark business. (they have a piano in the shop, but they always tell me they love having us outside. AMICA’s Street Banner
280 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Model A with a Calliope, operated byThaine Morris.
Bob Meyer and his John Smith street organs.
Rick Shaw with his 2 street organs. Jerry Pell with his Bruder.
Frank Nix with his Hofbauer.
Diane Minzey demonstrates Jerry Pell’s Wurlitzer 105.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 281 Chapter News
business and is Boston Area Chapter continuing to president - kirk Russell expand on all Reporter – phyllis konop things digital and photographers – phyllis konop & Bill koenigsberg exciting for auto- matic musical a repeat performance of last september’s meeting instrument enthusi- at the east Coast piano Rebuilding Co. in Chester, nh was asts. held on sept. 22, 2013. Brian Grindrod, owner, and his Following the business meeting we watched the video sent by Frank nix describing the next aMiCa Herb Lindahl national meeting in Fresno, Ca. the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring Brian grindrod’s shop & admiring some beautiful pianos.
Host & Hostess, Brian & Cindy Grindrod family along with Tom Ahearn who works at the shop and restores the player mechanisms were our hosts. the compa- ny buys, sells, services and restores pianos. Our business meeting underway.
Bill Koenigsberg & John VanOpDorp
Shop talk: Tom Ahearn & Kirk Russell a large variety of refreshments were enjoyed before and after our meeting. herb Lindahl spoke about Bob hunt who recently Late Chrickering passed away and how he had been working closely with Ampico B await- Bob these past few months learning about Bob’s invention, ing restoration. the virtual Roll system. he expects to continue with Bob’s
282 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 and having a meal nearby. the Music Box theatre in Chicago Area Chapter Chicago shows silent movies at noon every second satur- saturday, 26 october 2013 day and there are other theaters in the area that are also president - Jerry Biasella now showing silent movies. vice pres: Richard van Metre Mel septon presented a new seeburg g roll, secretary: Carol veome “echoes of the Barbary Coast” which was arranged by art Reporter: Curt Clifford Reblitz for John Motto-Ros and introduced in July at the about 50 people attended our chapter meeting in aMiCa national convention in san Francisco. Richard the home of Kathy Stone and Mel Septon. the halloween van Metre brought with him a CD and mid 1950s Lp ver- décor just keeps getting better in their northbrook home. in sion of “the king of new orleans Jazz,” a Jelly Roll Mor- addition to their 9' 6" steinway Duo art (1 of 10 made and ton Dixieland Jazz album, on which the first selection of 1 of only 2 with the original mechanism still intact) they the new “g” roll “the Black Bottom stomp” was based. We started with the “Black Bottom stomp” on the CD, then listened to it played on the “g”. next, several ragtime selections from the new roll were played on the “g”. the fantastic arranging talent of art sure made the seeburg sound fantastic. We concluded our business meeting and enjoyed a lovely dinner provided by the septons and enhanced with appetizers and desserts provided by the rest of the group. the wine flowed freely and the weather was divine. after dinner, member Beverly Chatfield entertained us with her playing of scott Joplin’s “the Maple Leaf Rag”. a BOO- TIFul time was had by all.
Hosts Kathy Stone & Mel Septon in front of their 9' 6" Steinway. have a beautifully restored seeburg g, 2 musical boxes, a victrola, pumper piano and a Bow Front Mills violano on loan from Marty persky. all instruments provided lovely afternoon entertainment. guests today included former members Fred and ellie schwimmer and Jim and Wynette edwards who were welcomed to the gathering. Fred advised us that his broth- er Mike schwimmer has a sunday morning Jazz program on WoMR which broadcasts from provincetown, Mass. Details can be had at WoMR.org. We also were intro- The Septon/Stone residence duced to alejandra and Charles scalzitti, a father/daughter duo who came with the perskys. Janie Johnston came with the Mayers and will be joining the group in the coming year. Jerry Biasella called the business meeting to order and thanked kathy and Mel for hosting our fall meeting. at a future meeting Jerry will bring a DvD from the national Mills Bow-Front organization to show highlights of the 2014 meeting that Violano, on loan will be held in Fresno, Ca. from a potential joint meeting with Lake Michigan Marty Persky. Chapter of MBsi on sunday, May 15, 2014 at pleasant home in oak park, iL is in the works. pleasant home, the former residence of the Mills family, has a violano virtu- oso donated by the sanfilippos. the property is now owned by the park district and is on 4 acres. paul and Cynthia Mayer volunteered their home for a future meeting. also it was suggested that we could have a meeting/dinner outing going again to a silent movie
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 283 Heart of America Chapter president - Bob stout vice-president - Dan Davis Reporter/photographer - Dan Davis
on 14 august 2013, nineteen members of the heart of america aMiCa met at the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in overland park kansas. although it was hot and humid, hoa members, visiting families and children enjoyed the day. Cold drinks and lunch provided by the farmstead were a welcome break to the heat. harold engel- haupt, hoa member and Farmstead associate, explained new additions to the complex of vintage buildings. Con- struction is scheduled to start this fall. Late in the day hoa members gathered at a favorite BBQ restaurant for food, rest and visiting.
Chapter President Jerry Biasella in the spirit of Halloween.
It's appetizer time.
Gary Craig with his Stuber monkey organ.
Mel pumping the Cunningham Louis XV player.
284 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Tom Bode with his monkey organ built by him and Galen Bird.
Sandy Schoeppner and Harold Engelhaupt display Deanna Rose expansion plans.
Betty Golmamavich and Bob Stout.
H.C. Beckman and Deane Shephard entertaining visitors.
President Bob Stout conducts the business meeting.
Jerry and Betty Golmanavich with their OGM monkey organ. Bob Stout adjusts player piano gifted to the farmstead by HOA
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 285 for 2014. aMiCa member tom noble of st. Louis attend- Heart of America Chapter ed his first Chapter meeting, and joined heart of america president - Bob stout immediately. Welcome tom! vice-president - Dan Davis our Christmas meeting will be held at the home of Reporter/photographer - Dan Davis ken & virginia Filardo on saturday november 30, and at the kansas City Music hall on sunday. the Filardos will Members of the heart of america Chapter met in present old-time movies accompanied by a live photoplay- historic St. Charles, Missouri, on september 27 & 28. er. at the Music hall we will attend a concert sponsored the occasion was the annual oktoberfest celebration in this by the kansas City theater pipe organ association, and Mississippi River town north of st. Louis. the weather play our crank organs in the lobby beforehand. was perfect for a joint meeting, as 22 heart of America members played their monkey organs for large apprecia- tive crowds. 23 other COAA members also joined in with monkey organs and a calliope. old town st. Charles lies right on the Mississippi, with a riverfront park separating the river from the brick Main street lined with trees, quaint shops and historical sites. organ grinders played on Main street before and after the parade, and into the afternoon. others chose sites to perform in the park and at the 1880 M-k-t katy railroad station. naturally, a majority of members dressed in Leder- hosen, Dirndls, and other attire appropriate for an oktober- fest celebration. Many took advantage of the other attractions in st. Charles, including Missouri’s first state capital at 200 s. Main street. several traveled a few blocks to the “st. Louis Carousel’ in Faust park. the carousel is a 1920 Dentzel with over 60 original hand-carved horses and deer. the carousel has been perfectly restored and is operating daily, accompanied by a real carousel organ.
St. Charles Jaycees, with their antique fire truck.
COAA President Angelo Rulli and Suzie Hendricks showing St. Charles that adults ride carousels too.
others enjoyed drooling at Fast Lane Classic Cars, with over 200 cars on display. Cars of envy ranged from a 1929 hupmobile to a 2013 Corvette, with Cobras, gto’s, and Ford Deluxe Coupes in between. all of these had sur- prisingly affordable prices. the business meeting was held saturday night in the hotel hospitality room with Bob stout presiding. Coaa members were invited to observe the meeting, and their meeting was held immediately afterward. Most of the discussion concerned the interesting meetings in planning
286 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Bill Klinger and his self- made 41 note street organ.
??????
Gary Craig, with his Stuber street organ.
??? and his ??? street organ, with ??? in the background.
St. Louis Carousel.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 287 touring other national venues in the near future. We lis- Lady Liberty Chapter tened to an original encore automatic Banjo, a seeburg ‘L’ at the Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey cabinet nickelodeon and eventually a recently restored october 12, 2013 pumper player piano that was donated to the museum by a president: vincent Morgan local resident who was moving and no longer had room for vice president: John Dousmanis it. Following a demonstration by Jere Ryder, andrew park Reporter: Martin “Buzz” Rosa and ian Fraser were invited to try their hand/feet and enter- photographers: vincent Morgan and keith Bigger tain the crowd, who consequently cheered their perfor- on saturday, oct. 12th 23 excited people from the mances. andrew would love to learn how to rebuild these Lady Liberty Chapter and friends were given a special treat instruments and ian is about to inherit two such pianos that by Morris Museum Conservator Jere Ryder. We were he promises to restore himself. since ian is home- permitted into the museum 1½ hours before the doors schooled, his mechanical music projects are considered opened to the public and went directly to the Murtogh D. legitimate school assignments. guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical instruments then our group was taken downstairs to the guin- and automata, where our hosts Jere and steve Ryder guid- ness viewable storage area and conservation workshop. in ed us through the collection and shared background infor- the storage facility are hundreds of music boxes, musical mation. Did you know that an important musical theme for clocks, automata, etc… waiting their turn to be exhibited, puccini’s world renowned Madama Butterfly, was original- or undergo necessary treatment(s) under the capable hands ly a sexually explicit Chinese folk melody, forbidden to be of the conservator. in the workshop our youngest performed in public? this discovery was made possible by attendee, 9-year old Bettirose epstein really came to life one of the musical boxes in the collection. it is displayed when she discovered the pieces of a large automaton on the and the music is readily available to hear via the nearby workbench that is in process of being restored so that in sound-station or watch the recent tv program at: the future it will “spring to life” for future crowds to enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gou5sF1nBs8 Finally, we were ushered back to the main floor to Beginning with the large popper’s “Rex” listen to the ornate knabe ampico grand in the museum’s orchestrion, the group was immediately drawn into the parlor. Following lunch on our own some returned home world of mechanical music by the music, train in the shad- while others returned to the museum. and for the first- ows and whirling wheels inside. For some of our guests timers, they can’t wait for our next meeting. thank you this was their first taste of mechanical music. they were Jere and steve for enlightening us. immediately “stricken by the disease” and enthusiastically listened to every word that Jere and steve Ryder had to say. they listened to large and small music boxes, quiet automata and the loud Limonaire with rapt attention. When one drunk automaton decided to cook the cat everyone was ready to rescue the feline and take it home. then next to that a clown literally lost his head only to have it appear on a table next to him when he lifted the cover. Fortunately, when he lowered the cover his head returned to its rightful place above his shoulders. Both young and old watched in awe. one of our members, andrew park, a blind piano tuner, was given special privileges to “see” things with his fingers that aren’t normally allowed: the pinning of a wooden roller organ ‘cob’, an empty musical box main- spring barrel with adjacent uncoiled steel mainspring, the free-reeds from an organette, etc… needless to say, he was Ian Fraser cranking ‘visible’ demo monkey organ thrilled that he was allowed to actually experience the for Host Jere Ryder. museum instead of only hearing the sounds and trying to imagine what the machines were like. twelve-year old ian Fraser was permitted to crank a monkey or street organ similar to one that he is now building. You should have seen the joy in his face and the enthusiasm with which he cranked. the joy expressed by our group was beyond explanation. Following the regular guinness exhibit demonstra- tion, we were taken to yet another spin-off exhibit entitled “Rags, those Beautiful Rags”, which will hopefully be Automaton parts during restoration.
288 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Automaton clown loses his head,
Host Jere Ryder show and tell in storage area. Co-Host Steve Ryder top right.
and recovers it!
Andrew Park experienced the joy of pedalling a player piano.
Bettirose Epstein admiring restoration in progress. Jere Ryder demonstrating the Popper “Rex” orchestrion.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 289 Midwest Chapter president: Don Johnson Reporter: Christy Counterman
Quite a few members of the Midwest Chapter were in attendance in san Francisco for our 50th anniversary Convention so we took the opportunity to have a chapter meeting to plan future activities. We have 53 member households in the chapter, down from 95 ten years ago. some are members of other chap- ters as well. thanks goes to Bob andersen for the additional pho- tos for this report. We hope to meet again in spring 2014 in Mari- on ohio.
Shirley Ekvall and Alvin Wulfekuhl await our banquet dinner.
Christy Counterman in 1963 vintage wear with Carol Veome from Chicago.
Wednesday’s tour across the bay to Sausalito included a stop for ice cream, an AMICA tradition in every country! L to R: Mike Barnhart, Don Johnson, Bob Andersen and Julian Dyer.
Bob Andersen ventured out onto the deck of our Hornblower Liz Barnhart, who always dresses for the banquet in 1920’s dress Yacht after lunch to take views of the Golden Gate Bridge. in the spirit of the occasion, with husband Mike. 290 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 AMICAns Making Music
Mount Lebanon Magazine as his involvement with other musicians grew, he pittsburgh, pa started to notice the guitars people played. “i had a nylon 28 october 2013 classical guitar. others played Martins, taylors. i started to get fascinated with the woods and strings and learned that professionals who play collecting guitars is a whole subculture.” his passion is for signature guitars such as those created for legendary musi- by: Jennifer Rignani cians like BB king, elvis, Johnny Cash and eric Clapton. [email protected] over 12 years he has amassed 59, ranging in value from Mt. lebanon Medley: Professionals $5,000 to $20,000. some are priceless in terms of his admi- embrace their Musical Side ration for the artist for whom they were made. “paul McCartney is the most important to me,” he says. “a cus- an architect, a surgeon, an illustrator and a phar- tom guitar really reflects the man, and in his case, he’s macist walk into a hair salon… well, not really, but if they lived an admirable life.” did, they’d talk shop despite their disparate vocations. McCafferty, who recently was featured in guitar these charismatic men, all in their fifties, share a love of aficionado, compares caring for a guitar to performing music and the joie de vivre to embrace it. they hang up the surgery. Like the precision required in an operating room, tools of their trades after work and play instruments of one guitars too need special attention. he learned this the hard type or another. With Mt. Lebanon’s nationally recognized way, after a Martin guitar he had on display cracked from school district music program, it’s probably no coincidence fluctuating temperatures in his living room. he now houses that many professionals (and parents) moonlight through his collection in a humidity-controlled room in the base- music. Joe Ravita, owner of empire Music on Washington ment. Road, which teaches 500 music lessons a week, sums it up: Researching and acquiring the instruments has “it isn’t surprising that adults embrace music in a commu- become something of an obsession for McCafferty, who nity where education and the arts are so important. plus, a confides he has gas (guitar acquisition syndrome). Will he lot of these guys played when they were young, so they ever seek treatment? Laughs McCafferty, “absolutely not! return to it.” it’s a real joy.” structure and beauty are keys to any architect’s The Collectors sensibility. Joel Cluskey, president of Rsh architects, focuses mostly on restoration and renovation projects such Dr. Leo McCafferty always loved music. When he as his current work with the Mt. Lebanon historical soci- was growing up, the sound of his grandfather’s violin waft- ety, which wants to acquire and restore the once-magnifi- ed from their home at the corner of north Meadowcroft cent spanish-style McMillan house on the corner of Wash- avenue and Colonial Drive. his grandmother played ington Road and Lebanon avenue. so it isn’t much of a Carnegie hall. Years later, his daughter kelly blew away stretch to see why Cluskey loves collecting and restoring the morning crew of WDve radio as an intern, performing vintage player pianos. live on her guitar. McCafferty, osage Road, played a vari- Rsh architect Joel Cluskey’s passion is restoring ety of instruments in high school and college but was vintage player pianos, perhaps not that far removed from focused on becoming a plastic surgeon. his day job that often involves restoring historic buildings. as with many, his life changed on september 11, the architect spends 15-20 hours a week in his 2001. “i was in the middle of a surgery when the word basement workshop on Fruithurst Drive cobbling together came in. the whole hospital shut down, and i was part of a complicated, miniscule parts to bring to life their team of doctors on call waiting to serve any survivors of escheresque guts. he has so many work orders from people Flight 93. of course, he eventually learned there was noth- across the country that the avocation has become more like ing he could do, so for the first time in his career, he had a a second job. free afternoon. Under these terrible circumstances, he need- Cluskey has four player instruments—two ed a distraction, so on impulse he walked into empire uprights, a grand piano and a reed organ. his interest in Music and bought a guitar. at first he took lessons from his them was sparked about 16 years ago, almost by accident. friend, musician Frank Cappelli. together they formed a he’d always loved music and had admired his neighbor’s little group, the Monongahela Duck Club Band. But it was 1926 kelsworth player piano. When she wanted to get rid the intricacy and unique structure of the instrument, more of it for a couple hundred bucks, he happily bought it and than the playing, that fascinated McCafferty. restored it over the next two years. as with most engross- ing hobbies, it grew from there. as important as acquiring the pianos is securing the paper rolls of music needed to
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 291 without exploring other types of music, or in some cases training. they sometimes don’t understand the depth that is out there.” Loverde is as passionate about the role of music in education as he is about his playing. he and his wife, Lisa, a teacher at Lincoln elementary school, have four children, all musical. Daughter Bianca, now a physician, played in the band at penn state. “My daughter has traveled the country because of her involvement in band. places she would have never gone,” Loverde says. sons garrett, ian and Christian (now the only one at home) all play instru- ments, and their dad is active in Band Builders, the Blue Devil Band support group. RSH Architect Joel Cluskey’s passion is restoring vintage player Loverde is nearly evangelical about the importance pianos, perhaps not that far removed from his day job that often of learning an instrument. “You can use this skill your involves restoring historic buildings. whole life,” he says, expressing regret that teens have to choose among various activities and as a result often drop bring the pianos alive. the delicately perforated sheets are out of band. stored in long, narrow boxes that line the walls of several For Loverde, the social aspect runs deep, too. he rooms. Marked on the end faces of the boxes are the names just can’t think of a better way to spend free time after he of the compositions, reminders of time gone by as much as hangs up his scissors. the instruments themselves. the pennsylvania polka, clas- if you have small children, you may know stacy sical compositions by Ravel, Chopin and Rachmaninoff innerst’s work. a nationally award-winning children’s book and hundreds of other scores roll over the mechanism gen- illustrator, innerst has created little worlds for books like tly pushed by a system of air and whisper-soft reeds. Lincoln tells a Joke or the Worm Family. But if you’ve Cluskey thinks the connection between his day job read M is for Music to your little ones, you also struck his and his very serious hobby (he is president of the piano chord for music. his latest book, the Beatles Were Fab tuners guild and has been featured in the automatic Musi- (and they Were Funny) further illustrates (literally) his cal instrument Collectors association magazine) is obvi- love. ous. “its relation to what i do is the creativity and aesthetic stacy innerst, Lakemont Drive, always played var- involved. Restoring these pianos is akin to repurposing and ious instruments, but in college he had to choose between bringing back to life historic buildings. that interests me,” art and music. Choosing the former did not negate the lat- he says. ter. he moved here from new Mexico and quickly connect- ed with a group of like-minded friends. “all of my best The Players friends play music, and we have a place to practice and the freedom to make it happen. this is all the stuff i wanted Ron Loverde, 55, played trumpet in high school when i was younger, but didn’t have.” a wicked drummer, and performed in competitive drum corps. he majored in innerst plays in three bands—the tumblers, Crop Dusters music at Duquesne University with the goal of becoming a and Mon gumbo. While it might be hard to imagine tra- high school band director. But after realizing the slim pos- versing the delicacy and precision of hand illustration to sibility of finding a job, he left shy of graduation and letting loose on the drums, it’s really not, says innerst. “i instead learned the beauty trade and opened his own salon, think music and art are two parts of the same whole. i am La verde & Co on Castle shannon Boulevard. thirteen inspired by sound and the visual at the same time.” a bonus years ago, as his kids were getting more independent, he to performing is that unlike drawing, which is a very solo felt music calling him back. With the salon thriving, it was process, he gets to create with other people. Because his time. as luck would have it, an old friend was having the bandmates are his closest friends, he gets to spend time same thought. Could they start a band? the rest fell into with them and communicate through the music. he says, place like a delicious riff. standing in line at kennywood, “i’d actually rather bond through playing together than any Loverde bumped into a high school friend who had a cou- other form of communication. there is nothing like it. ple guys also looking to play again. thus Uptown Rhythm pharmacist Bill Riley of Lebanon shops pharmacy and Brass Band was formed. the nine members play horns, simply loves to play music. add to that his Beatles fanati- drums, guitar, bass and keyboard. cism, and it’s a drum solo waiting to explode. Unlike the the soft-spoken Loverde sings lead and plays connections made between an architect building structures trumpet. he thrives on the band’s growing popularity and and pianos, or an illustrator creating music, Riley’s interest regular performing schedule—they recently played for seems organic: “i totally dig music. i’ve played music my 16,000 people at a benefit. his meticulous approach to cre- whole life,” he says. ating beautiful hair is similar to how he approaches music. When he was 7, he remembers his babysitter bring- “i respect the nomenclature of music,” he says. [When i ing over her 45s and playing music all night. “i was proba- was studying], we had to know the different instruments, bly the only 7-year-old who loved the B sides. ‘i am the the music. today everyone wants to just blast rock and roll
292 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Walrus’ was a favorite. imagine a kid that age loving that! the building. We are free to show up and rehearse and plan My parents thought it was hilarious.” a self-proclaimed concerts. Beatle aficionado, Riley owns every album, 45, CD, 8 track, cassette and outtake of the band. his kids know all of their songs too. oh and the happy obsession wouldn’t be complete without him playing in a Beatles tribute band for the last 12 years. at 53, his boyish enthusiasm for the group is con- tagious. this enthusiasm inspired his buddies, all of whom played for other bands. in a moment of musical clarity, they decided to amplify their playing by forming their own band, the tumblers, playing their own original music. the tumblers now play all over town (including the recent plein air Mt. Lebanon art festival). “When i graduated pharmacy school, me and my dad and brother opened the pharmacy.” Riley says. [pharmacy] “is what i do, but my passion is music. Writing songs and playing just comes John Struve tunes the 1,500 pipes that make up the Wurlitzer easy to me. i do it because i love it.” Organ at Casa Loma by gently tapping little plunger wires. Like the music they play or the instruments they love, these men apply their natural talents to both their The story goes that the organ, installed at vocations and avocations. it just may be the perfect melody Shea’s hippodrome in 1924, was saved from the wreck- for midlife. ing ball when Shea’s was demolished in 1956 to make way for Nathan Phillips Square. See article, all the photos and videos at: it would have been torn down with the building if Conn smythe hadn’t bought it at the last second. it was http://tinyurl.com/pxd2npc being removed while the roof was half off. Its tenure at Maple leafs Gardens was also the toronto star short-lived. toronto, ontario, Canada there were some big renovations to the arena in 1 november 2013 the 1960s and one of the first things to go was the organ — A Drink With John Struve i think they wanted to install box seats. they put it up for sale and some guys put the money together and formed the of the Toronto Theatre Organ Society ttos. it was in storage for a number of years while By: eric veillette searching for a home. one possibility was the Royal Con- twitter: @32elvismovies servatory’s recital hall, which already had a pipe organ. schools were proposed as well, but ultimately kiwanis the various groups that operate within Casa Loma offered it a home at Casa Loma. — the Queen’s own Rifles of Canada, the garden Club of how different is the organ’s current configura- toronto and the toronto theatre organ society — will tion to its days at Shea’s? soon have a new building manager. i sat with John struve alan Jackson of Casavant Freres — who i appren- of the toronto theatre organ society, caretakers of Casa ticed with when i started — was working for eaton’s, Loma’s iconic Wurlitzer pipe organ, to discuss its past and which had its own pipe organ department in the 1950s. future. they were servicing the shea’s organ and it got a major The drinks: struve, who had just finished mainte- overhaul just after the war. it was also modified when it nance work on the pipe organ at st. Barnabas church on the moved to Maple Leaf gardens. Danforth, ordered a glass of g. Marquis pinot grigio. i Shea’s was before my time, but I can assume the chose Johnnie Walker Black, neat. Gardens was a much bigger room. Where: allen’s (143 Danforth ave.) the first problem was that it could no longer fill With this talk of new management at Casa the room with sound, so they did some irreversible mods to loma, is the TTOS worried about the future of the the pipework to make it louder. When it moved to Casa organ? Loma, time was short, so they just installed it without i have no idea what they’re thinking other than the doing anything to it. one of fact that Liberty group, if they get the contract, wants the the things i did when i organ to remain. if they have some other ideas to promote became involved there was it, i don’t know, but we’re certainly open to working with to try and return it back to them. its proper state as a Wurl- So you’re optimistic? itzer organ. i am but we do have some concerns, namely the generous access we get to the building, which currently is Story may be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/pa42xed unrestricted on evenings where there is no event booked in Casa Loma in Toronto
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 293 Old Town Music Hall el segundo, Ca 6 october 2013
Members of the southern California Chapter of the automatic Musical instrument association (aMiCa) sponsored a concert featuring Jelani eddington. Follwing photos, by shirley nix, emerged from this event.
AMICAns in attendance: Bill Blair and daughter Connie, Gene and Fran Goldstein, Diane Minzey, Jerry Pell, Jack Conway, Robin Biggins, Shirley Nix, Ardis Prescott, Frank Nix
Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, California.
AMICAns helping out: Diane Minzey, Jerry Pell, Shirley Nix, Con- nie, Frank Nix, Bill Blair, watching Bill Field taking money for tickets.
Bill Field introducing Jelani Eddington.
Frank Nix and his dearly departed new best friend, a Halloween prop for forthcoming concert. Jelani Eddington discussing the music he is about to play. Note Halloween props prepared for a forthcoming concert. 294 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 In The News
artvoice of it didn’t work, either physically with the contraption or artisti- Buffalo, nY cally. she would work through them with me and show me end- 3 october 2013 less other possibilities that i never would have thought of, being mostly limited to what physical moves i could do as a non- Dancing With a Piano dancer.” by Jan Jezioro tom tucker and gary Casarella worked for over nine A Musical Feast offers a genuinely unique experience months, designing the mechanism that allows the dancer to “play” the piano, a design that was further refined during the it is not all that often that you can attend a classical later stages of the composition/rehearsal process. “the success of music performance and enjoy a completely different musical the piece was due to all the people that were committed to it,” experience, but if you purchase a ticket to the season opening says Beugger. “not often as a composer do you really get to be a event of a Musical Feast in the tower auditorium at the Burch- part of large team, where everyone wants to see the piece happen field penney art Center on the Buffalo state College Campus on as much as you do.” Friday, october 11 at 8pm, you will be in just that enviable posi- aceto is also featured in the world premier of Defencet tion. the two featured performers on the program, modern by israeli composer Moshe shulmant who says “the dancer has dancer Melanie aceto and pianolist Robert Berkman, will each to wear partial fencing gear and the music is mostly atmospheric interact with a piano in ways that go far beyond the usual use of with one main melodic theme, a quote from Miroslav skorik’s that instrument in a concert program. theme for paradjanov’s film shadows of Forgotten ancestors.” one of the best things about the annual June in Buffalo Robert Berkman has probably done more than anyone music festival is the possibility of discovering works by newly else in the country to help preserve the rich legacy of piano rolls emerging composers that speak to the listener in previously composed for the pianola, or player piano. since he started work- unheard of ways. this past June’s festival was particularly inter- ing in 1975 for the Buffalo-based QRs, the world’s last piano roll esting in the quality and depth of such works, including all manufacturer, he has produced innumerable reissues of historic things are not equal by John Chittum and states of iron by roll recordings and also created a constant flow of new record- esin gunduz, as well as the most startlingly original work pre- ings. this past May he was invited to demonstrate his artistry at sented at the entire festival, Liaison, a collaborative effort by the national gallery of art in Washington, DC, where he present- composer Megan Beugger and aceto, a work that will be per- ed a well-received program of music by composers associated formed for the second time ever on this program. with the sergei Diaghilev’s famed Ballets Russes as part of its the premier of Liaison occurred under less-than-ideal celebration of the centennial of the premiere of stravinsky’s circumstances on the last full day of the festival. For some epochal score for the ballet Rite of spring. unknown reason the time of the performance was moved up and the location was changed at the last minute, to an overly crowded room in the basement of slee hall, with the result that many would-be concertgoers arrived late and were left standing in the narrow doorway, or even further back. adding to the confusion, a sizeable contingent of residents from a senior living community had been bused in, no doubt in expectation of a more traditional chamber music experience, and they unfortunately shared their disappointment vocally. nevertheless, from the moment that aceto approached the piano and started slipping first her legs and then her arms into cuffs that were connected by strings to a mechanism that was built over the lidless piano, and that in turn were connected to the strings of the instrument, all the distractions fell away. as aceto continued her intricate ballet with the piano, the primeval sounds produced by her dancing movements result- ed in a visual and aural experience that can only be described as Berkman will demonstrate the interpretive possibilities hypnotically enchanting. aceto’s superb interpretation was one of of the pianola through an eclectic selection of pieces, including those rare performances that left the audience eager to see it Debussy’s Reflets dans l’eau, featured on Berkman’s recent immediately repeated. Washington recital, a work he says he likes to play “because it Beugger was inspired to compose Liaison after meeting defies most people’s expectations, evanescence not being a quali- aceto, on the suggestion of her teacher, UB professor of compo- ty usually associated with the player piano.” the most recent sition David Felder. the day after their initial meeting, an image selection is from Conlon nancarrow’s Boogie Woogie suite, of aceto “pulling piano bows with her body was stuck in my composed before he moved to Mexico City in the late 1940s to mind and was completely alluring to me,” says the composer. begin what was to be his life’s work on his studies for player “Melanie had a large role in the choreography. she would record piano. stops along the way will feature Bashraf, from a mythical- a lot of improvisations of her on the contraption or, at other ly-rare roll produced by Lebanese-american alexander Maloof, times, i would come with a pre-composed chunk, in which a lot “a sort of prelude in arabic music,” says Berkman, “but this
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 295 piece is really more of what was known in the teens and twenties guys put the money together and formed the ttos. it was in as an ‘oriental fox-trot,’” and include Joseph achron’s hebrew storage for a number of years while searching for a home. one Melody, which features cellist Jonathan golove playing the once possibility was the Royal Conservatory’s recital hall, which lost, but recently reconstructed theremin cello, and Berkman already had a pipe organ. schools were proposed as well, but using a roll for the piano part that was recorded a few years ago ultimately kiwanis offered it a home at Casa Loma. by Bpo staff pianist Claudia hoca. how different is the organ’s current configuration to Finally, Maurice Ravel recorded his well known valses its days at Shea’s? nobles et sentimental for a piano roll that “has plenty of prob- alan Jackson of Casavant Freres — who i apprenticed lems,” says Berkman, “but i like the piece and enjoy the chal- with when i started — was working for eaton’s, which had its lenge of making the performance musical despite its problems.” own pipe organ department in the 1950s. they were servicing the he has continued to explore its potential since performing it at shea’s organ and it got a major overhaul just after the war. it was his national gallery recital this past spring. also modified when it moved to Maple Leaf gardens. tickets are $20 general admission, $10 for gallery mem- Shea’s was before my time, but I can assume the bers and students. For more information, visit www.burchfield- Gardens was a much bigger room. penney.org. the first problem was that it could no longer fill the room with sound, so they did some irreversible mods to the Ed note: Story may be seen at: pipework to make it louder. When it moved to Casa Loma, time http://tinyurl.com/q2ly2w4 was short, so they just installed it without doing anything to it. one of the things i did when i became involved there was to try the toronto star and return it back to its proper state as a Wurlitzer organ. toronto, ontario, Canada 1 november 2013 The TTOS presents Buster Keaton’s Sherlock, Jr. with live Wurlitzer accompaniment on Monday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. For A Drink With John Struve of the tickets visit theatreorgans.com/toronto Toronto Theatre Organ Society By: eric veillette twitter: @32elvismovies
the various groups that operate within Casa Loma — the Queen’s own Rifles of Canada, the garden Club of toronto and the toronto theatre organ society — will soon have a new building manager. i sat with John struve of the toronto theatre organ society, caretakers of Casa Loma’s iconic Wurlitzer pipe organ, to discuss its past and future. the drinks: struve, who had just finished maintenance work on the pipe organ at st. Barnabas church on the Danforth, ordered a glass of g. Marquis pinot grigio. i chose Johnnie Walk- er Black, neat. Where: allen’s (143 Danforth ave.) John Struve tunes the 1,500 pipes that make up the Wurlitzer With this talk of new management at Casa loma, is Organ at Casa Loma by gently tapping little plunger wires. the TTOS worried about the future of the organ? i have no idea what they’re thinking other than the fact that Liberty group, if they get the contract, wants the organ to remain. if they have some other ideas to promote it, i don’t know, but we’re certainly open to working with them. So you’re optimistic? i am but we do have some concerns, namely the gener- ous access we get to the building, which currently is unrestricted on evenings where there is no event booked in the building. We are free to show up and rehearse and plan concerts. The story goes that the organ, installed at Shea’s hippodrome in 1924, was saved from the wrecking ball when Shea’s was demolished in 1956 to make way for Nathan Phillips Square. it would have been torn down with the building if Conn smythe hadn’t bought it at the last second. it was being removed while the roof was half off. Its tenure at Maple leafs Gardens was also short- Casa Loma in Toronto. lived. there were some big renovations to the arena in the Editor's note: John Struve is also a member of AMICA. The 1960s and one of the first things to go was the organ — i think story may be seen at: they wanted to install box seats. they put it up for sale and some http://tinyurl.com/pa42xed
296 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 pittsburgh post gazette in 1892, when the Fricks remodeled Clayton and made pittsburgh, pa it bigger, they also decided to add an orchestrion. 18 october 2013 "it's kind of a showpiece for their new home, in a way," said amanda Dunyak gillen, director of education. Clayton's orchestrion pipes up for While it was originally weight-driven, the instrument was electrified in 1904. the electric motor runs the bellows Frick Art and Historical Center event (think of the compressible middle of an accordion), which push air into the spinning, perforated roll of music and the pipes. By elizabeth Bloom "the roll is an early form of computer storage," said Mr. [email protected] Center. he compared it to binary code, in that sounds are created an orchestra was giving a rousing rendition of a medley only when air goes through the perforations. of tunes from the musical "oklahoma!" written by Rodgers and the pipes replicate trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute hammerstein. it had no conductor, but, as if on cue, it suddenly and piccolo sounds. the orchestrion also has a real triangle, snare stopped in the middle of the music. drum, bass drum and cymbal inside. "it's just like a bad child," organ restorer Durward Cen- Designed for orchestral and operatic music, orchestrions ter said. play music ranging from Brahms and Mendelssohn to fox trots he made a quick adjustment to the orchestrion at Clay- and two-steps. people who were able to afford them could store ton, the point Breeze home of the Frick family, and the instru- several rolls and add new ones to their collection. ment revved up to complete the piece. "to have music in your home like this would be remark- a look at the Frick orchestrion able," said Mrs. gillen. Durward Center restored and has been tuning the Frick in pittsburgh, the Mellons had an orchestrion, and the orchestrion for 22 years. (video by Rebecca Droke; 10/18/2013) snyders had six -- one at their sewickley home and five on boats. there were likely others in private homes and commercial loca- tions such as restaurants and saloons. although he didn't own one himself, andrew Carnegie encouraged henry Clay Frick to purchase one in a letter Mrs. gillen read at the event. the Welte style 6 cost $5,000 plus freight shipping, Carnegie wrote. "they were considered musical status symbols for the home," said Mr. Center. the growth of sound recordings, the great Depression, World War ii scrap drives and normal wear and tear all con- tributed to the decline of the orchestrion. Roughly 45 of the Welte brand are still around. only three remain in their original locations -- the one at Clayton, another at the asa packer Man- sion Museum in Jim thorpe, pa., and a third at an ice cream par- lor in Columbus, ind. of the Welte style 6, just four originals are left. even rarer are people trained to fix them. Mr. Center estimated that he is one of six full-time restorers in the country. as a child in kentucky, he studied pipe organ, but he Durward Center of Baltimore with the orchestrion at Clayton, soon discovered he had little talent for it. he had a knack for the Frick home in Point Breeze. mechanical projects, though, and even built a pipe organ in his anyone who has been to the victorian mansion at the parents' garage. throughout high school, he took on apprentice- center of the Frick art and historical Center has seen the ships and eventually worked at the smithsonian institution. orchestrion, a self-playing pipe organ demonstrated at the end of While every instrument presents unique challenges in the restora- every tour. Until tuesday, however, few had seen Mr. Center, tion process, tuning has become old hat. who restored it in 1989. "i can almost do it in my sleep," he said. Mr. Center dismantled the roughly 3,000-pound instru- Ed note: Story and video may be seen at: ment and brought it to his Baltimore workshop, where he spent http://tinyurl.com/n2z78wa the next two years working on it. others had done work on it, though they may have caused more harm than good, he said, and pittsburgh international airport the organ was unplayable when he first encountered it. pittsburgh, ps Mr. Center kept the oak casing intact, as well as the 30 october 2013 instrument's roughly 250 tin, brass and wooden pipes. he did replace the old leather on the bellows with new lamb, cow, goat PIT To Display Unique Airplane and kangaroo skin. he took it apart again, brought it back to Player Piano pittsburgh and reassembled it in 1991. ever since, Mr. Center has returned twice a year to piano MaDe BY stoRY & CLaRk/QRs teChnoLo- retune the orchestrion when Clayton is closed. this time, the gies in seneCa, pa museum decided to tap into his unique knowledge, putting piano WiLL pLaY thRoUgh hoLiDaY season on together a session for docents and tuesday evening's sold-out tiCketing LeveL program for 30 interested museumgoers.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 297 pittsBURgh, pa (october 30, 2013) – From the the Malay Mail Backstreet Boys to Beethoven, elton John to vince guaraldi, paris, France travelers will be able to enjoy popular songs, holiday music and 8 october 2013 even live performances from a unique player piano exhibited exclusively at pittsburgh international airport through the holi- day season. Lancôme, Baccarat and Reuge pre- the airplane piano was created by story & Clark/QRs sent luxury edition of La Vie est Belle Music technologies in seneca, pa., and an italian design firm. it uses digital itouch technology to play from a catalog of music of paRis, oct 8 — For an ultra-limited edition of its more than 6,000 songs. it is controlled via an app on an iphone women's fragrance, Lancôme called upon swiss music box or ipad. maker Reuge and French crystal maker Baccarat to design an exquisite box. only 15 of these handmade pieces will be made available worldwide. the La vie est Belle bottle in this collector's edition is presented beneath two glass bell jars within a handcrafted music box, surmounted by a miniature crystal chandelier.
as a head-turning addition to pit’s art in the airport program, it can also be played by musicians during live perfor- mances and during the airport’s holiday choral and concert series featuring local schools. the live performances will be held dur- ing peak travel times in the early mornings. at other times, the piano will be programmed to play various songs. story & Clark Representative Lori Clutter said since 1900, QRs has been a leader in the design, manufacture and dis- tribution of player pianos, piano-based audio and multimedia products and accessories. Joe Ravita, manager of Modern piano in Wexford and Mt. Lebanon, contacted the airport about displaying the one-of-a- kind conversation piece. “We thought if there’s anywhere to dis- play a piano shaped like an airplane, it would be at pittsburgh international airport,” Ravita said. “We’re very excited to share it with travelers in the region.” Reuge produced the music box exclusively for the occa- valued at about $160,000, the piano has an impressive sion. When the button on the front is pressed, the box plays 17-foot-wide wingspan. it also measures 13 feet 6 inches long "Beautiful Days" by venus, the theme music from the La vie est from nose to keyboard, and weighs 1,400 lbs. During setup and Belle campaign featuring Julia Roberts. initial demonstration on Wednesday, many travelers stopped to Baccarat provided the crystal chandelier suspended take pictures and inquire about the object. from the top of the box. Made up of 133 crystal drops and 48 “We are pleased to highlight this innovative showpiece crystal tubes, this detail is a nod to the various chandeliers seen and cutting-edge musical technology developed by a company in the film campaign for the fragrance. right here in Western pennsylvania,” said Bradley D. penrod, each element of the edition Féérique was created by allegheny County airport authority president. “We hope it hand, meaning that each of the 15 boxes required 120 days of brings smiles to the faces of travelers and airport employees.” work to produce. this luxury edition of La vie est Belle will be the piano will be on display on the ticketing Level, available at the Lancôme institut, the brand's spa in paris, from Landside terminal, near the Us airways ticket counter through november 15. the first week of January. after that, the piano will be exhibited at in the meantime, visitors to the sephora store on the a large trade show in California. Champs-elysées in paris will be able to see the box from octo- ber 28. the price of this exclusive piece is available only upon Ed. note: Story may be seen at: request. — aFp-Relaxnews http://tinyurl.com/p59vkqg Ed. note: Story may be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/pyyzhec
298 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 In Memoriam
Del Lohuis Harry Garrison
harry harwood Garrison, devoted father of Marshall i am saddened to have to write that Dad passed harwood garrison, loving brother of nancy Manolis (Deane) and away august 28th, in advent Bolingbrook hospital near Lois Young (timothy), beloved son of the late James harwood Chicago. garrison and Dahlia B. (nee Johnson) garrison, also survived by it was a big shock, but he was doing what he loved nieces, nephews, cousins, other extended family and many - traveling, visiting people and listening to and learning friends. about music boxes. My sister ardyth had taken him to passed away, thursday, september 19, 2013. age 77 Chicago for the Musical Box society international annual Years. sole proprietor of the player piano shop, enthusiast & meeting. they flew in from Richmond on tuesday after- restorer of all variety of automated musical instruments, life-time noon, had dinner with friends, and were visiting a musical entertainer performing magic acts & smoke-ring blowing, includ- box collection on Wednesday when he became short of ing an appearance on the tonight show with Johnny Carson. breath. one of the group members drove him to the emer- Featured in local television & national media, selected one of gency room, where he suffered a cardiac arrest, was resus- Cincy Magazine's Most interesting people of 2010. citated but died some hours later. Dad was 99 and was Raconteur, gourmand, fine-arts supporter & lover of looking forward to his 100th birthday in January. My sister music, particularly traditional & Dixieland jazz, boogie-woogie said that he had recently been reading a book on centenari- piano, blues, bluegrass, & opera. historian of hamilton County, ans, alternating with Discover and scientific american Cincinnati, Westwood, & Colerain township; craftsman, traveler, magazines. latter-day renaissance man, noted by many friends & colleagues for having a remarkable memory & his ability to recall detail. an We have not yet made plans for a memorial ser- unforgettable character, he will be sorely missed. vice, but we will let you know as soon as we do. it will be the family is particularly grateful to tom eggers & in Richmond at the church that Dad and ardyth attended – harry's "2nd family" of Caregivers health network staff who ginter park presbyterian. have done so much to maintain his quality of life in recent years, especially Darlene givens & Mary allen. Daryl Lohuis pulis Funeral services was held saturday, 21 september 2013.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 299 Cincinnati.com Mr. garrison, a Classic Jazz society of southwestern Cincinnati, oh ohio trustee, also provided the Blue Wisp with steinway, Weber 4 october 2013 and Baldwin grand pianos for free, kelly said. “there would have been no Blue Wisp Jazz Club with- Harry Garrison, 77, the 'smoke ring king' out him,” said kelly, a pianist, composer and piano tuner. “he was a character – a super intelligent man with encyclopedia among Cincinnati’s larger-than-life characters, harry knowledge, a humorist, and a lover of the arts, especially music.” harwood garrison “is right at the top of the list,” said Jim tar- Mr. garrison was diagnosed with diabetes in 1997, and bell, former vice mayor. congestive heart failure in 1998, his son said. garrison, who died sept. 19 at age 77, was a player survivors include two sisters, nancy Manolis and Lois piano store owner; expert smoke-ring blower; magician; antiques Young, both of Minneapolis. services have been held. Memorial dealer; a victrola and art collector; jazz lover; University of contributions may be made to the Westwood United Methodist Cincinnati evening College teacher; and a skilled repairman of Church, 3460 epworth ave., Cincinnati, 45211, or the american pianos, player pianos, carousel band organs and other automated Diabetes association, p.o. Box 11454, alexandria, va, 22312. mechanical musical instruments. “My dad had a broad variety of tastes and interests. he Ed Note: Story may be seen at: lived large, and absolutely loved life,” said his son, Marshall http://tinyurl.com/nfyvdvz harwood garrison of hyde park, who has managed his father’s shops on Main street Downtown and in o’Bryonville since 2000. aMiCa MeMoRiaL FUnD Born sept. 29, 1935, Mr. garrison began performing c/o Mr. Ray Dietz magic at age 6 in his Westwood home. he told an enquirer 1250 Lanier Road reporter in 1972 that he had done about 1,800 magic shows, Martinsville, va, 24112-5212 mostly dressed as Uncle sam, with white hair and a beard. after graduating from Western hills high school in Dear Ray, 1953, he studied sociology at the University of Cincinnati. the next year, at 19, he learned how to blow cigar smoke rings, his enclosed is check from the Midwest Chapter of aMiCa in the son said. amount of $100.00 in memory of Mr. harry garrison, a former “he enjoyed being able to entertain people, and came up member of this chapter. also enclosed is a copy of a memorial with some patter about it. he liked it because it was singularly from the funeral home and a tribute by amica member Ron unique,” his son said. Wehmeier of Cincinnati, to be a part of the record. Johnny Carson’s producers heard about him from author Calvin trillin, and invited Mr. garrison to blow smoke rings on Yours truly, “the tonight show” in 1980. Mr. garrison turned a disaster – a Donald A. Johnson Carson staffer forgot to turn off the air conditioning, making it president, aMiCa Midwest Chapter impossible to form smoke rings – into a hilarious clip Carson showed on two anniversary specials. attached email from Ron Wehmeier: “everyone was laughing,” said tarbell of pendleton. (the Carson clip appears in “the smoke Ring king” video on Youtube.) hi Don & Bob, in 1973, Mr. garrison gave trillin a tour of Cincinnati Marshall, harry's son, called me on thursday to report his fathers area chili parlors and restaurants, including the shady nook with death in the aM. glad harry is now at peace, since he sure had a Wurlitzer theater organ near oxford, for a new Yorker maga- long fight with the affects of diabetes. zine article and his “american Fried” book. Mr. garrison dropped out of UC his senior year in 1957 harry and i were friends for over 40 years, and in fact, saw and after “he got a piano, tore it apart in his grandparents’ garage, and heard my first steinway Duo-art grand in his shop, and was sold it for 10 times what it was worth,” his son said. hooked. as a young man, i started working on player pianos, nine years later, he completed a UC degree in rhetoric and sold my first rebuild, a Wurlitzer upright to harry. that was and public speaking in 1968. For a while, he ran multiple Yellow the start of our business relationship, as i sold many instruments pages listings for piano repair, appraising, antiques and magic to him over the years, and rebuilt many players and reproducing shows. pianos, along with his band organs, and personal oR steinway “he had an ad in the Yellow pages which said that, on Duo-art in his family home. 24 hours notice, he would speak on any subject for an hour for Well, i will miss harry as a close friend and good customer, and $100. garrison was brilliant. he could find stuff that was fasci- will attend the visitation and church services saturday. nating, and embellish it. he had a big booming voice, and never held back,” tarbell said. Warm regards, patrick kelly of newtown, a player piano shop employ- ee in the late 1970s, credits his former boss with creating the Ron Blue Wisp Jazz Club. Mr. garrison dissuaded paul Wisby, who owned a Madison Road bar next to the shop, from bringing in country music acts in favor of jazz, he said.
300 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 F. William (Bill) Dean Alvin Johnson
F. William (Bill) Dean, 87, of Bethlehem, passed away Alvin harris Johnson, 72 of rural Farmersburg, iowa on september 10, 2013. Born in easton on March 8, 1926, he died of an accident at his residence on Friday, May 17, 2013. was the son of Floyd M. Dean and esther (snyder) Dean of alvin was born in the st. olaf, iowa area on october 19, Washington, nJ. he was predeceased in death by his domestic 1940 to olvin and Clara (olson) Johnson. he was educated at partner of 53 years, William (Billy) Baab. William was raised in rural school, the grade school in st. olaf, and graduated from Washington, nJ, where he spent his first 65 years. he attended elkader high school in 1958. he was baptized at the norway schools there and was a 1943 graduate of Washington high Lutheran Church on December 15, 1940 and confirmed there on school. he began working at Fliegauf Jewelers in 1942 as a June 27, 1954. he served on the church council at norway and watch maker/clock maker. he was called to serve in the Us navy did custodial work at the church for many years. he also was during WWii and was recalled to active duty for the korean War, instrumental in obtaining the estey pipe organ at the church after which he worked for Larsen Jewelers of easton, pa, for 14 which he transported, assembled and restored to operation, main- years. he then returned to Fliegauf in Washington, and worked taining it with loving care for many years. there until he retired at the age of 80. William was a life-long alvin was blessed with mechanical and artistic gifts, member of the Washington Methodist Church. Bill was a past and his profound pleasure was in tuning and refurbishing pianos president of the valley Forge Chapter of the sons of the ameri- and organs, both as a hobby and professionally. he had an exten- can Revolution. he was a Director and trustee of the Watson sive collection of player piano music, and could play several trust of California. he was a member of the hunter-Martin set- instruments, which was an enjoyable pastime. through the years tlement of Martin’s Creek, pa; the Washington historical soci- alvin worked as a mechanic in several implement dealers in the ety, nJ; the Warren County historical society in nJ; and the area. he also farmed the home place and cared for his mother, Williams township historical society in pa. he was also a Clara, until she died on February 8, 1994. after selling the farm, member of the harmony and oxford historical societies in new alvin retired from farm work and spent his time on other projects Jersey as well as the springfield township society in Bucks and interests. County, pa. he was a life member of the american Legion in alvin was a quiet and reserved person and tended to Washington, nJ. William was a member of the safety First Fire keep to himself. in younger days he was involved in a music Company of West easton. he belonged to the Music Box soci- group and met fellow music enthusiasts, traveling to various ety, the automatic Musical instrument Collectors’ association. towns and states for get-togethers. he enjoyed this hobby to the he was a director of the schwabish-gmund association (Bethle- utmost until he was no longer able to participate in these gather- hem’s german sister city association). he was a founding mem- ings. as life has many joys and, alas, many pitfalls, alvin con- ber of both the pierce arrow society and the Classic Car Club of tracted parkinson’s disease, which he courageously battled and america. he was a member of the antique auto Club of ameri- endured for the past number of years. Living alone and caring for ca, the veterans’ Motor Car Club. he was also a member of the his health and daily needs, he is to be commended. he is now at Morgan owners’ Club and the British sports Car Club of the home with his dear Lord, our savior. Lehigh valley. preceding him in death were his parents, several aunts survivors: he is survived by his brother, C. Richard and uncles and cousins. survivors include cousins and friends Dean, and his wife,Deborah, of Williams township, pa; a niece, aundrea L. schmidt, and her husband, James schmidt, of Ed Note: Photo supplied by Jack Niewoehner phillipsburg, nJ; and a nephew, gregory s. Dean, of Riegelsville, pa; and many cousins in both pa and nJ.
aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 301 New Books Pipe Organs of the Rich and Famous by Rollin smith Chopin's Prophet: The Life of Pianist LaRgest anD Most CoMpLeX of musical instru- Vladimir de Pachmann ments, the organ has traditionally been found in churches—from country parishes to great cathedrals—and, for centuries, small by edward Blickstein (author), gregor Benko “chamber organs” were found in the homes of the elite, most vladimir de pachmann was perhaps history’s most noto- often, royalty. then, in the mid-19th century, with the application rious pianist. Widely regarded as the greatest player of Chopin’s of mechanical blowing devices, organs entered the private homes works, pachmann embedded comedic elements—be it fiddling of the well-to-do and professional musicians. automatic player with his piano bench or flirting with the audience—within his devices provided those who could afford them with a self-playing classic piano recitals to alleviate his own anxiety over perform- organ and the opulent mansions of the new american aristocracy ing. But this wunderkind, whose admirers included Franz Liszt offered unlimited space for extremely large instruments. and music critic James gibbons huneker (who cheekily nick- Rollin smith’s pipe organs of the Rich and Famous is named pachmann the “Chopinzee”), would by the turn of the the story of organs in more than 50 private homes—a few resi- century find his antics on the concert stage scorned by critics and dents being more famous than rich. the book recounts a time out of fashion with listeners, burying his pianistic legacy. when the organ was not only a symbol of those who had arrived socially, but was considered the ultimate appointment of the lux- urious home, indeed, the home orchestra of the twentieth Cen- tury. included are royalty, captains of industry, famous organists and composers, organbuilders, and those whose names are less familiar, but who were patrons of the king of instruments on a lavish scale. Designed by Len Levasseur and profusely illustrated with more than 200 photographs and engravings, this large-for- mat, hard-bound book documents the work of more than 25 organbuilders in the United states, england, France, and ger- many; stoplists of each instrument are included. Book may be reserved by visiting:
in Chopin’s prophet: the Life of pianist vladimir de pachmann, the first biography ever of this remarkable figure, edward Blickstein and gregor Benko explore the private and public lives of this master pianist, surveying his achievements within the context of contemporary critical opinion and preserv- ing his legacy as one of the last great Romantic pianists of his time. Chopin’s prophet paints a colorful portrait of classical piano performance and celebrity at the turn of the 20th century while also documenting pachmann’s attraction to men, which ultimately ended his marriage but was overlooked by his audi- ences. as the authors illustrate, pachmann lived in a radically dif- ferent world of music making, one in which eccentric personality and behavior fit into a much more flexible, and sometimes mys- terious, musical community, one where standards were set not by Ed note: See: certified experts with degrees but by the musicians themselves. www.organsociety.org/ohspress/ Detailing the evolution of concert piano playing style from the contributed by Keith Bigger era of Chopin until World War i, Chopin’s prophet tells the fan- tastic and true story of an artist of and after his time. Ed note: contributed by Mike Kukral
302 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 ADVERTISING FOR SALE
GeNeRAl INFORMATION ABOuT All ADVeRTISING IN The GOlDeN AGe of AuTOMATIC MuSICAl INSTRu- The AMICA BulleTIN MeNTS by Art Reblitz. award-winning classic that brings his- torical, musical, and technical informa- All advertising should be directed to: tion to life with hundreds of large, vivid terry smythe color photos. We guarantee you'll find it 55 Rowand avenue to be one of the most interesting, inspir- Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J2n6 ing, informative books you have in your phone: (204) 832-3982 (email preferred) e-mail: [email protected] library-or your money back. everyone has been delighted, and some readers ad copy must contain text directly related to the product/service being have ordered several copies. get your offered. extraneous text will be deleted at the editor's discretion. adver- copy today for $99 plus s/h. Mechanical tisers will be invoiced, with payment to aMiCa treasurer. telephone Music press - a, 70 Wild ammonoosuc ads will not be accepted due to high risk of errors. aMiCa reserves the Rd., Woodsville, nh 03785 right to edit or to reject any ad deemed inappropriate or not in keeping with aMiCa's goals and objectives 603-747-2636 2-14 . http://www.mechanicalmusicpress.com the BulleTIN accepts advertising without endorsement, implied or otherwise, of the products or services being offered. publication of busi- 1927 Chickering Piano with art case and working Ampico ness advertising in no way implies aMiCa's endorsement of any com- player mechanism. Model 51R, mercial operation. serial # 145281. professionally AMICA PuBlICATIONS ReSeRVeS The RIGhT TO ACCePT, appraised at $18,000. Will con- ReJeCT, OR eDIT ANY AND All SuBMITTeD ARTICleS sider serious offers. Collection AND ADVeRTISING. of classical and other ampico rolls is also available. addition- all items for publication must be submitted directly to the al pictures and information editor for consideration. available on request. Located in holyoke, MD area. Contact ClASSIFIeD AD RATeS FOR AMICA MeMBeRS: [email protected] 413-335-6835 rf 1-100 Words $20.00 non-member rates are double for all advertising. AeOlIAN uPRIGhT PlAYeR PIANO--STROuD DuO- DISPlAY ADVeRTISING ART pianoLa $2,500.00. Built in 1928; rebuilt about 1990. Double page $ 200.00 electric pump (does not have foot Full page $ 150.00 pedal pump), humidifier, tuned half page $ 75.00 and in excellent condition. bench Quarter page $ 50.00 included. painted light green with Business Card $ 30.00 red decoration. Located in non-member rates are double for all advertising potomac, Maryland, Usa. Must Special 6 for 5 Ad Offer - place any ad, for a full year (6 issues), and be picked up, but seller will assist pay for only 5 issues. payable in advance. photographs or halftones with loading, working with ship- $15.00 each. Loose sheet or insert advertising: inquire per, etc. piano is on ground floor. $500.00 deposit, balance due upon delivery of piano. 14 day Display advertisers supply camera-ready copy. Copy that is oversized or money back guarantee, but buyer must pay return shipping. undersized will be changed to correct size. We ordinarily do not prepare advertisements from raw content. A.B. Chase 6' 2" grand, 88 note footpumper, beautiful ribbon mahogany case. $1,200.00 obo. Weber 5' 10" grand,88 note PAYMeNT: advertisers will be invoiced. Make check payable to footpumper, mahogany case, plays, $1,200.00 obo. Weber 54" aMiCa inteRnationaL. typesetting and layout size alterations charges will be billed if required by professional services. upright, 65/88, footpumper, mahogany case, make offer. Weber 58" upright, c. 1903, 65n foot pumper, mahogany case, DeADlINeS: submissions must be received no later than the first of make offer. Maester-Art 46" upright 88 note footpumper (ca. the odd months (January, March, May, July, september, november). 1928), walnut case, make offer. ed Openshaw, po box 65, the Bulletin will be mailed not later than the first week of the even Rumney, nh 03266, [email protected], (603)786- months. 9922. rf WANTED WANTeD SPOOl FRAMe to play APP music rolls. Modern If Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity, type with built in motors preferred but please let me know what this must be my Lucky Day! you have. even just a tracker bar could be of interest if i can't Roman philosopher Seneca locate a complete spool frame. aMiCa Member s a powers (contributed by Rosanna Harris) email [email protected] rf
aMiCa Bulletin - Jan/Feb 2013 303 304 aMiCa Bulletin - nov/Dec 2013 Please visit these suppliers of rolls
Tim Baxter : Meliora Music Rolls QRS Music Technologies, Inc. Welte-Mignon (Licensee), Ampico, Duo-Art, 88 note. 1026 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213 www.melioramusicrolls.com Phone: 1-800-247-6557 - Fax: 1-716-885-7510 [email protected] www.qrsmusic.com SB-"O" Rolls series. David Saul: Precision Music Rolls Play-Rite Music Rolls 1043 Eastside Road, El Cajon, CA 92020-1414 1536 N. Palm St., email: [email protected] Turlock. CA 95380. U.S.A. www.PrecisionMusicRolls.com Steve Bentley Phone. (209) 632-5784. Dick Hack: Hack Mechanical Music Fax. 209) 667-8241. 2051 Chesapeake Road, Annapolis, MD 21409 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] (410) 279-5859 Cell Days Bob & Ginny Billings: Sierra Music Rolls (410) 757-2164 Home Evenings 14010 Rim Rock Drive, Reno, NV 89521 email: [email protected] Kukral Collection: http://www.sierramusicrolls.com/ Welte-Mignon and 88-Note Rolls Phone: (775) 853-4659 216 Madison Blvd., Terre Haute, IN 47803 Phone: (812) 238-9656 Joyce Brite: Player Piano and 503-741-0960 (cell) Mechanical Music Exchange email: [email protected] http://www.mmdigest.com/Exchange/ http://www.mmdigest.com/Exchange/rollpage.htm John Motto-Ros email: [email protected] “Nickelodeon Rolls” “A” “G” “O” Rolls & Boxes Julian Dyer 110 Allen Ranch Road, Sutter Creek, CA 95685 88-note and Duo-Art rolls 209-267-9252 5 Richmond Rise, Wokingham RG41 3XH, www.johnnysmusicrolls.com United Kingdom e-mail: [email protected] www.pianorolls.co.uk email: [email protected] Keystone Music Rolls P.O. Box 650, Bethlehem, PA 18016 Ed Gaida Music Rolls [email protected] PO Box 8174 http://www.keystonemusicroll.com San Antonio, TX 78208 [email protected] Gnaw-Vol-ty Rolls http://www.gaidamusicrolls.com Stephen Kent Goodman www.gnaw-vol-ty.com Brian Stahl: Piano Ticklers Music Rolls E-mail: [email protected] Ampico and 88-note recuts Fax: 866-828-2165 P.O. Box 220, Elizabethville, PA 17023 email: [email protected] D.C. Ramey Piano Company, LLC. www.pianoticklers.com A, G(and 4X), H, M, and O rolls Phone: (717) 599-1369 17768 Woodview Drive Marysville OH 43040 Rob Deland: Blues Tone Rolls 708-602-3961 www.bluesrolls.com www.dcramey.com email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Leedy Brothers Music Rolls "Pipes of Pan Music Rolls" Ampico, Welte Lic. 88 Note Rolls for organettes and other devices 4660 Hagar Shore Road, Coloma, MI 49038 207 S. McCrary St. [email protected] Woodbury, TN 37190 pianorollcenter.com 615-563-5814 Phone: (269) 468-5986 http://www.popmusicrolls.com email: [email protected] Larry Norman: Rollertunes 88 note, and a few reproducing rolls AmpicoRolls.com www.home.earthlink.net/~rollertunes Ray Smith, Proprietor email: [email protected] 630 Broad Street Phone: (540) 721-7188 Shrewsbury, NJ 07702 732-747-1000 Robin Pratt: Artists' Choice Music Rolls [email protected] Welte-Mignon (LIcensee), Ampico and 88note roll email: [email protected] Lewki Music Phone: (419) 626-1903 old 88note, Ampico, Duo-Art, Welte 516 Pierce Street, Sandusky, OH 44870-4725 PO Box 1945 Westminster, MD 21158 443-487-1810 www.Lewki.com