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EXAMPLES: 1909, AEOLIAN, PLAYER PIANO, UPRIGHT, STANDARD 1932, KNABE, REPRODUCER GRAND PIANO, 6'6", LOUIS XV, AMPICO B 1928, WURLITZER, BAND ORGAN, WITH MARIMBA, 153 YEAR BRAND/MAKE TYPE SIZE CASE STYLE MECHANISM/TYPE-MODEL

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RETURN TO: AMICA MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Michael A. Barnhart 919 Lantern Glow Trail Dayton, OH 45431 Phone (513) 254-5580 THE AMICA NEWS BULLETIN ...)'- U TOM A TIC MUS I CAL INS T RUM EN Teo L LEe TOR S' ASS 0 C I A T ION

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

JOHN ALAN FISCHER, PUBLISHER, 73 NEVADA, ROCHESTER HILLS, M148309-1565 - PHONE/FAX 313-651-4563 Emmett M. Ford and Richard J. Howe, Associate Editors· Larry Givens, Editorial Assistant

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 3 MAY/JUNE, 1992 AMICA BULLETIN

Display and Classified Ads FEATURES. _ Articles for Publication Sergei RachmaninoffRest in Peace 4 Consideration Letters to the Publisher by Ri chard J. Howe Chapter News Single copies of back issues QRS Recording Piano 7 ($5.00 per issue - based by Larry Givens upon availability)

A Conversation with Herman Kortlander 9 John Alan Fischer The Hickman Contract 15 73 Nevada Rochester Hills, MI 48309 by Richard J. Howe 313/651-4563 Hickman's Final Recommendations 16 UPCOMING PUBLICATION by Richard J. Howe DEADLINES The Hickman Grand Piano Action 18 October 30 for NovemberlDecember issue by Richard J. Howe December 30 for J anuarylFebruary issue Stoddard's Obituary 26 DISCLAIMER: Acceptance ofarticles for publi­ cation in the AMICA NEWS BULLETIN does by Richard J. Howe not imply a guarantee of the accuracy of the facts contained in any article, nor an endorse­ ment of an author's recommendation. DEPARTMENTS. _ AMICA Officers, Chapter Officers; Affiliates 2 MEMBERSHIP SERVICES President! Publisher's Notes 3

Chapter News 27 New Memberships Classified Ads 36 Renewals Address changes and corrections Directory information updates Additional copies ofmember Directory COVER ART:

Outside front Color cover from the January, 1923 issue of Etude Mazagine • from the collection Mike Barnhart of Terry Smythe 919 Lantern Glow Trail Dayton, Ohio 45431 Outside back Welte-Mignon ad featuring Ignace Paderewski from the December, 1910 issue of 513-254-5580 The International Studio. • from the collection of Robert J. Smith .J To ensure timely delivery of your Entire contents © 1992 AMICA International BULLETIN please allow 6-weeks advance notice of address changes. AMICA INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS CHAPTER OFFICERS PRESIDENT Ron Connor BOSTON AREA NORTHERN LIGHTS r Route 4, Rogers, Arkansas 72756 Pres: Bill Koenigsberg Pres: Craig Remmon 501-636-1749 Vice Pres: Tony Misianos Vice Pres: Donald Jones Sec: Charlie Randazzo & Sec: Jason Beyer Barbara McFall Treas: Robert & Katheryn Dumas PAST PRESIDENT Terry Smythe Treas: Alan Jayne Reporters: Kay Dumas 55 Rowand Avenue Reporter: Don Brown Ruth Anderson Bd. Rep: Craig Remmon Winnipeg, Manitoba Bd. Rep: Sandy Libman Canada R3J 2N6 PHILADELPHIA AREA 204-832-3982 CHICAGO AREA Pres: Paul Dietz Pres: Marty Persky Vice Pres: Brian Helfrich Vice Pres: Dee Kavouras Sec: Diane Wagner VICE PRESIDENT Mel Septon Sec: James Doheny 9045 North Karlov Treas: Bob Taylor Treas: Elsa Pekarek Reporter: Lynn Wigglesworth Skokie, Illinois 60076 Reporter: Margaret Bizberg Bd. Rep: Bob Rosencrans 708-679-3455 Bd. Rep: Mike Schwimmer SIERRA-NEVADA SECRETARY Sally Lawrence FOUNDING CHAPTER Pres: Bob Patton Pres: Don Ellison Vice Pres: Kathy Cochran 837 Coventry Road Vice Pres: Pat Clemens Sec: Tom Hawthorn Kensington, California 94707 Sec: Bing Gibbs Treas: Virginia Clark 415-526-8438 Treas: Sandy Swirsky Reporter: Ed Baehr Reporter: Rob Thomas Bd. Rep: Ray Bauer Janet Tonnesen Bd. Rep. Bob Wilcox TREASURER SOWNY (Southern Ontario, 903 Sandalwood GATEWAY CHAPTER Western NY) Richardson, Texas 75080 Pres: John Cairns Pres: Joe Lorberg 214-235-4497 Vice Pres: Rick Drewniak Vice Pres: Gary Stevenson Sec: Anne Lemon Sec: Cynthia Craig Treas: Holly Walter PUBLISHER John Fischer Treas: Dorothy Ruprecht Membership Sec: Mike Walter 73 Nevada Reporter: Larry Hollenberg (Amer.) Laurie Taylor (Can.) Rochester Hills, Michigan 48309 Board Rep. Gary Craig Photographer: Bill McCleary 313-651-4563 Reporter: Ada Cairns (' HEART OF AMEWCA Bd. Rep: Nancy & Ed Group Pres: Linda Bird MEMBERSIDP SECRETARY Mike Barnhart Vice Pres: Bill Pohl SOUTHEAST AREA 919 Lantern Glow Trail Sec.trreas: Betty Ann Olmsted Pres: David Oppenheim Dayton, Ohio 45431 Reporter: Willa Daniels Vice Pres: John Daly 513-254-5580 Bd. Rep: Ron Bopp Sec: Wayne Fisher Treas: Don Winter Reporter: Wayne Fisher COMMITTEES LADY LIBERTY Pres: Bill Albrecht Bd. Rep: John O'Laughlin TECHNICAL Harold Malakinian Vice Pres: Joe Conklin 2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098 Sec: Richard Carlson SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Pres: Shirley Nix ARCHIVES Bob Rosencrans Treas: John Ellems Vice Pres: Herb Mercer 109 Cumberland Place, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Reporter: Randy Herr Sec: Frank Nix PUBLICATIONS John Fischer Bd. Rep: Diane Polan Treas: Ken Hodge 73 Nevada, Rochester Hills, MI 48309 Bd. Rep: Mary Lilien MIDWEST AUDIO·VISUAL Harold Malakinian Pres: Edwin Ward TEXAS 2345 Forest Trail Drive, Troy, MI 48098 Vice Pres: Robin Pratt Pres: Sal Mele CONVENTION COORDINATOR Liz Barnhart Sec: John Fischer Vice Pres: Wade Newton 919 Lantern Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431 Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Sec.trreas:JanetTonnesen HONORARY MEMBERS Dorothy Bromage Reporter: Jim Weisenborne Reporter: Bob Butters 157 School Street, Gorham, ME 04038 Bd. Rep: Liz Barnhart Bd. Rep. Richard Tonnesen

------AFFILIATED SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS------AUSTRAL~COLLECTORS INTERNATIONAL PIANO NORTHWEST PLAYER PIANO SMITHSO~INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL MUSICAL ARCHIVES AT MARYLAND ASSOCATION Division ofMusical History INSTRUMENTS Neil Ratliff, Music Library Raymond and Dorothy Ince Washington, D.C. 20560 clo 4 Lobellia Street Hornbake 3210 4 Barrowby Lane Chatswood, N.S.W. 2067, College Park, Maryland 20742 Leeds LS15 8PT, England SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF

Australia MECHANICAL MUSICAL /' PLAYER PIANO GROUP INSTRUMENTS DUTCH PIANOLA ASSOC. NETHERLANDS MECHANICAL (England) Jurgen Hocker Nederlandse Pianola Vereniging ORGAN SOCIETY - KDV Frances Broadway Eichenweg6 Kortedijk 10 J.L.M. Van Dinteren 39 Sydner Road D-5060 Gergisch, Gladbach, 2871 CB Schoonhouen, Nether­ Postbus 147 Stoke Newington Germany lands 6160 AC Geleen, Netherlands London N16 7UF, England

2 President's Message

Unless there is some unexpected turn of events at our 1992 Convention in Chicago, this will be mylast President'sMessage. Ithas beenmy pleasure to serveAMICA for some five years as its 14th President. During that time we have, as an organization, experienced most ofthe ups and downs that any family, organization or business might expect duringthe course ofits life. Itis mygood fortune to have worked and corresponded with many ofyou who share a common beliefin the viability ofthe organization. I leave behind an organization which is strong -- both in its spirit and in its economic and membership base. The ongoing strength in many ways relies on those who are elected to serVe as its leaders, but even more importantly in the ability ofits individual members to contribute in some way to the organization's growth. For some that means taking an active part in the various chapter activities, for others it means contributing articles of interest for publication. Butfor everyone, it means talking aboutAMICA, its aims and its goals with those in yourfamily, your circle offriends, your business, your community, etc. We must never stop "selling" the organization and its goals to new audiences.

Keep in tune

Ron Connor, President

PUBLISHER'S NOTE ...

I have spent a good deal of time in past weeks overseeing the electronic data transfer and formatting for the recently completed AMICA Membership Directory. Never before have I taken the time to look carefully at the diversity of our members' backgrounds and careers. It is not, therefore, difficult to see first the tremendous wealth of human resources that we have not yet tapped to promote the activities and goals ofAMICA. Secondly, within the context ofour shared interest in roll-operated musical interests, it could be assumed that their is also a broad spread of interest between the dozens ofinstrument types as well as the music they produce. I wish that there were some magic words that I could utter which would induce some ofyou to write aboutyour instrumentcollection, your personal experiences, etc. to share with our membership so that as many interests as possible could be represented in our publications. I call your attention to Chapter News in this issue. Gateway Chapter reported an importantcommunity service project' ofsupplying piano rolls to a Ronald McDonald House - others reported specific educational programs. I recall also Southern Californiaandotherchaptersdoingongoingprojects(sometimes not even musically oriented)thatsolidify the membership, bring AMICA's name to others, and provide an important community or educational service. On that note, I suggest that you review the AMICA OBJECTIVES listed on the outside back cover ofyour new _membership directory. They should serve to guide us all.

John Fischer

3 "Anniversary Approaching" which the town house once stood at 33 SERGEI Riverside Drive, near 72nd Street, and Rachmaninoff left Russia in an apartment building where Rach- ( RACHMANINOFF 1918, when the Communist revolu­ maninofflived at 505 West End Ave­ tion disturbed the peace of mind he nue, at 86th Street. Then the found essential to composing. He lived filmmakers will take off for Dallas, - R.I.P.- and worked abroad for the rest ofhis site of a legendary Rachmaninoff life, dyingin BeverlyHills, California, concert, in which he conducted and MAYBE in 1943 at the age of 70. performed as pianist; and Los Ange­ Next March is the 50th anni­ les, where he lived his last years." versary ofRachmaninoff's death, and Mr. Nikitin said the two-part docu­ by mentaryis to be showntheninRussia. Richard J. Howe The writer, a retired naval architect, The writer ofthe above article said the film would be used to raise was apparently not aware that the As a follow-up to the Rachmaninoff funds for the Rachmaninoff Center, remains ofIgnaceJan Paderewski are article in the NovemberlDecember 1990 which he helped found in Moscow. going to be moved from the United issue of The AMICA News Bulletin, Such a documentary mightbe States to Poland later this year. Pad­ theremaybe some new developments. expected to re-emphasize Rachmanin­ erewski, who died on June 29,1941 at In the April 11, 1992 issue ofThe New off's permanent absence from Russia. age 80, was interred at Arlington Na­ York Times, thefollowing information ButMr. Nikitin, who said he hoped to tional Cemetery in Washington, DC. appeared. show "Rachmaninoff the man" in his Special permission for his burial at film, pronounced himself very much Arlington was granted by President GRAVE OF RACHMANINOFF against any effort to move the com­ Roosevelt. Paderewski specified inhis MAY RELOCATE TO RUSSIA poser. will that his body should be returned Rachmaninoff's mother's grave to his native Poland when Poland was VALHALLA, N.Y., April10..."First it site in Novgorod, near Oneg, the again free. As many know, Paderewski was Bela Bartok. Will Sergei Rach­ composer's birthplace, is "too far from became Premier of Poland when that -t' maninoffbe next? capital cities" for a major figure, Mr. country was reborn following World (, Rachmaninoff aficionados Nikitin said. Cemeteries in Russian War!. know that the Russian pianist, con­ cities are "too crowded," he said. It It was originally contemplated ductor and composer is buried in the would be "a great sin" to disturb the that Paderewski's heart would be placed Kensico Cemetery here, with his wife hilltop grave here, he said with final­ next to Chopin's heart in the Cathe­ and one of his daughters. But most ity, gesturingat the grassy site where dral of Warsaw (the rest of Chopin's garden-variety music lovers are un­ a camera crew was getting ready to body is buried at the Pere-Lachaise aware that the composer is not only film today. Cemetery in Paris). However, shortly buried near Manhattan but lived for after Paderewski's death, it was an­ four years in a five-story town house "Grandson to Decide" nounced that his heart would be bur­ on Riverside Drive. ied in Brooklyn. At that point in time BorisNikitin, the scriptwriter Rachmaninoff's grandson and there was a Polish tradition of inter­ for the documentary being made for heir, Alexandre Rachmaninoff-Conus ring a person's heart in a place he or Russiantelevision aboutthelife ofRa­ will have the lastword on whether the she loved. On June 29, 1984, Pad­ chmaninoff, said he thinks that the composer is to be reburied in Russia. erewski's heart was moved to a crypt composer should be left where he is. He was en route to New York today at the National Shrine ofOur Lady of But he said many Russian musicians from Europe to join the documentary CzestochowainDoylestown, Pennsyl­ and music lovers disagree, and are crew and could not be reached for vania. That shrine commemorates clamoring for the return ofRachmanin­ comment. Paderewski's patron saint. The Ameri­ off's remains to his homeland. A tall Russian Orthodox cross can Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) The reburial idea stirs memo­ marks the graves of Rachmaninoff has scheduled a concert at the shrine riesofanothercomposer, BelaBartok, and his wife and daughter, which are as part ofits 1992 Convention July 4­ who died in the United States during walled on three sides by high hedges. 8. World War II and who was buried in At the base of the cross lay dying On June 26, 1992, Paderewski's 1945 at Ferncliff Cemetery in flowers, placed there inmemory ofthe remains will be moved from their Hartsdale, notfar from here. Bartok's composer's birthday on April 2. present location, the Memorial of the ,-' two sonshadhisremains sentbackfor The all-Russian movie crew Battleship Maine at Arlington, to lie reburial in Hungary, his native coun­ will film sites in Manhattan impor­ in state for public viewing atthe Main try, in 1988. tantto Rachmaninoff, like theblock in Chapel, Fort Myer, Virginia, adjacent

4 to the cemetery. A memorial service Haydn: Victim ofPhrenologists The police learned that two was planned for Saturday, June 27. days after the interment, the dead c J~llowing the ceremony, the remains The celebrated composer Jo­ man's friend, J.C. Rosenbaum, who -MIl be moved to Andrews Air Force seph Haydn was aged, ill, and in fact was a student ofphrenology, conspired Base in a horse-drawn carriage and dying when the French Army occu­ with the gravedigger tohave the body flown to Poland to arrive on June 29, pied Vienna in May, 1809. Napoleon decapitated. Rosenbaum was offered the fifty-first anniversary of Pad­ placed a guard of honor at Haydn's a bribe to produce the skull. Instead erewski's death. After appropriate home, and the enfeebled composer was he supplied a substitute which was ceremonies, Paderewski will finally much touched by the visit ofa French buried with Haydn's body in a new be laid to restin St. John Cathedral in officer who sang an aria from his The grave at Eisenstadt. The real skull Warsaw on July 5, 1992. Creation. was later willed to the Vienna Acad­ Haydndied peacefullyonMay emy ofMusic, where itwas encased in 31, 1809, and two days later was bur­ a glass cabinet atop a piano. In 1954it iedinVienna'sHundsturm Cemetery. was united with the skeleton in a Ifyou are notinto hearts, how "Not one single Viennese Kapellmeis­ copper coffin and reinterred. about skulls? There is an even more ter was there to accompany his last bizarre story about what happened to journey," a contemporary report acidly Haydn's skull. This information, which notes. was sent to me by Larry Givens, con­ Haydn's fellow musicians may If you are not into hearts or sists ofa letter written by Jean Sibeli­ have ignored his death, but the phre­ skulls, how about ears? Beethoven's ous to Mark Twain's son or grandson, nologists were well aware ofit. A few hearing loss has been of interest to and two magazine articles as follows: days after the funeral, two members medical doctors and historians since of a phrenology society removed his thetime ofhisdeath. He startedlosing Jarvenpaa, October 1, 1954 head from the grave. his hearing when he was just 27. By In 1820, Emperor Nikolaus II the time he was 50, Beethoven's deaf­ Cyril Clemens, Esq., President had the composer's remains transferred ness had become profound; however, The International to a mausoleum in the Bergkirche in he still used various devices to aid his Mark Twain Society Eisenstadt. But the skull was still hearing. He found ear trumpets to be ~41 North Kirkwood Road missing. [First it had been on Haydn' oflimited value but used them exten­ Kirkwood 22, Missouri later it went into hidin' for decades.] sively anyway. He had special trum­ USA In 1895, Haydn's skull some­ pets designed which were held in place how became the property of the Vi­ by a band placed around his head. He Dear Mr. Clemens, enna Society of the Friends ofMusic. also used a flexible stick, one end of The Society was in no hurry to return which was clenched betweenhis teeth Many thanksfor yourkindletterwith it. and the otherwhich rested on a piano, the interesting cuttings [clippings] of It was not until June 5, 1954, to "hear" the music. the return of Haydn's skull. It was that the skull was returned and placed From about the age of 45 indeed an extraordinary occurrence with the rest of Haydn's remains in onward, the only way to ask Beethoven in the history of music. Haydn has Eisenstadt. a question was to write it down. He written many operas which, however, would reply verbally, so what sur­ are forgotten now. But he was one of From the American Cemetery, June, vived were approximately 400 "Con­ the greatest masters ofinstrumental 1987: versation Notebooks" which represent music. His Symphonies, Concerts and just half of the total conversations. chamber music belong to those great The Case ofFranz Haydn, The His Boswell, the devoted but officious works that will never be forgotten. Decapitated Composer Anton Schindler, destroyed more than half of the notebooks as being unim­ With all kindest regards, When Austrian composer portant. The surviving notebooks have Franz Joseph Haydn died in 1809, he since been published. Yours sincerely, was buried in Hundst[h]urm Ceme­ When Beethoven died in the tery at the gate of Vienna. In 1820 spring of 1827 at the age of 56, an /s/ Jean Sibelius Prince Nicolaus Esterhazy, reminded autopsywasperformedby Dr. Johann that he had neglected to have the Wagner, assistant director of the Pa­ composer buried at his Eisenstadt thologic Museum inVienna. Based on .,),""'rom American Funeral Director, July, estate, requested that the remains be the information from his autopsy and 1983: exhumed. To his astonishment, his other symptoms, the to medical Haydn's head was found [to be] miss­ researchers from the University of ing. Colorado concluded in 1970 that

5 Beethoven's hearing loss was caused Another composer's body, auction 10 years ago and is currently by cochlear otoschlerosis, whatever Schumann's was moved around after on display as part ofthe Squire Urol- /' that is. his death. The bodies of other non­ ogical Clinic's collection at Columbia- -; Beethoven's grave was opened musical celebrities met with similar Presbyterian Medical Center in New in 1863 and again in 1888 and his fates. Edgar Allan Poe's body was moved York City! John Vernon's novel Peter skull examined. The skull, which was from the back to the front ofthe ceme­ Doyle deals with the Napoleon saga in in nine pieces, was missingthe tempo­ tery after he became "famous". Al­ great detail. ral portions. Itis speculated that a Dr. though Napoleon's body is interred in Politzer, a medical researcher who Paris, an important part of it was So what is the significance of was actively engaged in dissecting removed shortly after his death by a all ofthis trivia about RachmanirlOff, temporal bones at the time of Corsican doctor in retaliation for in­ Bartok, Paderewski, Beethoven and Beethoven's death, retained sults to his physician. It was then Schumann? There is no good single Beethoven's at the time of initial au­ placed in a leather box and presented answer; however, it does suggest that topsy. to Napoleon's mistress. It was sold at a composer's final "movement" may not necessarily be musical.

AMICAns may also be Interested In knowing that the following performance was scheduled recently in England. Thank you to our affiliated society, the Player Piano Group in England for sending a copy of the promotional announcement

PADEREWSKI'S ·· ...... , r POLAND ,_,iii( . Introduced by ADRIAN THOMAS Ignace Jan Paderewski Artur Rubinstein .riJosef Hofmann 19naz Friedman To celebrate Paderewski's return for re-interment in the land of his Ignace Jan Paderewski, first premier of modem Poland, whose struggle for the Polish cause and supreme birth, the Pianola Institute presents a commemorative programme musical giftS made him the most famous pianist in the world, was particularly noted for his interpretations of Chopin and Schumann. Early In hIS career he enjoyed considerable success as a composer. He died in 1941 in of Polish music and musicians. America where his remains have laid until this year. Artur Rubinstein, loved for his playing of Chopin, is heard in one of his youthful recordings from the mid­ Programme includes: 'hVenties playing music from the French school with all the brilliance and poetry for which he was renowned. Josef Hohnann, considered by Rachmaninov to be the greatest pianist of the century, plays the Capriu Chopin Scherzo No 3 Op 39 played by Paderewski Espagno/e by Moritz Moszkowski, one of his teachers. He made his home in America and was for many years associated with the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He gave concerts in Europe and America until 1945 and Paderewski Legende Op 16 No 1 played by Paderewski died in 1957. He is heard by means of his preferred method of recording - the Duo-Art piano roll. Ignaz Friedman, a pupil of Leschctiz.ky, was a highly individual artist with a technique second to none but Chopin Ballade No 4 Op 52 played by Friedman which was always used in the service of the music he played. His Chopin playing was considered to be in the authentIc tradition handed down through Liszt and Rosenthal. Friedman was in his early forties and at the Debussy L'lsle Joyeuse played by Rubinstein height of his powers when he recorded his Duo·Art piano rolls. Moszkowski Caprice Espagnole Op 37 played by Hofmann AdrianThomas is a composer and writer on Polish music from Chopin to present day composers and is a frequent visitor to ******** Poland. Since 1969, when he conducted the first UK Variations on a Theme of Paganini (1941) Lutoslawski performance of Lutoslawski's Les Trois Poemes/ he has given many UK premieres of contemporary Polish music as both Theme Varie in B flat major Szymanowski pianist and conductor. Spanish Dances Op 12 Moszkowski .• Rex Lawson and Denis Hall are founder members of the played by Rex Lawson and Denis Hall Pianola Institute and have given a multitude of pianola concern throughout Europe and North America, from the Theatre des (IWO Pianolas) Champs Elysees to the Concertgebouw, from Carnegie Hall to ******** the Last Night of the Proms. Presented by The Pianola Institute (Patron: Conlon Nancarrow)

------i\ The Pianola Institute was founded in 1985 to bring about a better Tickets £9.00 £7.50 £6 Available from the Box Office, ~ '1'1 IF understanding and appreciation of player-pianos as musical instruments Royal Festival Hall, London SEt 8XX. Telephone: 071· ~ SOl ~TH of considerable subtlety and versatility. The Institute aims to restore 928 8800 for all bookings. Postal applications should fA ~ 'I) \''1.' them to the mainstream of musical life by means of a regular Journal, b,' accompanied by s.a.e. and cheques payable to: )! .' '.!'. . concerts and, in time, high quality recordings and an archive of piano South Bank Centre. If giving alternatives, enclose t.(J',:\ I R"­ rolls with facilities for study. open cheque \\lith an upper liInit.

6 The QRS Recordil1g Piano: Another Chapter

By Larry Givens

Pages 8 and 9 of the Marchi April, 1992 AMICA Bulletin carried a briefarticle on the QRS recording piano and stylus marker machine. This brought back a flood of memories ... because I once owned this very piano. Here's the story ... I obtained the piano (a Melville Clark Apollo grand) from the weH­ known QRS music roll arranger, J. J. Lawrence Cookplaying "Sweet Lorraine" on the Haines Amp/co upright In Larry Lawrence Cook. Lawrence and I were Givens' workshop· May, 1966. good friends for many years (a state­ ment I'm proud to be able to make). him a restored 88-note upright player Rheingolds which Lawrence had Sometime during the late 1930s (electrified) for the Apollo recording thoughtfully provided for such "emer­ Lawrence wanted to obtain a piano for piano (which I recognized had priceless gencies"), we finished the job. I have his home, so that his children could take historic value, though barelyanyintrin­ moved hundreds of pianos during my piano lessons. In those DepreSSion-era sic value). He agreed ... life, but this was one of the toughest. days, money was scarce - particularly So, one warm summer day in The old Apollo recording pi­ for luxuries like pianos. But the Apollo 1963, my friend John Gourley and I ano languished in my storage building recording piano was no longer in use at arrived at Lawrence's Bronx home in for years. I contacted Ramsi Tick, who QRS, since the method of makingmusic John's pickup truck to deliver the up­ had purchased the QRS business from rolls had become one of mechanical right and pick up the grand. Luckily, Gertrude Kortlander (Max's widow), arranging rather than hand-playing. Lawrence had lined up several husky to see whether he would sell me the Lawrence made a deal with Max friends to help with the moving job. stylus marker unit, so that the two Kortlander, owner of Imperial Indus­ The Apollo was in the liVing components could be re-united. Quite trial Company which had absorbed the room at the frant of theCook home, and understandably, he wanted to keep the QRS firm, whereby the Apollo could it presented no unusual problem in marker unit at QRS for its obvious his­ become his persona1property. So it was moving it out. But Lawrence wanted torical interest. moved into the Cook home in the Bronx the upright placed in a smaller room at Eventually I decided that these - while the stylus marker unit remained the rear of the house, which could only two "old friends" must be re-united, atQRS. be reached via a long narrow hallway. even if it had to be at my own expense. Years went by and the Cook Mercifully, I have forgotten So I called Ramsi Tick and told him that children practiced their lessons on the many of the details of the ordeal which he could have the Apollo recording piano Apollo.' But, in due course, they left the followed. There were offsets and zig­ WITH MY COMPLIMENfS - provided nest one by one. The Apollo sat in the zags in the hallway which made the job he agreed to restore the dual-unit en­ Cook living room, just a piece of furni­ a nightmare. We had to stand the piano semble to operating condition. Ramsi ture. on its end on the moving dolly. And at accepted my offer and kept his word. During a 1963 conversation, one point things got so tight thatI actu­ And I'mquite proud ofthe role I played Lawrence mentioned the fact that he ally saw a wall of the house BULGE as in preserving what must be the only U,ad never owned a player piano, though one of Lawrence's muscular helpers "original-vintage" music roll recording he would enjoy one so he could play his heaved at the piano. system still functioning in the world. own rolls at home. I suggested that we After much time and more Just a few personal notes on J. make a bargain whereby I would trade perspiration (and fortified by a few cold Lawrence Cook ...

7 Although Lawrence was a superb music roll arranger, he claimed ( that he had never been much ofa pian­ Personal endorsement by notables has long been a favored advertising tech­ ist. During oneofhis visits here (in May nique. Here we have an undated advertisement from the Harper's Magazine of 1966, to be exact) we were in my which featured atestament by musical theatre personality, Anna Held. Miss Held workshop, and I insisted that he play was highly popular in her time and was not only a wife of "The Great Ziegfeld" something himself, withoutbenefit of a but also a star of some of his popular shows. The original of this ad Is from the music roll. Somewhat reluctantly, he personal collection of the Publisher. satdownata HainesAmpico uprightin my shop and STRUGGLED through a chorus or two of Sweet Lorraine (see photograph). Playing was not easy for

him. ANNA HELD AT THE SIMPLEX Lawrence Cook was a GEN­ TLEMAN in every way - and his wife was as fine a person as he. He was a dedicated family man whoworked two jobs (days at QRS, nights at the U.S. Post Office) so that he could give his children every possible opportunity. One of his sons became a noted hematolo­ gist who practiced for years in the New York medical community. In his later years Lawrence doted onhis grandchil­ dren and referred to them as "the grands," who loved to visit their Grandma and Grandpa Cook on week­ ends. r And I'll bet that not one person reading this article knows what the "I" in his name stood for. Well, I KNOW­ simply because I ASKED him. His first name was "Jean," pronounced in the French manner similar to our "John." It MR. THEODORE P. BROWN, 9 May St., Worcester, Mass. May 9,1903. was a reflection ofhis Creole ancestry. I Dcar Sir. -1 believe that in the Simplex you have achieved a great advance in piano players. could talk all day about this interesting From a musical standpoint, it appeals to me more strongly than any other device of its kind. and admirable musician who may have Yours sincerely, _ ~~ made more music rolls than anyone else in history. TheoldHainesAmpico still sits in my workshop - and I sometimes IMPLE think of the BENEDICTION that was PIANO PLAYER conferred upon its ivory keys by the s 'f 1/ Makes Musldans 01 Us All" x fingers of J. Lawrence Cook during that The SIMPLEX is said by the famous musical artists of the world, as well as by its purChasers, to possess the greatest number of points of superiority. long-ago rendition of Sweet Lorraine. And, The basic principal is right-construction proper. Each component part is selected with a view to its perfection. Artisans of acknowledged skill only are employed in its maDufactu~e. those same lucky ivories were also Teachers sanction the use of the SIMPLEX by their pupils. It affords an blessed by the fingers of the greatest example of correct piano playing that is of great assistance to the student. music roll artist of them all - the in­ MUSIC LIBRARIES. Every SIMPLEX is guaranteed and will last a lifetime. comparable Adam Carroll. But that's Seud for catalogue. 'Price. $250 another (much longer) story .... THEODORE P. BROWN. Manufacturer 3 May Street WORCESTER. MASS. (",-..

8 A CONVERSATION WITH HERMAN KORTLANDER March 30, 1985

The following is transcribed from a tape-recorded 1985 interoiew with the now deceased, Herman Kortlander, who was at that time 85 years of age. From 1931 to 1967, Herman Kortlander was Herman Kortlander seated at Bill Burkhardt's Weber Duo-Art involved in the managerial operations of Imperial Industrial, Louiv XVI grand - May, 1987. manufacturer of Q.R.S. Music Rolls which was, during that period, owned by his brother Max. JIM: You were telling me tonight at dinner about some interesting innovations during World War II when you were Although Herman Kortlander did not record piano rolls, he knew making rolls at Q. R. S. You talked about a little eyelet. such artists as J. Lawrence Cook, Frank Milne, J. Russel Robinson and Rudy Erlebach. In the 1950s he established the QRS "Person­ HERMAN: Oh, well, we had a very inventive foreman, so ality Series" ofrolls played as arranged by well-known artists ofthe we had no trouble producingthe rolls because we couldn't time. getrubberbands,for instance. He made a jigto put tapeon the roll so that we could turn them out fast. Of course, the Interviewer Bill Burkhardt knew Herman Kortlander personally. roll was tight, but when the seal was broken, it was loose. Burkhardt first met Herman in 1957 when, as a child vacationing At least we could sell them right in the box. with his parents, he toured the Imperial Industrial Company in New York. Their friendship was renewed in the spring of 1984 Another thing, we couldn't get the brass eyelets, so he when Herman returned to live in his home town ofGrand Rapids, invented another jig to make little cardboard eyelets for Michigan. The friendship continued until Herman's death on July hooking onto the piano [take up spool]. That was a big 12,1987. Friends and family, at the request ofHerman's brother, help to us to make the rolls. gathered at Bill Burkhardt's home after the funeral to hear QRS rolls and remember Herman. Herman Kortlander was an Honorary BILL BLODGETT: In a World War II picture [photograph] I Member of AMICA. think that I saw a picture of employees standing behind a banner. Someone told me that they [Q. R. S.] had made In addition to Herman Kortlander those in the discussion were Jim something else in addition to rolls. Weisenborne, Bill Burkhardt and Bill Blodgett. HERMAN: What could it be? Max only knew the roll JIM: We are talking with Herman Kortlander of Grand business, and I can't remember him doing anything else. Rapids, Michiganin the homeofBill Burkhardt. Mr. KortIan­ Of course, the old Q. R. S. Company did make [phono­ der, can you tell us how you happened to work for the graph] records, and they did other things too, butbasically Q. R. S. Piano Roll Company? the roll business.

HERMAN: Well, I was working for the Grand Rapids JIM: But the manufacturing of records, was that prior to Press in the advertising department, and the Depression Max? came, and being a new man, with others, I was laid off. My brother [Max Kortlander] bought the Q. R. S. Music Com­ HERMAN: Well, Max was there, because he was with pany in New York and, naturally, he would give me a job, them since 1915 in Chicago. so I went East and worked for him in the office. BILL BLODGETT: How old was he in 1915? JIM: About what year would that have been? HERMAN: Well,he'd beabout25, I guess. He was10 years HERMAN: That was about 1931, I guess. older than me. He was born in 1890. He died in 1961 at 71. He was ailing with a sort of diabetes situation. JIM: I ownsome Q. R. S. rolls sold duringWorld War II, and that he would know the machine [recording piano]. You the boxes are very plain cardboard with tape on the outside couldn't just get a man from the street, even though they y edges... could play the piano. They wouldn't know how to make the roll. HERMAN: Oh, that was during the war time and we couldn't get the coverings. There were a lot of things we BILL BURKHARDT: You mentioned earlier this evening could not get during the war. We could get paper, but we that you had an extra perforator also on hand in case there couldn't get the manufacturer to do the work. They didn't was some damage. have help. Men had gone to war or were working in war factories. So we did have difficulties, and it was the HERMAN: Oh, yes. We did have a perforator in storage busiest time, too. We sold more rolls! It was like the old just in case we had a fire or some such thing. It was in a days. We sold somethinglike 5,000 rolls a day, and we had warehouse. It didn't cost a lot of money. It was just like all 3 perforators running all day long, and overtime pay, furniture. I could store this machine. But we gave thatup and extra girls to assemble the rolls and fill the orders. because it didn't seem like we were going to have any trouble. It was like insurance, a precaution. JIM: Can you remember who were some of the recording artists during the war years? JIM: During the war years, where was Q. R. S. located?

HERMAN: Well, U. Lawrence] Cook was the main one. HERMAN: We were in the Bronx. Maxwentfrom Chicago Then we had Frank Milne. to NewYork about 1918 or something like that. There was a fine arts building. Just a recording department, but they BILL BLODGETT: How long was he with the company? put everything together in New York. And they had a factory down by the EastRiver, and they had a big factory, HERMAN: Well, he was with the company for several too, because they sold about 2-3 million rolls per year. years, but he died of a lung disease from smoking. But he They were the biggest company. There were a lot of was with another company, Rhythmodik, or some such companies making rolls. A lot of player piano factories, name. Of course, they all failed, you know. Max was the too, all in that section. r- only one left. There was enough business to keep the roll company going because there were so many player pianos BILL BURKHARDT: I wanted to ask you about the person­ made. And a lotofpeople would notgive up these players. ality series of rolls that came out, I think, in the 1950s, rolls played as arranged by Frankie Carle, Roger Williams. I'm JIM: Incidentally, how did Frank Milne pronounce his last sure that you had a hand in that. name? WasitMIL-ney?

HERMAN: MIL-ney. Sometime people think it's Milne, I HERMAN: Well, that came about because I realized that suppose. Cook could copy styles. Cook could hear the record, for instance, and he could do the roll. You have to give credit JIM: What was he like to work with? Did you have a chance to Cook on that. We sort of got away with that. It was to watch him work? probably not ethical in a way, you know. It was said in a way that it wasn't played by the [actual] artist. HERMAN: Well, he did the same as Cook did. He learned the machine that cut the holes in the masters. BILL BURKHARDT: What sort of money was an arranger like Lawrence Cook earning in the 1950s-1960s? JIM: Did he play the piano well? HERMAN: Well,notagreatdeaI. Maybe$SOor$60aweek. HERMAN: Yes, he played pretty well. The fact is that he I mean, he was satisfied,so thatwas it. Itwas a good salary. did some work for AMPICO,I think. AndI guess thatthey The factory girls only got $20 a week. [the rolls] were all hand-played, I think. I think that they all used a marking machine at one time. BILL BURKHARDT: I understand that Lawrence Cook also worked another job in addition to making arrangements for BILL BURKHARDT: What about Rudy Erlebach? you.

HERMAN: Oh, Rudy Erlebach. He died, too, while HERMAN: He worked at thePost Office. He wasworking r workingforus. Ayoungguy. I don'tknowwhathappened for the pension, and he was doing all right. That was after to him. So it reverted back to just Cook. Max wanted to hours, too, in the evening. He worked for us all day. have an extra man in case anything happened to Cook, so

10 BILL BLOOCETT: When Q. R. S. in the 1920s merged with HERMAN: I just started in the office, more or less. I the DeVry Corporationand started to make [motion picture] Clerical work in the beginning, but it got a little more '-"projectors, as well as Q. R. S. records and phonographs and elaborate, expanded, as I wentalong. AfterMax died I had all that, it's kind of strange, did they contract and put their to do a lotofthings thathe did. Itwas easy because I knew name on... what they were and had the experience. I was in charge of shipping, billing, buying. Mrs. Kortlander came down, HERMAN: Well, they lost money on that deal. Anyway, notevery day,butquite often. She didn'tdo much,butshe they threw everything in the trash, I was told. They tried. madetheappearance. I hada foremanwhowasfairlygood. ButI don't think that worked out, not long anyway. They made some race records, but they didn't keep it up. BILL BURKHARDT: Were you in chargeofpayingroyalties to the music publishers? Did you keep track of that? BILL BLODGETT: Some of the advertisements said that therewereQ.R. S. officesinTorontoandoneinAustraliaand HERMAN: Oh, yes. I kept track of that. I had a pretty all sorts of places. steady job.

HERMAN: I had a catalog showing a picture of Toronto, I BILL BLODGETT: What were the royalties per song? think it was, a factory. A big company, wasn't it? One in San Francisco, maybe. Certainly Chicago. I think the HERMAN: Well, mostly four cents: two cents for the business started around the turn ofthe century, about1903 music; two cents for the words. or so. BILL BLODGETT: That's what they're still paying! BILL BLOOCETT: How did Q. R. S. become involved with Welte? HERMAN: Except on public domain songs. And many of those are still popular. HERMAN: Well, Max bought the rolls and machines and thatwas it. These companies werefailing. We boughta lot BILL BURKHARDT: Whatweresomeofyourbiggestselling I of different companies, junked the machines and used the rolls? Were some played by Max big sellers? V stock. That's all you could do. We couldn't carry on because they were loosing money. HERMAN: Well, I don'tknowwho they'replayed by. But JlBeer Barrel Polka" was a big one. JlThe Music Goes BILL BURKHARDT: But you did actually make Welte Round and Round" was a tremendous hit. Licensee reproducing rolls? BILL BLODGETT: Was that one of the rolls that they had to HERMAN: It was a good machine, and they had a lot of do quickly in order to get it on the market? good expensive, classical masters. Good ones. HERMAN: Yes. JlBeerBarrelPolka"we didratherfast,too. BILL BLOOCETT: Were theirmasterslikeQ. R. S. mastersor You get it out quickly and you don't loose any sales, you completely different? see. BILL BURKHARDT: Whatwasthecostofa Q. R. S. roll to the HERMAN: They were different. You couldn't play them dealers in say, the 1930s and 1940s? on aregularstandardplayerpiano. The noteswouldsound at the top and bottom. They indented in farther in the roll, HERMAN: Inthe '30s duringthe Depressionwe sold them you know. Although, Q. R. S. made the Recordo. The for as low as 25 cents. And some of the dealers as a leader expression wasn't as elaborate as Welte or the AMPICO or sold them three for a dollar. So they onlymade 25 cents on the Duo-Art. a sale of three rolls. But they usually sold them for a little more, at least 50 cents. In the '20s they were much higher BILL BLODGETT: I think that Max had done some Recordo you know. Butthe Depression was pretty bad, andpeople rolls, and I was wondering about the coding for the expres­ didn'thave moneyfor luxuries. Musicrolls were a luxury. sion. Did he put on his indications? They were not a necessity like food, [and] shelter.

HERMAN: Well, I don't know. I wasn't there then. That BILL BURKHARDT: Maybe you can tell us just a little bit . was way back. I really never inquired. about your brother, Max, and what type of person he was and what lifestyle he had? .) BILL BURKHARDT: What were your duties from the time that you went to Q. R. S. in 1931 through the time you left HERMAN: Well, he liked luxurious things, but not fast there in the 196Os? living. He liked nice things. He liked comfort. He took

11 trips. He'd go to Florida in the winter for a month or so. we liked it. We sort of knew that it was going to be And he gave parties once and a while. His wife was agood commercially feasible to do. r social person. BILL BURKHARDT: I noticed in the 1940s, primarily, many BILL BLODGETT: I read that Max made most ofhis money old songs, old standards, ballads and the like were updated to buy Q. R. S. from his song, "Tell Me". into a more modern, new arrangement. Did Frank Milne do many of those? HERMAN: Well, thatdid a lotforhim. He was able to buy a nice home in Westchester. When he bought the Q. R. S. HERMAN: Oh, yes. Some of the old masters were out­ he actually mortgaged his house to buy it, but he got it all dated. So we made them more of a ballad style, and I had back ina year, because there were still so manyplayers out, Frank make over a good many of the ballads.....which was and business was still fairly good, but not like the former a good thing, because some oJ those things were pretty Q. R. S. Max cutthebusiness down to size,layed offall the outdated and people didn't like them. They sounded a arrangers exceptMr. Cook,and lots offactory help. Several little bit automatic. Although, we did, [Lawrence] Cook, perforatorswere discarded. Cutitrightdown to size. So he made some marimba type things laterthatwere verypopu­ did alright. There was enough business to keep one roll lar because the records were done in that style....the pian­ company going. ists, you know. But the marimba was much differentfrom the veryearly one, more harmonious. You gotto play them BILL BLODGETT: When you started in 1931, how many a little faster. I think of numbers like "That Old Gang of employees were there? Mine," "Heart of My Heart," ....but they were popular, alongwiththe personalityseries. Itseemed to help and we HERMAN: Oh, we had about--itvaried. In the summer tried to keep up to date. it was less. In the winter time, around Christmas, we did very well and business was very good. There were always BILL BLODGETT: Were someofthesongsshortenedduring about 20 girls in the factory, and about five in the office. the war?

BILL BLODGETT: Who ran the perforators? Was that a HERMAN: Yes. We had to cut down quite a bitfrom some special job? of the earlier rolls because we couldn't get the money for r- them. We only got 25 or 30 cents, so we couldn't give as HERMAN: I can'trememberanynames. Butitwas always much. a man running perforators. He had to stand there and watch the masterso thatitdidn'tswerve off. He had a little BILL BURKHARDT: When was the last roll recorded by lever there, a knob or something to keep it straight. If the Max Kortlander? master didn't match up the tracker bar, you'd have a discord. So you had to watch the master while it was HERMAN: Well, I would say around the early twenties. running, because itwould vary. And the paper, there were Maybe twenty one or twenty two. They copied his style. 16 sheets on each side of one machine. There were two He kind of agreed to that. As long as itwas commercial, he machines. One machine you could cut about 32 rolls at a didn't mind too much. He didn't go for glory or anything time, and it [the paper] was trimmed on each side so that like that. you'd get the exact size. Whenyou bought the paper from the mills, itwouldn'tbe trued up justright. We used to call BILL BURKHARDT: Did you evermeetother Q. R. S. artists that, spaghetti [the trimmings]. And from the holes, we such as Pete Wendling or Russell Robinson? called that [the perforations], saw dust. HERMAN: Yes. I metZez Confrey. He came to the factory JIM: How did you go aboutchoosing the titles thatyou were once in awhile. Teddy Wilson. He came up to see Cook. going to record? RussellRobinson. Lee S. Roberts, on an early visit. Buthe died in the twenties. He was young. Max was pretty sorry HERMAN: Well, it was rather easy. You knew what the overthat. Lee Roberts did a lotfor Max. He helped sell that publishersweregoingto do. Ifa songwas sellingwell,you "Tell Me" song. Remick bought that for a hundred thou­ would make a roll. You could tell what a publisher was sand dollars. And gave Callahan $50,000 and Max $50,000. going to spend or promote. Like Remick or Shapiro! Callahan was very prolific word writer. He wrote the Bernstein. They didn't just turn out songs that would do words to "Smiles." And he was a fine man, too. A blind nothing. They had to promote them. And the [phono­ man. A good lyric writer. r graph] records came out, so you knew right away that \ something was going to happen to a song. We didn'thave muchtrouble thatway. We didn'tjustmake a tune because

12 BILL BLODGETT: Can you remember some of Max's other HERMAN: There were no hand-played rolls. Theyhad to songs? cut corners all the way. Cook marked them outonpaperin -./' the beginning, pen and pencil, then he had another ma­ HERMAN: Well, he had quite a few songs that did fairly chine that could cutthem out. We had anotherfellow to do well: "Anytime, Any Day, Anywhere," "Bygones," "Like that. But they gave that up later. We Used to Be." Butthereal hitwas "Tell me." Which was a pretty good sum of money in those days. BILL BLODGETT: Did you haveanyarrangementwith Fats Waller when you use his name on the rolls, when Lawrence BILL BURKHARDT: After you left the Q. R. 5. company in Cookhad taken hisarrangementfrom a phonographrecord, the mid-sixties, you went to Aeolian Music Rolls in lllinois? was there any payment to Fats Waller?

HERMAN: No, I went right into New York City. Cook HERMAN: No. Cook was a friend of his and he allowed worked there right on 57th street. He left the Q. R. S., you him to do it. He [Waller] died in the '30s. We didn't do know. A little dispute with Mrs. Kortlander, so he went to many. Buthe [Waller] made some hand-played rolls in the Aeolian. When Mrs. Kortlander sold the business, I quit '20s. and went to Aeolian. I thought that they could use me. I tried to get them to bring the business to New York where BILL BURKHARDT: What about some of the other names I could handle it better. I couldn't get the rolls out. They thatwereusedfor manyyearsonQ. R. 5. rolls--5id Laney, had their machines in Oregon, Illinois and they made the Walter Redding... pianos in Memphis, Tennessee, something like that, and correspondence and all--it was a different kind of help HERMAN: I don't know how that came about. I wasn't than we had. We could handle the help and get the stuff there, but that was just to give a variety to the catalog. out. And you had to do it. These songs didn't last long. Some of these songs only lasted two or three weeks. We BILL BLODGETT: Max, had he ever done any rolls after had to keep making new ones. We made about 20 masters 1921, as you mentioned earlier, an occasional roll? a month. We had a big catalog all the time. There were 50 new songs every day, but we didn't make them all....less HERMAN: I wasn't there, of course. I didn't come until ..)than five a week. But Aeolian couldn't keep that up. I later. I don't think that they were really his playing. I couldn't get them to bring the machines the New York know that in the 'teens he made the rolls, some of those where I could contact the publishers better and do things autographed rolls. They were all hand-played. They right, get the help working. The Aeolian Company was might have been edited. He had a machine to add the terribly slow. tremolo notes, and some of these notes might have been added. Firsttheywere in California,weren'tthey? But, separation of the business like that--you got to have things to­ BILL BURKHARDT: Whataresomeofyourfavorite titles in gether. So theywere failing, and I was layed off there, too. the roll collection that you have? They gave up their Bronx place and did keep their down­ town office on 57th street because they sold some pianos. HERMAN: Oh,I don'tknow. I like some oftheotherrolls, Cook was there for a little while, but he gave up some in fact. I like this JohnnyJohnson on the Welte. I thought months later after I left. Didn't [Ramsil Tick buyout that his style was very good. He had some good ballads Aeolian rolls? What did he do with the machines? that I liked.

BILL BLODGETT: I think that he kept what he could. JIM: What kind of a person was Frank Milne?

HERMAN: Well, is he using them? HERMAN: Well, he was a nice, refined gentleman. Quiet, easy to talk to, very pleasant. He had a nice style to his BILL BLODGETT: Well, he gota two-cutmachine, a four-cut playing, and he played very well himself. He lived way machine and the recorda machine. down in Belmar, New Jersey, and he used to commute to work. Imagine that! It took him about two hours or more, HERMAN: Well, that's the old Q. R. S. But he didn't use I guess, to come up to work every day and go back home any of the Aeolian stuff, I guess. Probably wasn't worth again. At least four hours. shipping all that heavy stuff. Q. R. S. machines were the . best of any roll company. JIM: About how many years did he work for Q. R. 5.? ,) BILL BURKHARDT: Wereanyofthe rolls made in the 1930s HERMAN: Oh, I can't tell you that. Unless it would be when you were starting, hand-played? Or were they all aboutfive years. He diedrather suddenly,and thenwegot strictly machine made rolls?

13 RudyErlebach. MaxwasupsetwhenMilne died. He made JIM: How did you handle a convention? Did you take a nice ballad rolls. player piano with you or getone of the local dealers to bring r. in a player to demonstrate the rolls? BILL BURKHARDT: You mentioned earlier this evening that your father had purchased four Mason and Hamlin HERMAN: We had a foreman that made a small spinet grand pianos in 1913 or 1914? piano, and that's how the Winter Piano Company came to make their player, because we had one. Ourforeman, as I HERMAN: I came from a musical family, and I guess that mentioned before, was kind of an inventive man. So Max mother talked him into buying these pianos, probablyat a said, "Canyou make a small player piano instead of a big reducedprice,fourMasonandHamlinsallatonce. Onefor upright?" They didn't sell anymore because they were so my brother, two sisters, and his wife. I inherited my big. So we made a playerpiano with an electric motor, and mother's and I gave it to my son in Chicago. it was very compact. So Winter made a little bit bigger piano. Itworkedprettygood. And thatwas the outcome of BILL BURKHARDT: You have mentioned in the past that it Winter making their cabaret model. It drew a lot of took some period of time for the Q. R. S. company to be attention. People like to come around and hear it. We gave liquidated or sold after Max passed away. out catalogs.

HERMAN: It was in his will that I could stay on until I BILL BLODGETT: How did Q. R. S. find Hi Babbit? wanted to quit. The business couldn't be sold right away. I don't recall all the details. Anyway, the widow kept the HERMAN: Well, I had to advertise. A few [people] came business until Tick came along, and he was really dedi­ up and tried out,but!thoughtthatBabbitwas the best. He cated to it. But he couldn't buy it right away. was playing piano in some of the clubs. Hy Babbit was a good sight reader. JIM: Did you have much of a free hand in running the company after your brother died? BILL BLODGETT: Where did Dick Watson come from?

HERMAN: Yes, I reallydirected the thing. I was a director­ HERMAN: He came from an ad thatweran. Mrs. Kortlan- manager. I bought materials and took care ofthings pretty der hired him. She was in the office and thought that he ;/' much. I had a foreman inthe backand I letthe bookkeeper was pretty good. take care of the office. I took care of running things, the music end of it. There was just the widow. She actually [Atthis pointMr. Kortlander said thathewastired oftalking wanted to sell the business. and would like a glass of wine thus ending the interview.]

JIM: Did they have any children?

HERMAN: Max had adopted two children at different times. The boy died recently. The girl is still living. She's about 60 years old and lives in the home that Max bought for her in Pacific Palisades, California. The widow died MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW justafewyears ago. Shewashis secondwife. Hisfirstwife FOR TIlE JOINT was a native of Grand Rapids. Jean Jones. Her father was of Berkey and Jones, a furniture factory. But they got a AMICNMBSI divorce about1932 or so, and he married this otherwoman. She'd been married before and had a son. CONVENTION

JIM: We were wondering if Max knew a lot of pianists and performers in the entertainment field, and whether he had any pictures taken. SEPTEMBER 1-6, 1993 AT TilE HERMAN: Well,he andPete Wendlingused to go ontours for plugging the rolls. I think that I have a scrapbook FABULOUS showing different conventions where they would play to­ BILTMORE 1I0TEL gether or separately or whatever for the Q. R. S. Company. IN ~/" And we made all the conventions in Chicago atthe Palmer LOS ANGELES , House, displaying our rolls. I went to a lot of them.

14 In consideration of the salary to be paid to me by the American Piano Company and of my employment by said Com­ pany to assist Charles F. Stoddard in experimental work relating to pianos, player pianos, note sheets and the manufacture thereof and other matters connected with the business of said company and in further consideration of the information suggestions and advice which will be given to me bysaidStoddard and which will acquaint me fully with the business of the said Company and the aims and objects of the said Stoddard and may result in the development by me of improvements or inventions relating thereto, I hereby agree promptly to disclose to said Stoddard all improve­ ments or inventions which I may make during the period of my employment by the said Company relating in any way to the business ofthe said Companyand/or the aims and objects of said Stoddard; and I further agree promptly to disclose to said Stod­ dard all improvements or inventions which I may make within a period of one year after the termination of my employmentby the said Company, which comprise improvements upon specific ar­ ticles, machines or methods the development of which I was en­ gaged upon during my said employment, or which embody the solution of problems upon which I worked or which were pro­ pounded to me for solution during my said employment; and I further agree to apply for letters patent of this or any foreign country upon said improvements or inventions as and when requested by said Stoddard, but without incurring any expenses to myself in connection therewith; and I further agree to assign, as and when requested, said improvements or inventions and said applications for letters patentandanyand all letters patentswhich may be issued thereon to said Stoddard, and promptly to do all other lawful acts and things which may be requested by said Stoddard to secure the issuance of letters patent to him on said improvements or inventions.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and seal this dayof ,1924.

15 HICKMAN'S FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS / by Richard J. Howe

Just before he left American Piano Company in January, 1930, to join Bell Laboratories, Clarence Hickman prepared amemo. This remarkable memo was titled "Resume ofResearch Activities which Should be Given Careful Consideration Sometime in the Future". It was dated December 16, 1929. With one exception, it is reproduced in its entirety. The deleted paragraphs contained avery det,ailed description of how to make Carballoy reamers for manufacturing Hickman's new piano action.

1. NEW PIANO ACTION Both seem to be equally satisfactory came very sluggish in damp weather. The new piano action is in an from the standpoint of straightness. When the relative humidity was raised almost completed form. Models and up to 90 some odd percent, practically drawings have been checked and ap­ The wire was drawn by Baker all ofthemwere uselessasanaction. All proved by the Laboratory. These mod­ and Co. ofNewark. In case the matteris the data from these tests is available, els and drawings have also been checked taken up with them, it would be well to although it has not been written up in and approved by Mr. Swanson of Ma­ get in touch with Mr. Taylor, who is the form of an experiment. Mr. Schnei­ son & Hamlin. Foreman, and understands the matter derknowswhereall thisdata is located. It is believed that very little thoroughly. The tests also showed that, difficulty will be experienced in getting regardless of whether the joints were into manufacture, and that the saving (d) Ream Holes treated or untreated; the bushing cloth on cost of production will be very con­ wascravinetted oruncravinetted- the siderable. The drilling and reamingofthe conditions were the same. Itis quite probable thatthe cost Bakelite joints seems to be completely Four units within the new ac­ of a complete piano action may be re­ solved by the pneumatic drilling and tion, which were carried through the duced to 33-1/3% of the present cost. reaming machine which was sentto the same test, never showed friction even I' The following details in connection with Laboratory. under the worst humidity as great as the new piano action should be given The hole seems to ream cor­ the old action did under the bestcondi­ consideration. rectly, regardless of the size of the drilled tions. The new action did show, how­ hole. Variations in the drilled hole of ever, that the most friction was devel­ (a) Dampers over .001" do not show any variation oped in the middle or knuckle joint. after being reamed with the same reamer. This, of course, was to be expected and The damper design should be The speed of the feed seemed to affect it is quite possible and feasible to make changed in such a manner that it will the size of the ream hole slightly. A this joint withbakelitebushings. Test[s] not be subject to atmospheric changes. reaming feed three times as fast pro­ of this kind have been made in the duced a hole about .0002" smaller. The Laboratory and show that the plan is (b) Keys reamer is what we usually call a "gun quite feasible. The piano keys should be reamer" - a cylindrical rod with the The helical springs which held mounted in such a way that the swel­ front end cut off on a straight cut of the flanges to the flange bar are quite ling of the wood will not cause them to about 30 to 40 degrees. This tip can be necessary. Tests in the Laboratory have bind. A model which shows one way in hardened in mercury and left glass hard. shown conclusively that, regardless of which this can be done is left in the It will not break and will wear a long how these flanges are screwed down, Research Laboratory. This model was time. However, carboloy [sic] tips may they invariably become lose unless shown to, and in general approved, by beused. Wehavenotbeenabletoascer­ supported by a spring of this type. In Mr. Werolin. tain how long these would last, but it thesetestsitwasshownthatif the flange seems reasonable to suppose that they is screwed to metal the looseness is not (c) Center Pins for Bakelite Joints would last for several hundred thou­ as prominent, although it is quite pos­ sand reaming operationsbefore having sible to reach the wrongconclusion due It has already been demon­ to be re-sharpened. to the fact that if a machine screw is strated very conclusively that these pins Inconnection with the new piano used as soon as itgets the least bitloose may be procured with an accuracy of action, it should be recorded that the it mayback up and become looser than plus or minus .00003". A number of tank tests where various humidities were a similar flange held downwitha wood these pins are now at the Research used, showed that all of the actions ­ screw, because the wood screw is held ( Laboratory - halfofwhich werecut into regardless of whether they were manu­ tight so that it does not rotate. These pins by Cornwall and Patterson, and factured by Steinway; Wessell, Nickel tests also showed that the less wood the other half by Blake and Johnson. and Gross; Knabe or Syracuse - be- under the head of the screw, the less

16 looseness. It is, therefore,advantageous could be continued by a clever person and those notunder strain, haveshown to counterbore the flange and, if pos­ by guess-and-try, andprofitable results that it is possible to get four (4) times as sible, screw it to a metal bar, although obtained, although I really believe it much energy from the unstrained as .Jthis, of course, is not necessary when wouldbecheaperinthe longrunto hire from the one that is strained. the spring is used. a good, practical Physicist. I also believe, however, that an air column resonating type of piano 2. PIANO HAMMERS 3. PIANO SCALE would be well worth investigating. Tests made in the Laboratory indicated that Investigations in the Research A great deal has been said about the quality and smoothness of the tone Laboratory have indicated that a much the piano scale. It is blamed or given obtained by an air column resonating more desirable material may be found credit for the quality of tone of the principlewasmuchtobepreferredover for the resilient partof a piano hammer piano. that now obtained with the sounding than that now used, namely, felt. What Much has been said about equal board. is sometimes called the under-felt, or tension. This, or course, is desirable, the resilient partofthe hammer,maybe but while experimenting with the ham­ 5. BRIDGE FRICTION replaced by a flat metal spring (clock mers mentioned above, we discovered ON STRINGS spring). The shapeand thickness of this in the Research Laboratory that there spring may be changed to give any were sudden changes from string to Tests in the Laboratory show desired quality of tone. Its greatadvan­ stringwhich required radical changein that the friction as the string passes tage is that its resiliency never varies the voicing of the same hammer to get overthe bridgeis far greater than desir­ and, once voiced, will remain so indefi­ the best quality of tone. able. This causes a great deal of diffi­ nitely. In some of these cases the ten­ culty in tuning, and also has a tendency These flat springs carry shoes sion on the two adjacent strings were to deform and strain the sounding board. made of suitable material - felt, busing approximately the same so that an at­ It has been shown that the pi­ cloth, leather or some equally good tempt was made to find out what was ano string may have a tension of some substance. Life tests have been made causing the trouble. It was found that fifteen (IS) totwenty(20) poundshigher with busingcloth which shows thatitis there was an abruptchange in the resil­ than the segment in the rear of the bridge, quite possible to use this material. The iency of the strings; that is, the load for or vice versa if the tuning is brought quality of the tone is not materially a given deflection at the striking point from a higher pitch down. changed, by the material used in the of the hammer. ../ shoe. The real body of the tone is pro­ An instrument was made to 6. TUNING PINS duced by the resilient member. measure and calibrate the resiliency of In the treble portion it is pos­ all the strings atthe striking point. Curves It is believed that a different sible to eliminate almost 80% of the were plotted which showed these abrupt type of tuning pin should be used. The wood, or knocking noise, and to pro­ breaks. I would, therefore, recommend Beale tuning pin which has been tested cure a bell-like tone which has never that one of the first things to be done in the Laboratory and found quitesatis­ heretofore been heard. The quality of would be to build a piano in which not factory, could probably be used. The the tone at any partof the piano may be only equal tension is maintained, but thickness of the casting plate should be greatlychangedbya changeinthemass also a smoothchangeintheresiliencyof increased to take thistypeoftuningpin. and the resiliency of the hammer. the stringing. The resulting piano would, The wrestplank or pin block should be It is possible to obtain almost undoubtedly, be one that would re­ abolished. This will permit raising the anything from a pure sine tone to the quire less voicing if felt hammers are piano action so that the keys may be most complex type of tone. In other used and a more uniform type of voic­ thinned up considerably. words, from a tone sounding similar to ing if the metal hammers are used. With this type of construction, a tuningforkonaresonator to the twang I believe it is quite possible to and the use of the new piano action, an of brilliant concert piano, or even far­ establish a mathematical relationship amazingly beautiful piano could be ther than this. A much greater variety between the resiliency of the string and made. The thickening of the plate would of tone may be obtained by the artists that of the hammer. further assist in getting rid of sagging, even with the same hammer. although partof this could be cured by The hammers are voiced by better engineering principles used in perhaps sliding a bar up and down to 4. PIANO SOUNDING BOARD the design of the plate itself. change the resiliency of the spring. This solution, in my estimation, presented There is noquestionbutwhata /s/ CN. Hickman most promising results. The finished great deal of work can be done of a piano will be astounding, and this in­ scientific nature to improve the sound­ vestigation should be carried on, re- ing board of a piano. A study of the ...) gardless of anything else. effect of crowning, down-bearing, thick­ Even in case it is not possible ness, ribbing, etc., would yield profit­ for the company to hire a good Physi­ able results. Analyzed notes obtained cist the workthathasalreadybeendone by using sound boards under strain

17 ''break'', becoming fully "broken" by may be expected in the old action. In THEHICKMAN the time ofimpact. Following impact, manycasesthe old actionwill notstay the hammer rebounds, falling freely in proper regulation for as long as 24 ': GRAND PIANO until caught by the backcheck "t". hours. Another important feature of "Tests which have been made ACTION this action was manual touch control. in the Research Laboratory of the by Thistouch control is operated by lever American Piano Company to deter­ Richard J. Howe "E", the end of which is connected to mine the durability ofthe new action anotherleverwhich was locatedin the have shown thatit will lastfrom 75 to Clarence N. Hickman, a Ph.D. bass or treble key block. Lever "E" is 100 years. After being subjected to physicist, was hired by American Piano connected to arm "X" which was in endurance tests in which two of the Company in 1924. He reported to turn connected to a slotted tube "z" old actions were completely worn out, Charles F. Stoddard, inventor of the which ran the width of the keybed. the new action was still found to be in Ampico reproducing system. Hickman's The slotted tube controlled a spring perfect condition, both from the stan­ assignment was to develop an improved "S", the tension in which affected the point ofdurability and regulation. version ofThe Ampico. He leftAmeri­ touch. "The parts of the new action can Piano Company to join Bell Labo­ The first action did not have are connected with suitable pin points ratories in January of 1930. variable touch. It is covered by U.S. in such a manner that frictions are Duringhis tenure with Ameri­ Patent 1,823,142. Partofthis patentis reducedinmany cases to 1I10th ofthe can he not only invented an improved shown in Figure 3. Itwasfiled July25, amount present in the old action. There reproducing action that has become 1928 and issued September 15, 1931. are no rubbing parts whatsoever. known as the Ampico B, but the dy­ The variable touch feature is contained "This system of connecting the namic recorder and a revolutionary in U.S. Patent 1,866,707, Part ofwhich various parts ofthe action also elimi­ grand action piano as well. About five is shown in Figure 4. Itwas filed May nates the necessity for felt pads and years ago, I obtained a number of 1, 1929 and issued on July 12, 1932. silencers, which have always been a Hickman's laboratory notebooks, re­ source of so much trouble in the old portsandmemos, whichHickmanhad BROCHURE action. This eliminates the packing given to Larry Givens in the 1960's. and swelling of these pads, which in Many of these documents dealt with In 1929, Dr. Hickman prepared turn assures permanence of adjust­ the new grand piano action. The infor­ several drafts ofa document that was ments. mation used to produce this article to be used for a brochure describing "The new action is designed came from these documents. his action. While this brochure was especially to withstand severe mois­ apparently never issued, the text ture conditions. It will remain in per­ DESCRIPTION represents a good description of the fect regulation and operate without features ofthe new action as Hickman undue friction in climates where the A schematic of Hickman's saw them. The text was as follows: humidity rises so high that the old grand piano action is shown in Figure action will swell up and completely 1. Figure 2 shows a conventional ac­ A New Piano Action refuse to operate. tion for comparison. As can be readily "A special feature has been seen, Hickman's action was a truly "At last a grand piano action added to the action which prevents remarkable invention. The unique has been designed which eliminates whatisknown as blocking, andunder feature of this action is the knuckle over half of the intricate levers and no circumstances can the hammer be joint marked "A1" in Figure 1. As the triggers which have been common to driven into the back check and be­ key moves upward the knuckle joint these actions for the last fifty years. come locked in this position. assemblylifts part"d" which Hickman The simplicity of the action is appar­ "The simplicity of the action called the driving member, until screw ent. There are less thanhalfthe number and the great reduction in the num­ "3" contacts pad "q". At that point, the ofmoving partsthatare presentinthe ber and weight of the moving mem­ knuckle joint begins to "break" as the usual grand action. bers has reduced the inertia to such driving member continues to propel "The number of screw adjust­ an extent that a great deal of the the hammer and shank. Almost im­ ments has been reduced from 8 to 4. noise, especially on the return of the mediately after screw "3" contactspad These 4 adjustments may be made key, has been completely eliminated. "q", screw "2" contacts pad "p" stop­ easily, quickly and accurately. "This reduction in the inertia ping the driving member. The ham­ "The construction is of such a ofthe moving parts also brings about mer and shank continue towards the nature that after the adjustments have the possibility of a faster repetition, string by inertia, being free to swing once been made they remainin proper which has heretofore never been pos­ about pivot "A2". Throughout this regulation for an unlimited number of sible. process, the knuckle continues to years. This is a great contrast to what

18 I I I I

-4:1------+--r-- c:~ "..;\....- s I

L,; r- ..;,F,..;:lg:.;._1;...._.....;H:..:.l:..:c,.:..:k.:..:.m:..:a.:..:n~g~r..:..:a:..:.nd=_=a.:.c.:..:.tlo.:.;n~ ..,

Fig. 2 Conventional grand action

19 "The permanence of adjust­ 4 ;; ment makes it possible to so regulate -' the action that the pianist has com­ plete control ofthe hammer until it is ~7 within 1/32" ofthe string. Withthe old /17 type action it has been necessary on ~ ~- account ofweather conditions, etc., to regulate the action so that control of ~ ~ the hammer is lostabout the time itis ~~l 1/8" from the string. This improve­ mentmakes it possible for a pianist to """-,4 ~1 I, ',. \.;:'4. J8----;~' ;:::.~E:1 / play with a pianissimo that has here­ , \1 ".." . J"",,! ~ \.\-! . tofore been impossible...... ~~~~, ~ ;;\I' 'I "The directness ofthe manner ".~F'( "'"!"~ I I -,-';]'"'-- -'"--. ----I'd, in which the hammer is driven and j'" )', ~ r= - the great reduction in the inertia and I \ / .. ,! 1 frictions greatly increase the fortis­ Fig. 3 Hickman fixed-touch grand action patent simo effects. The absence of frictions and the directness with which the Clnut'ut,n power is applied to the hammer re­ C'/orence#.lllcimr7n ~~l,t h/g tl ttotl1.'J4 sultsin a touch thatisvery pleasingto ("/,~/..v.· the artist. The smoothness and even­ 1'....·'if.I.J...... (j·. /f/C/I...,,,'-&.-; ness make possible a dynamic control which is quite wonderful. Many pian­ ists have remarked that 'it makes me a better artist than I really am'. "The nature of the construc­ tion ofthe action improves the tone of thepiano. Thisisbroughtaboutby the rigidity with which the hammer is heldinalignment, and also by the fact that the new action is provided with what is known as a driving member I -,/0 stop. This stop, which is an added S-r feature, insures that the hammer shall swing free of all other mechanism at Fig. 4 Hickman variable-touch grand action patent the time that it strikes the string. is pushed all the way in the touch is PROBLEMS ''The design of the action is lightest. When pulled all the way out such that any individual key may be the touch is heaviest. Any intermedi­ As with any new development removed without disturbing the rest ate positions give various degrees of ofthis type, there were problems which of the action. In like manner, keys touch lying between the heaviest and needed to be solved. Apparently, the may be levelled without removing the lightest." biggest problem was one oftolerances action assembly. in pin joint "e". The bushing in this "Realizing that the individu­ ADDITIONAL MERITS joint was made out ofmaterial called ality ofthe artists must be taken into Fibroc, a form ofBakelite. While toler­ consideration and knowing that each While not mentioned in the ances in conventional piano actions pianist has his own likes and prefer­ above text, the Hickman action solved are usually measured in the thou­ ences in regard to the heaviness of once and for all the paradoxical di­ sandths ofan inch, thesejointshad to touch, an ingenious device has been lemma of a minimum upweight as a meet tolerancesin ten-thousandths of applied to the action whereby it is necessary function of a light, and an inch. Thisjointhad to have a "play" possible for the pianist to regulate the therefore, dynamically responsive of six ten-thousanths of an inch or it heaviness ofthe touch to suithimself. playing weight. The fixed-touch key, could bind. This meant that the com­ The smalllever on the lefthand side of setatthe 1925 Mason &Hamlin touch ponents had to be hand selected, a the keyboard may be moved into any specification of 1.58 oz. (45 grams), costly procedure not amenable to mass position with an accompanying change can lift well over 35 grams! Rapid production. Interestingly enough, in the heaviness ofthe touch. When it repetition is thus assured. Steinway's notorious Teflon bushings

20 that were introduced some 30 years The force necessary to move quickly up to about 2.75 ounces. Then - .. later, had to meet tolerances of two the key was applied by manuallyturn­ at about 10/64th of travel it picks up L ten-thousandths ofof an inch or they ing the small crank, located between the damper. At about 15/64ths the would click. the two vertical shafts, to the right. jack tender engages its let-off button. It is somewhat ironic that if This force was transmitted to the sty­ Shortly thereafter, the jack starts Hickman had Teflon he would not lus through a series of wires, levers rubbing on the knuckle. Then at 17/ have had the binding problem. Con­ and pulleys. 64th the repetition lever engages its versely, if Steinway had used the The smaller vertical shaft on drop screw. The total force reaches a Hickman action with Teflon, they would the left side of the picture measured little over 8 ounces and then remains not have had the clicking problem. themotion ofthekey. This motion was about constant until the key reaches Hickman planned to overcome transmitted directly to the stylus by its full downward travel. Then the the pin joint tolerance problem by the long, horizontal arm. reverse occurs as the key returns to going to Carballoy parallel reamers Two representative force/ rest. for the bushings. Traditionally, piano motion diagrams are shown in Fig­ Figure 7 is for a similar piano technicians had always used tapered ures 6 and 7. These diagrams have equipped with Hickman's action. Note reamers for felt bushings. He also been roted 90 degrees clockwise from that the forces required to strike the planned to use Carballoy dies for this position in the recorder. They string are significantly reduced. Also drawing the pin stock. startin the lower lefthand corner and note that the area inside the loop is As with conventional actions, move clockwise to the upper right and reduced by about 75 persent. This one other problem with the Hickman then back around to the lower left. area is a direct measure offriction in action was that the stability of the Figure 6 is a tracing for a 5­ an action, so Hickman's has far less bushings under the front of the keys foot, 9-inch Chickering grand with a friction, as he had claimed. was critical to the aftertouch. If the conventional action. The curve goes bushings swelled up the aftertouch would be lost. Thus, Hickman's state­ ment about severe moisture condi­ tions was not entirely correct. L· .FRICTION MEASUREMENTS

One of the hallmarks of the Hickman era at American was the development of sophisticated equip­ ment for making important measure­ ments in the laboratory. One such device was the touch analyzer which recorded the forces required to oper­ ate a piano action. It also measured action friction. The touch analyzer is shown in Figure 5, which is a repro­ duction of a photo in the Ampico B Service Manual.

What follows is an explana­ tion of how this analyzer probably worked. The results ofeach test were recordE(d by a stylus which traced a loop on the indicator card shown in the upper right-hand corner of the photograph. As the force on the key increased, the stylus moved to the left ~ and vice versa. As the key moved downward, the stylus moved upward L and vice versa.

Fig. 5. Touch Analyzer

21 /"

10 lcJ,II) V ~ o::>6 z 7

o o _ 1.6 ---- _ 1.6 "0 1.'2. 'ZJIt ...--- to 21. 'LA II'> <- ,~ Of \t'c.t'E.S f.S ~ 1& Of \t'c.t' 10 12 .--- ,0 12 .. '" o 2 ~ 6 8 I~ 4 6 8 6 4 .' o , It\ DEPRe:SSIOI"\ Df.P~~SS\OI"\ RESEARCH LABORATORY RESEARCH LABORATORY AMERICAM PIANO CO. AMERICAH PIANO CO. ~'~~~-tLl ~:K:I.~~t;A~_. PIANO:- ACTION:-_ _ MA>(~/Jk~ ._ MM~ J(lo.(o.;;.t/t/l-y _ STYL..... __.i:_'l_ __ __ STY,-& _ 5"Tn..... __ __ Swu -~<;.£lt ._ / Nu,.\8V\.!Ii.U)_1'- _ NUM8f.R .. Nvfv\8EJ\ NUMBER_. _ No-n NUMBER _.f~ _ Non NUMBER _-.2_7 __ DATE ./;J(-I/..:"_)_r~2-X __ TaMP. DR'!" Wu _ DATF'._jt1"}~,)t-!d-;~ .. TI2MP_ D"'c. Wn _ BAROH .II1CHt:S RELATIVE HUM. _ BAAoM IHCHr.S . Rf.LATIVE HUM. _ WfATIil!. R . __ !~ ._ Wr:AH'I'A ~1;f. Fig. 6 Force-displacement diagram for Fig. 7 Force-displacement diagram for conventional grand action Hickman grand action DEMONSTRATION MODELS the plate on the variable touch model isD6 and the dimensions are identical was missing. The words, Mason & to a Mason & Hamlin Model A grand In order to develop and/or dem­ Hamlin, were cast into each plate. for that note. onstrate the new action, at least two Fortunately, there were just enough demonstration actions were built. Both parts left to make one demonstration ANNOUNCEMENTS are now owned by the author who pur­ model having both fixed and variable chased them from Alan Mueller. These touch. On October 26, 1929, just af­ two actions were rescued from a junk The restoration of the model ter Black Thursday, an article about pile in the American Piano Company was done by AMICA member, Jeffrey Hickman's action appeared in The factory about seven years ago when it Morgan, ofAllentown, Pennsylvania, Christian Science Monitor. Excerpts was being converted into a shopping and Tom Zeiner of John J. Zeiner & from that article by Winthrop P. Tryon, mall. The smokestack marked AMPICO Sons, also of Allentown. The results are shown below: remains to this day. are shown in Figures 10-12. Itturned One action (Figure 8) had two out very well. a museum-quality res­ "Piano-Action - who knows keys with fixed touch and the other toration. Incidentally, the touch on what that means? When a tuner took / (Figure 9) had one fixed and one ad­ the fixed-touch key was set at Mason the mechanism ofkeys and hammers justable touch key. As can been seen, & Hamlin's factory spec of 1.58 ounces. out ofan old square piano ofmine last both were basket cases, having been The variable-touch key is adjustable summer and bade me shut the door so submerged in water or worse. Part of from 1.5 to 3.5 ounces. The note played that the wind, which was blowing into

22 thehousefreshly from the west, might action, being a mere product of the one that does not offend the ear when . not do it harm, I got an idea ofwhat a bench anyway, had anything to do brought out with full power of the Lpiano-action is; something very deli­ with the effect ofMr. Bauer'sperform­ hand. Am I unwittingly praising the cate when removed from its proper ance. Indeed, I am sure that the whole man who travels with Mr. Bauer, place and ever so slightly exposed to matter is a case of coincidence. A keeping the wires at the right tension irregular treatment, and yet some­ musician's artistry has taken on a and the hammers at the desired vel­ thing capable of enduring wear and certain interesting change, and an vetness? Very well; let me commend weather almost illimitable when set engineer's knack at invention has him as having achieved a ''voicing" in the case as intended to be by the evolved a mechanical device (hoping thatwas mostremarkably correctand builder. For all I know, the action of "device" is a dignified enough term) at appropriate for two of Mr. Bauer's pianos has changed a good deal since the same moment., pieces in particular; the F major Bal­ the square, which I happen to treas­ "Not precisely the same, ei­ lade of Chopin and the 'Reflets dans ure, was put forth from the factory, ther; for Mr. Bauer impressed me a L'eau' of Debussy." though, according to such casual ob­ year ago, when playing upon an in­ servatons as I have made, it has re­ strument of the regular type, to be mained in general idea about the same. passingfrom one period as interpreter The following year, American an­ Now I lately looked under the lid ofa to another. He seemed to be getting nounced that the new action was going grand piano and saw an arrangement well out ofa state, which I thoughthe into commercial production. This was of levers that appeared unusual, a had for some time been in, ofa want of reported in the New York Times as great number of sticks formerly re­ confidence in himself, as though he follows: quired being dispensed with. had completed his communication and ''The instrument in question was leaving the next thing to be said TO MARKET PIANOS stood on the platform of Town Hall by others. Austerity and positiveness, MADE BY MACHINE and was being taken in hand by the united with charm and suavity ­ movers, to be carted home to the there's the four-in-hand oftraits that's ---0--- warehouse. To me, it was an extraor­ Bauer; and nobody from a piano com­ dinaryobject, while to them itwasjust pany's research laboratory will show Seven Companies Plan to Sell L ~ load ~or the truck: so. I had little time him how to drive the team, either. Standardized Instruments to satIsfy my CUrIosIty. Such, how­ "Bauer, then, was ahead of at Reductions ofAbout 25% ever, as I did have sufficed, since a the carpenter. Nevertheless, both at piano, after all, is its tone, which you Washington and in New York, I par­ ---0"-- do not see; and ofthis one I knew the ticularly took to the sound ofthepiano FIRST CHANGE IN 107 YEARS tone - a qualityjustenough different with the new action, equalized from ---0--- from anything I am used to, to make top to bottom, like the scale of a good Interchangeable Parts to Simplify me wonderifafresh timbre in theyear singer; a kind of sound that carries, Repairs to Products - Makers Will 1929 has been brought into existence. even when very lightly produced, and Be Introduced Here Nov. 1 "Harold Bauer's piano I'm speaking of, a concertgrand lately out ofthe shop, carrying an action devel­ oped, information goes, in the experi­ mental department of the American Piano Company, by C.N. Hickman, the physicist of the organization. It was played upon by Mr. Bauer at the Festival of Chamber Music at the Library ofCongress, Washington, and it was played upon by him again here at the Town Hall on the evening of October 19. "Truly I am not goi ng to try to make anyone believe that the new

Fig. 8 Unrestored Mason & Hamlin Hickman model with fixed-touch keys

23 "Pianos manufactured by new methods of scientific production and ;­ selling at reductions ofabout 25 per- 1 cent, will be placed on the market Nov. 1 by seven piano companies in the United States, it was announced yesterday. The new type pianos are the result of experiments conducted during the pastfive years, it was, said, and embody the first radical changes made in 107 years. "According to Berthold Neuer, vice president of William Knabe & Co., whomade the announcement,the competition of radio sales has forced the industry to abandon the hand­ made piano almost entirely and adopt Fig. 9 Unrestored Mason & Hamlin Hickman model with one variable-touch and a modern method of construction which one fixed-touch key was evolved by Dr. C.N. Hickman of the Bell Telephone Company, who has been studying the piano industry and making experiments for several years. "Under the direction of George G. Foster, president of the American Piano Corporation, Dr. Hickman has evolved a method of piano manufac­ ture, Mr. Neuer said, which will stan­ dardize production and produce pi- / anos which will have more accuracy of tone and will have an interchangea­ bility ofparts. Becauseofthe scientific methods of production Dr. Hickman developed, the pianos can be sold at25 percent or more reduction. "Since Joseph Chickering made the first over-strung piano in 1823," Mr. Neuer said, "the methods pro­ Fig.10 Restored Mason & Hamlin Hickman model duced by Dr. Hickman are the first radical changes made in the piano. The new pianos which will be placed on the market on Nov. 1 will have greater beauty and tone than the manufacturer was able to produce before; they can be repaired easily because of the interchangeability of parts and every piano of a type will have the same qualities." "The new pianos, Mr. Neuer said, will be made in all models now on the market and will also be produced in a specially constructed small type in period designs. "The seven companies which / will sponsor the new type ofpiano are all affiliated with the American Piano Fig. 11 Restored Mason & Hamlin Hickman model Company. They are William Knabe &

24 man's grandson, who lives in the Chicago area. It has fixed touch. In­ terestingly enough, Hickman discarded the B mechanism from his piano after it stopped playing properly. This pi­ ano was recently refitted with an­ other Model B mechanism by Jim Brady of Indianapolis, Indiana. Hickman's piano was the first Model B shipped. The second Model B shipped was Charles F. Stoddard's five-foot, eight­ inch Knabe Louis xv. Itis now located in Palos Verdes Estates, California. A grand piano equipped with a variable-touch Hickman action sold in the LongIslandarea about 15years ago. Its present location is unknown.

Fig. 12 Restored Mason & Hamlin Hickman model So this is the story of Hick­ man's revolutionary grand piano ac­ tion. Had the depression not started Co., Chickering & Sons, J. and C. This, of course, never hap­ just when American was ready to place Fischer, Marshall & Wendell, Ampico pened. Today, the location ofonly one it in commercial production, it might Corporation, Haines Brothers and grand piano with the Hickman action well have been the "standard" action Foster & Co." is known to the author. It is a J. & C. today. Fischer owned by Carl Kettler, Hick-

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.J On page four is a storyrelating to Sergei Rachmaninoff. These ads from the Emmett M. Ford Collection may be of interest. Both are lJ!nabt probablyfrom "Etude"Magazine, the one on the leftdated 1910, and Warerooms· FifthltUK at 3qt~.at. on the right dated 1918.

25 Long-time AMICA members may recall the following STODDARD'S OBITUARY from the December, 1979 issue of our News Bulletin. It by seems appropriate to recall the 1941 menu and photo in ( Richard J. Howe the context of the accompanying obituary notice. The contribution of the menu and photo was originally made Charles Fuller Stoddard, inventor of the Stoddard­ by James Brady. As a point of interest, Mr. Stoddard was Ampico and Ampico Model A died on April 29, 1958. His obviously as interested in making a profit in the restau­ obituary appeared in the New York Times on May 1, 1958. rant businessas he was in the musicbusiness. The $1.75 total cost which seems incredible by today's prices is C.F. STODDARD, 81, really the equivalent of about $18 in 1992. Not outra­ LONG AN INVENTOR geous, but far from a giveaway.

Devised a Player Piano and ~ THE MENU ~ Automatic Cooking Items ­ Fresh Minted Grapefruit Supreme Restaurateur Here Dies Sflced Nld' Charles Fuller Stoddard of 460 Riverside Drive, Cream of Mushroom Soup inventor of the Ampico player piano and later of automatic Celery, Ripe OliuCl. R4dishCl cooking devices, died Tuesday of a stroke at his home. His age was 81. ROAST VERl\10NT TURKEY In 1930 he became the owner of Stoddard's Restau­ CRANB>;RRY BAUCII ~1.LIlT GRAVY rant at 400 West 119th Street. He made the lSD-guest eating place on the sixteenth floor of Butler Hall, an apartment Candied Sweet Potatoes New Peas building in the Columbia University area, a push-button Grilled Tomato with Mushroom Cap paradise. There human error was eliminated from the kitchen Mashed Hubbard Spuash and dining room. Mr. Stoddard installed automatic measuring, mix­ AI.oTted Relilhe. ing and cooking gadgets ofhis own invention. Orders were Oriental Salad NUT BRIlAD • ORANG. BRIIAD • HOT ROLLS jotted down in codeby waitresses and soon served up from r the kitchen on small elevators. New Russet Cider from Purdy's Farm. A scientist without a college degree, Mr. Stoddard began inventing in childhood to give his toys an extra THE DESSERTS something his playmates' toys did not have. At 16 he invented a thermostat for a natural gas furnace in the cellar English Plum Pudding Black Bing Cherries of his home in Chicago. He later attended Armour Institute Hot or Cold Mince Pie Cocoanut Layer Cake of Technology there. Mr. Stoddard's first job was improving cotton gins Peppermint Candy Ice Cream Floating Island for a company in Boston. The American Pneumatic Service Pumpkin Pie Strawberrey Sundae Company later hired him for $18 a week as a staff inventor. Chocolate or Vanilla Ice Cream There he perfected a pneumatic mailing tube and super­ Gruyere Cheese and Crackers vised its installation throughout the country. At the turnofthe centuryherebelled againsttheoff­ Coffee key sounds of the player pianos then popular. And so he Candied 014ni' Peel invented one that would be able to reproduce note for note, phrase for phrase and pedal for pedal the playing of the 1.75 is the total cost to you. No tipping leading artists of the day. His piano with a built-in recording device, the Ampico player, was accepted for production by the Ameri­ can Piano Company, with which Mr. Stoddard was associ­ ated until the depression. He also invented a steam calliope player. A connoisseur of food, Mr. Stoddard then entered the restaurant business as a hobby. But when perfection became standard through his cookery inventions, the roof­ top restaurant became a successful business, which he continued to supervise personally until he suffered a previ­ ;-- ous [sic] stroke two years ago. Mr. Stoddard leaves his wife, the former Miss Ethel M. Corbett, and a sister, Mrs. Walter Mayr of Los Angeles.

26 ,, ,

FOUNDING (SAN FRANCISCO) CHAPTER Rob Thomas, Reporter

Jim Callahan at Piedmont Pi­ ano Company hosted the Founding Chapter for the March 1992 meeting. Jim's store contains the latest Yamaha Disklavier Grand Piano, and other Bosendorfer and Hamburg Steinway treats. He has a selection of orchestri­ onsand Duo-Artreproducingpianosin fancy and inlaid cases. PiedmontPiano involved itself in a uniqueprogram. In Octoberof1991 the Oakland hills area suffered one of the worst fires in California history. ~ Over 3,000 homes were completely Udestroyed, and possibly half the fine pianos in Oakland were lost. Piedmont Piano Company has provided the pi­ anos and Yamaha has provided the Jack Clemens, Alice Scheelar, and Pat Clemens buying rolls In the warehouse. financing to lend a Yamaha piano for six months free to anyone who lost a piano in the fire. In the first six months of the program 85 people put pianos back into their homes with the help of this program.

###

) UJimCallahan (left) andEricBernhofthold artifacts from the Oakland Hills Fire. Jim has the remains of a toaster while Eric Elmer Klein, Jack Clemens, and Dick Reutlinger sing along to a Wurlltzer roll holds all that Is remains of a Steinway changer piano. grand plate.

27 The April meeting of the Found­ One of his notable accomplishments is adjustments that yield sweet and bal­ ing Chapter was held at the home of the complete restoration of a North anced yet powerful tone. His band organs y Alan Erb. Alan is a licensed mechanical Tonawanda Military Band Organ, which have the delicacy of orchestrions. engineer. He has worked in the field of he acquired without a trumpet section. RobertandSonya Lemon, from nuclear engineering, and is now doing Alan gathered pipes from several band theSierra-NevadaChapter,broughtthe mechanical musical instrument resto­ organs and successfully revoiced them expression system from an Ampico ration. His home is furnished in "early to blend and serve as a complete re­ piano, and demonstrated the various nickelodeon." A large music room with placement trumpet. expression adjustments. skylights has been added to the front, Hismusicboxesarebeautifully and houses the larger band organs and restored and retuned by him to his own ### the Arburo Cafe Organ from Belgium. uniquescale. Healso doessound-board

;- .r

Clockwise from the upper left:

Alan Erb's 1908 North Tonawanda Mili­ tary BandOrgan. You shouldhearitplay "The Tiger Rag. "

Arburo pipes coordinate well with the roll-played accordion. ;-

Lyle Merithew, Sonya and Bob Lemon with their Ampico expression unit. 1902 Lyon & Healy Empress 18-112" Alan Erb with his Tangley CA-43 player console music box. calliope.

28 Roy Pawlan, Guest Reporter found at a Salvation Army store in San cial recognition awards to outstanding Francisco along with a collection of 250 AMICA members and possible visits The month of May brought forth rolls. It sat there for three months be­ by lecturers/performers from other parts many members of AMICA's Founding fore being acquired for $450. ofthecountryfor special Chaptermeet­ Chapterfor an afternoonoffood, music Other smaller performers were ings. Further discussions will no doubt and friendship at the Moraga home of a Play-D-Sax, a Clarola (playerclarinet) be held at the next meeting. Roy Powlan. Moraga is a small town and a Rolmonica. A roll sale of Duo-Art From this reporter's perspec­ surrounded by ranchlands and bordered and 88's was also a big hit. tive, a fine time was had by all. by a redwood canyon. Itisbuilt into the The business meeting covered valleys of the Berkeley hills which af­ many topics including local dues, spe- forded attending members excellent views on this clear spring day. The weather and ride no doubt whetted the appetites of those attending who found upon arriving the usual excellent pot­ luck fare for which the FoundingChap­ ter has become famous. Three machines were features at this meeting. Each was played for hours. The "star" of the show was the "red-paper" Welte Vorsetzer. This machine, built before WWI, is fully restored and plays the original Welte­ style rolls that are perforated (mostly) onbrightred paper. Thismachinereen­ acted for members performances by / Paderewski, Hofmann and Busoni ~ among others. Members enjoyed espe- . dally a roll played by Claude Debussy performing his own "Jardins Sous la Pluie" (GardensintheRain). A thought­ ful memberwithexcellenttasteinmusic brought the Debussy roll. This machine The general layout ofthe original "Red" Welte Vorsetzer. The slowspeed three-part is cased in mahogany and is nota piano pump is below with expression devices at either end. Note that the machine is at all. It is a piano-playing "robot" with entirely tubed with brass, not rubber. "fingers" that rest on the keys of any piano and "feet" for pedaling. Vacuum is raised bya motor-driven pump in the bottom of the cabinet. The perform­ ances are startlingly real with the loud­ est passages shaking the walls. Another featured machine was a Berry-Wood orchestrion thathasbeen modified to play "0" rolls. It contains two solo instruments plus all the usual drums and noise makers. Built in 1910, it has a case that is more ornate than many later coin pianosof the same size. It played fox-trots and rags for our entertainment. Last but not least was a foot­ impelled Duo-Art upright. The last hours I of the meeting were spent enjoying a Using-along to every imaginable type of A closeup of the top section ofthe Welte Vorsetzer with the roll motorat the right. roll. Founding Chapter members are There is no tracking mechanism, yet the rolls mistrack veryrarely. The on/offswitch not shy, and sing well. This piano was is an open poolofmercurygasketed with a sheet ofasbestos. The machine "plays" the Berry-Wood Orchestrion.

29 GATEWAY CHAPTER Gary Craig, Reporter r The Gatweay Chapter held their spring meeting at the newly restored Scott Joplin House in St. Louis. This meeting was somewhat of a departure for our chapter in that we held the meeting at a historic site rather than at someone's house. Scott Joplin, who was born in Missouri, was reared in Arkansas and spent his productive musical career years in Missouri that included three years in St. Louis. The House where we methas been restored to the period whenJoplin and his wife lived in St. Louis, 1900 to Scott Joplin House 1904. The house is open to the public seven days a week. It is a worthwhile side trip for AMICAns who might pass through St. Louis. We held a brief business meet­ ing where we chose a service project for this year, providing musical rolls for the Ronald McDonald house that has a player piano but no rolls. After the meeting we toured the house with our host, Annette Bridges, who gave us insights into Joplin's life 'I and time. One highlight of the tour was the music room that contains a Kimball player piano that was restored by one ofourmembers, YousufWilson. Alarge collection of rolls ofJoplin rags kept us entertained for several hours.

Annette Bridges showing the house to YousufandMary Wilson, Rose Stephenson, and Gary Craig

r \

Members, Marilyn McGarlland, Bill Mikko, Joe Lorberg and Gary Craig, arriving at Dorothy Ruprecht at the Kimball the Joplin House

30 HEART OF AMERICA '-CHAPTER U Robbie Tubbs, Reporter

The Heart of America Chapter met on April 4th and 5th at the sign shop of Blaine and Armeda Thomas in Manhattan, Kansas. Everyone had a chance to see the Thomas' extensive collection. This collection includes player pianos, a Regina upright music box, North Tonawanda ISO, a Perlee from Holland, several World War I and World War II war posters, and wooden Indi­ ans. Everyone enjoyed the love meter and disposition indicators, theromance registers and sex appeal meters and the mutoscopes. It was almost impossible to get Shirley Morganroth away from the slot machines.The newest addition to the Thomas' collection is the Ruth Band Organ. Ron Boppfound theorgan in Munich, Germany, and being the nice guy he is, called Blaine to tell him about it. Ron even arranged for packing and shipping the organ to Manhattan! ·ihe organ was built in Frankfurt, G~r­ L many between 1924 and 1926 by Hem­ rich Voigt. The organ has 162 pipes and plays beautifully. The chapter members had din­ ner ata restaurantthatnight, and unbe­ knownst to President and Mr. Galen Bird, a surprise party awaited them. Congratulations were given for their 25th wedding anniversary. During dinner, we were entertained by the Dixie Land Jazz Band, a trio of Kansas State University students. At the business meeting, a committee was formed to consider developinga promotional videotosend to TV stations before an organ rally. A full length video will possibly be made to send to schools and libraries. Arden and Charlotte Kemler, from College Station, Texas, traveled furthest to at­ tend this meeting.

Top to bottom: Members of the Heart of America Chap­ ter I 'Paul and Shirley Morganroth in front of '---"he "sex appeal" meter and "romance" indicator Blaine amiArmeda Thomas with the Roth band organ

31 MIDWEST CHAPTER Liz Barnhart, Guest Reporter /r

Bob Porter and Dave VanOos­ ten planned the weekend for the Mid­ westChapter that metearly in the after­ noon of May 23 in the home of new members, Connie and Steve Katz, in Granville, Ohio. Their home, built in 1861, is on the Register of Historic Build­ ing and they have restored it for use as a Bed and Breakfast. Every room has beautiful wallpaper reproduced from original patterns. Their upstairs "study" had a most interesting effect on the ceiling; birds appeared to be pulling back the paper to reveal a star-laden sky. The rooms are elegantly furnished and contain their extensive music box collection. They also have an Aeolian Organ and a player piano. In late afternoon we explored the quaint small town's museums, an­ Heart ofAmerica Chaptermembersjoin in a surprise partyto commemorate Chapter tique shops and the campus of Denni­ President Linda Bird and husband Galen Bird's 25th wedding anniversary. son University. We met for dinner at the historic Buxton Inn, a former stage­ coach stop that has been in continuous service ever since 1812. r Our Sunday morning business meeting washeld in our English Tudor­ style hotel, the Granville Inn that was built in the 1920s. It was constructed of native sandstone and designed on the model ofan English countryhouse. The meeting was followed by a huge deli­ cious brunch served by the Inn. In the afternoon some mem­ bers toured the Glass Museum in nearby Newark, Ohio.

r·

Members ofthe Heart of America Chapter enjoying their Chapter meeting PHILADELPHIA AREA CHAPTER Lynn Wigglesworth, Reporter Clark Cressman, Photographer

The Philadelphia Chapter's April meeting was held in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Our genial hosts, David and Nina Heitz, welcomed us into their beautiful home and shared their won­ derful collection with us. The Heitz' collection includes a Weber Duo-Art grand piano in a cus­ tom art case, music boxes (tabletops, and floor models with autotrlatic changers), two Reginaphones, and a Mills Violano. Housed in a separatebuilding, David has a juke box, a Seeburg orch- Nina and David Heitz with their Seeburg orchestrlon estrion, and his incredible "Edison --- Connection" collection of Edison and other early cylinder and disk phono­ graphs and Edison memorabilia. David not only collects and restores phonographs, but is also a font of information about them and about Thomas Edison. He invites groups to ~see his collections and takes a few pho­ nographs around to schools to teach children about early reco!ding technol­ ogy. He gave the Philadelphia Chapter a brief history of the phonograph, play­ ing each type for us so we could appre­ ciate first-hand how the hom or use of different material for the cylinders af­ fected the sound of the recording. Everyone enjoyed the Heitz' collection and their hospitality. We A small section of David's "Edison Connection" phonograph collectIon especially appreciated learning more about phonographs; although many of us have one or two, seeing such a mag­ nificent collection helps us to under­ stand the history and development of the machine.

A coin-operated Mills Violano Second floor balcony of the climate-controlled bUilding housing David's collection

33 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER Frank Nix, Reporter

On April 25, 1992, approxi­ mately 50 members of the Southern California Chapter of AMICA converged on the home of Terry and Reese Banis­ ter, piano rebuilders extraordinaiI'e, in the historic mission town of Riverside, California. Banister's 1891 Victorian home stands back in a park-like setting on nearly an acre of land, behind a very large lawn and circular drive, which is bordered on the east by a grove of magnificent pepper trees. Reese tells us they stay in shape taking care of the grounds with nothingbuta push power Members listen from the balcony. Note the picture disks lining the wall below the and hand tools. balcony. The seven-room, three-bath (originally no bath), two-story home is beautifully decorated in original Victo­ rian style. Adjoining the living room is a room containing an Aeolian Orch­ estrelle Type V Player Reed Organ, and in the living room is a 5'-9" Chickering Grand with an Ampico A system. On the rear ofthe lot, the broth- r ers have built a new shop, plus a large -\. mission-styIe musicroom(36'x52') with 10 foot walls coffered up to 12 foot ceil­ ings). Use of wood in ceiling beamsand wall fixtures have helped give the room a very pleasing acoustical quality. Axminister-type carpeting, dark wood, antique lighting and furnishings con- vey a real sense of elegance to seven quality reproducing pianos of various makes. Lunch was served under a pic­ DavidHeItz demonstrates an earlyEdisonphonograph (on the wall behindhim Is his turesque grape arbor in the rear yard collection of cylinders.) with the help of Bill and Betty Toth. After everyone settled down, we had a short business meeting, followed by a program by our hosts. Reese talked about the history of the house and then gave an informative lecture on the different reproducing systems. Terry followed with a very detailed talk on rebuilding pianos, and both talked about what to look for when buying a piano. Next, our group enjoyed a concert demonstrating the various re­ producing pianos around the room, presented by the Banisterswith the help of Ken Knox. Requests followed while r Daniel Tillmans demonstrated the \ Aeolian Orchestrelle in the house. We thank Terryand Ree$e for a Philadelphia Chapter members admIre the Weber Duo-Art with custom art case. very enjoyable day.

34 Dianne Reidy caught peeking Into the "necessalre" original to the Banister home

The Victorian home of the Banister brothers in the mission town of Riverside, California

Larry Norman reacting to the music (or is he trying to steal the piano?)

The rolllibraryadjoining the musicroom of Terry and Reese Banister

Our hosts, Reese and Terry Banister, during their lecture

35 FOR SALE

ORGAN CASSETTE TAPES: Bopp's Bruder (52-key Bruder Fairground Organ); ,r ADVERTISING INFORMATION French Fanciness (49-key Limonaire , CLASSIFIEDADVERTISING: 20¢ perword, $3.00 minimum for members. Fairground Organ); 31184 Raffin Orgel Non-members may advertise at 40¢ per word ($6.00 minimum.) (31-key Raffin Street Organ) and Calli- ope Capers (Tangley Calliope Reproduc­ PAYMENT: in U.S. funds must accompany order. Make checks payable to tion). Tapes $9.00 each postpaid. Bopp, 4015 McClelland, Joplin, MO 64804. AMICA INTERNATIONAL.

DEADLINES: 30th of the month preceeding publish date, e.g. August 30th STEINWAY - Haines - Weber - Fischer ­ for the September/October issue. Chickering. Regular and artcases. Ampico, Duo-Art. Some as-is from $3,000. Victor, DISPLAY ADVERTISING 300 NW 54 St., Miami, FL 33127. 305­ Full page 7 1/2" x 10" $180.00 751-7502. HalfPage 7 1/2" x 4 3/4" $100.00 Quarter Page 3 5/8" x 4 3/4" $ 65.00 Business Card 31/2" x 2" $ 40.00 PIANO ROLL AUCTIONS, reproduc­ ingand88-noterolls. BennetLeedyRolls, 4660 Hagar Shore Road, Coloma MI 49038. Each photograph or halftone $8.00. Phone 616-468-5986.

We recommend that display advertisers supply camera-ready copy. Copy that FOR SALE: SEEBURG E Nickelodeon is oversized or undersized will be changed to correct size at your cost. We can $12,500. SEEBURG G Orchestrion prepare an advertisement from your suggested layout at cost. $70,000. SEEBURG K Nickelodeon wi pipes $18,000. SEEBURG KT Special PAYMENT: in U.S. funds must accompany order. Typsetting, layout or size (not replica) Orchestrion $26,000. alteration charges will be billed separately. Make check payable to AMICA SEEBURG L Nickelodeon $10,000. WURLITZER Theatre Orchestra w/150 INTERNATIONAL. pipes & duplex mech. (Encyc pg 696) I;;; $22,000. WURLITZER A Nickelodeon DEADLINES: 30th of the month preceeding publish date, e.g. August 30th wi pipes $20,000. WURI.J'nER lXB Nick­ for the September/October issue. elodeon wi bells & roll changer $22,000. WURLITZER 105 Band Organ $32,000. WURLITZER 150 Band Organ $39,000. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ALL ADVERTISING APOLLO Ampico 6'-2" Player Grand IN THE AMICA BULLETIN Piano w/art-case $22,000. REPRODUCO wlorgan & chimes $10,000. FISHER All advertising should be directed to: Ampico Player Grand Piano w/Queen Anne Case $18,000. CmCKERING 6'-5" Ampico Grand Piano $15,000. LINX AX John A. Fischer, Publisher Orchestion $26,000.228DUO-ARTrolls 73 Nevada available. 7 AMPICO Jumbo B recut Rochester Hills, Michigan 48309-1565 rolls $140. 200 Orthophonic RCA rec- USA ords $200. ALL INSTRUMENTS IN Phone/Fax 313-651-4563 CHOICE CONDITION, restored & re­ finished. WANTED Mills Violanos, Music Boxes, Changers, Rolls, Collections, Nick­ All ads will appear on the last pages ofthe BUUETIN at the discretion ofthe elodeons, Orchestrions, Large Cylinder publisher. Boxes, Welte Purple Seal rolls, Link A rolls, & Mills Violano rolls. WAYNE ED­ Publication ofbusiness advertising in no way implies AMICA'S endorsement MONSTON, 2177 Bishop Estates Road, Jacksonville, FL 32259. TEL 904-287­ of any commercial operation. However, AMICA reserves the right to refuse 5996. FAX 904-287-4131. any ad that is not in keeping with AMICA's general standards or ifcomplaints are received indicating that said business does not serve the best interests ofthe members of AMICA according to its goals and bylaws. KNABE, AMPICO MODEL"A"player, 5'-4" grand, red mahogany, with bench, The BULLETINaccepts advertising without any endorsement, implied oroth­ Excel. condo 603-744-8734. erwise, of the products or services being offered. Ad copy must contain text ~ directly related to the product/service being offered. Extraneous text will be deleted at the Publisher's discretion. TANGLEY CALUOPE A-roll player, Model CA-43 with manual keyboard. Good condition. Price $8,000. John Lawson, Los Angeles. 213-263-5484

36 1928 MASON & HAMLIN "RA" grand. dance tunes. Can be set to play 1 through because the new grand is coming home Ampico "A" reproducer. Serial #s 37,501/ 6 barrel revolutions per coin drop. Con­ soon. For further information, please call 38,528. Beautiful restoration. Lacquered tains piano, triangle, snare and tenor John McClelland at 512-331-0141. --...)nahogany; carved & fluted "Hepplewhite" drums, cymbal, xylophone, and mandoline case; documented from assembly line to mechanism. Excellent mechanically and present. Asking $25,000.408-476-0593 or cosmetically. Carl Kehret. 206-392-0667. STEINWAY ''OR'' Circa 1917 with re­ 408-867-4630 mote pump. Piano rebuilt and refinished 10 years ago. Playerrebuilttwoyearsago. Plays very well and is a bargain at$12,000. STEINWAY DUO-ART Good ivory key­ Chickering 1920 "A" Ampico grand French WEBER DUO-ART 5'-8" restored, $7,500; board, africanmahoganystraightcase, 6'­ Provincial art case, matching bench, un­ Wurlitzer Caliola Band Organ with 6" OR. SIN 162915. Good condition, un­ restored$3,500.Marshall & Wendell 1924 orchestra bells, $13,500; Polyphon 221h" restored, mid 20's factory retrofit. $8,500 Ampico upright, unrestored $1500. upright with bell, $6,900; Syrnphonion orbestoffer. 215-837-9400 days, 215-867­ Marshall & Wendell Marque Ampico, foot­ 19-1/8" upright, $5,900; 3-Reginaphons 9556 nights. Ask for Dick operated, full expression system, un­ 12lh" - 151;2" - 20%"; Necessaire with restored $1000. Small George Steck Duo­ sectional comb and motherofpearl imple­ Art grand 1927, rough case but player ments; several musical clocks; Western GEORGE STECK 5'-3" Duo-Art grand intact and original, unrestored $1500. Electric keyboardless with xylophone; #69295 straightcase andbench. Probably Seebergclear glass "A" roll coin-op piano, unrestored $2500. No reasonable offers Empty Regina changer cabinets and empty 1923. Totally restored mid 80's and in refused, will considertrades and delivery. 27" upright cabinet; Regina 200/.4 short excellent condition. $8,500 or best offer. Nathan F. Woodhull. 419-227-8565. bedplate; Polyphon 19-5/8" upright, Phone 215-867-867-9556 or 215-837-9400. $5,500; Jerry Wallace, 1641 Tower Grove Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210. 310-858­ MASON & HAMLIN 5'-4" Baby grand 0528. SHULTZ MARIONET 3'-8" player baby withAmpico. Model RT, Circa1927. Origi­ grand Recordo (conventional pouches) nal ebony finish. Original bench and lit· unrestored, $3,000. Marshall & Wendell erature. Professionally restored Ampico. VINTAGE PUBLICATIONS Encyclope­ Ampico A grand, $1,900 unrestored. Oth­ Approximately 150 rolls. 2nd owner. dia of Automatic Musical Instruments ers available. William Maguire, 159 Dix $16,000 Will consider offers. Robert Smith, (1974) by Q. David Bowers, excellent Hills Rd., Huntington Station, New York P.O. Box 20355, EI Cajon, CA 92021. 619­ 441-1121. condition, $30. Collectors items -- 1927 11746. Phone 516-427-5934. Library of Welte Mignon Music Records "'--"'and 1925 A Catalogue ofAmpico Music, ARTCRAFT MUSIC ROLLS (88-Note good condition, $50 each. Please call or AEOLIAN DUO·ART residential pipe and "Reproducing") areTheWorld's Stan­ write Mrs. Richard F. Merrill, 403 Gun organ,"Marie-Antoinette"model, 6ranks, dard for Concert Performances! Elevate Road, Baltimore, MD 21227. 410-242-8854. c. 324 pipes two chest. Very compact, 8'-1" your Pianola with crisp and exciting x4'-7" x 7'-2" high. Roll player 3'-0" x 1'-6" ARTCRAFT "Interpretive Arrangements"! x 3'-5" high. c. 80 rolls. Restoration cost (We guarantee NO 'band-played" or "sheet PlAYER PIANO STACKS REBUILT. $22,000. in 1985. Sellforhalfcost; $15,000 music transfer" rolls in our brochures!) High quailty work and materials $1,000­ plus transport. ContactJ.H. Nettleton, 21 Send $3.50 for Catalogue and demonstra­ tion tape. ARTCRAFT, PO Box 295, Wis­ $1,200. Unrestored players for sale. Locust Ave, New Canaan, CT 06840. Tel. casset, ME 04578 USA. William Maguire, 159 Dix Hills Road, 203-966-3219. Huntington Station, New York 11746. 516­ 427-5934. 1927 MASON & HAMLIN 5'-8", Louis STEINWAY AEOLIAN DUO-ART grand XV case, mahogany, Serial No. RA 36980, player piano. Serial #212R561 [sic], Style with matching bench, original, complete, POLYPHON 19-5/8" glass-front upright OR 242476, produced 1917. 6'-5" long, re­ unrestoredAmpicoA.$9,500.1936Chick­ music box. Mills Violano converter. Also producer with approx. 36 rolls. Piano and ering 5'-4" Ampico B, mahogany case, Se­ Mills Violano rolls. Arnold Levin, 2634 bench are dark mahogany stain. Excel­ rial No. 160656, with bench, complete, Woodlawn Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. lent condition, asking $15,000. Connie original, unrestored. $6,000. Call or write Phone 708-564-2893. Bill Koenigsberg, 77 High Pine Circle, Smith, Box 115A, Rd#3, Boonville, NY Concord, MA 01742,508-369-8523. 13309. Call 315-942-3262. Leave message, will call you back. AEOLIAN DUO-ART PIPE ORGAN MOLLER THEATRE PIPE ORGAN 24 ranks with echo and roll player, in­ 8-ranks with original roll player, rolls. cludes subscription in 200 roll recutting 1926 STROUD DUO-ART upright pi­ Jim Weisenborne. 313-651-8498. project. $19,000. Mike Ames. 619-481­ ano. Mahogany case, completely refin­ 1663. ished. Duo-Art mechanism rebuilt four years ago. Piano action thoroughly re­ WELTE ORCHESTRION catalog. A stored including new hammers. 4-cylin­ quality reprint of the 44-page book on I enamel paper. Looks just like the origi­ '-"'"'HUPFELD ATLANTIC, weight driven der "tugboat style" main pump. New bass nal. $6.50 including mailing. John Fis­ barrel orchestrion; each of two barrels strings. An excellent instrument that cher. 73 Nevada, Rochster Hills, MI 48309. plays five lively Eastern European march! reproduces well; priced at $3,750. Selling

37 WANTED WANTED -feature and technical articles for publication consideration in the AMICA A COMPLIMENTARY News Bulletin. Especially looking for in­ COPY OF THE 1992 r WANTED: Music boxes in any condition. formative technical articles, detailed ar­ MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY Disk or cylinder. Top prices paid. Also ticles on home collections, stories of his­ IS CURRENTLYIN THE MAli. TO want Welte pipe organ. Arnold Levin, torical interest relating to roll-operated EACH MEMBER HOUSEHOLD. 2634 Woodlawn Road, Northbrook, IL musical instruments. Writing and organ­ ADDITIONAL COPIES ARE 60062. Phone 708-564-2893. izational assistance is available to those AVAILABLE AT $7 EACH FROM with a good idea but a .hesitation to write MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY, for publication. If you have a story to MICHAEL BARNHART WANTED: Mills Violanos, art-cased pi­ share, send a brief description to John 919 LANTERN GLOW TRAIL anos, orchestrions, nickelodeons band DAYTON, OHIO 45431 organs, monkey organs coin-operated Fischer, AMICA News Bulletin, 73 Ne­ machines, automatic disc changers, up­ vada, Rochester Hills, MI 48309. right/console or table-top disc music boxes, large interchangeable cylinder boxes on matching tables. Am also buying collec­ tions (large or small), with fast payment and pick-up at your door. WAYNE ED­ REPLACEMENT LEADERS These 111/4" x 17" reprints, not trimmed and without tabs, are excellent replicas ofthe more popular types of reproducing piano MONSTON, 2177 Bishop Estates Rd. roll leaders. While intended for roll repairs. they may also be used for decorative purposes. Tosplice, overJay new leaderonold roll. Jacksonville, FL 32259,904-287-5996, FAX lay a straightedge on an angle, cut through both papers with a sharp knife, discard scrap. and butt·join with magic mending tape 904-287-4131. on top surface.

AMPICO B REPRODUCING COMPO­ NENTS.Willpay$1,500fororiginal,com­ plete, unrestored Ampico B pneumatic stackwith 33 valve blocks per deck layer. Spacing of striker pneumatics is not important. Other Ampico B parts needed (separatebassand trebleexpressionregu­ lators from type 2 Ampico B). Please call or write Bill Koenigsberg, 77 High Pine Circle, Concord, MA 01742.508-369-8523.

A. Rrown on buff 8 Rlack nn white C. Black on white D. Black on white (For early red (Area for (Most common) {Very late rolls 8S·NOTE PIANO ROLLS desired. Spe­ label boxesl reusable by combined cifically: I Had Someone ElseBefore I Had artist photol Aeolian!American} You (And I'll Have Someone After You're Gone, My Little Bimbo, Someone Is Losin' {I I ~ ]ll AM jP> II CO i Susan Creole Belles and cake walks. r~ II111--",-,c-"_'<._~-'-~-~-~1 Note: Early Welte's Sandr~ ~, """o.n"""~=_1 with blue leader" may Swenson, 9io04 Prarie Road, A MlIJlnrn I .... be repaired with this blOwn leader. Many Junction City, Oregon 97448. of these when reissued had brown leaders.

CAROUSEL LP, pre-1956, probably Audio Fidelity ofWurli 150 or conversion, most songs in key ofC or G. Has Glow Worm, I'llDanceAtYour Wedding, Don'tLet The Stars Get In Your Eyes. Ken Rosen. 818­ 891-7210. E. Green on white F Green on white G. Welte IMost common! jFavorite Fifty &. Brown on buff Selected Roll Servicel (Most commonl

WANTED: Mills violin machines restored Style Quantity Please make checks payable to Orders are Price: 35~ each or unrestored; also parts and rolls. Disc AMICA International, and minimum order $3.00 shipped A music boxes, table tops and changers. I send to: from .B. need an empty case for a Regina 15" changer Maine Brinn K Meeder Postage and Handling c. and a complete 27' changer restored or 904A West Victoria Street Checks or $3.50 .D. unrestored. Interchangeable cylinder boxes Santa Barbara, California money orders E 93101-4745 from foreign Roll Order $ __ .E and high-quality cylinder boxes. Seeburg .G "KT" and other coin pianos, orchestrions. countries must P&Hdlg. $~ be drawn on Total Amt. Total Quantity _ I need a roll-operatedbandorganrestored U.S. bank. ($U.S.) with original parts. Regina hexaphone, r pre-30's jukeboxes, 40's and 50's Wurlitzer jukeboxes. Paul Manganaro, P.O. Box 535, Coopersburg, PA 18036. Telephone 215­ 965-5538.

38 Air CALLIOPES, band organs, nickelodeons. Kits or ready-to-play. Wonderful sounds made in U.S.A. Free brochure or $5 for catalog. Low wholesale prices, factory direct.

Ragthne-Calliopes 4218 Jessup Road - Ceres, CA 95307 Ph. 209-667-5525 Fax 209-634-2667

39

WANTED TO BUY MUSIC ~OX!S • MUSICA1. C1.0CKS M!CHANICA1. OrleANS

Always in the market for better quality disc and cylinder music boxes, musical clocks, singing birds, band organs, player organs, monkey organs, Wuriitzer 78 rpm jukeboxes, slot machines. Any condition.

MAnnN nO!NICK 26 Barton Hill East Hampton, Connecticut 06424 L Phone (203) 267-8682 _ ("1fL------, 1929 WEBER DUO-ART MODEL "B" (Late model with electric roll drive in drawer) Serial Number 80982 5'-2" ITALIAN Art Case (Aeolian Design No. 3076)

Original instrument with many truly unique features. Piano & Duo-Art reproducing action recently restored to perfection by nationally recognized craftsmen. Tonally outstanding and quite possibly one ofa kind.Has original ivory keyboard. Provenance available. Price - $45,000.00

For further details, write or call: Jeffrey Morgan - Agent 833 S. Front Street Allentown, PA 18103 ITALIANDESIGNin walnutand oak burr. This case has (215) 797-3381 a unique type ofrim decoration. Part ofthis forms a lid for closing the piano. The desk is carved and perforated. Fine May be auditioned and inspected byappointement: carved supports ofthe open Italian type with a massive located in Bethlehem, PA stretcher close to the floor. A fine change ofcolor is carried throughout in finishing, all carving being carefully toned. Principals only please! (From original Aeolian literature) December, I9IO THE INTERNATIONAL STUDIO The WELTE- MIGNON I. J. Paderewski Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler AUTOGRAPH PIANO Portrays the Individual Interpretation of the World's Greatest Pianist-Reproducing Faithfully All Their Subtle Nuances, Charms of Personality and Force of Mentality

Our Music Rolls Having a reveal the ac­ Welte-Mignon tual interpreta­ means the pos­ tion of the art­ session of an in­ ists obtained di­ strument that rect from their places at your personal play­ command the ing by means of a recording de­ soul of the art­ vice. ist.

To understand how the Welte-Mignon Piano plays you must put out of your mind every impression which any other playing device has ever given you

Manufactured in three styles Steinway Welte Piano Steinway Welte-Mignon Cabinet Player for Steinway Grands Sold by GEO. J. BIRKEL & Co., 345 So. Spring St., Los Angeles, Cal. GRINNELL BROS., Detroit, Mich. B. DREHER & SONS Co., Cleveland, Ohio L. GRUNEWALD & CO., New Orleans, La. E. F. DROOP & SONS CO., Washington, D. C. J. W. JENKINS, Kansas City, Mo. EILERS MUSIC CO., San Francis~o, Cal. LYON & HEALY, Chicago, Ill. EILERS PIANO HOUSE, Portland, Oregon KRANZ SMITH PIANO CO., Baltimore, Md. JESSE FRENCH PIANO CO., St. Louis, Mo. C. C. MELLOR & Co., Pittsburg, Pa. MR. EDMUND GRAM. Milwaukee, Wis. NORDHEIMER PIANO Co., Toronto, Canada S. HOSPE & Co., Omaha, Neb. SHERMAN & CLAY, San Francisco, Cal. R. WURLITZER & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio WHITNEY & COURRIER, Toledo, Ohio Hy. F. MILLER & SONS, Boston, Mass. DENTON, COTTIER & DANIELS, Buffalo, N. Y. STETSON & CO., Philadelphia, Pa. D. S. JOHNSTON CO., Seattle, Wash. THE WULSCHNER-STEWART CO., Indianapolis, Ind.

Booklets and full information WELTE ARTISTIC PLAYER PIANO COMPANY

Teresa Carreno 273 Fifth Avenue, opposite the Holland House, New York Josef Hofmann