The
www.amica.org AMICA Bulletin Volume 49, Number 5 Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association September-October 2012
ISSN #1533›9726 The AMICA B ulleTIn AU TOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION
Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Visit the AMICA web site at: http://www.amica.org Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax exempt group devot - to enter the “Members-Only” portal, ed to the restoration, distribution, research and enjoyment of Current User Name: AMICA automatic musical instruments. AMICA was founded in San Password: treadle Francisco, California in 1963.
VOLUME 49, Number 5 September-October 2012 AMICA BULLETIN
FEATURES DEADLINES Ads and articles must be received Nickel Notes ...... by Matthew Jaro . . . . 236 on or before the 1st of these ODD Mecca Flats ...... by Richard L. Riley . 243 months: The “Footsie” Chronicles ...... by John R. Grant . . . 251 January July 2012 Pittsburgh Convention ...... by Shirley Nix . . . . . 273 March September Reproducing Rolls on a Disklavier . by Peter Phillips . . . . 285 May November
Bulletins will ordinarily be mailed in the 1st week of the even months, for COLUMNS expected delivery mid-month.
President’s Message ...... 228 Terry Smythe Vice-President’s Message...... 229 55 Rowand Avenue Editorial Observations ...... 228 Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J2N6 204-832-3982 (email preferred) Membership Update ...... 229 [email protected] Call for Awards Nominations ...... 230 Letters ...... 231 MEMBERSHIP SERVICES 2013 AMICA Convention ...... 234 Our Published Heritage ...... 252 Membership Dues: USA Bulk Mail ...... $55.00 AMICAn in the Spotlight ...... 253 USA First Class ...... $70.00 Annual Board Reports ...... 254 Overseas ...... $70.00 Chapter News ...... 280 Canada-Mexico ...... $65.00 In The News ...... Renewals – Additional $5.00 due if 289 renewed past the Jan. 31 deadline In Memoriam ...... 294 Address changes and corrections Web Sites of Interest ...... 296 Directory information updates Ads ...... 297 Additional copies of Member Directory . . . $25.00 Single copies of back issues ($10.00 per issue – based upon availability)
Lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirski 416 Colfax Drive Front Cover: Aeolian Duo-Art Concertola, Paul Ciancia collection. (p.236) San Jose, CA 95123-3403 Inside Front Cover: City of Pittsburgh Proclamation. 408-227-9284 Inside Back Cover: 1981 Watercolour Portrait of Frank Holland. [email protected] Outside Back Cover: Showtime Auction Services. To ensure timely delivery of your BULLETIN , please allow 6-weeks advance notice of address change s.
AMICA Publications reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any and all submitted articles and advertising. While the AMICA Bulletin offers accurate and historic information to its members, the bulletin, its publisher and the AMICA Board cannot be held responsible for contributions that may be considered by some as inaccurate, speculative, or of an OP/ED Format
Entire contents © 2012 AMICA International Printed by Engler Printing Co., Fremont, OH • [email protected] 225 AMICA INTERNATIONAL - International Officers -
PRESIDENT PAST PRESIDENT EDITOR Tim Baxter John Motto-Ros Terry Smythe 939 Briarcliff Rd NE 110 Allen Ranch Road 55 Rowand Avenue Atlanta, GA 30306-4664 Sutter Creek, CA 95685 Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J2N6 404-377-1220 209-267-9252 204-832-3982 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT TREASURER Alan Turner Joe Orens 148 Kingsway Avenue 8917 Wooden Bridge Road Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3M 0H1 Potomac, MD 20854-2448 204-489-3075 301-340-6664 [email protected] [email protected]
SECRETARY MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Bob and Bonnie Gonzalez lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirsky 26 Foremast Cove 416 Colfax Drive Corte Madera, CA 94925 San Jose, CA 95123-3403 415-924-6834 408-227-9284 [email protected] [email protected]
- Committees -
AMICA ARCHIVES CONVENTION COORDINATOR Tom hutchinson Frank nix 15361 Hopper Road 6030 Oakdale Avenue Sturgeon, MO 65284 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 573-442-6675 818-884-6849 [email protected] [email protected]
AMICA MEMORIAL FUND AMICA Honor Roll Ray Dietz Thomas & Donna Stengel 1250 Lanier Road 46 Court St. Martinsville, VA 24112-5212 Lancaster NY 14086-2302 276-638-8563 716-683-5309 [email protected] [email protected]
AUDIO-VISUAL & TECHNICAL WEBSITE MANAGER harold Malakinian Karl ellison 2345 Porest Trail Drive 6 Lions Lane Troy, MI 48098 Salem, MA 01970-1784 248-528-3111 978-740-5680 [email protected] [email protected]
226 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 AMICA INTERNATIONAL Chapter Officers FOUNDING CHAPTER LAND OF DIXIE Reporter: Larry Emmons Pres: John Ulrich - 510-223-9587 President: Walt Gerber - waltgerber@bell - Board Rep: Jere DeBacker [email protected] south.net Vice Pres: Karen Simons Vice President: Robert Soule SOWNY (Southern Ontario,Western New Sec: Jack & Dianne Edwards Treasurer: Tim Baxter York) Treas/Bd Rep: Lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirsky Secretary: Danita Gerber Pres: Glenn Roat Reporter: Bob & Bonnie Gonzalez Board Representative: Tim Baxter [email protected] [email protected] Vice Pres: Bob and Kathy Singer BOSTON AREA Sec: Shirley Roat Pres: Kirk Russell - [email protected] MIDWEST (OH, MI, IN, KY) [email protected] Vice-Pres: TBD Pres: Don Johnson - 248-650-1840 Treas: Holly Walter Sec: Phyllis Konop [email protected] [email protected] Treas: Dorothy Bromage - [email protected] Vice Pres: Liz Barnhart Reporter: Glenn and Shirley Roat Reporter: Sec: Hilda Merchant [email protected] Board Rep: Bob Hunt - [email protected] Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Board Rep: Mike Walter Reporter: Christy Counterman Photographer: Bill Lukasiak CHICAGO AREA Board Rep: Liz Barnhart Pres: Jerry Biasella - 708-756-3307 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Vice Pres: Richard Van Metre NORTHERN LIGHTS (MN, ND, SD, MB, Pres: Jerry Pell - [email protected] Sec: Carol Veome - 773-338-1042 NorthernOntario) Vice Pres: Mike Choate [email protected] Pres: Paul Watkins - 763-421-0672 Sect/Reporter: Shirley Nix Treas: Joe Pekarek [email protected] [email protected] Reporter: Curt Clifford Vice Pres: Treas: Diane Reidy Board Rep: TBD Sec: Mark Kraabel Board Rep: Frank Nix Treas: Barbara Watkins HEART OF AMERICA Reporter: Jerrilynn Boehland TEXAS Pres: Bob Stout - 816-833-1556 Board Rep: Paul Watkins or Mark Kraabel Pres: Rich Clayton - 972-369-0470 [email protected] [email protected] Vice Pres: Dan Davis PACIFIC CAN-AM Vice Pres: Michael Barisonek Sec: Trudy. Moffitt Pres: David Goodwin - 253-517-3348 [email protected] Treas: Brian Graham [email protected] Treasurer: Janet Tonnesen Reporter: HC and Marlene Beckman Vice Pres: [email protected] Board Rep: Gary Craig Secretary: Larry Sanchez Secretary: Suzanne McCall Treas: Mark Smithberg [email protected] LADY LIBERTY Reporter: David Goodwin, Larry Sanchez Bulletin Reporter: Ken Long Pres: John Dousmanis (646) 638-2201 Board. Rep: Carl Dodrill [email protected] Vice Pres: Vincent Morgan - 718-479-2562 Board Rep: John McCall [email protected] ROCKY MOUNTAIN j-mccall@sbcglobal .net Sec: Bob Stuhmer Pres: Jere DeBacker - 303-570-6243 Treas: Maryam Morgan [email protected] Reporter: Martin "Buzz" Rosa Vice Pres: Ken Hodge Board Rep: Vincent and Maryam Morgan Sec: Louise Lucero Newsletter Editor: Bill Maguire Treas: Barry Weiss Affiliated Societies and Organizations American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) Carousel Organ Association of America President/CEO – Ken Double Editor/Publisher: Ron Bopp Netherlands Mechanical Organ Society-KDV 1815 DeFoors Walk, NW (918) 527-0589 A. T. Meijer Atlanta, GA 30318 4725 Montrose Dr., Bradenton, FL, 34210 Wilgenstraat 24 PH: 404-790-5400 [email protected] NL-4462 VS Goes, Netherlands E-mail: [email protected] Friends of Scott Joplin THEATRE ORGAN Co-Editors – Northwest Player Piano Association 1217 St. Croix Ct. Mike Bryant and Don Feely Everson Whittle, Secretary Kirkwood, MO 63122-2326 Editorial Office 11 Smiths Road, Darcy Lever, website: http//stlouis.missouri.org/fsjoplin 3111 NE 165th Pl. Bolton BL3 2PP, Gt. Manchester, England Email: [email protected] Vancouver, WA 98682 Home Phone: 01204 529939 Phone: 206-619-6645 International Piano Archives at Maryland Business Phone: 01772 208003 E-Mail: [email protected] Performing Arts Library,University of Maryland Email: [email protected] 2511 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Associazione Italiana Musica Meccanica College Park, MD 20742 Pianola Institute Villa Silvia - Via Lizzano, 1241 Phone:301-405-9224 Clair Cavanagh, Secretary 47023 Cesena (FC), Italy Fax: 301-314-7170 43 Great Percy St., London WC1X 9RA Phone: 0039-547-323425 Email: [email protected] England Fax: 0039-547-661264 Email: [email protected] International Vintage Phono Player Piano Group Website: www.ammi-italia.com & Mechanical Music Society Adam Ramet, Bulletin Editor C.G. Nijsen, Secretaire General 42 Park Road, Westcliff on Sea, Essex, UK Australian Collectors of Mechanical Musical 19 Mackaylaan Email: [email protected] Instruments 5631 NM Eindhoven, Netherlands Peter Phillips - Editor Smithsonian Institution 26 Alice Street Musical Box Society of Great Britain Division of Musical History Padstow, NSW 221, Australia Alison Biden Washington, D.C. 20560 Phone: (612) 9773-4734 St Giles Hilltop, Northbrook Close email: [email protected] Winchester, Hants. Society For Self-Playing Musical Instruments SO23 0JR, UK Gesellschaft fur Selbstspielende Netherlands Pianola Association email: [email protected] Musikinstrumente (GSM) E.V. Nederlandse Pianola Vereniging Ralf Smolne Att. Jan van Hulzen, Member of the Board Musical Box Society International Emmastr. 56 Chopinrode 25 Rosanna Harris, Editor D-45130 Essen, Germany 2717 BH Zoetermeer, Netherlands P.O. Box 111, Phone: **49-201-784927 email: [email protected] Custer, SD 57730 Fax :**49-201-7266240 605-673-3068 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 227 President’s Message Dear AMICAns, Today I am mourning the passing of true friend to AMICA and mechanical music: Sam Goldman , the Executive Director of Callanwolde Fine Arts Center here in Atlanta and home to a well-maintained 57 rank Aeolian Player Organ (Op. 1454 - 1920). I intro - duced myself to Sam two years ago this fall as someone interested in Callanwolde's organ and he basically "turned me loose" to get the player mechanism up and running and ready to demonstrate to the public. Several AMICAns provided the technical knowledge I lacked, and by Christmas 2010, we were able to show the public a fine example of mechanical music from the "golden age." Callanwolde and AMICA were looking forward to additional part - nerships in the future, which I hope will still occur under Sam's successor. I have since been named to Callanwolde's board of directors and try to give voice to the issue of keeping Op. 1454 properly maintained. My experience at Callanwolde shows that we can make a huge difference with people outside our "usual circle," and that each of us, as individuals, needs to take steps to recruit and generate new interest in our hobby. Please invite a friend to a chapter meeting, show off your collection to new people and try to interest folks in acquiring an instrument of their own. Thanks to those of you (and I know there are many) who tirelessly evangelize for mechanical music and AMICA. Sincerely,
Tim Baxter [email protected] editorial Observations My Fellow AMICAns,
As I prepare this issue for printing, President Tim reminds us how fragile life is. In our current In-Memoriam column, we recognize two of our senior members - Denis Condon and Phil Konop . In the past few days, a number of other old-timers have passed away, who will be recognized in the next issue of our AMICA Bulletin. We are reminded how important it is to bring new members into this delightful slice of our musical heritage. Every member has friends, some who share our very special interest, and they should be invited to join this fine group of dedicated people. Once again, Matt Jaro brings us a fine visit, this time with AMICAn Paul Ciancia and his gorgeous collection, very much appreciated. Returning member Richard Riley brings us the results of his personal research into the piano jazz and blues artists of the early 20th century, a fine example of what can emerge out of our ever-growing on-line research library. Another of our pioneers, John Grant , relates the early history of the " Footsie " award for our annual pumper con - test. And once again, Shirley nix has provided a fine description of our recent 2012 Pittsburgh convention. Peter Phillips in Australia, one of our pioneers in scanning music rolls into midi, brings us his experience, as applicable to the world of contemporary automatic pianos, specifically the Yamaha Disklavier. These instruments, embracing competitors such as PianoDisc, PianoMation, Pianocorder and our newest entry into this arena, Wayne Stahnke and his LX system. It is interesting to note that within our AMICA Membership Directory, there are numerous members, I among them, with this wonderful blend of the old and new way to enjoy listening to the legendary masters of the piano. AMICA is much more than a social organization, something it does quite well. However, the preservation of the heritage which we hold dear to our hearts, is something all members can contribute in the form of articles, monographs and books. Q. David Bowers is leading the way, showing us what is possible. The research tools are here on our web site. Login data is published in our Bulletin masthead. Please explore it and make use of it. You will be astonished at the wealth of information now reposing there.
Regards,
Terry Smythe [email protected]
228 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Vice-Presidents’s Message
Hello Fellow AMICAns
As I write my message for this bulletin summer is drawing to a close up here in Canada. We have had a great and unprecedentedly hot summer. The convention this year in Pittsburgh was a great success and was full of interest - ing things to see and do, and of course the chance to see fellow AMICA friends, new and old, is always the highlight for me. I must say Pittsburgh surprised me with its beauty and wide variety of sights and activities. In this bulletin you will see a fine article by Peter Phillips called "Playing repro - ducing piano rolls on a Disklavier" This article ties in nicely with my message earlier this year about embracing the newer technologies of Automatic Musical Instruments. As a dynamic organization AMICA should seek out those who have these instruments and invite them to join our organization. These newer technologies can (and do) coexist happily alongside our cherished instruments from the past. Indeed they can enhance the pleasure. Roll-scanned and emulated performances of reproducing piano rolls are readily available and play beautifully on modern midi-con - trolled pianos with all the expression and nuance we love in the music.
Musically,
Alan Turner [email protected]
Membership update
Robert Berkman Daniel hawrylczak William Rav 783 Auburn Ave 2191 Abbott Rd 630 Royal St Buffalo, NY, 14222 Lackawanna, NY, 14218 New Orleans, LA, 70130 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Manuel Calderon Jack henry lance Reed Fuente de Cao 32 9100 Lauren Lane 231 Johnsonville Re Lomas de Tecamachalco Jackson, CA, 95642 Johnsonville, NY, 12094-2816 Naucalpan de Juarez [email protected] 518.663.8842 [email protected] 53950 Mexico William hoenig [email protected] 41 Glenhaven Dr Barry Schultz Buffalo, NY, 14228 20 North Kensington Ave Michael De Sio 716.691.6302 240 Olinda Av La Grange, IL, 60525-5918 La Habra, CA, 90631-2807 Joseph Osborne 708-579-0260 [email protected] 155 Shughart Rd Carlisle, PA, 17015 Steve Smith Wesley Gill [email protected] 6379 Genoa Road Tracy's Landing, MD, 20779 7706 Saint Lawrence Ave Jim Penner Pittsburgh, PA, 15218 1635 Harrogate Springs Road 412 480 6125 Wetumpka, AL, 36093 [email protected] [email protected]
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 229 Call for 2013 AMICA Award Nominations
As Vice-President one of my duties is to chair the nominations committee for the awards AMICA gives out each year. Please do some thinking about worthy recipients and send your suggestions for nominations for both awards to your Local AMICA Chapter - who will then pass those nominations up to me and the awards committee. .Please submit your suggestions to your local AMICA Chapter at your earliest convenience so that we can meet the deadline of December 31, 2012 for the nominations for each of the two annual awards to be reach me and the awards committee. Each Local AMICA Chapter should compile the award nominations received from their membership and submit up to three nominations for each award to me and the awards committee. Please try to get the nominations to me before December 31, 2012. Send these nominations to me by email at [email protected] If an AMICA member who is not a member of a Local Chapter would like to nominate someone for an award, please send that nomination directly to me at the above email address. Award by-laws and a brief description of the awards The Awards: Presented in the form of an engraved brass and wood plaque. In addition, the basic registration fee for the annu - al membership meeting for the year of the award will be waived for each recipient in attendance. The plaques may be accepted by any AMICA member designated by the recipient in the event the recipient cannot be present. The award shall be funded by the AMICA treasury. Mechanism of Awarding: An awards committee will be appointed annually by the President. The committee will be chaired by the Vice-President and have two additional members. The Board Representative for each chapter shall be asked to obtain from the membership of their chapter three nominations for each award each year. These nominations shall be submitted to the chairman of the Awards Committee to arrive no later than December 31st of the year prior to the year the award is to be presented. At that time the committee will convene by mail/phone/email and select the three best candidates by number of ballot and/or outstanding qualifica - tions. The Awards Committee will present the lists of the three best candidates for each award to the Executive Committee who will vote to select the final winners from these lists. The Awards Committee Chair will then have the plaques made up and make arrange - ments for the presentation of the awards at the next annual membership meeting. Leo Ornstein Literary Award AMICA International Award Presented for contributing in some way in a literary Presented for contributing substantially to the promotion effort to further and promote the goals of AMICA - either by con - of automatic music and AMICA as viewed technically, musically, tributions to the Bulletin or by independent books, articles, etc. archivally or from the perspective of the general public The contributions must have been made in the past two years. Past Winners Past Winners
2012: Terry Smythe 1996: Harvey & Marion Roehl 2012: Bill Chapman 1999: Richard Reutlinger 2011: Hi Babit 1995: Bob & Ginny Billings 2011: John Motto-Ros 1998: Liz Barnhart 2010: (No Valid Nominations) 1994: Richard J. Howe 2010: Robbie Rhodes & Jody 1997: Mike Barnhart 2009: Brian Dolan 1993: Art Reblitz Kravitz 1996: J. B. Nethercutt 2008: Vincent Morgan 1992: (no award presented) 2009: Jim & Sherri Krughoff 1995: Jasper and Marian 2007: Julian Dyer 1991: Emmett M. Ford 2008: Kenneth K. Caswell Sanfilippo 2006: Yousuf Wilson 2007: Siegfried Wendel 1994: Mary and Ben Lilien 2005: Art Reblitz 2006: Blaine Thomas 1993: Charles Davis Smith 2004: Mike Barnhart 2005: Kurt Morrison & Ron 2003: Rob Bopp Babb 2002: Bob & Ginny Billings 2004: Galen and Linda Bird 2001: (None this year) 2003: Ray & Nancy Dietz 2000: Denis Hall 2002: Richard and Janet 1999: Jeffery Morgan Tonnesen 1998: Robin Pratt 2001: (none this year) 1997: David Saul 2000: Richard & Janet Tonnesen Alan Turner - Vice-President International [email protected] 230 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 letters email from Dorothy Bromage : the printer, I figured out how to put the printer in “graphics” mode and literally force the spacing and drawing of a rectangle at Piano Bench Covers 9 CPI. Once the basics of the program where done, I added draw - ing the “width” lines of the paper so I could have a guideline of They're beautiful, aren't they? Visits to homes and the margins also drew the “wedge” front. museums are enriched by art in the form of piano bench covers. Using this method and with lots of patience and an X- Some (many) years back, there was an article in the Bulletin that Acto knife, I cut out my first copy of Elite Syncopations . Before featured covers-in black and white. Now that color can be repro - Microsoft did away with BASIC over VISUAL BASIC, I created duced so well in our publication, it is time to send out an invita - two more rolls; Powder Rag and Happy Heinie March. tion for anyone to submit a photo that would go in a future Bul - As an aside from this basic program and after a comput - letin article. Among your piano bench covers, is there one (or er upgrade, my next version of the program would literally draw, more) that is special? Please send a photo with your name and a in CGA – three color graphics, an image of a player piano includ - brief sentence about the cover (optional). It will make a great ing the keys and spool box, reading in the data file, scroll the feature. Send to Dorothy Bromag e. piano roll with the showing of the holes – and – with the move - ment of the keys – and – using the BASIC's PLAY function, had [email protected] 8 Skyline Drive the roll playing on the PC. That was most fun, because, then, the Billerica, MA 01821 PC did not have a “sound” card, only the PC speaker which (978-670-1269) could only play one note at a time. I played with the PLAY com - mand long enough, to get it to play the notes fast enough to make email from Duaine hechler it sound like it was playing chords. So now, fast forward to the present day. I asked Bob Billings of Sierra Music Rolls if he could use a MIDI file and Midi to Recuts punch out a piano roll. He said possibly if it is in the right format. Thinking back to my earlier attempts of the roll cre - Hello, I am Duaine Hechler, owner of Hechler Piano & ation, if I could just create Elite Syncopations into a MIDI format Organ Services, specializing in rebuilding, tuning and servicing that Bob could use – that would be FANTASTIC ! antique player pianos and pump organs. And recently offering a Being a lover of Linux (12+ years) (a FREE operating Recut Player Piano Roll Program from my nearly 750+ Personal system), I came across a program called MuseScore roll collection as well as a couple of MIDI sourced rolls. (http://http://musescore.org) . It is a FREE music composition My passion for Mechanical Music started when I was a toddler, around 8 or 9. We would frequent the, then, “Gay 90's Melody Museum”, here in St. Louis, off S. Broadway near the old Busch Stadium. Also, the Miles Mountain Musical Museum, Eureka Springs, Arkansas I begged my parents to get a player piano, which we did a couple of years later, a Lyon & Healy upright player. Unfortu - nately, first played it while it was in the winter, in the barn, at close to freezing temperatures. So unbeknownst to me at the time, it developed pin holes in most of the folds of the pneumatic cloth. A couple of years later, I tried my first “partial” rebuild – just most of all the bellows. The main pumpers and reservoirs were mounted on the underneath side of the keybed and did not have any tilter at the time (did not know what a tilter was), so those were left alone. Along the way, I fell in love with Ragtime music and especially Scott Joplin's Elite Syncopations. I looked everywhere for it (as a piano roll) and never could not find it. & notation software, similar to Finale . So I proceeded to input In the meantime, I bought my first PC, an IBM PC with Elite Syncopations . Once finished, I exported it to a MIDI file a whoppin' 56K of memory and an EPSON Wide Carriage print - and passed it along to Bob Billings. He tested it and found that it er, along with IBM's BASIC COMPILER. worked, so I had 10 rolls made. So, I decided since I can't find the roll Elite Syncopa - While that was in the progress, I came across, on tions, I'll make one. Programming in BASIC, I created a program YouTube, a very wild piece made for digital player pianos, called that would “draw out” a piano roll on shelf paper – using a two Circus Galop, by Marc-Andre Hamelin. Immediately, I just had dimensional array – the note on the piano and the length of the to have that for my catalog of rolls. I first found a reference to note. Then reading from the music, I coded the data to drive the some guy, overseas, somewhere, that already had made the roll, program. The real challenge was to get the printer to print at – 9 however, I could never get linked up with him. So I thought, if I characters per inch – because they were only setup, in “text” could just find the MIDI file of it and somewhere I did. I sent it mode, to do 10,12 and 15 cpi. After learning the ins and outs of to Bob, he said that it is way too fast of notation for his require -
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 231 ments. Thankfully, he played with it long enough that he sent me a test MIDI file back for my approval. All was fine and not knowing how popular this roll might be, I had him make only 5 rolls. These and other rolls can be purchased from my web - site: http://tinyurl.com/cpudj6x Also, I have finally gotten a 2012 Fall Roll Catalog put together: http://tinyurl.com/bpo43v7 My ultimate goal, with enough backing, is to re-open another mechanical museum here in St. Louis, MO.
Regards, Duaine Hechler [email protected] www.hecchlerpianoandorgan.com email from John McClelland : Great Idea! I wonder how many grands end up as trebuchet ammo?
Ed Note: See News Item
email from Bunny Arnett
This roll came to us in a box of 88 note rolls.We would like to know what it fits and if anyone has an interest in it. Roll is in fair to good condition and should play well. It is in its original box but the box is not good. Universal roll #11376-E, Moonlinght , a serenade by Neil Moret. Price .85 email from Jere DeBacker Overall spool width is 11 3/8", paper width is 11". Patent in US 1904. Also in Great Brtitain 1901-1903. Also in Hello AMICA Friends, France,Germany, and Belgian in 1903. July 11th - July 15th, Ken Hodge and Pat Moore, Anita Nick - Spool ends are thin red fiber like material with openings els Johnson and I represented the Rocky Mt. Chapter at the annu - on each end 11/16 with a cross bar 1/2" in. al International Convention of AMICA in Pittsburgh, PA. It was Tracker bar spacing is 6 to the inch like 65 note rolls. a wonderful time. Owen Arnett Anita was the International Membership Secretary dur - [email protected] ing the 1970's and one of the founding members of our Rocky 208-467-4003 Mt. Chapter. Turns out that Pittsburgh is Anita's home town and Adam Ramet says: the University of Pittsburgh was her Alma Mater. She gave us lots of interesting tidbits on the tour and also at the University. These are fibre-ended 65-note Universal rolls. Aeolian This photo is of Anita and me in front of the very tall Internation - experimented with this idea early on. The concept, as I under - al building on the University campus. stand it, was to save on the cost of manufacturing wooden spools Next year the 50th year of AMICA, the convention will and the costlier boxes with the wooden inserts needed to hold the be in San Francisco, the birthplace of our organization. See pin-end 65n rolls. An adapter came with these so that they would you there! registrate and function to a regular spool 65n box. So far as I Jere know this was only a USA-market idea and never was tried here by Aeolian.
232 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 email from Jim Porter Julie Porter ’s father): email from Jere DeBacker :
The Rotary Club of Martinez sponsored Julie entering The Longmont, Colorado Main Street Festival, August her Caliola Organ and John Smith Hand Cranked Busker Organ 24, 2012. AMICAn Jud Murphy and his sister, Kathy with the in the 2012 Fourth of July Parade. The entry won Best Float Hobart M. Cable Nickelodeon at the Barber Shop on Main Street. award mainly due to the wonderful sounds of the Fairground It attracted LOTS and LOTS of attention from kids of all ages. echoing down the Main Street of Martinez from the Caliola and You can almost hear the music playing. The machine went non Monkey organs. Julie had AMICA information packets available stop from a little before 6:00 p.m. to a little after 9:00 p.m. The to those showing interest in the organs. pump wasn't turning for more than about 15 seconds between quarters. Jud changed rolls quickly and easily. It was a fun time, the weather was perfect and the crowd was happy. This nickelodeon was built up in the early 1980s by Art Reblitz, Max Maxwell, and Art’s employee Joseph Cossolini of Colorado Springs, Colorado. They installed a rotary vacuum pump that had been orphaned from a Schulz Recordo, an O Roll spoolbox from Player Piano Co., additional instrumentation, and a 25 cent coin slot into a 1922 Hobart Cable 88 note player piano. Art’s father-in-law, Al Petzke, refinished the case for commercial use. Art and Max placed this piano in public venues in the Colorado springs area, including a major shopping mall food court, the gift shop at Cave of the Winds, and Bob Young’s Cabaret in Cascade. I am sure it earned many quarters. Now that Jud owns it, the piano still performs beautifully, and attracts rapt attention when it is played.
Many thanks to Jud for promoting AMICA, appreciated.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 233 Welcome to AMICA’s Golden 50th Anniversary Convention!
Members of the Founding Chapter are pleased to be at his impressive collection. Richard’s is probably the most pho - hosting this memorable event. We are celebrating with one of the tographed Victorian home in San Francisco and is really some - best convention programs ever. Please help spread the word that thing to see. The bus will return to the hotel for the remainder of the convention is also open to members of sister organizations in the Group. This will provide a few minutes for the first bus pas - the music box, street organ, pipe organ and carousel worlds. We sengers to get drinks and begin looking around. This arrange - think the convention will be too good for anyone to miss! This ment is better than if everyone arrives at once. The bus will have article will present the planned schedule and, hopefully, answer everyone back at the hotel by 5:30 pm. all of your questions. 3:00 pm – Group B will enjoy an illustrated concert by AMICAn Frederick hodges , noted pianist and expert in the music for the Wednesday, July 10, 2013 reproducing piano. He will discuss and demonstrate the styles of the 1920s and 1930s keyboard wizards who played the piano 8:30 am - Board meeting begins. rolls we love. He will highlight recent fascinating discoveries 9:00 am – Those not attending the Board meeting may join a about the piano roll arrangements of Ferde Grofé. The perfor - group of adventurers for a delightful day-trip. As a group, you mance will end at about 5:00 pm. will hop-on the California Street cable car just steps from the hotel. Your cable car will climb Nob Hill, pass through the Dinner is on your own. financial district, and end at the Ferry Building. You will take the next ferry to Sausalito, CA for sightseeing, shopping and lun - 7:00 pm – Group B will shuttle to Richard Reutlinger ’s Victori - cheon. The views across the bay to San Francisco are exception - an home for their champagne reception. Everyone will return to al and you will love the cruise. When the group is ready to leave the hotel by 10:00 pm. Sausalito, you may retrace your steps using the ferry and cable 7:30 pm – Group A will enjoy a repeat concert by Frederick car. Or, you may take a Golden Gate bus that will take you from hodges . Sausalito to one-half block from the hotel. Round trip travel will be about $25 and lunch is up to you. A Founding Chapter mem - Friday, July 12, 2013 ber will guide the group. In case of a large interest in this trip, a cable car may be too small and we may have to secure a tour bus. 9:00 am – Everyone will board chartered busses for the short trip The tour bus company we are working with also offers wine to the Ferry Building. Opening in 1898 on the site of the 1875 country and other day get-away day trips. See their website wooden Ferry House, the Ferry Building became the transporta - address on the registration form. tion focal point for anyone arriving by train from the East, as 5:00 pm – Happy-hour with appetizers served in the Hospitality well as from all the East Bay and Marin residents who worked in room. There will be no-host bar and other drinks available. the city. From the Gold Rush until the 1930s, arrival by ferry - boat became the only way travelers and commuters, except those Thursday, July 11, 2013 coming from the Peninsula, could reach the city. The building has recently been remodeled into a large 8:30 am – Welcome breakfast with introductions and orientation. public market space populated with open farmers’ market stalls 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – Two ninety minute tours are provided at and neat shops and boutiques. Outdoors, on the bay side of the about 10:30 and noon. We will use open-top London style buses. building, there are park benches where you can view the Bay Two choices are described on a special website. These are cus - Bridge and cities in the East Bay. tom tours comprised of the best of the many city tour loops the 11:30 am – You will walk the few hundred feet from the Ferry company offers. We will tabulate the choices you make and Building to Pier Three (transport provided if needed) and board a assign busses according to demand. See the registration form. chartered Hornblower yacht for a two-hour luncheon and bay 2:30 pm – Group A, about half of attendees, will shuttle bus sightseeing cruise. You will see the sights from a new perspec - from the hotel to the lovely Victorian home of Richard Reut - tive and cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge and view close by linger (less than one mile) for a champagne reception and a look Alcatraz.
234 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 2:00 pm – The yacht will return to Pier Three and you will board the ‘20s and ‘30s authentically played by musicians who truly busses for the short drive down the Embarcadero to the Fisher - love the musical styling’s of that period. man’s Wharf area. You will have about two hours to visit the attractions of your choice. Certainly the Mechanical Music Sunday, July 14, 2013 Museum will be of interest. But, don’t miss the San Francisco 8:30 am – Farewell breakfast featuring annual General Member - Maritime National Historical Park and the freshly renovated ship Meeting, closing remarks, information about the 2014 con - Maritime Museum. Admission to the museum is free and the vention and passing the banner. building’s spectacular WPA era murals and architecture are on Afterward: Optional Sunday activities. The web-site used to display as well as exhibits of early San Francisco. Park rangers select your Thursday city tour will also allow you to select from offer tours daily. It may be a bit far to walk for some, but we can a number of Sunday destinations. The tour company can charter have one of the busses drive you over. Ghirardelli Square is smaller vehicles if groups wish to see sights; such as the organ across the street from the Maritime Museum. The “Square” is concert at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, visits to home famous for its shopping, but you must pick-up a box of Ghi - collections in the East Bay, San Jose, etc. As before, if demand rardelli chocolates for the folks back home. Fisherman’s Wharf exists for a particular activity, we will attempt to organize trans - is at Pier 45 (Piers are odd numbered this side of the Ferry Build - portation. ing). Nearby Pier 39 is a very popular destination where you can view the infamous sea lions basking in the sun and see the street Additional Information musicians, magicians and costumed super-heroes at work. 4:30 pm – You may either board a bus to return to the hotel, or Food Service you may choose to remain in the Wharf area and have dinner at Registration includes: Wednesday happy hour cash bar with one of the many famous restaurants located there. You will have included hors d’oeuvres, Thursday welcome breakfast, Thursday to return to the hotel on your own if you dine at the Wharf. But it Champagne reception with hors d’oeuvres, Friday lunch on San is only about two miles from hotel, so a taxi would be reasonable Francisco Bay, Saturday banquet, and Sunday farewell breakfast. or you can use public transportation. We will provide directions. There are dozens of local restaurants within one block of the hotel. A list will be provided. Dinner is on your own. entertainment 7:00 pm – Pumper contest . Who will take the “Footie” home this year? Registration includes: Thursday concert by Frederick hodges 8:00 pm – Live music by the Raspberry Jam Band , a small featuring the compositions and styles of reproducing piano artists orchestra led by ragtime historian, composer and pianist Tom such as Adam Carroll, Phil Ohman, and others along with their Brier . Tom is well known to those who attend ragtime festivals unpublished works available only on piano rolls. The Friday nationwide. The Raspberries are a fun group to hear, and you are concert will be performed by the Raspberry Jam Band featur - sure to enjoy the rarely heard ragtime tunes from Tom’s extensive ing ragtime piano wizard Tom Brier with Julia Riley on flute. sheet music collection. The Saturday evening concert will be performed by the San Francisco Starlight ensemble with dance floor. Saturday, July 13, 2013
9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am – Workshops. Specific topics to be announced.
Noon – Lunch is on your own.
1:15 pm – Mart opens. (We may refer to the mart as the “swap meet” to meet local permit requirements on markets) 1:30 pm – "Cut it! Pin it! Sew it!" - The Making of the Mod - erne American Modiste Join Theresa LaQuey, custom clothier and designer for Simplici - ty Pattern Company, as she brings vintage sewing patterns to life! In this fashion show, we celebrate the golden era of American home sewing by showing not just a bunch of pretty sewing pat - tern covers--but also what the garments look like when they are made up and modeled. Come and feast your eyes on this fiesta of fabric, design, and stitching! 6:00 pm – Social hour before banquet begins. No-host cash bar. 7:00 pm – Banquet featuring awards presented by President Tim Baxter and distribution of table favors. Afterward : Music for listening and dancing by the San Francis - co Starlight Ensemble. You will enjoy hearing dance music from
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 235 Nickel Notes by Matthew Jaro In this edition of Nickel Notes we travel to the beautiful had two planks, and they thought home of Paul Ciancia in Northern New Jersey. Paul has been an they could roll it up onto the back AMICA member since 1970. His collection is wonderfully dis - of the truck like it was a piece of played and consists of reproducing pianos, nickelodeons, furniture. So he ended up having orchestrions, antique phonographs and antique radios. the piano delivered. That piano mover is still doing his moves Matthew Jaro Beginnings today. Paul took the piano apart. He went to the library to see if Paul’s interest in mechanical music stems from his inter - there was any information available. Just by luck, the recently est in music as he was growing up. His father played the piano published book by larry Givens on rebuilding the player piano and the accordion; his uncle played violin and guitar; his grand - was on the shelves. He read it cover-to-cover several times and father loved opera. Paul was very much surrounded by music. He thought that he was now prepared. There was also the Duffy took classical piano lessons for about ten years. He was also Player Piano Company in Palisades Park, New Jersey. John interested in all sorts of mechanical and electrical things. When Duffy passed this year. He was a tugboat captain before entering he was in grammar school, he would walk home and pick the player piano business. He opened the business in 1960 through the trash looking for TVs, radios and any other interest - because of a resurgence of interest in players and sold it in 1969 ing items. (This when he returned to really brings back sea as a captain for memories, because I the Circle Line did exactly the same Tours in New York thing when I was City. Duffy’s con - that age). Paul’s tinued with new family had a farm in ownership into the north Jersey where 1980’s. Anyway they would go for Paul would visit the summers. There Duffy’s and ask a lot was an old Milton of technical ques - upright player piano tions, so they in the living room thought he was a that didn’t work. He competitor. Eventu - looked at the tracker ally, they warmed up bar and gazed at the and helped a great other components deal. wondering how you would get music out Radios of this thing. That probably planted the In addition to seed since this was mechanical music, the natural intersec - Paul has an extreme - tion of an interest in ly impressive and music and an inter - beautiful antique Paul Ciancia est in mechanics. radio and phono - By the time Paul went to college, the bug really bit and graph collection. The first radio he bought was at an antique car he went to a couple of piano dealers in New York City (where he flea market. Then he started advertising for radios in the local was going to college), and one was the Lincoln Piano Company shopper paper. That’s how he ran into Bart Off (see the AMICA on Third Avenue. They had a lot of player pianos: in the base - Bulletin for May/June, 2012). Bart had radios and wanted a piano ment, upstairs, and everywhere. Back in the late 1960s, nobody – Paul had pianos and wanted radios! Since they both wanted really wanted them, and he was probably getting them for free. good prices for their items, they simultaneously decided to trade. Paul went there with very little knowledge of pianos, but there Paul was in Medical School and found an Aeolian upright in a was somebody working for Lincoln who steered him onto what church hall. He made a deal with the church to replace it with a he thought was a good piano. It was a Stroud Themodist. straight piano. That became Bart’s first piano. Paul didn’t see Although it was painted white, internally it was very clean and Bart again for nearly thirty years. They met up again a few years all original. Paul bought that piano for $150 and then went to the ago at Glenn Thomas’s Christmas party. (See the AMICA Bul - store with a friend and a pickup truck, having no idea how much letin for July/August, 2012 to read about Glenn Thomas). those things weigh. The dealer said “there is no way that you and your friend are going to be able to put this on the truck”. They
236 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Collecting and Restoring The Steinway XR Duo-Art Piano The first restoration project apart from player pianos was a reproducing piano. One of the people Paul went to school The Steinway XR piano that Paul currently owns was with had a Stroud upright Duo-Art. It sat in the friend’s basement acquired in 1977 from Tom Ahearn , who was living in Boston at for a number of years and Paul was anxious to try restoring a that time. Paul wanted an art case piano. He initially went to New reproducing piano. So he swapped a working player piano for York City to look at a Jacobian XR owned by a piano tuner the unrestored Duo-Art. His next acquisition was a Steinway XR named Bernard Kritzman . Bernard had a story to go with the Duo-Art that he obtained from Lincoln Piano in New York City. piano. It was bought by a wealthy individual for his new bride. The restored piano was sold through Duffy to Michael Bennett She died shortly after they were wed. The piano was covered up (the director of “ A Chorus Line ”). It finally came to a point that and never played again. Bernard found it, had it restored and was Paul was too busy at school to keep rebuilding pianos. asking $12,000 for it in 1972. Needless to say, Paul continued to In 1972 Paul saw harvey Roehl ’s book “Player Piano look. He came across the Spanish style XR he has now and Treasury” and took a trip up to Binghamton to see the collection. That was his introduction to coin pianos. The Seeburg G and the Reproduco piano-pipe organ really struck him. Harvey and Mari - on were really great. They served him and his friend lunch, played all the instruments, and did what they could to nurture his interest. Paul remarks that everyone in the hobby was extremely helpful in trying to get newcomers cultivated and entrenched in the hobby. When the “ Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments ” was published, it gave a jump start to interest in the field. Similarly, during the last several years there were a pair of authors that put together a series of books on phonographs, ephemera related to phonographs, photographs of collections, etc. This reignited Paul’s interest in phonographs. The Reproduco Piano-Pipe Organ The Reproduco was purchased from G.W. McKinnon in 1973. It was a consignment item in his catalog. The instrument was in Greene, New York, near the Pennsylvania line. McKinnon wanted Paul to buy it sight-unseen, but he didn’t like that idea and went to look at it. The machine dates to 1927 and originally came out of Tegler’s Mortuary in Damascus, Pennsylvania. It went to a local church, and the consigner got it from the church.
bought it in unrestored condition. He had the piano professional - ly restored in New York City and restored the player mechanism himself. The Mills Violano Virtuoso
Paul bought a single Mills around the same time as the Reproduco. He bought it from a collector in Long Island, New York, who got it from the collection of Walt Kehoe . Paul had the machine for several years, when he decided he would like to upgrade to a double Mills. He advertised in the club publications for both a double Mills and a Seeburg “G”. The Mills that Paul currently owns came from a farmer in Montana. He had it in a He had done some restoration on it and it played pretty well. Paul building where his farm help lived. The farmer purchased it from brought it home, and enjoyed it for more than thirty years before a junk store in Nebraska in the 1950s. Instead of going to look at sending it to Alan Lightcap for restoration. it, Paul asked for extensive pictures and specific close-ups. It looked pretty good, so he went for it.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 237 The Concertola was purchased from Paul Manganaro in 1986. Paul M. got a call from the owner who lived in Florida. The owner really didn’t know what it was, but thought it was some kind of juke box. As he was in the process of describing it to Paul, Paul knew immediately what it was. So Paul Manganaro bought it and brought it to East Rutherford, NJ, where he was living at that time. Paul Ciancia saw it in Manganaro’s shop and thought what a fascinating piece of machinery this is. He thought about it for a while and then bought it. Paul C. had never seen one before and nobody knew much about them.
Paul dismantled it entirely. He had the piano restrung professionally. The sound board was in perfect condition. The case was professionally refinished. Paul dealt with all of the elec - trical components himself. That was about three years’ work. The only things that really needed to be replaced were the weight arms. He got a new set from Chuck Pfeiffer . Before the days of Terry haughawou t, Chuck was THE person for Mills restora - tions. Paul still had to find a converter. He got the large converter for the double mills from Chuck Commerford in Missouri. Chuck Pfeiffer was very helpful as was Art Reblitz’s book pub - lished with Mike Kitner . The Aeolian Concertola
One of the great highlights of Paul Ciancia’s collection is a beautifully restored Aeolian Concertola. For those unfamiliar with this (including me!), the Concertola is a machine that can play as many as ten Duo-Art rolls. You can select any roll to be played by pushing a button. The tempo is automatically set by extra holes in the beginning of the roll. The machine moves the roll to the tracker bar, threads the roll onto the take-up spool, sets the tempo, plays the roll and rewinds it at the end. The unit is physically separated from the piano. It was pretty rusty, being a combination of brass parts and brass-plated steel. Paul started on this project in the late 80’s, after he finished restoring the Mills. He decided to take on the changer part first. When he moved in 1991, the project stopped and didn’t get restarted for another ten years. Alan Lightcap had restored Bob Gilson ’s Concertola, so Paul gave Alan this one. He did the contact chest, all the pneumatic components, and the pump, put it together and got it working. There were some blue - prints available and all the parts were there. The cabinet was basically falling apart and there were pieces missing so Paul and Alan decided to display it without a case, leaving all of the intricate and beautiful machinery visible. There are 14 Concertola units known. Of the fourteen, ten are connected to pianos (not necessarily connected to Concertola pianos). This one is connected to the Steinway Duo-Art piano. Of the ten connected to pianos, only about five are working. You can see that there are many steps from when you press the selec - tor button, to the point where it rewinds and shuts off. It’s a very complex device.
238 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 The Seeburg Style “G” Orchestrion The Seeburg “G” came from Bob Avary , a collector then living in New Mexico in the early 80’s. Bob answered one of Paul’s ads. He sent pictures of the machine. The case was refinished. Art Reblitz had restrung the piano, rebuilt the piano action, and re-gilded the plate. In the pictures, all of the mecha - nisms had been taken out of the piano and spread out on bed Concertola drive sheets. Not knowing whether everything was there and even if it mechanism, belonged to the same instrument, Paul contacted Art Reblitz. Just right side like Harvey Roehl, Paul had heard of Art but never met or dealt with him. Again, like Harvey, Art was extremely helpful. Art knew Bob Avary and said you could trust him as a collector and everything he’s showing you belongs to that machine. With that, he went ahead and purchased the machine. Since the piano was
Concertola left side.
Concertola pneumatics V
recently redone, Paul chose to restore the Seeburg G before the Mills. He redid the pneumatic work and re-plated the metal parts. There was a lot of cosmetic work involved, but it got finished in 1985. Several years ago, Paul had Alan lightcap replace the pin block and the sound board. (Art and Bob decided not to under - take those in the 70’s, however by 2007 they needed replace - ment.) Alan also restored the pump and pipe chest. It also got a professional refinishing job.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 239 The hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina Doyle Lane sat with the machine for about fifteen years. Paul contacted Doyle in the late 80’s, but he had no interest in The next machine to come along was the Hupfeld selling it. So Paul continued looking. In 1987 Paul went to the Phonoliszt Violina. I love it when people say “it came along”, Charlie Smallwood auction in San Francisco. There was an like a Phonoliszt will follow you home someday! The first time early Model “B” missing some of its panels. It had a lot of rust. It Paul had seen a Phonoliszt was at the Murtaugh Guinness col - had been stored in a warehouse for decades. Rodents had gotten lection during a local MBSI meeting (one of the first Paul attend - into it. The piano action was nothing but chewed up felts, rusted ed). Alan Lightcap was there because he had restored virtually all iron and a lot of mouse droppings. It was rough, but Paul wanted the instruments in the Guinness collection. Paul heard the it really bad. The pre-auction estimate of $35,000 was passed and machine and was hooked. He began a lengthy search for a it was hammered down at $90,000. Paul dodged a bullet, but Hupfeld. He contacted some of the European dealers and the missed another opportunity. The search continued. prices were already out of reach: $70,000 in 1982 was far more Siegfried Wendel ’s replica Phonoliszts came on the than he could spend. The one Paul owns now came from Doyle scene. Paul still favored an original machine over a replica. Just lane . Jerry Cohen had it before Lane. Jerry got it from hath - around that time Doyle Lane put out a flier that he was liquidat - away & Bowers , who in turn got it from the Cliff House in San ing much of his collection. Paul immediately tore open the flier, Francisco. It was purchased by the Whitney Brothers, who ran flipped through it and found that the Phonoliszt was there. The the Cliff House in the 30’s and 40’s. It was probably imported by description said it had been in the Cohen collection. No price was listed. He immediately called Doyle who said that he had been Ernest B ӧcker of New York in the early teens. Most likely it was on the West Coast its entire life. In the book “Put Another Nickel bombarded with phone calls and the first person there with the In” by Bowers, there is a picture of the machine in the Cliff check could have the machine. Paul asked for a little time. He House workshop partially disassembled (and the Seeburg “H” would send Doyle $1000 as a non-refundable deposit and he had next to it is probably my machine, “ Old Silver ”[ AMICA Bulletin two days to get there. Overnight, Paul decided it would be best to May/June 2010]). Hathaway & Bowers did the original restora - drive up to Vermont and look at the machine. He brought his tion for Jerry Cohen. Jerry had the machine until his fire in the $1000 with him. It was January and it was snowing very hard, late 70’s. The machine was then purchased by Chuck Pfeiffer but he felt he had to get up there. Luckily, the snow tapered off who sold it to Doyle Lane. and he made it the rest of the way to Vermont. Paul went into this brick mill building and saw the piano part of the Phonoliszt with only the sides and the back. No strings, no plate, no key bed. Doyle appeared and they took a tour of the three story building looking at all the parts. The piano plate was here, the piano action was there, the violin mechanism was upstairs. Fortunately, the piano stack was out of the machine but in one piece. The violin chassis was in one piece. Paul didn’t have an intimate knowledge to know if all the parts were there and if the damage could be restored. He gave his deposit and said he would have to return with his expert, Alan Lightcap. Doyle said “there is a guy standing right behind you ready to buy”. So Paul and Alan made the trek back up. Alan said to Paul “it’s all complete” and thus with Alan’s blessing, Paul bought the machine. Alan could not take on the restoration project at that juncture. Similarly, Art Reblitz and Ron Cappel were both busy, so Paul decided to proceed on his own. The first parts to be worked on were the violin compo - nents. The bow consists of two concentric rings that must move freely to operate. The two rings were stuck together, but once they were pulled apart and cleaned, they operated correctly. The drive wheel that turns the bow was warped and had to be recast. Art Reblitz put the horse hair on the bow using a special jig he made (talk about a specialized niche: re-hairing Phonoliszt bows!). It takes about 40 hours to do the job. It’s a very demand - ing task with a specific order of operations to go through. The violins were the next thing that needed attention. Paul called up the Julliard School of Music and spoke to the conservator of stringed instruments to ask for a recommendation. He got the name of René A. Morel , who turned out to be a world-renowned violin technician who serviced Stradivarius instruments. Paul loaded up the violins and brought them to Morel . He was a Frenchman with a white smock on. Paul said it was like going to see a medical specialist. Paul showed him pictures of the machine. Morel said he had seen one in Utrecht Holland at the 240 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 museum, so he was sympathetic to the cause. It’s amazing. The link “2e” Someone of his stature could have said: “I don’t want to be both - ered with this junk.” Instead, he was enthusiastic and said I think Paul’s Link “2E” came from Carl Barker of Media, I could help you with this. With that he took on the restoration of Pennsylvania. Carl is a piano technician who restored it back in the violins to correct problems caused by years of neglect. Morel the 1960s. It did need a little attention so it made its way over to was shown an original violin from Guinness’s Phonoliszt Violina Alan’s for a pump rebuild. The remainder of the original restora - to guide him in the restoration. tion work is still functional. The cabinet had to be restored as well. Paul went to Constantine’s in New York City – a supplier of veneers to the trade. He asked if they had clients for their veneers that did furni - ture restorations of the caliber required. They gave Paul the name of a man in New York City: a Romanian immigrant named: Ted Badea . He was as good with woodworking as Morel was with violins. Again, they visited Guinness’s to look at a Phono - liszt in the flesh. Ted’s shop spent the next year and a half trans - forming the cabinetry. At this point nearly six years of efforts had been expended restoring different aspects of the machine. However, restoration of the pneumatic systems still lay ahead. Paul asked Alan again if he had time and he agreed to do all the pneumatic components. Paul took no shortcuts on the project. The piano was restrung, a new block, new bridges and a new board were installed by a professional piano company in New York. Paul even replaced the key tops in matching ivory. It was a long pro - ject, taking over eight years, but everybody who comes and lis - tens to it is rapt by the sound. The Cremona “J” Orchestrion
The Cremona was acquired about ten years ago. Paul was at Jasper Sanfilippo ’s to pick up the Phonoliszt bow from Art Reblitz. Jerry Biasella invited Paul to listen to Jasper’s machines. So Paul listened to every American machine! He really liked the sound of the Cremona “J”. Paul asked Tim Trager if he knew of a Cremona “J” for sale – and of course, Tim did. Tim put Paul in contact with a fellow from the Carolinas. This person obtained it from the Musical Wonder House in Wiscasset, Maine around 1970. It had been restored twenty-five years earlier by Don McDonald . It needed work now. Paul asked Alan Lightcap to do a complete restoration which was completed in 2008.
The Seybold Jazz Accordion Piano
Paul recently acquired a Seybold Jazz Accordion Piano which is currently being restored. The machine consists of a piano, accordion, bass and snare drums and cymbal. The piano is of French manufacture, the accordion is a Hohner. An expression system controls instrument dynamic levels. The machines found their main use in cafes and restaurants. There are only a handful of these known to exist. It came from Oregon, where Jim Knudtson was the owner. He bought it in the 1970’s from Claes Friberg in Denmark. Very few were imported into the United States. Music is not real plentiful for these machines. There was a re-cutting project a few years back where they borrowed all of Knudtson’s original rolls. Some new arrangements are currently being cut in Europe for the machine. René Seybold of Stras -
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 241 bourg, France was the inventor. The company should not be con - fused with the U.S. Seybold Piano Company used in Nick - elodeons and Orchestrions. The French machines were produced in the late 20’s and early 30s, when sales of coin pianos were poor. The company was in Alsace-Lorraine which suffered Edison heavy damage during the war. Consequently, very few machines Home with survive today. The restoration is anticipated to be completed Polyphone. next year. The Knabe AMPICO The Knabe was acquired from Rick Smith in Glen Cove, Long Island. Paul had been looking for an art case AMPI - CO, and Rick had a 5 foot 8 Louis XV Knabe built in 1924. It had an “A” action and Paul added a “B” drawer. It was recently restored by Alan Lightcap. A connection to the Concertola allows the device to play Ampico rolls on the Knabe.
Regina 15.5” disc changer.
Regina 27” After spending a lovely day with Paul and having dinner disc changer. at his house, it was time to hit the road back to my home in Maryland. It was a long day (its 4 and 1/3 hours distant) and the next morning I started transcribing my notes.
Edison Portion of Idelia the radio and phono collection.
Paul Ciancia can be reached at [email protected]
Matt Jaro can be reached at [email protected]
242 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Mecca Flats Chicago South Side Piano by Richard l. Riley "Lovin's been here and gone to Mecca Flats " so states was a great time for pianists from the lyric of Jimmy Blythe 's most famous and well known com - around the country to hear many position. Mecca Flats was an apartment building designed in different styles. 1891 and finished just in time for the " Columbian World expo - The larger area around the sition " in Chicago in 1893. It was at the corner of 35th and State "Flats " was known as " The Richard L. Riley Street in Chicago's South Side. It was a fine structure when built. Bronzeville District ". Starting about 1912 and through most of the twenties, about an 8 block area of South State Street was known as " The Stroll ". The core area was from 31st to 35th streets. This area was frequented with cafes, bars ,dance halls and music shops. The famous " Sunset Cafe " was located at at 315 E. 35th.The "Sunset " was a black and tan club where all ethnicities could freely mingle. Many important musicians had a gig there during this time period. The building still stands and as the picture shows is now housing an Ace hardware. Some remnants of the cafe era can still be seen in remote parts of the building. It's one of the few still standing. The " Royal Gardens " was located at 459 E. 31st Street
It was raised in 1951 in an urban renewal project at which time it was in bad shape. There was some effort to save it as a historical building. The " Flats " would probably be called a tenement today but it was highly praised when built. It housed many of the new immigrants arriving daily from the old south. By the early twen - ties it was overcrowded and run down. Many of the blues musi - cians an their families lived there after arriving in town. If they were successful, they could move into the brownstones down on Ellis Avenue. By the thirties crime was so high some mail men were afraid to deliver the mail. It was unusual in that there were two large atriums in the interior wings with large skylights in the ceiling and wrought iron railings on the balconies. It looked much better on the inside than the out. The residents could just and was the inspiration walk out the front door and be on " The Stroll " for one of the all time great jazz/blues compo - sitions-" Royal Garden Blues " written by Clarence Williams and Spencer(unrelated) Williams in 1919. In 1921 the club was renamed " lincoln Gar - dens ". These two clubs anchored the " Stroll " district. When Clarence Williams moved from New Orleans in 1918 he located his new music The " Columbian exposition " of 1893 brought people store at 3129 South from all over the country to see the new marvels. The music State Street just a few blocks away from the Royal Gardens. He venues did not have any official ragtime or blues but music was called his store " The home of Jazz " and that name appears on all about. It has been said that Scott Joplin visited. Ragtime was his Chicago publications. Lloyd Smith had a small music shop on in it's infancy and the blues had not yet been announced but this 31stStreet. When Clarence moved his music publishing business
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 243 licensing fees that were paid. Not the actual copyright owner of the original music. This was quick money where-as actual pub - lishing required a distribution network which in the black com - munity only Clarence Williams and W. C. Handy had achieved. Many of these tunes end up on the Capitol blues A-rolls and on no other piano roll. Thomas A. Dorsey ( Georgia Tom ) relates hanging out there to make contacts and he got his first big break from those contacts. He later ended up traveling with " Ma " Rainey as her pianist and arranger. J. Mayo Williams hired him to do most of the arrangements for the singers he was recording. Dorsey said that he never saw a published piece of sheet of music while working for " Chicago Music Publishing " The efforts of J. Mayo Williams resulted in Chicago becoming a 2nd center of the jazz to New York in 1922 Lloyd moved his store to the South State and blues recording industry after only New York. Street location and called it " The Original home of Jazz ". The Melrose Brothers opened their first music shop Clarence Johnson was part of that organization along with around 1918 or 1919 Lloyd's brother Warren and most of the greats came into the in rented space at store. " Jelly Roll " Morton, Lemuel Fowler, Jimmy Blythe, 6311 Cottage Grove "Georgia " Tom Dorsey, Spencer Williams, Charles Warfield and Ave somewhat south the Thomas brothers to name a few. This was fortuitous as this of the " district ". location plays an important role in our story. During Clarence They became William's tenure this location became a popular hangout for the involved with " Jelly inner circle of the industry in Chicago - composer's, talent man - Roll " Morton in agers, record producers and musicians, particularly pianists and 1923 which quickly this continued after William's departure. Lloyd Smith was a pret - changed their for - ty good south side pianist who recorded only a few pieces for tunes. By 1926 their Columbia/Capitol A-rolls. He recorded " I'm Goin' Away " which success allowed a only appears once. It was recorded by Clarence Johnson on move downtown Staffnote and QRS piano rolls.! next to the Chicago "I'm Goin' Away " is one of the few pieces of actual sheet theatre at 177 N. music published by the State Street. Earlier firm that I have seen. It that space was held was successful enough by Williams & Piron. to be recorded by Alber - In 1921 they pub - ta Hunter on Paramount lished " Take It Easy " with Eubie Blake on (when your lovin piano. They did publish me) by Lemuel Jelly Roll Morton's " Big Fowler. As was Fat Ham " in August of often the case later, 1923. Due to a "quirk" Walter attached his in the way royalties name as lyricist. were paid on phono - This was one of graph records most of Lemuel's earliest the copyrighted tunes were just arrangements made for the singer and never published as sheet music. That is who received the mechanical
compositions and was proba - bly published shortly after his arrival in Chicago. The Kentucky Boys - of the three pianists featured 244 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 here very little is known, but the least is known about Lemuel "Capitol Music Roll Company ". Most of there releases were Fowler. I suggest that he might have been from the Louisville from " hand-Played " masters. Many of the releases do not credit area. One of his few compositions that relates to an area is " L & the pianist but many of the best ones do. On some labels the ver - N Blues " which refers to the Louisville and Nashville railroad. sions were shorter with the Capitol 88 note versions often being Lemuel, Clarence and Jimmy all appear in Chicago within a year full length . or so of each other and I think some of the jug band influence 47 of the Capitol 10-tune coin piano rolls have been dis - from that area is reflected in the playing of all three. They record - covered to date which feature primarily Jimmy Blythe and ed each others tunes as evidenced by the piano roll of " The Clarence Johnson. The majority of those were recorded by Fowler Twist " recorded by Clarence Johnson. The sheet music is Blythe. Many of those tunes were never recorded anywhere else. very scarce and the piano roll is even rarer. In the Clarence John - Most of the selections are regrettably short - 2:00 to 2:30 long. son section you can see the sheet music he co-composed by with This was to encourage repeated play of the coin pianos. Clarence Williams and the piano roll of the same tune performed Mike Montgomery found over forty copyright entries by Jimmy Blythe. These guys were rediscovered by piano roll in the Library of Congress records accorded to Blythe. Only two collectors starting in the fifties with premier collector/authority of his compositions are known to have been published. " Chicago Mike Montgomery. In the early seventies I issued 88 note ver - Stomps " and " Mecca Flat Blues ". Paramount Records published sions on my " Jazz Classic " label of some of the best Capitol 65 a small booklet of their top artists which included the music to note nickelodeon rolls recorded by Blythe. This was the first time "Mecca Flats ". This booklet is quite rare but has been repro - most roll collectors had heard these performances and the rush duced. " WalkingBlues " was published by Axel Christensen who was on to find more. took co-composer credit. This is " Chicago Stomps " with a differ - James "Jimmy " Blythe was born in Lexington, Ken - ent title. " Chicago tucky in about 1901.His Stomps " was Blythe's family appears to have signature piece and is been fairly poor and his considered the first early musical education is full recording of a unknown. It has been sug - boogie-woogie piano gested that he was proba - solo (1924). As hap - bly self-taught to a large pened so often co- extent. Louisville about 80 credit was given to get miles west was famous for a piece published and its Jug Bands. I believe the slowly the actual com - Jug Band Style influenced posers name is his early piano style and removed from the would go even further to piece. Later the title say that his was " Jug Band was changed to "Boo - Piano " . gie Woogie Blues" The family moved to Chicago sometime between 1916 and Blythe's name and 1918. In the late teens he was tutored by Clarence M. Jones was gone. This sheet who was already well established in the Chicago area. Clarence is vary rare and the who was born in 1889 was probably a "father" figure to Jimmy copy from the Montgomery collection recently sold on eBay to a and Clarence Johnson. Jones had significant formal musical collector in Germany for well over $500.00. Axel Christensen training and was able to advance Jimmy's skills. Jones was for many years had schools around the country toteach people to known as " The Sultan of Syncopation " and according to an ad in play Ragtime. By the twenties it was called " The Christensen the " Chicago Defender " from July of 1919 you could see him at School of Popular Music ". At the same time as " Walking Blues " the " Owl Theatre " on State near 47th leading his band " The was published (1924) Axel published (using the same graphics) syncopators ". The "Owl" advertised itself as the most popular "Pomeranian Blues". This tune appears 5 times on the Capitol theatre on the south side. More important to our story- he was blues A-rolls. You might wonder about it's provenance. It is a the manager of the Imperial Piano Roll Company and had con - bravura performance of an excellent unknown tune probably play tacts in the center of piano roll manufacturing which was Chica - by Clarence Johnson. go at the time. The story of " Mecca Flat Blues " takes us down a differ - The Columbia Music Roll Company was formed ent path. Blythe often worked with Alexander " Alex " Robinson. c.1919. By 1922 they had hired In 1926 and 27 they had a popular radio show on station KYW. Jimmy to crank out pop tunes for Alex was married to Aletha Dickerson who was the secretary of J there piano roll division which .Mayo " Ink " Williams. These characters were significant in the consisted of " Supertone " sold by South Side music scene of the twenties. Paramount Records of the Sears Roebuck company and a Grafton, Wi. had become so successful with their " Race " records slew of other labels many intended division that by 1922 they were working with Mayo Williams as for discount sales. In 1924 the their unofficial recording director. His job was to bring artists in company had been successful for recording. He was busy enough to open an office at 3621 enough to expand and they South State Street and hire a secretary-Aletha Dickerson. She changed the company name to the worked for William's publishing company, The Chicago Music
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 245 Publishing Company. Some of her duties were to type out song Ave. formerly the Columbia Roll & Record Company. lyrics and deposit them and the music at the Library of Congress Nickelodeons were the Juke Box of their day. Many for copyright registration. She ends up with co-composer credit South-side establishments had them and their patrons wanted to on " Jimmy Blues " and " Fat Meat and Greens " both written by hear and dance to their favorite " low down " blues tunes. Capitol Blythe. She also operated Dickerson's record shop at 31st and was happy to oblige. State during this time. It was a popular hang out of black and Pictured at white musicians. " Mecca Flat Blues " only appears in this little right is a label from booklet which was issued by Paramount to advertise their best roll # 2085 which was artists like Blind LemonJefferson and Ma Rainey. Of course co- issued in 1927. composer credit is given to Aletha's husband, Alex Robinson. "Armour Avenue Grafton was about 110 miles from Chicago so Para - Struggle " (1924) and mount set up temporary recording facilities in the Lyon and "Delta Blues " (1924) Healy building. From 1924 until his death in 1931 Blythe was the also called " Delta Bot - house pianist for Paramount Records, appearing on many records tom Blues " were com - accompanying blues singers. Jimmy Blythe was the busiest little posed by Blythe and known musician in Chicago during the twenties. Dickerson who performed by him on died in 1994 described Blythe this way, "He was a nice guy but this roll, " Armour one who preferred to view life through a rosy glow induced by Avenue Struggle " was alcohol". This may be one reason why there is so little informa - one of his better tion about him and why his compositions got away. known tunes. " Beale He recorded with Street Blues " is per - many different groups formed by Clarence including Blythe's Johnson and " Lost My Owls, Blythe's Wash - Baby Blues " is played board Band, Blythe by Harry Giese. &Burton and Jimmy From 1919 Bertrand's Washboard until 1931, Capitol Band among many issued nearly one others. I consider the thousand different ten-tune rolls. Of that number 10% were all washboard band kind blues rolls. These recordings are significant in that Blythe and of a city version of the Johnson made very few solo phonograph recordings, but proba - rural jug band. In this bly a total of nearly 500 piano roll recordings between them. same vein, one of Many 78 recordings are lost to time and the ones remaining are Paramount's popular of usually poor audio quality. In addition, a large percentage of groups was " The tunes appearing on the Capitol rolls appeared nowhere else and hokum Boys " with many are totally unknown. Thomas A. Dorsey on Listed below are tunes appearing on these rolls known piano. A lot of the to have been composed by Jimmy Blythe: Adam's Apple (1926), titles of Blythe's tunes Ain't Gonna Run You Down (1924), Alley Rat Blues have a hokum flavor (Stomp)(1927), Armour Avenue Struggle (1924), Back Alley Rub to them. This music (1925), Black Gal Make It Thunder (1930), Boogie Woogie Blues is related to the jug (1929), Bow To Your Papa (1930), Breakin' The Blues (1926), band style as well. Brownskin Mama (1929), Butcher Shop Blues (1926), Chicago This little book is so rare I believe only one copy is Stomp (1924), Cold Black Ground Blues (1925), Comin' Home known. John Steiner who bought the Paramount name, rights Blues (1925), Delta Blues (1924), Don't Break Down (1930), and left over materials acquired it with the Paramount materials. Farm House Blues (1928), Fast Stuff Blues (1927), Forty Blues Fortunately is was reproduced. Included in the book is the music (1926), Forty-Seventh Street Stomp (1926), Function Blues for 30 songs. Included are " Black Snake Moan " by Blind Lemon (1929), Gabe Face Blues (1928), Georgia Breakdown (1925), Jefferson," Chicago Monkey Man Blues " by Ida Cox and Lovie Gotta' Be Booked (1928), Have Mercy (1927), I Won't Give You Austin with co-composer credit to J. Mayo Williams. Not to be None (1929), Idle Hour Special (1926), It Must Be Hard (1926), outdone, Aletha Dickerson has her " Bad Luck Woman Blues " It's Hot, Leave It Alone (1928), Jimmy's Blues (1925), Lovin's (1927) included along with the greats. These remarks are not Been Here and Gone To Mecca Flats (1926), Mama Don't Want meant to minimize the efforts of the producers, promoters, man - No Sweet Man Any Mo' (1924), Mama's Got 'Em (1930), Me and agers and business people who were necessary, it's just a shame The Blues (1930), Mecca Flat Blues (1924), Midnight Strutter's that the real creators have had so little recognition. Ball (1924), Messin' Around Blues (1926), My Baby Blues The piano roll (nickelodeon roll) is an important part of (1928), Nicaragua Blues (1928), Society Blues (1927), South- the history of Chicago South-Side piano during the 1920's. Two side Stomp (1927), St. Louis Man (1928), Steppin' On The Gas of Chicago's best pianist, composers were Jimmy Blythe and (1925), Sugar Dew Blues (1928), That's My Business (1930), Clarence Johnson. They recorded literally hundreds of tunes for True Blues (1924), When Granpa Steps Out (1929), World's Jazz the Capitol Roll & Record Company, located at 721N. Kedzie Crazy and So Am I, The (1925), You're Not The Kind I Thought 246 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 You Were (1929). There are dozens of tunes not identified which used to produce this CD are very scarce as the sound quality on are probably composed and played by Blythe. many selections here attests. Jimmy Blythe with his job as house pianist for Para - Clarence Johnson had moved to Detroit, Lem Fowler mount accompanied many blues singers. One interesting singer was in New York, but Jimmy Blythe was still there working right was Pricilla Stewart . She recorded 25 sides all with Blythe or up until the very end. He died June 21st, 1931 of epidemic "friends of Blythe " on piano. The cover of the Document CD is meningitis. pictured to the left. She was considered a 2nd or maybe 3rd tier CD covers of recently available products, the enhanced blues singer. Like so much of this story nothing is known about pianola rolls CDs are currently available. The two RST CDs are her. Aletha Dickerson composed " Pricilla's Blues " (1925) or so not now available. The liner notes of the RST CDs and the Clarence Johnson CD were written by Mike Montgomery. One reviewer noted that the tempos were a little slow on the " Messin' Around " CD. I think we piano roll collectors have probably
played many of these a little fast. Listening to Blythe accompany Pricilla Stewart on " Mecca Flat Blues ", the tempo is fairly slow. The Messin Around and Low Down Papa albums were originally released on vinyl in the early nineties on Paul Affeldt's label and produced by Ed Sprankle. The current versions are new record - ings using midi files and recorded with a synthesized piano sound as realized by Frank Himpsl.
Of the three artists featured here the least is known about Lemuel Fowler. He is indeed a " Mystery Man ". He must the copyright states. This was recorded on A-rolls at least three have arrived in Chicago in late 1918 or early 1919. His first times so it must have had some local popularity. Her version of composition was " Before "Mecca Flat Blues " with Blythe on piano is my favorite. Day Blues " copyrighted Her recording relationship with Jimmy leads me to February 13, 1919 and believe there was some friendship involved. In addition to published by William A. "Mecca Flat " she recorded Blythe's " True Blues " and " Delta Bot - Thomas, Chicago. " Take It tom Blues ". She sings several other songs on this album that Easy " was copyrighted were composed by Aletha Dickerson which shows the relation - April 18th, 1921 with the ship that this group had. Pricilla also records her own " Lonesome more common " Sleepy Hour Blues " with Jimmy on piano with some nice double time Hollow... " coming in breaks. All of these tunes were also released on A-rolls. between. On piano roll Another " friend " of Jimmy was J.H. Shayne who is Lemuel only recorded his known for composing " Mr. Freddie Blues " which became his own compositions. He nick name ( Mr. Freddie ). Recorded by Pricilla with Mr. Freddie recorded a total of 23 rolls on piano. Jimmy recorded an excellent version for Columbia for The U.S. Music Roll player rolls. His A-roll version appears at least 5 times showing Company, the QRS com - This photo of Lem Fowler the tunes popularity in Chicago. The phonograph recordings pany and one for the Inter - courtesy of Randolph Herr
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 247 national. By early 1922 he had moved to New York. He record - Mama Needs But Me ", ed 16 of his tunes on piano roll for the QRS Company. copyrighted September, 5, Lem's biggest hit was " He May Be Your Man (But He 1922 and published by Comes To See Me Sometimes) ". This song was so popular that it Mills Music in 1923. He spawned several suc - recorded it on piano roll cessful follow ons such for QRS with roll # 2233, as " He's My Man Now ". issued in August of 1923. Published by Perry At the right is the label Bradford in 1922 from his Columbia 3922 (scarcest edition) recording with Helen Bax - and soon sold to Ted ter on Vocal. Browne Publishing He made 57 which released it in at phonograph recordings least two different edi - many accompanying female vocalists. He had a group - tions. This was Fowler's Washboard Wizards which recorded a number of released on piano roll tunes. More evidence of the Jug Band, Washboard background by the U.S. Music com - in his playing. pany on roll # 40852 in "Squawkin' The Blues " was copyrighted June26th, 1923 September of 1922 by Mills Music, but it was apparently never published. It was played by the compos - recorded by Lem on QRS-5050 piano roll as " Squabblin' The er. The Browne cover Blues " but not issued until January of 1931. It contains a musi - with the parrot is the cal reference to Blythe's " Chicago Stomp " or vice versa. least common of the Fowler appears Browne editions. The tune was so popular that it was recorded to be the most ambitious by many blues singers and continued to be recorded into the thir - of the three. He moved to ties. Lucille Hegamin's version is advertised on the cover of New York about the same Bradford's edition(at left). It was recorded on Columbia music time as Clarence Williams rolls by Jimmy Blythe and on Browne's piano roll label by who was always quick to Clarence Johnson. After selling the copyright too quick, Perry see where the business Bradford put out his own version " He Used To Be Your Man was going. Mike Mont - "without the same success. " He May Be Your Man " was still in gomery relates (in the the air in October of 1924 when Pricilla Stewart recorded an notes to the RST disc) the unattributed song " I Never Call My Man's Name " with James story about how Fowler Blythe on piano. This may be Blythe's tribute. It is an outstand - made 10 recordings of ing tune which I've not heard before. "He May Be Your Man " Several of these rolls are extremely rare or have not with various vocalists all been found: " Whip It To A Jelly " on QRS-3909 or Imperial- in a two month period. He 06549. The International version is shown to be played by Fowler on the label, but it is not a satisfying take. That version was also released on a National nickelodeon roll. " Four Flushin' probably got all those Papa " on US-42874 was only recently discovered. " Jealous recordings done before Mama Blues " on QRS-4850 the first one was even was recently found by Mark issued. Forer on Clark-A-1174. Fowler was missing This version is only 2:19 from 1932 until 1962 long. To my knowledge the when he visited J. 88note version has not been Lawrence Cook in New found. That tune was copy - York. Montgomery righted 8-06-1924 but was searched and could not not released until 1930 by even locate a death cer - QRS. I suspect that some tificate. old masters which had Clarence Johnson never been released were was from Louisville, issued just as the depression was getting under way. " Scat Mr. Kentucky. He was proba - Sweetback-Blues " was copyrighted 3-03-1925 but not issued bly born shortly before until August of 1931 on QRS-5245 along with a few others. the new century as he looks a little older than Jimmy Blythe who From November of 1923 until April of 1927 Lem did not have was born in 1901 and Lemuel looks the youngest of the three. any rolls released. He enlisted in the Army from the Chicago area in 1917 so he was His second most popular composition as evidenced by probably the first to arrive in the city. He was discharged in 1919 surviving sheet music was " You've Got Everything A Sweet just as the South Side was exploding with new arrivals. 248 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 During that year he signed with the U.S. Music compa - those arrangements for certain. Published in 1922 just after ny to make piano rolls. He joined Columbia Music Rolls in late arriving in New York. There is a good chance that this deal was 1920. made while Williams was still in Chicago. Johnson recorded it Probably, for the Columbia Music Roll Company and it appears only once Clarence's most suc - on the A-rolls. It had more success with vocalists and vaudeville cessful composition performers as Wiesser and Resser on the cover attest. was " Kansas City Man "Jelly's Blues " Blues " published by was copyrighted by the Clarence Williams from "Original house of Jazz " his New York location in 1924 but was never pub - at 1547 Broadway in lished as no sheet music 1923. Williams took co- copy has ever shown up. composer credit and Clarence was associated shows his own name in with the Smith's so its curi - larger type face. On the ous why it was never pub - back cover is an ad for lished. The " OHofJ " was "Achin' Hearted Blues " mentioned earlier and was among others. It was composed by Lloyd Smith, his brother Warren and Clarence. recorded by Clarence Clarence made a trip to New York in 1923 to record a few piano Williams for QRS and rolls for the QRS company and this roll was released in Decem - Jimmy Blythe for Capi - ber of 1924 on roll #2994. The roll is not quite rare, but it is tol. Recorded by very scarce. Clarence Williams and his Blue Five on record with Sidney "The Fowler Twist "- (Tango) shows the interaction Bechet on soprano sax. Mamie Williams had a popular record - between " The Kentucky Boys ". It is an almost unknown Fowler ing. It is still a jazz standard today. Clarence Williams made composition. Copyrighted February 2, 1922 by W. L. Albury quite a bit of money with this tune. I wonder how much Clarence Johnson got?. It was recorded on Capitol A-rolls by Art Gillham. For at least 6 months in 1923, Clarence was in New York. He was in the recording studio from February until at least August. Clarence Williams put most of these dates together and he along with Lem Fowler were also very active. One of their favorite singers during this spell was Edna Hicks, half sister of Lizzie Miles. She was often accompanied by Clarence Johnson or Lem Fowler. She died tragically in 1925. Clarence was the best technical pianist of the three and Music Publishing Company of New York. The US roll # 40744 he was also the most creative. His version of " Beale Street Blues " was not discovered until 1994. Performed by Clarence Johnson is outstanding. He even uses a tango rhythm in one section. it is a great performance of Fowler's 3rd known composition. In Blues singer Lizzie Miles said he was her favorite accompanist. 1994 when Montgomery acquired this roll the sheet music was "Achin' Hearted Blues " also published by Clarence unknown. I have since Williams in addition to Williams, Spencer Williams also gets acquired the sheet music. credit. I suspect Spencer wrote the lyrics and Johnson wrote the At right is the label music. Of course its not possible at this date to determine any of from his piano roll of " Gulf Coast Blues " released August of 1923, one of the most successful blues composi - tions of the period. And on the next page is “ Sweetest Gal ” he composed in1922. It was published by the Melrose Brothers with co-com - poser credit given (taken) by Walter Melrose and Warren Smith. Melrose publishing was still located at their early address of 63rd and Cottage Grove. Advertised on the inside cover is Lem Fowler's " Take It Easy ". Clarence moved to Detroit where he had rela - tives in the late twenties. By that time the piano roll business which reached its peak in 1926 had started
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 249 to cool. He died August Robins recorded his " Hard Luck Blues ". It only appeared once 9,1933. on the A-rolls but fortunately the Capitol 88 Note version was Blythe and Johnson found and reissued as that A-roll has not been found. It was were not the only recorded by singer Edna Hicks. Charlie Garland was one of their pianists to record for artists who was alive and well, living in Southern California as Columbia/Capital. One late as the seventies. was the local bandleader The history of early Jazz and Blues has been accorded and pianist Lindsay primarily to jazz bands, vocalists and guitar players. The piano McPhail. He had a hit players with the exception of a few greats, Jelly Roll Morton, with " San " and recorded Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson and Fats Waller have mostly been his " Flag That Train " in lost to time. The early piano blues are little known as few solo 1925 for Capitol. His recordings were made due to the technological limitations of the performance is quite time. This music has been kept alive by piano roll and sheet good. His other rolls music collectors. A small resurgence of interest has been reignit - are mostly just pop ed since those first Capitol A-rolls of Blythe and Johnson were tunes. It was published issued as 88 note rolls in the early seventies. We've got talented young pianists who have become excited about this music. Nathan Bello was considering making by Quigley and Benson his thesis at Juilliard about Jimmy Blythe's Capitol music rolls. located in the Garrick He had transcribed and memorized around 70 of them. " Pine building which was locat - Top " Smith is often credited as making the first boogie-woogie ed at 58-64 West Ran - recording, but he was listening to Jimmy Blythe play long before dolph Street in the heart that recording was made. Maybe the mystery caused by the fact of the theatre and hotel that we know so little of these guys makes it all the more excit - district. Pictured on the ing. cover is the Oriole Orchestra of Russo and Ed Note: Author may be contacted at: Ted Fiorito featured at the Edgewater Beach Hotel. [email protected] Other noted pianists were Lloyd Smith who's " The Origi - nal home of Jazz " music store was located at 3129 South State Street. Lloyd and his brother Warren were active in the Chicago music scene during this period. At least two of his compositions were recorded by him for Col/Cap; " I'm Going Away To Wear You Off My Mind " and " Yearning Blues ". Other noted composers recording were Art Gillham who wrote " Mean Blues ", Fred Rose who wrote " Deep Henderson " and Harry Geise who co-wrote 31st Street Blues with Wendell Hall. Everett
250 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 The “Footsie” Chronicles (Being the true, unvarnished, and slightly ridiculous history of the AMICA Pumper Contest, 1989-2012, and its iconic trophy, the “Footsie”.) (Part The First, 1989-1991) By John R. Grant , P.E. (Pumper Emeritus)
Maybe it was Friday the 13th, but it was good luck for for 1989's convention in Boston. me, after an absence of 20 years from attending AMICA conven - First mention of this contest seems tions. I was once again "back in the game" at the Pittsburgh Con - to have been made on page 226 of vention, July 11-15, 2012. A "perfect storm" of life's circum - the November/December issue of John R. Grant stances had conspired to keep me away in that period, but appar - the Bulletin (http://www.amica.org/Bulletins/1988/25-06.pdf). ently I had not lost my "touch" (or whatever its pedal equivalent Subsequent guidelines (http://www.amica.org/Bulletins/1989/26- would be called. "Toe"?) Despite formidable competition from 02.pdf, pg.59) called for a maximum of six contestants to play at both seasoned veterans of the Pumper Contest and several talent - least a portion of a "William Tell Overture" roll as a sort of "con - ed newbies, I was none-the-less, able to mount a performance trol" piece, along with another roll of their own selection.). If that tipped the balance of judging deliberations in my favor. (Or more than six applied to enter the contest, a "semi-final" pump- maybe it was those crisp twenty's I pressed into each of the off was to be held. Four prizes were anticipated for 1) Best Clas - judge's palms; But I digress.) sical, 2) Best Popular, 3) Most Unusual or Original Music and 4) Best Visual Presentation. A review by Don Brown of convention happenings was published in the November/December issue of the Bulletin (http://www.amica.org/Bulletins/1989/26-06.pdf, pg. 234). For me, it had been questionable whether I would enter the contest at all. I had always enjoyed pumping my Gordon & Son double-valve Standard Action piano and felt I had the "chops" (or whatever its pedal equivalent would be called) to give it a go. In early 1988, I had taken a nasty fall off of an extension ladder and suffered a frightful compound fracture of my left ankle. At one point the doctors warned me that amputa - tion might be necessary as I had managed to shear-fracture the top part of my talus bone, and if the blood supply to that portion of the bone did not reestablish itself, well…… This was well before joint replacement technology had advanced to include ankles. By some miracle, that scenario did not play out, and by convention time I had recovered to the point that I thought I would give it a shot. (Oops, bad analogy, see Part The Second.) After all, it's a poor workman who blames his tools, right? Lucki - ly, those pain pills the doc had prescribed for me were W O n D e R F u l! Five contestants were listed as Judy Welsh, Larry Nor - man, yours truly, Bob Bowerman and Michael Potash. Rex Law - son, Denis Hall and David Levin comprised the judging panel, and it appears that instead of four different prizes, only an "over - all" winner was selected (me) and awarded a framed copy of an undated, but obviously vintage photograph of a crated pianola John Grant , 2012 winner of “Footsie” being transported on camelback in Egypt. The selection of this, On achieving this momentous recognition, I thought it uh, handsome photo and its significance to the endeavor was might be fun, if somnambulistic, to review the history of the never made clear, at least to me, but then, one should not look a Pumper Contest, or at least as much of it as I can remember gift camel in the mouth I suppose. The photo was also accompa - (while I still have that faculty). Reference to past archives of Bul - letins will be included, but there will still be details that may need correcting, and I invite those who may have been in atten - dance at any of the earlier contests to submit any corrections or clarifications they may have to the Editor. But, as they say (whoever "they" is), let's start at the beginning. The concept of a pumper contest seems to have originat - ed in late 1988 with Barry Kasindorf , (or at least he was to be the first contest Chairman), while preparations were being made
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 251 ing" sound. Each of the other contestants also received one of these, uh, coveted awards. (A video of the Paddlerewski in action can be seen at www.tinyurl.com/paddlerewski ) The roll I used to win the contest was not mentioned (nor precisely remembered), however, with the clue that I had carried in a lit candelabra and the photo showing the tuxedo tee- shirt I was wearing, I have narrowed it to two possible selections: It was either the so-called “upside-down” variation (No. 18) from the unnumbered Ampico roll “Rhapsody on a Theme by Pagani - ni”, arranged, played (and coded) by Bill Flynt, or it was Ampico roll #61613H, “Flower Waltz (Paraphrase)” from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”, arranged by Percy Grainger and played on this roll by the legendary Erwin Nyiregyhazi. One of the pho - tographs (ppg. 248-250) has a caption indicating I was playing some “light music” which may be a reference to the candelabra, but would also be a more accurate descriptor for the Paganini Paddlerewski gift. See it in action at: selection, rather than the bombastic Paraphrase, so we will go http://www.tinyurl.com/paddlerewski with the Paganini unless someone who was in attendance has an nied by a "Paddlerewski" (see photo at left) which I suppose can absolute recollection to the contrary. Liz? be most charitably described as a "stress reliever". It combines a For reasons I have been unable to ascertain, no pumper paddle from the (once) popular kid's toy called a "Fly Back" with contests were included in the 1990 convention in Cleveland or a miniature piano and seated figure of, oh, I don't know, let's pre - 1991 convention in New Orleans. Boo. Hiss. tend it IS Paderewski, with a counterweight under the paddle attached by strings to the articulated arms of the, uh, Miestro. (End: Part The First. Next: “You want bullets with that pizza?”) When the paddle is held horizontally and rotated in a flat circle, the weight would cause the arms to "play" the piano with an Ed Note: Author may be contacted at: [email protected] incredible realism, accompanied by a slightly irritating "clack -
Our Published Heritage
Within last couple months, an interesting array of new not previously found in the MTR collection. As our collection of documents has been added to our on-line research library: Music Trades is enlarged over time, this resource will prove to be as valuable as the MTR for research into an intriguing slice of our * Welte Mignon piano system chart, courtesy of John Grant. musical heritage. AMICA recently concluded a very successful initiative * AMPICO Magazine June 1927 and Haines Ampico Promo, in the production and distribution of a new book, Violin-Playing courtesy of Joel Cluskey. Machines , authored by our Q. David Bowers. 750 copies were published, and less that 40 are left. Those wishing to acquire a * 21 issues of Piano Magazine , January 1915 to September copy may do so by visiting our web site and click on the image of 1916. the cover of the book, then follow through to purchase, while supply lasts. The success of this book reinforces our belief that * 121 issues of Music Trades , 1918, 1919, 1921 and 1922. there is a hunger out there for new information in published for - mat. AMICA is pleased to follow through with similar initiatives In the months ahead, many more issues of Music Trades to nourish this hunger. will be scanned into searchable PDF format and posted into our A new book, Encyclopedia of Disc Music Boxes , again on-line research library. Our library now has nearly 400 issues authored by Q. David Bowers, is underway. A draft of the manu - of our own AMICA Bulletin , and 600+ documents, all available script is in our hands, and layout is underway. Watch for its for personal research. It is becoming a valuable resource, ever announcement in future issues of our AMICA Bulletin. This draft more so as many more documents are added in the months ahead. manuscript has ~600 pages, without illustrations. With a large AMICAns are encouraged to make use of this resource for books, number of illustrations included into final layout, this coffee table monographs and articles for our Bulletin. book will emerge comparable to his earlier Encylopedia of Auto - Our sister organization, MBSI, now makes available on- matic Musical Instruments , 1972, but now with very many colour line a fine collection of Music Trade Review . It and Music illustrations. Trades were competing weekly periodicals serving the musical instrument industry 1890 to ~1950. From working with 121 Terry Smythe issues of Music Trades , I find that there is much new information [email protected]
252 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 AMICAn in the Spotlight But the market for the player pianos that he used to buy Randolph Herr and fix and sell has stagnated. Now, Mr. Herr is stuck with a New York Times dozen or so Steinway player pianos in the cluttered basement and New York, NY garage of his 1920s-era house on 77th Avenue in Forest Hills. 7 September 2012 He cannot even swear to the exact number because the pianos are nearly buried amid his other collectibles, including Pulling Levers to Play the Piano many antique cash registers. His kitchen is filled with 1920s-era by COREY KILGANNON appliances, and he uses a 1935 refrigerator that has a special sec - [email protected] tion for his 40-ounce bottles of Olde English 800 malt liquor. After an emotional performance of Gershwin’s “Rhap - RAnDOlPh heRR , 64, sat at one of the two Stein - sody in Blue” on the Steinway, Mr. Herr grabbed a bottle, took a way grand pianos in his cluttered living room in Queens on healthy swig and described growing up as a ragtime-crazed Thursday afternoon and began playing Liszt’s “Liebestraum” No. teenager in Canarsie, Brooklyn. 3. Television specials by the ragtime master Max Morath With his eyes shut and his nimble fingers working the had him eschewing Elvis and the Beatles, and he bought a $50 piano, he swayed expressively with the music. It was an impres - player piano from a used-furniture shop on Ditmas Avenue. He sive performance — especially given that his fingers never repaired it with the help of an article in Popular Science maga - touched the keys. zine, and then began seeking out rare rolls. His collection of Mr. Herr, an aficionado of player pianos, is renowned more than 3,000 now includes some vintage finds, including for repairing, restoring and music by Max Bruch and playing them, using levers to Scott Joplin. manipulate the speed, loud - To avoid the Vietnam War ness and dynamics of the draft, Mr. Herr said, he instrument. enrolled in New York Univer - “You play them the sity’s film school and studied way a conductor directs an with Martin Scorsese. Oliver orchestra,” he said. “You Stone, a classmate, acted in determine what to accent so his student film. Mr. Herr the music is not just banged never married or had chil - out mechanically at the same dren, he said, “because I was volume and speed.” always afraid I’d get what I Speaking of con - deserve.” He worked as a ductors: on the wall directly movie projectionist until his above the piano was a retirement. framed photograph of the Now loosened up, he rum - conductor Arturo Toscanini with a signature and the message maged through an antique cabinet of rolls and pulled out a “Randolph, you have no talent.” knuckle-buster — for pianists, anyway — by Jelly Roll Morton In truth, Mr. Herr scrawled this himself as a humorous from the 1930s. He pumped the Steinway’s foot pedals like mad, reminder of his lack of musicianship. Yet for decades he has blowing air up through tubes and valves to smaller bellows near played for audiences, in locales as varied as local libraries and the keys that powered a series of chains, gears and springs that Carnegie Hall, usually using one of his Pianolas, the devices that activated the piano keys. are pushed up to a piano’s keys and strike them as they read the The patterned holes in the paper kept coming and turned piano roll. into syncopated sweetness before your eyes. Mr. Herr’s left hand “I love music even though I can’t find middle C with a moved levers to emphasize left- or right-hand parts and to oper - flashlight,” he said. “And I love a piano. It makes your guts ate sustain-pedal functions. He adjusted volume and tempo with vibrate.” his right hand, twisting a knob on a thin rod. His main gut-vibrator is a 1913 Steinway that sits just “It’s the original joystick,” said Mr. Herr, who sounds inside his front door. It is equipped with a Pianola mechanism like a cross between the comedian Lewis Black and the feverish made by the Aeolian Company and powered by air pressure cre - pitchman in those old Crazy Eddie commercials. “This is the first ated by pumping foot pedals. As for more modern players that video game,” he said. “You don’t sit there and listen. You actual - are powered by electricity, Mr. Herr snapped, “Well, maybe I ly play it. You have to do something and feel something to make should just hire somebody to listen to the piano for me, too.” it work. Not that he isn’t seeking out listeners. Lately, Mr. Herr has been recording his rolls and putting them on YouTube, in the Ed Note: Article may be seen at: hope that they get all the young people to ditch their iPods for http://tinyurl.com/bul7nbz player pianos. Randolph may be contacted at: “Recorded music is no match for hearing a piano played [email protected] live,” he said. “That’s why it’s called recorded — the last syllable (contributed by Vincent Morgan) is ‘dead.’ ”
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 253 Annual Board Reports MInuTeS Past President Motto-Ros spoke on the need to maintain mem - AMICA BOARD MeeTInG bership. He mentioned outside-the-box thinking like using JulY 11, 2012 YouTube and social media. He also said our own website should be refreshed since many items have been there for years. He Board Members presen t: Tim Baxter, President; John & Nadine placed an instrument at a car shop and many customers there see Motto-Ros, Past President; Alan Turner, Vice President; Bob & it and hear it. Bonnie Gonzalez, Secretary; Sandy Swirsky & Lyle Merithew, Membership Secretary; Joe Orens, Treasurer; Terry Smythe, Edi - Motion: Establish an Advertising Committee for the purpose of tor; Ray Dietz, Memorial Fund; Richard VanMetre, Endowment finding ways to publicize AMICA and attract new members. Fund & Chicago Chapter; Frank & Shirley Nix, Convention (M/S/P Sandy Swirsky/Bonnie Gonzalez/Unanimous) Coordinator & Southern California Chapter; Liz Barnhart, Mid - west Chapter; Gary Craig, Heart of America Chapter; Paul The Advertising Committee will be chaired by Past President Watkins, Northern Lights Chapter; Mike Walter, SOWNY; Vin - John Motto-Ros. The other members are Frank Nix, Joe Orens cent & Maryam Morgan, Lady Liberty Chapter; Richard Clay - and Paul Watkins. ton, Texas Chapter; Bob Hunt, Boston Chapter; Al Rustad, Pacific Can-Am Chapter; Guests - Thaddeus Kochanny, Bill Motion: Fund the Advertising Committee with an annual budget Chapman. of $17,000. (M/S/P Joe Orens/Frank Nix/Unanimous)
Absent: Tom Hutchinson, Archives; Thomas and Donna Sten - Discussion about use and purpose of the endowment Fund fol - gel, AMICA Honor Roll; Harold Malakinian, Audio-Visual & lowed. A question was raised about the need for both an Endow - Technical; Karl Ellison, Website Manager ment Committee and a Memorial Fund. The Endowment Com - Meeting convened at 8:20 am. mittee never was funded and nothing was done since there is no fund. Minutes of 2010 Board meeting were approved. (M/S/P Mike Walter/Gary Craig/Unanimous). Motion: Disband the endowment Committee with the under - standing that it may be revisited if a significant endowment Treasurer Report: We are doing very well this year. We made should be received. (M/S/P Frank Nix/Gary Craig/Unanimous) about $1,000 from the 2011 convention. We are on the cash- basis accounting method. Any balance sheet is a snap-shot at a Discussion about having annual conventions followed. Frank point in time. We began 2011 with approximately $181,600 and Nix said he had venues through 2020. John Motto-Ros said most ended the year with a balance of approximately $193,200. These conventions made money and believes they should continue. amounts include the National and Chapter accounts combined. President Baxter feels conventions should be limited to North The National component is about $100,000. America, including Canada. Certainly, Board meetings must be lady liberty Chapter representative Vincent Morgan said held annually. that about 40% of members did not renew. They are having problems finding venues for meetings. Also, they experienced Discussion by Terry Smythe about the amount of detail and work problems with their bank increasing charges. On the plus side, involved in publishing a book and publishing the Bulletins fol - the Chapter donated $500 to the Nisco Mechanical Museum in lowed. He commented that help will be needed as time goes by Israel, which suffered a devastating fire in December of 2010 and he will not be able to devote the effort he now does. Another from which it is still recovering. book is coming by Q. David Bowers about disc music boxes. He asked for help with that project. A Publication Committee could northern lights representativ e Paul Watkins said they be formed to help with these tasks and to seek advertising for the planned to meet at public attractions, like the National conven - Bulletin. tions. President Baxter added that the fellowship is what mem - bers like, not just instruments. Comments came from various Motion: We should form a Publication Committee. (M/S/P Joe chapters regarding possible venues, two-day meetings where Orens/Sandy Swirsky/Unanimous) long drive times exist, and bank issues. Frank Nix said that call - ing members who have missed a few meetings helps get them Terry Smythe requested that the need for Publication Committee back in the fold. help be made known in the Chapters. Interested parties should Boston Chapter representative Bob hunt : Reported that the contact him privately to discuss related duties. player piano the chapter had restored for the Charles River Muse - um of Industry was water damaged in a subsequent flood. With Discussion followed about whether we should skip a Bulletin financial assistance from AMICA International approved at the and print an updated Directory instead. The last time we did that, 2010 Board meeting, the Chapter located a replacement instru - many complaints were received by members who missed the ment and refurbished it. It is now playing once again at the Bulletin. Museum. President Baxter opined that it was good thing to do, as it kept an instrument playing in public view. It cost about Motion: We should publish an updated Directory in addition to $2,500 overall. all bulletins. (M/S/P Ray Dietz/Mike Walter/Majority) 254 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Discussion followed about use of social media sites to promote AMICA Board Reports 2012 AMICA. Alan Turner mentioned the time required to maintain a social site properly. Alan has researched the topic and gathered Pittsburgh, PA, July 2012 policy guidelines to follow. The difference between our web-site Note: Due to no quorum, there was no Board Meeting in 2011 and a Facebook page is that a person must visit the site to read a during the annual convention last year in the UK, As a conse - notice whereas posting the notice on Facebook is sent to every - quence, some reports herein are submitted for each year, while one who is a “friend”. some are combined.
Motion : AMICA should establish a presence in social media, President's Report such as Facebook. (M/S/P Sandy Swirsky/Mike Walter/Unani - This has been a good year for AMICA. While we all mous) know that membership is not as robust as we would like, We have several chapters whose meetings and attendance would be Alan Turner will oversee our social media sites and monitor site the envy of any enthusiasts' organization. Stated another way, traffic for appropriate content. President Baxter offered to assist membership can never be just about numbers; we must look as if needed. well at the commitment of the members we have and the quality of our events. In this regard, AMICA is indeed healthy and thriv - Past President Motto-Ro s requested AMICA purchase a generic ing and AMICA continues to be a vital part of the lives of its street banner for organ rallies. It would span the width of the members. street, be readable on both sides, and have a changeable panel for I am enjoying serving as your president and am grateful local customization. It could be shipped to where it is needed. for the high-quality officers you have elected to help me. I would like to give special thanks to John Motto-Ros, who is gracious Motion : Purchase a street banner for use at Organ Rallies enough to act as my "sounding board" on numerous issues, and throughout the country. Cost approximately $750. (M/S/P Bob to Terry Smythe, who works so hard to give us a bulletin that has Gonzalez/Vincent Morgan/Unanimous) so much rich content. The President's Award this year has been awarded to Discussion about sending out renewal notices and gathering Bob Taylor of Columbia, Missouri. Bob's accomplishments member information about instrument lists was introduced by include, but are by no means limited to: (1) being a vital part of Lyle. Lyle prefers a separate mailing to get instrument lists apart AMICA at the local and national levels, both by hosting meetings from renewal payments. Privacy and transaction costs using Pay and serving as a technical resource; (2) placing mechanical music Pal or credit cards were discussed. The consensus is to make it in the public eye with his resolution/high fidelity You Tube post - as easy as possible for members to pay. ings; and (3) providing your President with hours of technical support (including actual component repair!) as to Bob's unique Lyle offered to apply any stipends he was owed to costs of the expertise: Aeolian Residence Organs. Bob's help has enabled me next book to be published. to bring "on line" the 116 note player mechanism of 55 rank Aeo - lian Residence Organ at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center here in President Baxter suggested forming a committee to follow-up on Atlanta. In the last year I have given numerous public presenta - instruments that come to our attention. Some instruments may tions of the organ as a player instrument and have been able to be in need of rescue and others may need an inspection requested raise awareness of AMICA as a result (and gained same new by a fellow member. Tim Baxter will chair the committee and members). any interested member may join in. No budget will be requested The Callanwolde Organ had its Duo-Art player gutted in at this time. the 1960s; the replacement and restoration of same will be the subject of an "Adopt an Instrument" proposal I will be submitting Motion: Form an Adopt-A-Piano Committee with Tim Baxter to the Board. as Chairman (M/S/P Motto Ros//Alan Turner/Unanimous) Respectfully submitted, Discussion about costs to distribute bulletins and possible need to Timothy Baxter , President raise membership dues to cover increases followed. It was decid - [email protected] ed not to raise dues in this economic recession. Currently, dues are adequate to cover costs. Vice-President Report Motion: Adjourn meeting (Mike Walter/Unanimous) It has been an honor to serve as your Vice-President this Meeting adjourned at 12:30 pm past year and I am looking forward to the coming year as being even more interesting and exciting. The role of Vice-President is Submitted by Bob & Bonnie Gonzalez two-fold; first to act as liaison to the Chapters and second to Secretary chair the awards committee for awarding the Leo Ornstein Liter - ary and AMICA International Awards. I have taken the opportu - nity to write a short column in the AMICA bulletin encouraging our membership to recruit new members as well as think about ways to (re)kindle interest in our hobby.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 255 ChAPTeR lIAISOn ment of AMICA membership brochures to Canada: (1) $32.95 mailing to RM Auctions to insert brochures in each buyer pack - The role of Chapter Liaison is a somewhat more diffi - age from Milhous auction, and (2) $32.95 to VP Alan Turner to cult one and one that I am working to improve, to do this job insert brochures in new Violin-Playing Machines book. effectively I need more input from the Chapters by having them send me notices of upcoming Chapter activities such as meetings, Respectfully submitted, concerts or special events they may be holding. The Chapters can John MottoRos send this information to me by email (preferred) or snail mail at the address below. I am looking forward to hearing from all the Seeretary's Report Chapters of the great events and initiatives they are holding or The two year period from the 2010 convention until the sponsoring. 2012 convention was fairly quiet in the Secretary's Office. Since the 2011 convention was held in the UK, no official Board meet - Alan Turner ing was held. Thus, Chapter reports were not called for. Howev - 148 Kingsway er, activity is underway now in preparation for the 2012 conven - Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA, R3M0H1 tion in Pittsburgh, PA. New stationery letterhead was purchased email: [email protected] during the period. Respectfully submitted, AWARDS Bob and Bonnie Gonzalez bobsrags@comcast net The awards committee of Joe Orens, Sandy Swirsky, Lyle Merithew and I considered the nominations put forward from the Chapters for the two awards. There was a somewhat Membership Secretary Report for 2011 poor return of nominations from the Chapters this year, however the nominees put forward were all good candidates and gave us a As of September 15, 2011 we had 1107 members (This deserving list of people to choose from. However, a choice of number includes Affiliates, Founding Members, Gifted Members, just one nominee to win each award had to be made. (I encourage Honorary Members.) Of these 1107 members, 1091 were paying the Chapters to begin thinking of worthy people to nominate for or gifted members. A member can be an individual, a family or these awards for 2013,1 need the nominations into my hands by an organization. the end of December this year) New members and rejoining members: So far this calen - dar year we have 52 new and rejoining members. We have about AMICA International Award the same number of members as last year. late Dues Payments: The deadline for payments is January 31. The AMICA International Award this year will be Dues notices are sent to everyone in mid-November. Reminder given to Bill Chapman for his selfless and outstanding contribu - notices are sent in February with a requested late fee, which tions over many years fulfilling the position and duties of Mem - some people honor. bership Secretary. Payment Methods: AMICA accepts cash, checks, credit cards leo Ornstein literary Award (not debit) and Pay Pal. This year Robbie Tubbs has been receiv - ing the PayPal notices and forwarded them to the membership The leo Ornstein literary Award this year will be secretary and to the Treasurer, but this should soon be changed so given to Terry Smythe for his contributions, excellent and pro - that PayPal will come directly to the Membership Secretary. fessional job of editing and publishing of the AMICA Bulletin. Gift memberships have been made available for one Respectfully submitted, year from piano technicians for their clients. Advertising: in the renewal letters a coupon for a free 100 word classified advertise - Alan W. Turner, Vice-President, ment is included as part of the renewal. Winnipeg, MB, CANADA [email protected] Respectfully submitted lyle Merrithew and Sandy Swirsky Past President's Report [email protected]
As immediate Past President and advisor to the Presi - Membership Secretary Report for 2012 dent, I have communicated with Tim Baxter on an as-needed basis. I have worked as a convention committee member for the As of June 8, 2012 we had 1062 members/households 50th anniversary 2013 convention in San Francisco. (This number includes Affiliates, Founding Members, Gifted As Nominating Committee Chairman, we have no Members, Honorary Members.) Of these 1062 members, 1046 immediate vacancies to fill. were paying or gifted members. A member can be an individual, My expenses have been minimal, other than the ship - a family or an organization. 256 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 New members and rejoining members: Last year we had 62 new Treasurer's Report for 2012 and rejoining members (January 1st through December 31st.) So far this calendar year we have 36 new and rejoining members AMICA National had revenue in fiscal year 2011 of (January 1st through June 8th.) We have about 26 fewer members $286,130.92. Although this was significantly more than in fiscal than we had at this time last year. year 2010, the majority of the increase was due to AMICA hold - ing its 2011 convention in the United Kingdom. National mem - late Dues Payments: The deadline for payments is January 31. bership dues in fiscal year 2011 were almost identical to mem - Dues notices are sent to everyone in mid-November. Reminder bership dues in fiscal year 2010. notices are sent in February with a requested late fee, which AMICA National had expenses in fiscal year 2011 of some people honor. An e-mail message was sent to members who $278,108.23. Again, the majority of the increase over fiscal year had not renewed by January 8 as a reminder. There was some 2010 was due to AMICA holding its 2011 convention in the Unit - response, reducing the number of reminder notice letters that ed Kingdom. needed to be sent. The total AMICA International revenue (National and Chapters) for fiscal year 2011 was $299,908.42 and the total Payment Methods: AMICA accepts cash, checks, credit cards AMICA International expenses (National and Chapters) for fiscal (not debit) and PayPal. This year Joe Orens has been receiving year 2011 were $288,278.13. the PayPal notices and forwarding them to the Membership Sec - At the beginning of fiscal year 2011 the net assets of retary. AMICA International (National and Chapters) were $181,653.71 and at the end of fiscal year 2011 the net assets of AMICA Inter - Gift memberships have been made available for one national (National and Chapters) were $193,284.00 - a net year from piano technicians for their clients. increase of $11,630.29. AMICA International remains financially Advertising: in the renewal letters a coupon for a free 100 word sound. classified advertisement is included as part of the renewal.
Respectfully submitted lyle Merrithew and Sandy Swirsky [email protected] Treasurer's Report for 2011
AMICA National had revenue in fiscal year 2010 of $65,748.54. This was 13% less than in fiscal year 2009. The majority of the decrease was due to a decrease in bulletin adver - tising and no convention revenue in fiscal year 2010. National membership dues in fiscal year 2010 were almost identical to membership dues in fiscal year 2009. AMICA National had expenses in fiscal year 2010 of $75,856.11. This was 37% greater than in fiscal year 2009. The majority of the increase was due to an increase in the printing and postage cost for the bulletin, 2010 Convention expenses, and seed money for the 2012 Convention. The total AMICA International revenue (National and Chapters) for fiscal year 2010 was $124,443.66 and the total AMICA International expenses (National and Chapters) for fiscal editor's Report year 2010 were $135,287.68. At the beginning of fiscal year 2010 the net assets of Introduction AMICA International (National and Chapters) were $192,497.73 and at the end of fiscal year 2010 the net assets of AMICA Inter - As we did not have a quorum last year in the UK con - national (National and Chapters) were $181,653.71- a net vention, we did not have a Board Meeting, so this is my first in decrease of $10,844.02. The revenue and expenses for fiscal year my role as Editor of our AMICA Bulletin, plus that embraced 2011 are expected to be similar to those for fiscal year 2010. within the following stated goals and objectives: AMICA International remains financially sound. ARTICle II - OBJeCTIVeS Respectfully submitted, Joe Orens (b) To promote the acquisition and distribution of histori - [email protected] cal information concerning these instruments. (g) To educate the public about the historical and cultural significance of automatic musical instruments.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 257 ARTICle IV AMICA to make this book available, consistent within my role. That book has been very well received with orders in excess of Section 8. PUBLISHER. The Publisher shall be ex-officio 600, supporting a print run of 750 copies. chairman of the Publications Committee. The committee Dave himself persuaded 6 Grand Patrons to each finan - shall be responsible for the publication of the official jour - cially support this book, such that it is expected to at least break nal of the Association, and any other publications as even, possibly a slight profit. authorized by the Board of Directors. Dave Bowers is also authoring another new book - Encyclopedia of Disc Music Boxes . It too will be embraced by Background AMICA upon its completion sometime in late 2012, within a fresh set of guidelines based upon our experience with the cur - At the 2009 Convention in Cincinnati, I assumed rent book. He is also co-authoring another equally valuable book, responsibility for our AMICA Bulletin, that which binds us which when nearing completion, is one that AMICA should also together. My first issue was the Sep-Oct 2009 issue containing embrace. our Board Reports and a feature article by Dave Ramey about his Banjo Playing Orchestrion. Research Material Not knowing much about the history of how previous Couple years ago, AMICA acquired the Mike Mont - issues had been produced, I immediately launched into the layout gomery Collection of original literature, at a cost of $2500.00, of our issue at that time. Upon completion, we realized signifi - supported by donations of $2,000. A portion of that Collection - cant savings because I did the layout, rather than by our commer - the whole of 1925 Music Trades has been digitized and is now cial publisher. That realization immediately presented an oppor - available in our on-line research library. That portion of the col - tunity to translate that saving into color, something we have lection is now about to be disposed of. Expectations are that never had much of. At this time, we have produced 15 issues, proceeds from it will fund similar acquisitions of a similar each containing about 70% color. Informal feedback suggests a nature. very favorable response, in support of a net -$600 increase in Such a collection of Music Trades, numbering 73 issues, costs of each issue. Like several other Board members, I recently appeared and has been acquired by AMICA. None are choose to absorb incidental expenses such as postage, etc., as my duplicated within what we already have. It too will be digitized, contribution to AMICA. added to our on-line research library, and eventually disposed of Some time back, I expressed an invitation to all officers to fund acquisition of yet another array of useful research materi - to pick up and run with their own "column" in our AMICA Bul - al may emerge at some unknown time in the future. letin. Other than the customary bit by our President and myself, Thus the original donors in support of acquisition of the the only officer who took me up on the offer is our International Montgomery Collection have set in motion a very positive ripple Vice-President Alan Turner. That offer to all officers still stands, effect benefiting all members. a fine opportunity to take some very much appreciated initiatives. Publications Committee Original literature Our By-Laws indicate that I am Chair of a Publications Our experience in finding desirable collections within Committee, which to now has been a committee of one, doing institutions continues to be frustrating. Institutions excel at pro - only the AMICA Bulletin.. Since assuming this responsibility, I tecting and caring for collections of original literature of interest have in addition brought along my responsible for nourishing our to our members. All have a policy of forbidding an item within on-line research library, embracing new books to feed our collec - their Special Collections to leave their premises under any cir - tive hunger for new information, and seeking out new material cumstances, thus forcing a personal visit to their premises, ordi - for our research library. As a consequence, this natural expansion narily beyond most members' ability. of initiatives offers an opportunity for likeminded members to I fully support donations of original literature to institu - join me on this committee. What was once a modest part-time tions, for their clear ability to protect and care for. But only after commitment has morphed into a fulltime day job. The committee they have been digitized for our on-line library. needs to be expanded. Loan of original literature is very much sought after and This is an opportunity for our Chapters to become appreciated. We currently have about 450 items in our on-line involved by designating a member to be responsible for Pub - research library. The University of Maryland is our chosen lished Heritage. For example, a large collection of Etude maga - archive repository for eventual donations after digitization. zines emerged within the Founding Chapter and has been collect - new Books ed. A collection of 73 issues of Music Trades emerged from eBay and has been picked up by a SOWNY rep. A large collection of With the demise of the Vestal Press, we have been music related magazines and catalogs emerged in Florida and has denied critical nourishment for our hunger for new information. been picked up by a Florida member. Some desirable books While the Vestal Press was in business, its products were very emerged as a gift in Minneapolis which have been collected by a instrumental in a steady growth of our related associations. Fol - Northern Lights rep. A large collection of Music Trades appears lowing its demise, our respective associations collectively began to have emerged within the New York Public Library, already in to shrink, in part because of this evaporation of new information. PDF format, and the Lady Liberty Chapter has been invited to Dave Bowers recently authored a new book - Violin- find a local library member who can acquire these files. Playing Machines. I did the layout and the administration for
258 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 In addition to such collections emerging to the attention editor's Supplementary Report of any AMICA member anywhere, a Chapter rep should be sensi - tive to similar opportunities to perhaps borrow original literature Extract from 2010 Board reports: from members coinciding with Chapter meetings. There are a Archiving Original literature number of such opportunities that emerge from time to time, alerting the Chapter to follow-up quickly while still available. Re: Archiving of Original Material: In the Committee, we need a couple of volunteers, with reasonable computer smarts, to share the task of scanning origi - Terry Smythe needs help archiving the vast amount of nal literature acquired by or loaned to AMICA. Not difficult, but material in AMIGA \$ possession. We also need a way to time consuming. One of this Committee will be expected to let heirs know that written material has value. Discussion assume responsibilities of the Editor. centered on how to instruct heirs in disposal of archives. It was suggested that archives he donated to a university Succession after they have been digitally archived by AMIGA. I've been a member of AMICA for 41+ years, and active A discussion on the equipment needed to scan and for some 35+ years. While I am still in good health, at age 81, archive material resulted in the formation of a committee to pro - the reality of my mortality rests heavily on my shoulders. vide guidelines/specifications for archiving material. The com - When I assumed responsibility for our AMICA Bulletin, I hap - mittee of Alan Turner, Terry Smythe, Glenn Roat, and Vincent pened by chance to put in place a fundamental change in the Morgan will provide this information not later than October 1, manner in which it is published. By having an AMICA member 2010. do the layout, instead of our Ohio printer Engler, the cost saving This entry in the Minutes emerged out of a round-table presented an opportunity to translate those savings into color discussion at the Buffalo Board meeting in 2010. It has been par - pages. The rest is history. tially covered within my Editor's Report now in Bob's hands, and Never again will the layout for our AMICA Bulletin be guidelines for scanning were published prior to that meeting. done by a commercial printer. For that to happen, we need a While I am not a professional Librarian, I have some - succession plan to take over from me. That means that whomev - how managed to join a 'net discussion group for the Music er takes over must have computer skills in desktop publishing. Librarians' Association. On it, I have posted an appeal for a The software used, in either Windows or Mac, is QuarkXpress or collection of Music Trades 1890 to 1940 "...free to a good InDesign. Both are complex software with steep learning home...", a common occurrence within this group. curves. Out of this so far has emerged a collection of Musical In addition to this, my successor should also be expect - Times, Musical Antiquarian, and Gramophone, "...free to a good ed to be comfortable with Acrobat (full), PhotoShop, WORD, home...", in this case, AMICA. The donation emerged from the and Excel. Maintenance of our on-line research library will Florida Atlantic University in Miami. I appealed to AMICA require someone comfortable with scanning documents and use member Howard Sanford in Miami, to make the pickup and he of OCR, such as ABBYY Fine Reader. It will be very helpful to has done so, some 10 boxes of periodicals in his garage for now. have both a Mac and a Windows computer, with considerable I hope to find a member in Florida area to take this off his hands memory, capacity and power. I can help with the software, but for detailed review and selective scanning. the hardware will be my successor's responsibility, no differently Loyola University in New Orleans has donated "Musi - than it has been mine all these years. cal Quarterly", 1915 to 1960, in 35mm microform format, now in Recommendations the mail to me. I have access to a microfilm viewer in my main local library capable to converting screen images to PDF, saved That the Board approve the concept of Rippling Acqui - out to a USB Data Traveller. I do not anticipate converting the sitions by means of disposal of one collection to fund another, all whole, but rather portions of the film to PDF for either our on- based upon the initial donor support for the Montgomery Collec - line research library, or for Bulletin content. tion. I'm preparing a position paper for discussion next week That the Board concur with initiatives already underway at the annual convention in Montreal of the MLA, taking the in the layout and production of the new book, Violin-Playing position of a researcher, as opposed to the position of a librarian. Machines, by Q. David Bowers, in accordance with tabled Pub - I will not be there, as I am not a paid-up member. However, as I lisher's Report. am not a professional librarian, there is a risk that my paper will That the Board approve in principle new initiatives to not be accepted, but no harm in trying. As 1 nourish and main - accept, layout and publish new books as they emerge, subject to tain our on-line research library, I am a librarian of sorts, but provision of best information available at the time in the unfore - undeniably seen as an interloper. I did not spend 4 years in uni - seen future, consistent with our Goals and Objectives. versity earning a degree to become a librarian. However, I Respectfully submitted believe my 40+ years in this delightful avocation should help to Teny Smythe give me standing before this group. Stay tuned... [email protected] Out of my initiatives, there are slowly emerging pockets of original literature, such as a collection of ETUDE, 1890 to about 1960, now in John Motto-Ros' garage. There are certain to be others. To cope with this, my report appeals for Chapters to designate a member responsible for our "Published Heritage'*.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 259 As these collections emerge, it is hoped that such a person will Dave Bowers is authoring another book - Encyclopedia accept them, review them in detail, and scan relevant items for of Disc music Boxes , which I have accepted. I have his first either our on-line research library, or for Bulletin content. Two draft manuscript, no pictures yet. It will likely emerge at about objectives - minimize shipping costs and share the workload. 700+ pages, including pictures, about a year from now. I'm also hopeful that I can prevent what has recently The adventure with the violin book is coming to a close. As of happened. An eBay vendor somehow acquired 20 bound vol - today, its publication is completed and now paid for. I have a umes of Music Trades 1890 to about 1930, "...free to a good single completed sample in my hands. I expect to take the USA home...." from an institution, still unknown. In addition to destinations down to Pembina, ND, to drop them into the USPS these 20 bound volumes, each containing 26 issues, he also mail system within next day or two. For the Board Meeting, I acquired 73 loose issues from same source. All free. will have a detailed report for discussion, still waiting to finalize He posted his first issue on eBay, I bid on it and lost, the database with last minute late payments. Stay tuned.... sold for $79. I contacted him and ended up negotiating a deal for the 73 loose issues at $26 each, paid for by AMICA, based on Regards, perceived proceeds of disposing of 52 issue of Music Trades acquired within the Montgomery Collection. Mike Walter is Terry Smythe currently holding the 73 issues and will bring them with him to Editor, AMICA Bulletin the convention. 27 June 2012 That eBay vendor recently placed another single issue on eBay and once again I placed an unsuccessful bid on it, went Violin-Playing Machines for $71. This vendor perceives he's sitting on a gold mine and declines to negotiate. He plans to sell them all (520 issues) one Some 16 years ago, AMICA successfully embraced the by one on eBay. There are certain to be other similar collec - purple Welte book, a major initiative. Nothing since then. tions hidden away in other institutions, which I hope to acquire About a year ago, in my role as Chair of our Publications Com - "....free to a good home....". Thad Kochanny in the Chicago mittee, I was approached by Q. David Bowers . He graciously area is following up on a tip that the University of Illinois has offered, as an outright gift to AMICA, his new manuscript, "Vio - such a collection. lin-Playing Machines" . I reviewed it, albeit without illustra - The critical impediment to access is institutional iron- tions, liked it, and accepted it. clad reluctance to allow anything out of their Special Collections Over many months, I assisted Dave by extracting and off their premises. I'm appealing to the MLA to lobby for a enhancing illustrations that he found through his research in relaxation of this policy in the face of widespread budget reduc - Music Trade Review, Presto and the German equivalent, tions, forcing relentless delays in digitizing the material we want Zeitschrift fiir Instrumentenbau (Zfl). We both have the ftill set to access. Time has come for institutions to start trusting vol - of these PDF research files. Many of the extracts are aimed at a unteers to do progressive digitizing of selected materials in their future book he is authoring. homes, a huge break with tradition. My library friends tell me By midsummer, Dave felt sufficiently comfortable with this is highly unlikely to ever happen, no matter how trustworthy his fleshed out manuscript that I offered to do the layout, my gift. are the target recipients. Just prior to the 2012 AMICA convention in the UK, I prepared a Prior to that 2010 Board Meeting, I defined a set of single draft of the book in 3-ring binder format. I brought it guidelines for digitizing original literature, and posted it on our with me, showed it around and invited expressions of interest. web site: That response was encouragingly positive. By late Fall, the book was nearing completion, and time http://www.amica.org/Live/Publications/Guidelines.pdf had come to invite reservations from interested people in a more Following acquisition of the Montgomery Collection, formal manner. Rosanna harris , Editor of MBSPs Mechanical the Music Trades (whole of 1925) portion was ultimately sent to Music, kindly developed a full page ad for publication in their me for scanning, which I completed and all are now posted in our journal and our AMICA Bulletin. It emerged as a "Pre-Publica - on-line research library. The remainder, mostly The Gramo - tion" offer. Its price, $19.95 4- S&H, emerged inadvertently as phone, went to Glenn Roat. To facilitate Glenn's work, I donat - a surprise before we had a quote. The ad, now carrying this ed to him my Mustek large format scanner. By chance, I had 2 of price, invited people to reserve a book (or more) by contacting these large format scanners. The other is an Epson which local me by email or snail mail. I developed a simple database in AMICAn Milton Schenk found in a recycle bin, dead and dirty. spreadsheet format to track reservations and eventual payments. He did a thorough clean-up of the unit and its electronics, As that price had already been broadcast, we felt com - brought it back to life and donated it to AMICA, through me. mitted to it. Dave Bowers, with his velvet touch, appealed to 5 I'm still using it. people to become "Grand Patrons", each encouraged to donate to The 2010 commitment has been partially satistied. I AMICA $1,000 towards this project. Dave himself, in addition did not follow through for a variety of reasons, mostly I was able to donating his manuscript, also donated $1,000. All critical and to cope with the demands of the responsibility. However, our very much appreciated, for in their absence, a high probability recent adventure with the Violin-Playing Machines book dramati - the project would have been terminated. cally diverted me from other initiatives I want to pursue. The administration behind that initiative has been overwhelming and relentless. Next time 'round, it will be done differently.
260 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 The Grand Patrons: office. She is all alone, and she handled my mammoth load efficiently, co-mingling it with local parcel post, postal money Dave and Christie Bowers orders, postage stamps, phone calls, inquiries, pickups, com - Rick Crandall and Pamela levy plaints, relentless interruptions, et al, and never lost her cool, Robert and Sharon Gilson even handled my load of books through her lunch hour. She Kenneth and Sandra Goldman was quite remarkable throughout the 6 hours I was there. If the Owl Partners llC (dba as Mills novelty Co.) whole of USPS would be staffed with clones of her, they would Jasper and Marian Sanfilippo make money. A Letter of Commendation went to the Postmas - At this point, we sought out potential publishers, one ter General, hopeit filters down to her. close by Dave in New Hampshire, one in the Chicago area, and The passage of time of the process took its toll for some another here in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg publisher, ArtBook - of the people who ordered and paid for books. I received con - Bindery, specializing in the short-run self-publishing market, was siderable email and phone calls from people, "....I paid 'way back the only one that followed though with a quote, @ $20.05 each in... and still no book. What gives?" Seems many never really against a print run of 750 hard cover books took note of what the "Pre" meant. The attitude was one of Working with Canada Post and USPS web sites, Vice- expecting instant gratification, as if I was a clone of the Vestal President Alan Turner and I determined approximate postage Press, pulling a book out of inventory and mailing it immediate - costs, mated them to cost of shipping envelopes/boxes, and came ly. Gotta reinforce the "Pre" next time 'round. up with estimates of S&H, fortunately with a modest cushion for The book has been in people's hands for only a few days unforeseen. Our WebMaster Karl Ellison, then programmed our and already I've received a couple of calls, complaining their web site to accept combined payments of $19.95 + S&H against copy is missing pages. With my copy beside me, I talked a variety of quantities, all shipments by least costly Canada Post through the supposed missing pages. In every case, the missing or USPS. When that was ready, all who expressed a reservation, page is the occasional blank page opposing the beginning of each were invited to follow through with a payment, and our publisher Chapter on the right hand side. The international informal stan - was authorized to print 750 copies. dard for books is all Chapters start right hand page. Problem The production of 750 hard cover books, by a small resolved. Next time 'round, I will not capitulate when I suggest short-run publisher, does not happen overnight. About a month filling those blank pages with suitable illustrations, which I could elapsed for their cycle of printing and binding into hard cover. have done. Over those weeks, the response was most encouraging. Of 466 reservations for 701 books, 431 people came through with pay - Financials as at 7 July 2012: ments for 645 books, a 92% positive response rate. On Friday, 29 June, I picked up about 400+ of the Revenue: books. On the weekend, I endeavored to arrange to have 329 of Donations $ 6,000.00 them, all singles, all to USA, labeled with prepaid postage. The Payments $ 15,653.94 USPS web site has software called "Clip fN Ship", supposedly Total revenue $21,653.94 facilitating printing labels with postage paid against a VISA cred - Expenses: it card. Unfortunately, not as promised. Took me a day and a Book production $ 16,504.61 half to get the software working to the point of being ready to Shipping Supplies $ 299.22 print labels. Only then did I discover an undocumented require - Postage $ 2,242.13 ment - my computer needed to be USB connected to a USPS Terry's gas to Pembina $ 20.00 Postage Meter pre-loaded with sufficient $$. Only simple Total Expenses $ 19.065.86 labels possible, one at a time, without postage, defeating the Net $ 2,588.08 whole purpose. A supposed option (Plan B) is similar software online at Considerations the USPS web site. However, when I tried to feed my database into it, I discovered that such is not possible. That on-line ser - Alan Turner has taken with him the remaining packages vice is restricted to a single label at a time, with the full contents of books for USA destinations, yet to be mailed from within the entered by hand, single character at a time. Plan C kicked in USA Media Mail rate. ~ $200 (?) He is also bringing a quanti - and within an hour, using Word/Excel/MailMerge, I produced a ty of the books for sale at our convention Mart. full set of labels, no postage, and this time with our AMICA logo The reason for numerous postage entries on the attached embedded. spreadsheet was the need to close off the postage meter till to On Tuesday, 3 July, I drove down to Pembina, ND, to serve other customers as they emerged. mail the 329 singles, all by Media Mail rate, 1/3 the cost of mail - The dominant objective behind this project was our stat - ing from Canada. Most importantly, I did not have to prepare by ed goals and objectives: hand, 329 customs declarations, as I did for all the "Internation - als" I mailed from Canada over the 6 July weekend. On Thurs - * To promote the acquisition and distribution of instru - day, 5 July, Alan Turner graciously arrived at my home and ments, recordings, and technical and historical informa - helped with the packaging of the remaining books into cartons tion concerning these instruments, and for 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 15 books content, very much appreciated. * To educate the public about the historical and cultur - I should comment here about an extraordinarily positive al significance of automatic musical instruments. experience with the PostMistress of the Pembina, ND USPS post
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 261 It was never our objective to turn a profit. But if not for Violin-Playing Machines (as at 7 July 2012) Dave Bowers gifting his manuscript, $6,000 in donations, and my gift of doing the layout, the project could not have happened. Revenue expenses Certainly not without a significant loss. I have been in this delightful avocation for 45+ years Donations 6,000.00 and a member of AMICA for 41 years. I have seen AMICA and Revenue 15,653.94 our related associations grow and shrink. A factor in both was Harvey Roehl and his Vestal Press. He nourished a relentless Payments hunger for new information, and became a major contributor to the growth of all. When Vestal Press evaporated, we were ArtBookBindery 16,504.61 deprived of critical nourishment, contributing to a gradual Uline (mailing envelopes) 179.50 decline. Certainly not the sole reason, but a major contributor. Uline ( “ ) 81.00 The success of this book speaks well for AMICA's ini - Staples (Labels) 32.86 tiative and commitment to helping our members acquire new Staples (Boxes) 5.76 information. We should not aspire to clone the Vestal Press, Postage Pembina 109.78 'way beyond our mandate. But there is much we can do, within Postage Pembina 526.71 our limited resources, to revive and nourish a stronger interest in Postage Pembina 105.92 this delightful slice of our musical heritage. Postage Pembina 102.19 Another book is on the horizon, Encyclopedia of Disc Postage Pembina 165.50 Music Boxes , about 400 pages, perhaps a year or so away. Postage Pembina 152.26 When and if this manuscript emerges, some things we will do Postage Pembina 187.78 differently: Postage Pembina 66.20 Postage Pembina 98.41 * No advance publication of a price until we have in Postage Winnipeg 244.31 hand a quote for a variety of TBD production runs.. Postage Winnipeg 15.75 * A favorable Pre-Publication price available only to Postage Winnipeg 82.98 AMICA members. If others wish to buy, they wait for it Postage Winnipeg 384.34 to be available at a public price, or they join. Our pric - Terry's Gas 20.00 ing at the time must reflect this, hopefully inducing mem - bership. Total expenses 19,065.86 It has been a fascinating adventure, and assuming I'm still around in a year's time, I would be prepared to continue a Net 2,588.08 similar involvement. For their support, assistance and commit - ment, I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to: Archivist Report Alan Turner , for a multitude of help. Joe Orens , for keeping track of a myriad of $$$ transactions. Over the last year I have received with great regularity Karl ellison , for programming our website to facilitate on-line the bimonthly shipments of Arnica Bulletins. The amount of bul - purchases. letins received greatly exceeds the number needed to fill the few Rosanna harris , for designing our full page ad, bringing the requests that come in from Terry. Over the last year shipments of book to the attention of all. bulletins have been made to; France, Australia, Texas and the ice Michael Schacht , for his patient counsel and guidance through - cream parlor in Columbus, Indiana. The initial request for 40 bul - out this adventure. letins to each of these foreign counties proved to be very costly so the shipment was reduced to five. Terry has suggested that for - and of course: eign authors needing extra copies of their articles develop a means of making copies in their countries. The storage of the old Dave Bower s for graciously donating his manuscript, making all bulletins is becoming a major problem. I give away to every visi - this possible. Hopefully his generosity and leadership will inspire tor that comes thru as many bulletins as they will take but that others to do likewise. hasn't put a dent in the pile. The officers of Arnica fairly soon Art Reblitz for his technical contributions into the manuscript. need to make a decision on the disposition of these old issues. I And our Grand Patrons, for without them, it would not have hap - am reluctant on my own, to make the decision to take them to a pened. recycling facility but that is eventually what I will be forced to Recommendation do.
That the Board concur with my actions and initiatives, Respectfully submitted all done consistent within our goals and objectives, but in the Tom hutchinson absence of an opportunity for a Board decision during the 2012 [email protected] convention, due to the absence of a quorum.
262 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Convention Chairman's Report Total donations to the Memorial Fund are $621.00. Thank you letters have been written to all donors and acknowl - 2011 England Convention is now past, and it was a great trip. edgement letters that a memorial donation has been given, have 2012 Pittsburgh, PA. been sent to the families of memorial recipients. The Memorial 2013 San Francisco, CA Committee Chairman has sponsored all postage as a contribution 2014 Denver, Colorado to AMICA . 2015 Pending confirmation. Respectfully submitted Ray Dietz , Chairman We need chapters to host conventions in the coming (276) 638-8563 years. It is work, but it is fun, too. No one knows your area like you do, and the best places to go. Really, it's each chapter's Memorial Committee Report for 2012 responsibility to host in turn, so talk to your chapter members and call Frank if you can do it We need from 2016 on. The following is the final Memorial Committee Report for the year of 2012. This report includes activity from the begin - Respectfully submitted ning of the year through Mid April. All memorials were received Frank Nix by the secretary with membership renewals. [email protected] Total memorials for 2012 were $838.00. This compares with $621.00 for the previous year. The following 24 members should be recognized as donors: Memorial Committee Report for 2011 Barrett, Andrew Olds, Dorothy The following is the final Memorial Committee Report Boland, Don & Eileen Palmer, Tony & Myriam for the year of 2011. This report includes activity from August Burger, Ranee Ramey, Lavina 2010 through to 10 March 2011. Dietz, Raymond & Nancy Reichert, Laurence & Marilyn Freeburg, Jean Spencer, John Memorials Sent Directly to Memorial Committee Glier, Daniel Stevens, Jack & Nancy and Hillyer, Carl Tracey, Edward Memorials Received With Membership Renewals Howard, Robert Urbieta, Javier Memorial Gift In Memory O f Irelan, Wayne Whitney, Bill Jacobs, Eileen Wills, Willard & Sharon Albrecht, William and Rosemary Linker, Jack & Linda Wilson, Jean D Olds, Dorothy Metcalf, Peter & Judith Sharkey, William & Rita Andre, Norman Drapkin, Christina Thank you letters have been written to all donors. The Chase, Thomas Derald Kirlin Memorial Committee Chairman has sponsored all postage as a Spencer, John personal contribution to AMICA. Bird, Linda Cappel, Ron Respectfully Submitted, Chapman, Bill Ray Dietz, Memorial Committee Chair Diamond, Franklin (276) 638-8563 Edwards, John Epstein , Benjamin AMICA honor Roll Report Glier, Daniel Goldman, Kenneth Howard, Robert During 2011,1 have received the following nominees to Irelan, Wayne add to our Honor Roll: Isogai, Norio Jacobs, Eileen Dr. Frank Adams (Automatic Music Roll Company) Launderville,' Joseph Jeffrey Morgan (literary contributions to the Bulletin) Linker, Jack Durrell Armstrong (player piano supplies) Metcalf, Peter Palmer, Tony I have not received any nominees for 2012. Any additions, cor - Tracey, Ed rections or other information is always welcome to update our Tyler, Charles Honor Roll list. Whitney, Bill Willing, James Respectfully submitted, Lange, Lloyd Tom Stengel, Honor Roll Chairman Barret, Andrew Tom Grace & Jerry Doring tjstengel@verizon. net Rutoskey, John & Elza, Dennis Ubreita, Javier
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 263 WebSite Manager Report Boston Area Chapter Report
Our visit counter now reads 96,790. Compared to last President: Kirk Russell year's reading of 89,259 we've had roughly 7,531 visits to our Vice-President: Phil Konop website this past year. This averages to 20 visits per day, down Secretary: Phyllis Konop from 36/day this time last year. I'm not certain why the drop. Treasurer: Dorothy Bromage Besides the usual maintenance activities, the only sub - Reporter: stantial content updates have come from Terry Smythe scanning Board Rep: Bob Hunt - [email protected] and submitting new materials for the Members-only pages. Acquiring new materials for the site is an ongoing issue. Since the last report, the Boston Area Chapter has met The major addition to the website was the sales page for December 4,2011 at the home of Dorothy Bromage in Billerica, Q. David Bowers book " The Violin-Playing Machines ". This MA. It is a home devoted to music. Four pianos and a Victorian required some trick programming to interface the page to the Parlor Organ were the start of musical instruments and memora - Pay-Pal payment website. bilia collected over the years. It was brought to my attention that the newer computing In 1980 at the AMICA Int. convention in Pasadena, CA, devices (iPad, iPhone, etc.) do not play the music found on the Dorothy's 1922 Weber Duo-Art reproducing piano was used for front page. I need to have someone who owns one of these performances by the Honorary Members attending. Before the devices to work with me to solve this problem. Please contact me event was over, 10 of the honoraries had signed the plate. The directly if you also experience this issue. signatures continue to be easily read. Jack Edwards in San Jose continues to field inquiries Members were saddened to learn of the death of Edward from the site. Terry Smythe in Winnipeg continues to provide Everett of Plastow, NH. Ed was a longtime supportive member of new content to the "Original Literature" section of the Members- the chapter and had hosted meetings. Only page. On April 22,2012, Dick and Eileen DeVito hosted a meeting at their home in Weston, MA. It was the chapter's annual Respectfully submitted meeting. Election of 2012 officers took place. At the DeVito home, we enjoyed a 1926 Steinway grand model XR converted Karl ellison , Website Manager to a computerized player system. [email protected] We were sad to be informed of the passing of Bob Bow - erman, another member of long standing, who attended many meetings although living in Rhode Island and sometimes coming under difficult physical conditions. Chapter Reports Although it was not present, an introduction to a musi - cal instrument called the Theremin was given by Dorothy Bro - Founding Chapter Report mage.
President: John Ulrich Respectfully submitted Vice President: Karen Simon S Dorothy Bromage ecretary: Bob & Bonnie Gonzalez [email protected] Treasurer: Lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirsky Reporter/Newsletter: Jack & Diane Edwards Chicago Area Chapter Report for 2011 Board Rep: Lyle Merithew & Sandy Swirsky In the Chicago Area Chapter we ended 2010 with 75 The Founding Chapter, which includes Northern Cali - memberships (124 members) which reflects a slight decrease for fornia and Western Nevada, has 63 paying memberships. Our the calendar year. We gave a $1000 donation to the Sanfilippo total treasury is $5,450.58 as of 5/31/2012. Foundation which donates to local and national charity organiza - Since the last report in September 2011, we held five tions. Our 4 meetings were all quite different this year with a meetings. They were held at the homes of: Don Ellison, Tock - good turnout for each one. We waited for spring this year to hwock and Bruce Grimes, Richard Reutlinger, Lyle Merithew insure good weather before we began our meetings. and Sandy Swirsky, and John Ulrich. We also supported the On May 16th about 25 mechanical music aficionados Organ Rally in Sutter Creek. joined many others for a delightful afternoon concert at The Pol - The Founding Chapter is sponsoring the 2013 Conven - ish Museum of America in Chicago. This 1935 museum, one of tion in San Francisco to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the oldest ethnic museums in America, has a special room filled AMICA. We are working diligently toward that event. We hope with Paderewski memorabilia. This special concert was put to see everyone there! together by Rex Lawson and Denis Hall, founders of the Pianola Institute in London, and was dedicated to the memory of the late Respectfully submitted Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria who had Sandy Swirsky and lyle Merithew, Board Representatives just recently died in an airplane crash in Russia. The beautiful 7 [email protected] foot 1925 Model AR Steinway was provided for the concert by Jim and Wynette Edwards. The piano rolls featured works of
264 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, Debussy and Schelling along with We had three meetings during the year and all were well Ignace Jan Paderewski playing his own creations. In the Great attended. Our first meeting was at the home of Jim and Sherrie Hall of the Museum the piano resounded impressively and pro - Krughoff who have a premier collection of automatic musical vided a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience for all. instruments. Among the European piano orchestrions are the Our June 6th a group of 25 was hosted in the home of Hupfeld Pan & Helios 11/25, Weber Maesto, Philipps Monster Margaret Bisberg and Ricbard VanMetre in Park Ridge, IL. They Paganini and a Popper Felix. There is also a Welte style 4 Con - have a medium size collection of disc and cylinder musical cert Orchestrion, a Welte Brisgovia and two Hupfeld Phonoliszt boxes, a Steinway Duo Art piano, and a Victor Credenza phono - Violinas and a Violina Orchestra. Fair organs include fine instru - graph. We enjoyed a great potluck dinner and homemade treats. ments by Steenput, Ruth and Bruder as well as a dance organ by The discussions centered on the upcoming Union, IL antique Arburo and a robot dance organ by Decap. We had a large phonograph sale, the remaining Nipper dog table favors, and the turnout for the meeting and all enjoyed the summer cookout of reissue of Leo Podolsky Ampico rolls. burgers and brats and special desserts. In September Joanne and Jim Tharp hosted 30 people in In August on a day of horrible local rainstorms and Palos Park. Their ranch home, decorated in the Arts and Crafts flooding, we had about thirty people attend a Saturday afternoon style, comfortably accommodates their 1926 Steinway Duo Art meeting in the home of Laura and Marty Nevel in the western Reproducing Piano (Italian Renaissance style art case) and their suburbs. Their 1929 home, purchased twelve years ago in a seri - 1929 Mason & Hamlin Ampico B Reproducing Piano (heavily ous state of disrepair, has been totally renovated with some carved Louis XV walnut case). They also have some 1960s hi-fi rearrangement and reconfiguration. This very large three story equipment which includes a JBL Paragon stereo speaker and home now has new windows, and doors, enhanced original wall some interesting model cars. Members brought side dishes and moldings, and art and whimsy everywhere proving a wonderful desserts to the table. The Buffalo, NY convention news was background for their automatic musical instruments and various shared and the discussion centered on future meetings. collectables. In the Nevel Collection is a 1915 Violano Virtuoso In December 141 attendees came to our holiday gala at Home Model, a 1914 Gabel Automatic Entertainer, a 1900 Impe - the Sanfilippo estate in Barrington, IL. In the late afternoon the rial Symphonion, a New Century 4 Comb Disc Music Box, a party began in the house where we were greeted on arrival with Curve Front Regina Changer, an 1870 Conchon Orchestral Inter - holiday music. Two spectacular new additions, the Hupfeld changeable Cylinder Music Box that rests on its matching table, Helios 111/39 orchestrion and the 84 key Mortier Astrid cafe a 1925 Seeburg KT with flute pipes, an art case Steinway Duo- organ, were featured in the theater. After a brief business meeting Art Reproducing Grand Piano, an 1892 Capital Cuff Box, a around 5:30 PM in the theater, we were treated to the party's Phonograph Lamp, and a rare and unique Kalliope with Bells. highlight, a live holiday concert on the 5 manual 80 rank Wurl - The Nevels also collect gadget canes and light bulbs. itzer by acclaimed theater organist, Jelani Eddington. Festivities Our last meeting of 2011 was hosted in late October by then moved to the Carousel Pavilion for more music, wine and a Kathy Stone and Mel Septon in their beautiful new suburban holiday buffet dinner in the midst of the 1890 Eden Palais Salon home. There was ample space to accommodate sixty-four atten - Carousel and 24 fairground and dance organs. In addition, the dees along with some Halloween ghosts and goblins. Their 9'6" Steam Engine Gallery featured many beautifully restored marvels Steinway Duo Art is one often made and one of only two left of the industrial revolution. The colossal 110 key Gavioliphone with the original mechanism. It has two pumps, two motors and a with resurrected angel trumpeters, maiden harpists and winged factory designed special stack for extra loud capability. In addi - lions delighted us all with more concert fare. A good time was tion to the piano, the couple has a beautifully restored Seeburg G, had by all. two cylinder musical boxes musical boxes, and a Victrola. Also there was a bowfront Mills Violano on loan from Marty Persky. Respectfully submitted All instruments provided joyful music. Carol Veome , Chapter Secretary In addition to our local meetings, nine members attend - [email protected] ed the annual convention in Great Britain in August. We all enjoyed a day at the Dorset Steam Fair, an excursion into Wales Chicago Area Chapter Report for 2012 and visits to the various museums and collections.
President: Jerry Biasella Respectfully submitted Vice President: Richard Van Metre Carol Veome , Chapter Secretary Secretary: Carol Veome [email protected] Treasurer: Joe Pekarek Reporter: Curt Clifford heart of America Chapter report Board rep: TBN
The Chicago Area Chapter ended 2011 with seventy- President: Bob Stout seven memberships (One hundred twenty-five members) which Vice-President: Dan Davis indicates that we are in a holding pattern. We started the year Secretary: trudy Moffitt with $6890 (after deducting bills to be paid for the 2010 holiday Treasurer: Brian Graham party). Our reported balance as of late October was $7615. Reporter: HC & Marlene Beckman Board Rep: Gary Craig
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 265 The Heart of America Chapter held three meeting in 1. A rare outdoor treat of the Pratt Institute's steam cal - 2010 because a spring meeting had to be cancelled. liope on March 19th; Our first meeting was an organ rally held at Gage Park 2. A meeting at the home of Vincent and Maryam Morgan in Topeka, KA hosted by the Bechmans H.C. and Marlene. We on April 23rd. had approximately 30 participants who brought 8 street organs 3. The second annual organ rally at Nunley's Carousel in and one accordion to perform at the park. As part of the event we Garden City. had a train ride around the park and a free ride on the carousel. Later that evening we had a dinner at a local steakhouse. The The meetings at Edgertons and Morgans featured as our meeting concluded with a breakfast and chapter meeting at the special guest, Hi Babit His memories, stories, ability to adlib on Beclunan's house. the piano and his timely jokes held us spellbound. In fact, at the Our second meeting was in conjunction with an organ Edgertons Bill had to ask Hi for permission to show off his many rally at The Deanna Rose Children 's Farmstead in Leawood, wonderful instruments. Kansas. We had ten street organs and one large organ who partic - The outdoor event with the steam calliope at Pratt Insti - ipated. That night some of us attended Ed a dinner theater perfor - tute in Brooklyn was the first time that the calliope had been used mance in Overland Park, Kansas. The next morning we had a outdoor except for New Year's Eve. People came from 3 blocks breakfast/meeting at Trudy and Greg MofTitt's house. away to find out what was making that strange and VERY LOUD Our third meeting was a split meeting held in December music. Quite a few of them lined up to try their hands at the key - at Harold Engelhaupt's house on Saturday and Doug Cusick's board. Most were stumped at the time delay between pressing a house on Sunday. There were 38 participants for the happenings key and the sound. However, one professional pipe organist was at the Englhaupts. We began with a mart on Saturday morning able to overcome this, having experienced similar delays on pipe which represented a departure from what we usually did. This organs. Others finally figured out that they had to just play and was followed by a partially catered and partially prepared dinner. not listen to the music themselves. It was a wonderful and fun- The evening was topped off by our infamous gift exchange filled event. which at times can become quite raucous. The organ rally is the one that wasn't. Not one of the On Sunday we meet at Doug and Barbara Cusick's organs showed up whose owners promised to be present. Howev - house in Leawood, KS. 45 of us spent several hours listening to er, Vincent Morgan did take his Castlewood busker organ and the Cusick's large collection that included a variety of band was able to persuade people to crank a few tunes. We also sold organs, a Hupfeld B Phonolist-Violana, a 1928 Mortier 84 key piano rolls at 500 each or 3 for $ 1.00 and gave people copies of orchestrion, and a Mason-Hamlin reproducing piano. We then the A MICA Bulletin. Later we were given a free tour of the had a marvelous brunch prepared by Barbara Cusick with assis - Long Island Space Museum. tance from several other members. We had a brief membership Someone in NJ donated 750 player piano rolls to the meeting followed by more listen to the Cusick's many instru - chapter. Those who attended the meeting at the Morgans were ments. able to take their pick for a donation to the chapter. Some mem - bers came a couple days early to find special gems. Others Respectfully submitted picked some out at the meeting and even came back later for Gary Craig , Board rep more. 45 of them were donated to a missionary couple in Mon - [email protected] treal who use a player piano in their ministry. There are still about 150 available. lady liberty Chapter Report for 2011 In December a single ballot was cast for all officers to remain in their respective positions, with a unanimous positive President: John Dousmanis vote. Vice President: Vincent Morgan Respectfully submitted, Secretary: Bob Stuhmer Vincent & Maryam Morgan , Treasurer: Maryam Morgan Lady Liberty Board Reps. Reporter: Martin "Buzz" Rosa [email protected] Board Rep: Vincent and Maryam Morgan Newsletter Editor: Bill Maguire lady liberty Chapter Report for 2012
The Lady Liberty Chapter currently has 51 families (74 President: John Dousmanis individuals) up from 44 families (68 individuals) in 2011 who Vice President: Vincent Morgan have paid their dues for 2011. We have been asked what our Secretary: Bob Stuhmer secret is for getting new members. It is simple, members inviting Treasurer: Maryam Morgan friends to meetings. We also have membership applications and Reporter: Martin "Buzz" Rosa old AMICA Bulletins on hand to give to guests. That's it. Board Rep: Vincent and Maryam Morgan In the second half of 2010 we held meetings at: the Newsletter Editor: Bill Maguire home of Bill and Ann Edgerton on Sept. 11th and at the home of Our meetings for 2011 were: Glenn Thomas and his wife, Kim Kleason, on Dec. 11th in the first half of 2011 our activities included: 1. April 23—at the home of Vincent & Maryam Morgan, Queens Village, NY with special guest Hi Babit.
266 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 2. May 7—Organ rally at the Nunley's Carousel, in Mine - Our Fall Meeting hosted by Don Johnson and Bob ola, NY, but no organs showed up even though several Andersen was in the Detroit, Ml area on Sat-Sun., Oct. 23-24. We owners had promised to be there with their organs. We toured Woodlawn Cemetery with the help of Ira Grinnell, who still gave out AMICA bulletins and brochures, entertained told us about his grandfather and gave us insights into his life and people with a cob organ and a Castlewood organ and sold piano business beginning in the early 1900's. His efforts in pro - piano rolls at 50 cents each or 3 for $1.00. One former moting music education in Detroit helped make player pianos member stopped by and decided to re-join. popular in Michigan. Our guide was very convincing, but we 3. Oct. 1- Meeting at Phil Jamison's house in PA. later found out he was an impersonator and a friend of Bob and 4. Dec. 3-Meeting at Ray Schefry's Musical Memories Don's. We visited the grave of Richard Storrs Willis who wrote, Museum in Allentown, PA "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" and sang his song in his memory. We saw the elaborate gravestones of many Motown We received donations of over 1,000 piano rolls from artists and the memorial stone for Michael Jackson. Also includ - various people who couldn't sell them on e-Bay, which were ed, were crypts of early automotive pioneers like Horace Dodge offered to members at meetings for a donation of $1.00 each. and Edsel Ford. There are still some rolls remaining, but most have found happy Saturday evening was an Octoberfest celebration at Don homes. and Bob's with the singing of German songs around their 1917 The chapter voted to send $500 to the Nisco Museum of Schumann 88 note piano. On Sunday morning we returned to Mechanical Music in Ein Hod, Israel to help rebuild the collec - Don and Bob's for a delicious brunch and business meeting. tion following the devastating forest fire in the area earlier in the Our Spring Meeting was held May 7-8 in Columbus, IN. year. This was used to help cover the airfare of Ron Schmuck We started with a bus tour of many National Historic Landmarks who spent 2 weeks working on various instruments to get them in the area and ended back at the Visitors Center where we playing again. Vincent and Maryam Morgan visited that museum enjoyed their beautiful collection ofChihuly glass. We then went in early May of this year and will write a report for a future Bul - to Zaharakos' Ice Cream Parlor and Museum for dinner and letin article. As a result of the chapter's generosity, any AMICA enjoyment of their beautiful music machines. During dinner we or MBSI member will receive a free tour of the restored museum were serenaded by Hugh Mclntire on his player accordion. without the usual entrance fee. There is more work to be done, Across the street from Zaharakos* was a city building being used much more. for a high school prom. We were unexpectedly treated to 2 hours All officers of the chapter remain the same as before. of a parade of teens arriving for the prom in every sort of vehicle We have discovered that we are running out of venues to available (limos, convertibles, Army trucks, hay wagons, semi hold our meetings. We understand that the Lady Liberty Chapter cabs, horse and buggy carriages, etc.). They circled the block at isn't the only one struggling with this. Many people promise to least 3 times before alighting to go into the prom and many do something "in a couple years", but not now. townspeople were there to enjoy the proceedings. Our business Our membership has also dropped significantly this meeting was held at the hotel on Sunday morning. year. We are down to 36 family units from 51 the year before. Our next meeting is planned for Traverse City, MI in Even long-time members have failed to renew even after numer - October. ous appeals. We were also forced to change banks as our previous Respectfully submitted, bank (Chase) decided to charge interest on non-profit organiza - liz Barnhart tions with less than $5,000 in the account. Now we have a free Midwest Chapter Board Rep account at TD Bank Hooray! [email protected]
Respectfully submitted, Midwest Chapter Report for 2012 Vincent & Maryam Morgan , President- Don Johnson Lady Liberty Board Reps. Vice President- Liz Barnhart [email protected] Secretary- Hilda Merchant Treasurer- Alvin Wulfekuhl Midwest Chapter Report for 2011 Reporter- Christy Counterman President- Don Johnson Board Rep- Liz Barnhart Vice President- Liz Barnhart The Midwest Chapter (mainly Ohio, Michigan, Indiana Secretary- Hilda Merchant and Western Ontario) has approximately 60 family memberships. Treasurer- Alvin Wulfekuhl Our Spring 2011 Meeting in Columbus, Indiana was described in Reporter- Christy Counterman detail in the 2011 Chapter Report. Board Rep- Liz Barnhart The Midwest Chapter had 21 members attending the The Midwest Chapter has 60 family memberships. Any - Arnica Convention in England. Several people were not able to one is welcome, but our main area is Ohio, Indiana, Michigan stay for the Extension Tour, so we had a brief gathering at the and Western Ontario. We convened a chapter meeting in the Atri - Hotel in Bristol. We took a group picture and discussed our next um of the Genesee Building during the Buffalo Convention with meeting. 16 members in attendance. We discussed our future meeting sites In October we were hosted by Don Johnson and Bob as well as other business. Andersen in Grand Rapids, Michigan where we first toured the
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 267 Gerald R. Ford Museum. Of particular interest was the exhibit Summer in Minnesota is almost sacred and it's wrapped with the stairs from the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon. into twelve (12) weekends that start with June, July and end with This was how the last of the fleeing Vietnamese and Americans August. Doing group events during this time is hard to plan were rescued by helicopter. This exhibit represents the end of because outdoor activity is at a premium. However, a boat ride in American involvement in Vietnam. We went on to the Meier late August or early September should be OK, but those three Conservatory and Sculpture Garden. A mammoth bronze horse months are close to being sacrosanct. designed by Leonardo da Vinci was among the sculptures. On Our Christmas 2011 plans have yet to be established. Sunday we toured the Meyer May House which was designed by Several people may be interested in hosting our year end event, Frank Lloyd Wright. but nothing has "come to the fore." However, we finished 2010 Our Spring 2012 Meeting will be a joint one with MBSI with a delightful Christmas Party hosted by Randy Hammond at in Dayton, Ohio in May. Mike and Liz Barnhart will hold an his home in Brooklyn Center, MN. We held the party a little later Open House on Friday. On Saturday we will be visiting the in December than usual because he wanted some extra time to National Museum of the Air Force where we will see a huge dis - "spiff up a bit." Randy was a gracious host and we all enjoyed his play of planes and missiles as well as historical information. extensive collection of phonographs, pianos and antiques. Our Mary Pollock will hold a Sunday Open House. afternoon was spent in conversation and music from Randy's 1923 Fisher Ampico-A grand and his 1920 Steinway Duo Art Respectfully submitted, upright. He also has a 5” 8" Mason & Hamlin Ampico that's liz Barnhart awaiting restoration. A nice surprise was Terry Smythe appearing Midwest Chapter Board Rep with Christmas presents after making his trek from snowy Win - [email protected] nipeg. Terry presented a DVD to each Chapter member on "The Art of Piano," which contains rare archival footage of many northem lights Chapter Report reproducing piano artists. Randy provided a sumptuous buffet and members brought complementary dishes. We toured the President - Paul Watkins house, played records and music rolls and closed out the Winter Vice President -Secretary - Mark Kraabel daylight hours in Randy's warm and cozy musical environs. Treasurer - Barb Watkins Reporter - Jerrilynn Boehland Respectfully submitted Board Rep - Paul Watkins Paul Watkin s, Chapter President [email protected] Our local chapter holds three to four membership meet - ings and/or events with attendance ranging from 10 to 20 people. Pacific Can-Am Chapter report On a national level our membership surpasses local participation. With MN, N & S Dakota and Manitoba we have a total of 35 sin - President: David Goodwin gle and/or family memberships (+/- 55 people). Some national Vice President: members don't participate locally while others participate only Secretary: Larry Sanchez through MBSI. Christmas is the best attended and it has been a Treasurer: Mark Smithberg member hosted party each year. Our attending members prefer Reporter: David Goodwin, Larry Sanchez the "hosting" of meetings, but in looking at what other chapters Board. Rep: Al Rustad do I notice a considerable amount of festivals, rallies, museums, theaters, etc. Some are even two day events covering both Satur - As of April 29, 2012, the Pacific Can-Am Chapter mem - day and Sunday. This is evidently an area for further considera - bership consisted of 36 individuals who come from 29 house - tion by our chapter. Another consideration would be more holds. Although these figures vary slightly from one year to the advanced planning of meeting dates and sites. next, the number of members who are actually involved in the Usually in the early spring Don Barton of Barton Player chapter has remained quite constant for a number of years. Piano Co. hosts a Piano Roll Flea Market and Silent Movie/ As of April 29, 2012, we had $1,234.23 in our checking Organ Concert. This was year eleven and it was a March Satur - account and $5,112.06 in a certificate of deposit for a total of day enjoyed by customers, families looking for adventure and $6,346.29. The chapter is sound fiscally, with relatively few newbies. We're fortunate to have Don as a participating member. expenditures and a small but steady income which slightly He is a player piano rebuilder/technician who has been active in exceeds expenditures. our local chapter for many years. In the past two years we have averaged three meetings We often participate in a Phipps Center For The Arts per year with 20 to 40 people typically in attendance. Our meet - organ concert in Hudson, WI. This year it was an early summer ings occur on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, and in the past two June event, but many times it's Winter or Spring. They have out - years they have occurred in a half dozen locations, each of which standing concerts played by leading organists and we combine has automatic musical instruments of interest with a breadth of that with an AMICA meeting and lunch or dinner. They have a musical instruments being represented across the meeting loca - wonderful Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ with an attached Wurl - tions. Typically, members and visitors come to the hosting home itzer Grand Piano which helps to attract some very good per - at around 2 PM and there is approximately two hours of visiting formers. with other members while the instruments in the home are viewed and played. This considerable period of time for interac -
268 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 tion with other AMICAns has proved to be one of the most valu - piano rolls and around a dozen or so of his other pianos. It's able features of our meetings, and people become well acquaint - always a feast of music at Dick's house. Earlier that day we ed with others during this time. At approximately 4 PM, we have enjoyed brunch and a meeting at the home of Steve McCormick, our Business Meeting and a show and tell time. At roughly 5 PM, which is right down the street from Dick's home. Steve always we share our potluck meal together. This schedule works very entertains in the grand style and his Art-Echo piano is something well for us. which no one else has. One or the other of his pianos played the Our chapter is involved in an outreach effort through the whole time we were there. The winter weather was perfect, of work of AMICAn Kurt Morrison. He continues to represent course. AMICA at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle by playing the April 2,2011 took us to Colorado Springs, Colorado to Knabe Ampico for many events each year. These events include the home and shop of Art and Jeannie Reblitz where we were the silent movie series and he plays the Knabe before the movies invited to view the latest restoration which was a Weber Unika. It and during the intermissions on each movie night. Further, he was built in Germany in 1917. What a thrill to hear and see an comes for other programs including tours of the theatre by school instrument of this caliber and hear about the interesting engineer - children and adults. Kurt also helps to keep the piano going in ing, design and construction of such a complex machine. Espe - the large Wurlitzer pipe organ. cially for it's age. It's really fun to preview these instruments Exactly as was previously indicated, the greatest prob - before they fine their new home in a big collection elsewhere. lem our chapter has faced is filling the officer positions. Some June 25, 2011, we had a most interesting visit to the members are in declining health and do not feel that they can Carousel of Happiness in Nederland, Colorado. The Carousel has take on these responsibilities. Several key members have passed a beautiful working and restored Wurlitzer 125 Military Band on. Others seem reluctant to respond generally, as is true in simi - Organ. The animals were all carved by our host, Scott Harrison lar organizations. Nevertheless, it is noted that our membership who started this dream many years ago from a gift of a music box and our attendance have remained remarkably constant for the from his sister, while stationed in Viet Nam. Scott and his wife past five years. There is no evidence for declining interest in and the Carousel of Happiness are a tremendous addition to our automatic music in the Pacific Northwest, and it is an ongoing state and to our Rocky Mt. AMICA chapter! challenge for us to do what we can to increase interest in auto - July 11,2011 - The Last Harrah at the Harris' Collection. matic music in our region. We've all been there - but we are always ready to go again. Always something new, and something else working, and this Respectfully submitted time the group included members of MBSI, the local antique Phonograph Club, the Rocky Mt. Chapter of AMICA and guests Carl Dodrill from members of all the organizations. It was a big crowd, a big Acting Pacific Can-Am Chapter Representative day, and yet it was quiet relaxed and fun to enjoy and say good [email protected] bye to this glorious attraction to our club. October 15, 2011 - One Fine Piano and the marriage of Rocky Mountain Chapter Report two centuries of technology with a Virtual Roll Player System and a Steinway Duo-Art. The home and lovely family piano of President: Jere DeBacker Rick England and his wife Jill Seabrook was the focus of our Vice President: Ken Hodge meeting. Everyone enjoyed the time and the piano and the music. Secretary: Louise Lucero This instrument is an inspiration. And Bob Hunt from Maine was Treasurer: Barry Weiss there to talk about his work and his development of the Virtual Reporter: Larry Emmons Roll Player System. Board Rep: Jere DeBacker October 16, 2011 - Our very own Founding Chapter Member, Dick Kroeckel was one of the featured performers at The Rocky Mt. Chapter of AMICA had a good year with the Paramount Theater in Downtown Denver. The program was nine to eleven meetings - depending on how you count between called Red White & Blue Ragtime Revue with Dave Wickerham December of 2010 to July of 2012. We gained several new mem - on the Wurlitzer Theater Organ and Dick Kroeckel on the Con - bers, and we have all our members paid and current in the chap - cert Grand Steinway. It was a great afternoon and nearly as many ter and we verify that they are in AMICA International as well. AMICA members attended as were at our official meeting the Our long time member Ben Haass moved back to Colorado from day before in Ft. Collins. North Carolina, Clara Wingfield moved to Aurora, CO from December 17, 2011 - The Annual Rocky Mt. Chapter Kansas. We had AMICA members from Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Christmas party was held at the home of Pat Moore with co-host New Mexico, Nebraska, and of course Colorado at various meet - Ken Hodge in Franktown, Colorado, just about 40 miles south ings through the year. We always welcome guests and encourage east of Denver. 20 people attended and Ken played Christmas them to join our club. Carols on his Pell Harmonette Monkey Organ. A beautiful origi - December 11, 2010 we were hosted by Bill and Rosanna nal and working juke box played 50's tunes in the Ice Cream Par - Harris at their collection of European dance organs, orchestrions, lor in Mooresville - the miniature town that Pat has set up in her phonographs and music boxes. We always have a large turnout lower level. Over 40 Christmas trees, with many being full size and this meeting is no exception. We shared a meal and listened decorated the huge home and being there was a never ending dis - to music as we enjoyed the Holiday Spirit. covery of new and interesting things. December 12,2010 we were entertained by Dick February 25, 2012 - Open House and Party at Jere's Kroeckel with his 9'6" Steinway Duo-Art and his thousands of Player Piano Co. Jere had just finished a major restoration of a
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 269 1925 Baldwin Welte upright and many AMICA members joined Checking Account $2021.24 and in a CD we had $2508.76 for a Jere's friends and clients to see and hear this mechanical marvel total of $4530.00. of the early 20th Century. We had fun and snacks and music late The chapter held five meetings at the homes of various into the day. The piano was restored by Hank Lea of Colorado members during 2011. We were also fortunate to have the oppor - Piano Works and Jere rebuilt the Player system. tunity to visit the homes of Jasper & Marion Sanfllippo and Jim March 17,2012 - Dick Kroeckel and Adam Swanson and Sherrie Krughoff during the summertime. Five couples from played a rip-roaring concert at Onofrio Piano Co. in Denver. All the chapter had a great time at both homes, seeing and hearing AMICA members were invited and many enjoyed the music fantastic instruments and also learning much about the instru - along with the Rocky Mt. Ragtime Society of Colorado members ments as well. This year the chapter plans on having four meet - and guests. It was the best attended concert that they have ever ings. sponsored. It was Adam's 20th Birthday and what a talent he is. During 2011, members of the SOWNY Chapter were He takes note of all the fantastic music played by Dick's many asked by AMICA President Tim Baxter to assist in the prepara - reproducing pianos and sometimes it shows up in his concerts. tion for the 2012 Convention in Pittsburgh and also to offer aid July 1, 2012 - Another open house party is scheduled at Jere's where needed during the running of the convention. 14 SOWNY Player Piano Co. in Denver to hear and see a total restoration of a Chapter members agreed to offer assistance in some form. 1919 Melville Clark Art-Apollo. The case was refinished in Utah, Respectfully submitted, the piano restored by Hank Lea of Colorado Piano Works and the player rebuilt and restored by Jere DeBacker in Denver. Mike Walter Board Rep. Respectfully submitted mikew [email protected] Jere DeBacker, Board rep. [email protected] Southern California Chapter Report SOWnY Chapter Report for 2011 President: Jerry Pell President: Glenn Roat Vice President: Mike Choate Vice President: Bob and Kathy Singer Secretary/Reporter: Shirley Nix Secretary: Shirley Roat Treasurer: Diane Reidy Treasurer: Holly Walter Board Rep: Frank Nix Reporter: Glenn and Shirley Roat Board Rep: Mike Walter Our chapter is alive and well and has an active agenda. We have had meetings at the homes of Mike and Marilyn Ames, The SOWNY Chapter is an active chapter in the South - (joint meeting with MBSI). the Christmas party at the lovely ern Ontario and Western New York area. We have a current chap - home of Dana Bashor, a joint venture as always with MBS!, and ter membership o£22 paying members representing 12 house - in February we were fortunate to have a meeting at the home of holds. Our financial outlook is steady. We have $2,500 in a Cer - Fred and Deanna Roth. April found us at the home of Frank and tificate of Deposit and $943 in a Savings Account for a total of Shirley Nix. In June we traveled to the Dana Point home of Mike $3,443 in assets after all 2010 convention expenses are accounted and Kathy Choate. It's really appreciated when people open their for. Chapter meetings were held in September 2010, December homes for a meeting. 2010, May 2011, June 2011, and July 2011. The December meet - We won't have a meeting in August, since the Conven - ing was the ever popular tion starts then. We also had organ rallies in Sutter Creek, Long Christmas Party/Meeting, held at Mike and Holly Wal - Beach and the Los Angeles Arboretum. These were all very suc - ter's house. Plans for 2011 - 2012 include scheduling Chapter cessful and a lot of flin. meetings for Spring, Summer and Fall. Our Treasury stays pretty solid, with a good balance. We're looking forward to another year of fellowship and Respectfully submitted, sharing of this wonderful world of mechanical music. Glenn Roat , Chapter President [email protected] Respectfully submitted Shirley nix , Chapter Secretary SOWnY Chapter Report for 2012 [email protected]
President: Glenn Roat Texas Chapter Report Vice President: Bob and Kathy Singer Secretary: Shirley Roat President - Rich Clayton Treasurer: Holly Walter Past President - Jerry Bacon Reporter: Glenn and Shirley Roat Vice President - Michael Barisonek Board Rep: Mike Walter Secretary - Suzanne McCall Treasurer - Janet Tonnesen The SOWNY Chapter of AMICA is a thriving chapter Reporter - Ken Long with 23 paid members. As of December 31, 2011 we had in our Board Rep - Suzanne & John McCall
270 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 The Texas Chapter currently has 57 family memberships Texas Chapter members. We look forward to increasing our representing 84 individuals. Two memberships are new members membership and sharing our love of mechanical musical instru - to AMICA and three former members have rejoined the Chapter ments and the music they make. in 2012. Sadly, long-time member Walter Moore passed away on July 12, 2011 of heart failure. He is sorely missed by his loving Respectfully submitted, family and friends. Janet Tonnesen The Texas Chapter held three well attended meetings in (reporting for Texas Board Rep Suzanne & John McCall) 2011 - the first was April 30, 2011 in Fort Worth at St. Patrick Cathedral, hosted by Bishop Kevin Vann of the diocese of Fort Worth, Texas. The beautiful St. Patrick Cathedral has an interest - AMICA MeMBeRShIP MeeTInG ing history and members were provided a guided tour by histori - Pittsburgh – JulY 15, 2012 an Kay Failho. A long time player piano enthusiast, Bishop Vann delighted members with his expertise at his Cable Nelson upright Members present: Tim Baxter, President and AMICA player. Phil Bordeleau, newly appointed Music Director of the Officers, Chairmen, and members in attendance. Cathedral (and former AMICA member) spontaneously invited Meeting convened at 9:20 am. members to his home nearby to finalize this memorable meeting. The second meeting was a joint weekend meeting with MBSI Slate of Nominees: Past President John Motto-Ros , Sunbelt Chapter members in Houston on July 16th and 17th. Our Chairman of the Nomination Committee, announced the slate of hosts there were Kurt Nauck who gave a thorough and interesting officer nominees for 2013. He let the membership know that lecture on records and his auction process (Nauck's Vintage officers usually serve for two years and that these nominees had Records); Dr. Ray and Nancy Dickey who demonstrated a wide served for just one year. He requested the yeas and nays to variety of music boxes and other mechanical music instruments, decide if the nominees should continue in 2013. The slate was including a recently restored Mills Violano; and Alan Bies and elected by acclamation. The officers will be Tim Baxter, Presi - Steve Boehck in their beautifully restored 1890's Victorian home dent; Alan Turner, Vice President, Joe Orens, Treasurer, and Bob filled with large and small mechanical music instruments such as and Bonnie Gonzalez, co-Secretaries. their 1927 Hupfeld Phonolizt Violina model B, 1899 Welte Con - Frank nix , Convention Coordinator , announced that cert Orchestrion model four, numerous band organs, etc. What a the 2013 convention would be in San Francisco and in Colorado fantastic musical weekend! for 2014. Possible future venues include Washington DC and The third meeting of 2011 was our Christmas meeting at Australia. Possible venues exist through 2020. the home of Bill Flynt on December 3, Entertainment was pro - Bob Gonzalez , Convention co-Chairman for San vided by Bill at his 9' Knabe concert grand piano accompanying Francisco , presented a video of some of the places the conven - "The Sorta Sisters", one of his popular performing groups tion will visit in 2013. He also encouraged early room reserva - singing in the famous Andrew Sisters style. Bill discussed and tions because the America’s Cup races and a high-tech conven - demonstrated how he coded and cut many piano roll masters in tion will be in town during our convention. The hotel will sell the 70's and early 80's. He also demonstrated his 1923 Tangley T- out. 43 circus calliope which he uses in local parades and events. After our dinner, prepared by members Janet Tonnesen and Becky Newton, our lively, fun filled Christmas gift swap com - Awards: menced. Good music, good food, good cheer, brought a happy close to 2011! leo Orsnstein literary Award: Terry Smythe for the excel - Thus far into 2012 we've had one meeting in Wichita lent Bulletin he produces and his assistance in producing the new Falls hosted by Jim & Kathy Quashnock on April 21. Members violin book. met at Midwestern State University to hear a carillon recital and to tour the carillon tower there. The historic carillon in the International Award: Bill Chapma n for his many years of ser - Hardin Hall Tower was completely renovated in 2003-2004. Jim vice as Membership Secretary. has played organ at church services since 1966 and has been playing the carillon since 2009. He plays the carillon at MSU President’s Award: Mike and holly Walter for their outstand - weekly. Following the recital and tour, members went to Jim & ing contribution to AMICA’s success over the years. Kathy's home to enjoy refreshments, their musical collection, and Jim's workshop. Their 6' George Steck Duo-Art grand was the President Baxter passed the convention banner to Bob Gonza - start of their collection in the 80's and they have been adding ever lez to be hung at the 2013 convention in San Francisco. since. Last year Jim finished his 3 year project of restoring a Wurlitzer 105 band organ. With a great start to 2012 we look for - liz Barnhart informed the membership about the organ rally in ward to the rest of the year. Germany in 2014 . We extend our sincere thanks to all the hosts of these meetings and to the members who attended. Frank nix, Convention Coordinator , presented a plaque to Our Chapter has a current balance of $2,220.04 in the President Tim Baxter in recognition of the fine job he did with bank. It continues to be a struggle every year to come up with the 2012 convention. new meetings, but each year the challenge is met successfully. Motion to Adjourn: (M/P Terry Smythe/Unanimous) We hope to make 2012 another varied and interesting year for
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 271 Vice-President Alan Turner presenting President Tim Baxter presenting AMICA International Award to Bill Chapman . President’s Award to Holly and Mike Walter .
Vice-President Alan Turner presenting Convention Coordinator Frank Nix presenting a Leo Ornstein Literary Award to Terry Smythe . “Gee Thanks!” award to Tim Baxter.
2012 Convention Chairman Tim Baxter handing over AMICA Banner to 2013 Convention Chairman Bob Gonzalez.
272 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 AMICA 2012 Pittsburgh Convention By Shirley nix
I need to start off this report with a big “thank you” to support the Make-a-Wish Tim Baxter and his assistants for arranging this lovely trip, start - Foundation and award schol - ing with the hotel, which was in a great location right in the cen - arships each year to gifted ter of things, with views of the Monongahela River from most musicians in the making. rooms. That was most impressive at night when the bridges were The clock tower had Shirley Nix lit up and the background was the city itself. a very narrow, winding staircase to the top, which many of our While the Board members were busy with their meeting, more athletic attendees climbed. The whole thing is four stories, Wednesday gave the rest of us the chance to walk around the Sta - and is used as a guest house. It is graced with a 1907 Seth tion Square area and take in the many attractions. In the center Thomas clock and roll-playing carillon. of the square was the “Waltzing Waters”, which had fountains In the house we were happily entertained by organist timed to the music. This was very entertaining, especially when Dave Wickerham, former curator of the Milhous Museum in some people got too close to the end of the pool and got Florida, on the 3 manual, 26 rank Wurlitzer theater organ, which splashed. rose from the floor, and had been meticulously restored. Dave Two incline railways,built in 1877 by Samuel Diescher, made that organ sing, and his choice of music was flawless. were available to the top of Mt. Washington, and the views from A great catered lunch followed, and then we were free to there were really spectacular. The light rail stopped across the wander the gardens, visit the gyrocopter, which is a fairly new street from the hotel, and you could take it into the City Center or item, and is not restored to flying condition yet. There is also an to Fort Duquesne and the Golden Triangle, where the Allegheny antique radio collection, which we viewed, and then we were and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. “Just able to sit in the shade and enjoy the wonderful organ “Trudy”, Ducky” tours also were located just down the street from the which most Southern Californians remember from when Dave hotel. and Darlene Wasson lived out here and used to attend our organ After a day spent wandering and taking in the sights we rallies. Dave keeps improving the organ all the time, and it were treated to a Pianola concert with Bob Berkman. He is a sounded just great. It was a treat to enjoy the organ and visit very talented Pianola artist, and kept us entertained all evening. with Dave and Darlene again. On Thursday after the opening breakfast we boarded We hated to leave, but all good things come to an end, buses for a tour of the Frick Art and Historical Center. Clayton, and we boarded the buses for a return trup to the hotel, for dinner the mansion of Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Clay Frick, boasted on our own, and then the pumper contest, always a big attraction. a Welte Cottage Orchestrion, which was played on a regular basis It seems like every year the contestants get better and better, and for our enjoyment. This Welte is in its original installation loca - the choice of music is outstanding. John Grant was the winner, tion, and was restored by Durward Center. but we didn’t envy the judge, as there were several really good From there a bus trip to the Hofbauerhaus for lunch. entries. Of course, Larry Norman was also up to his usual tricks, This landmark is an offshoot of the original in Munich, Germany, with props including a “burning” building, a fire truck, a fire and for those of us who were at the Germany/Holland Conven - hose, and two rather inept firemen. Larry does add “spark” to the tion it was a special treat. contest. In the afternoon we were treated to a tour of the Phipps Saturday we had the mart, Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which was a real treat. Back at the Hotel we were treated to the banquet, and the One of the highlights was the butterfly house. The flowers were entertainment was the Ortner-Roberts Jazz Trio. Susanne Ortner graced with glass figures by Dale Chihuly, and the entrance is a German-born clarinetist and she met Tom Roberts, an Ameri - boasted a fabulous chandelier by this talented artist. can pianist in 2006 while performing. They formed the trio by We got back to the hotel with enough time to freshen up adding a drummer, and the sound is amazing. Her performance and then walk over to board the riverboat for a wonderful dinner on the clarinet brings to mind the artistry of the likes of Artie cruise. The scenery along the cruise was fantastic, with the Shaw, and the whole package was just great. bridges across the river, and a trip to the meeting of the two Sunday we had a very unusual luncheon in the old St. rivers. The skyline of Pittsburgh was stunning, and the whole John the Baptist church which had been converted to a brewery. trip was a wonderful experience. All the stained glass windows were still in place, but the altar After this busy day it seemed like there couldn’t be that boasted copper and steel large tanks for the brewing. It is now much more to do, but oh, was that a wrong assumption. known as the “Church Brew Works of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania”. Friday we were privileged to visit the Blackwood estate, A little history: built entirely by AMICAns Don Fink and Ben Robertson. This The cornerstone was laid for the building in 1902, and a is a 35-acre compound, with a marvelous clock tower, a lovely fire in 1915 caused major damage. The Church served as a spiri - home and gardens, and many outbuildings, all designed and built tual center during World Wars I and II, and fed people during the by the owners. It was all built with sharing in mind, and they Depression. In 1993 a lack of funds caused a major reorganiza -
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 273 tion, and in 1996 the current Brew Works opened. Painstaking attention to detail was used during the renovation, and original Board Meeting materials were used whenever possible. We visited the collections of Bob and Diane Yates, and what a treat. They are another couple who seem to have never met a collection they didn’t like, including, but certainly not lim - ited to, paper weights, German figurines, monkey organ figures, and then on to the larger things, like music boxes, nickelodeons, clocks, fairground organs, and cars. There wasn’t time to take it all in, but we tried. A second collection we visited was the collection of Joe Chabal. This was an interesting and fun visit. Joe has an old garage set up with antique cars, all restored lovingly. From there we went to the old bar, which had music, games, and all sorts of entertaining items. When we arrived back at the hotel it was the end of a per - fect day, and unfortunately the end of the Convention and time to Pianola Concert say goodbye to all our “once a year friends”. It’s always sad to come to the final days of Convention, but we can all look for - by Bob Berkman ward to next year’s festivities in San Francisco. This will be the 50th anniversary of AMICA, and they have planned some special treats for us. Our Hotel will be right in the center of town, close to all the neat things Frisco has to offer. Put it on your calendar now….July 11 to the 14th. A word to the wise….Get your hotel reservation early. When the Hotel gave a price of $119 they did - n’t realize that the American Cup Race was the same time, and hotel prices have skyrocketed since, so there won’t be much lee - way. Nothing at that rate earlier than Convention dates, but after - wards it may be o.k., subject to availability. If Convention rate doesn't apply the price will be much higher. And in Pictures Photos courtesy of Joyce Brite, Liz and Mike Barnhart, Ian Mavor, Glenda Steain, Vincent Morgan, John Motto-Ros and Terry Smythe. Early Birds Welcoming Breakfast
Chairman Tim Baxter introducing his Committee - Holly and Mike Frank & Shirley Nix, Glenda,John and Tim Steain, Thad Walter, Shirley and Glenn Roat, Eileen Jacobs, and Joel Cluskey Kochanny and Terry Smythe, in a nearby restaraunt.
274 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Hospitality
Our AMICA Convention banner hanging over main hotel lobby.
Ron Kilfoil enjoying a fine restored Violano brought by Dave Ramey.
Dave Ray’s custom build Seeburg G replica was a big hit. Joyce Brite and Bob Berkman enjoy a fun Dave Ramey moment pumping brought along a happy piano. a very nice Seeburg L.
Our irrepressible Hi Babit entertain - ing Joe Orens, Florie Hirsch and his sister Roz Breines.
Joel Cluskey brought along his water guage, a fine display attached to his Tim, Lynn and Fischer Ampico. Andrew Baxter enjoying the Weber Unika brought by Dave Ramey.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 275 Frick Hofbauerhau for Lunch
Main entrance to the Frick House. Shirley Roat dress - ing up in the protec - tive garb worn by those working in the steel mill. (to left and below)
The Welte Cottage Orchestrion in the Frick mansion. (from a postcard, but exactly as we saw and heard it.) Botanical Gardens
Hofbauerhau V
276 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 University of Pittsburgh River Boat
Ron Kilfoil, Joyce Brite and Alan Turner enjoying the ambience of the Riverboat cruise.
Shirley and Frank Nix, and John Ulrich. ^ Pipe organ concert V
Pittsburgh skyline from the Riverboat.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 277 Blackwood
Blackwood clock tower and guest house.
Entrance to Blackwood estate, “Trudy” in the background.
“TRUDY”, fairground organ brought by Dave Wasson. Kitchen, 2nd level.
Bedroon, 3rd level.
Bedroom, 4th level. Dave and Darlene Wasson, owners of “TRUDY”.
“PUFF”, the Magic Dragon Clock mechanism, main level.
278 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Don Funk intro - ducing Dave Wickerham’s theatre organ concert. But John Grant, from where? winner of “Footsie” at the annual pumper contest.
Larry Norman’s Ah Ha! Midnight Fire From here! Alarm presenta - tion. Cast of Joe Orens, Florie Hirsch and Larry Norman. Great fun!
Organist Dave Wickerham.
Alan Turner in the Church Brew Works
Ed Note: More convention pics to follow in next issue of our AMICA Bulletin.
Hi Babit at the controls Bob Taylor of the receiving Gyrocopter, President’s ready for Award from take-off. Tim Baxter.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 279 Chapter News Pacific Can-Am Chapter Greatly to be admired was David's total restoration of a David Goodwin, President 1923 Seeburg Model K which even included the fabrication and Carl Dodrill, Acting Reporter installation of a new sound board. On display was a book which gave the full history of the instrument and a step by step history The summer meeting of the Pacific Can-Am Chapter of its restoration with photos. This book is a model of documen - was held at the home of AMICAns David Goodwin and larry tation which would be a prize accompaniment to any rebuilt Sanchez on August 19, 2012. David is the President of our instrument. Chapter and Larry is the Secretary. In the advertisement of the meeting, David had promised that there would be ample to see in terms of restored new instruments, and this certainly proved to be true.
Bill and Judy Mote admire a completely restored 1923 Seeburg Model K. Our hosts have been so supportive and productive in automatic musical instrument restoration Our hosts Larry Sanchez (left) and David Goodwin (right) that they have just In the main music room, there were no fewer than five erected a building in pianos and three phonographs, all of which played excellently. their back yard to The most recently restored instrument is a 1912 Seeburg Model accommodate a portion A Orchestrion. David completely rebuilt this coin piano and then of their collection. also added a xylophone, triangle, tambourine, castanet, wood This building, shown in block, and a rank of violin pipes. The final addition (shown on one the photos, will the right in the photo) will be an accordion. house several key instruments and will have seating for groups to hear them play. Our Business Meeting was led by President David Goodwin, and a signifi - cant component of the meeting was a report by Al Rustad, who attended the Pittsburg Conven - tion. He gave us a very careful accounting of what had happened in the Board Meeting and thereby brought the peo - ple in our Chapter up to date on the activities of AMICA Interna - tional. Our potluck followed the Business Meeting, and every - one enjoyed the usual fabulous fare of food. At the end of the potluck, everyone had a chance to sing Happy Birthday to 1912 Seeburg Model A Orchestrion, Frances Willyard whose birthday was that very day. Long time recently rebuilt and enlarged. AMICAns will recognize Fran as Maury Willyard was President of AMICA International a number of years ago.
280 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Chicago Area Chapter President - Jerry Biasella Reporter - Curt Clifford
A wonderful, warm Sunday afternoon was the setting for about twenty members that attended our August meeting at the home of Paul and Cynthia Mayer in Oswego , Il. The May - ers' home is modeled on a Louisiana plantation with a lovely backyard which features a scale model LGB railroad including models of Chicago's streetcars and interurban rail systems. They also have an incredible O gauge Lionel train layout in the base - ment including many operating locomotives, cars and acces - sories. Upstairs members were treated to selections played on their a 1929 4' 10" Wurlitzer Recordo Expression baby grand. Awaiting partial restoration is their 1929 5' 8" WR Weber Duo Art reproducing piano and a pump organ. Al Rustad (left) and Phil Rutledge (right) enjoy a room Our chapter president Jerry Biasella conducted a brief of phonographs and juke boxes. business meeting and thanked the Mayers' for their hospitality. Our chapter Vice President Richard VanMetre summarized the AMICA board representatives’ meeting held in Pittsburgh. Good food, good times and much enjoyable socializing was enjoyed by all.
Kurt Morrison (left) and Mark Smithberg (right) share experi - ences about their most favorite automatic musical instruments. Our hosts, Paul and Cynthia Mayer
Fran Willyard is joined by Mark Smithberg The Mayer's Plantation as her birthday is celebrated.
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 281 heart of America Chapter President – Bob Stout Reporters – HC and Marlene Beckman Paul Mayer Photographer – H. C. Beckman and Mel Septon On August 25 about forty members and guests of the Heart of America Chapter spent Saturday night at the movies. We were treated to two silent movies at the home of Ken and Virginia Filardo in Eudora, Kansas. Ken and Virginia are in the process of building a theater with a huge screen for viewing. The massive curtains were originally in the Grand Theater in Topeka and Virginia has altered them to fit the new location. The theater seats were originally from Tulsa. The speakers came from a the - ater in Iowa. Ken has been accumulating the parts for many years while anticipating their theater. We watched “The General” starring Buster Keaton 1929 while munching freshly popped popcorn from Filardo’s popcorn 5' 8" machine. Weber After the first movie we enjoyed a potluck dinner with Duo Art barbequed meats provided by our hosts. After the meal a busi - ness meeting was conducted by president, Bob Stout. Mike Schoeppner presented Bob with the original Heart of America charter. The second movie, “The Gold Rush” provided members more rousing entertainment. Ken’s brother, Greg Filardo, accompanied both movies on the Wurlitzer Photoplayer. Greg played by hand and added appropriate sound effects adding to the atmosphere. Several members brought instruments for “Show and Tell”. We look forward to a rally at the Deanna Rose Farm - stead in Kansas City in October. We always enjoy this venue as the crowds are always large and appreciative of the happy music we provide. The Basement Our hosts, Rail line Virginia and Ken Filardo
Wurlitzer Style O Photoplayer Barry V Schultz, Sherrie and Jim Krughoff with Margaret Bisberg
282 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Southern California Chapter President - Jerry Pell Reporter - Shirley Nix Photographers - Shirley Nix and Lowell Boehland
Diane DeTar graciously offered to host our August meeting when we needed a place, and we gladly accepted. We gathered in La Mesa for a really fun-packed meeting. Diane and Wayne Johnston are piano technicians, and as one might imagine they have a large collection of pianos. Unfortunately, many of them needed work, and so many hours were spent by the two of them getting things ready for us. President Bob Stout conducts the business meeting.
Steve Holland enjoys Tom Bode's player accordion.
Diane DeTar and Wayne Johnston, with their 1929 Weber Duo-Art grand piano believed to have once been owned by Babe Ruth. We were quite pleased to see the range of pianos they had, including an AutoPiano Pumper, a Waltham pumper piano, a 1903 Pushup player, which Wayne had to redesign, a 1906 piano they saved from going to the dump, a Marshall Wendell with the Ampico removed and a PianoForce system installed, (we spent a lot of time after the meeting just enjoying this lovely piano, an AutoTone, which was converted to an 88-note from a 64-note. Perhaps the star of the show could have been the piano which Diane is 99% sure is the piano Babe Ruth bought for his wife as a wedding present. Diane spent a lot of time on the phone with Ruth's daughter Julia trying to verify that this is, indeed, the piano. The black and white picture here is from the book " Babe Ruth-His Life and Times ", and shows Ruth, his wife Guests Isabelle McGowen and Kristina Cassidy and 2 daughters, Julia and Dorothy taken at the piano on his 40th visit with Charles Tyler about the roller organ. birthday. In 1980, Dorothy's daughter sold the piano at auction in Bob Stout New York. It was then restored by Hayes McClaran and sold. In accepts the 2004, Diane and Wayne bought the piano, and even hired a pri - original Heart vate detective to investigate the history. Diane says the only of America thing missing is the original sales receipt, which would prove charter from provenance once and for all, but with all the information she has Mike gathered over the years it is almost a certainty. Schoeppner. This was a real piece of history, and we enjoyed hearing Schoeppner’s received the the piano, imagining Babe Ruth himself sitting and enjoying a charter when peaceful moment. Galen and Another great instrument is the automatic Harpsicord, Linda Bird which they bought from Mike Ames. They played a couple of moved to St. lovely pieces for us, which we all enjoyed. Louis. AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 283 We had another rather unusual event at this meeting, too....our own pumper contest. We had six people brave enough to try, and they ranged from people quite familiar with pumping to those who had never pumped a piano before. The brave souls and their music were: Diane DeTar, "The Piano", Jack Conway, "Classical Gas", Frank Nix, "Penn - sylvania Polka", Rosemary West, "This is the Blues", Richard Ingram, "Jambalaya" and Jack Janzen, "Age of Aquarius". It was a lot of fun, and our winner was, by popular vote, Richard Ingram. His prize was our own version of the Footsie...No expense was spared!. Our contest vote was a little different from the Conven - tion standards, such as "The ability to put the roll in, start the piano, the guts to get up there and do it, the ability to get through the whole piece, and of course, the choice of music". There was no practice time, so it was every man (or woman) for him(her)self. Jack Conway, contestant in our pumper contest. It was a great meeting, and as we made our way home it was to the sound of piano music in our heads....not a bad thing at all. Many, many, thanks to Diane and Wayne for their hospitality and friendliness. Richard Ingram, contestant and winner
Photo of Babe Ruth and family around their new Weber Duo-Art , from the book.
Wayne Johnston demonstrating the push up pumper.
Catalog illustration of same piano from an Aeolian broadsheet poster of Weber art case Duo- Art pianos.
The group in attendance.
284 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 Playing reproducing piano rolls on a Disklavier by Peter Phillips
Separating reproducing piano rolls from their original While this is not especially new, the fact instruments is regarded by some as a contentious, even emotional that the volume of each key could be sep- topic. The joy of hearing a nicely operating reproducing piano arately controlled made it rather special. playing a roll is what many readers would relate to. The thrill of The Pianocorder was killed off when hearing an instrument approaching 100 years of age playing Yahama released its Disklavier in 1986. Paderewski, Lhevinne and so on is difficult to match. Hearing the Within a few years, the Burgett brothers same piece on a modern instrument doesn't have quite the same in California had a competing product on Peter Phillips appeal. But there is another side to the argument, which is the the market, called the PianoDisc. topic of this article. By now, MIDI had been developed, and unlike my orig- While Welte, Hupfeld, Aeolian, Ampico and others gave inal Ampico system and the Pianocorder, player pianos such as us the reproducing piano in all its many variations, these compa- the Disklavier and the PianoDisc operate from MIDI files. Today nies also recorded virtually every virtuosic pianist of the day. we call this type of piano a MIDI mechanical piano, as there are And then some. It is difficult to make a comparison, as there is also MIDI pianos with electronic tone generators, simply called no other musical recording event like it. Never before, and I dare MIDI pianos. I purchased a PianoDisc system in 1995, and had it say, never again, will virtually every top line pianist of the day installed in a G5 Yamaha I had since purchased. For a while I collectively make thousands of high quality recordings that later enjoyed hearing PianoDisc recordings, but it wasn't long before fall into the public domain. Our legacy is a wonderful library of comparisons started to creep in. Excepting Floyd Cramer, I knew music that covers a huge range of styles, techniques and reper- of none of the pianists I was listening to. Their performances of toire. It is this aspect of mechanical music that has engrossed me works by Chopin and other romantic composers were ok, but I for over 30 years. I love the original instruments, and own two. felt I was missing something. These performances were too much But I love the music on the rolls more. This has led me down like every other pianist. Good, even virtuosic, but not of the style many paths, eventually steering me towards creating a means of we hear on reproducing piano rolls. So the question soon arose as playing reproducing piano rolls on a MIDI piano such as a to how I could hear Ampico rolls on my PianoDisc. I could have Disklavier. First the background toward towards to the point of purchased MIDI recordings made by PianoDisc of Ampico rolls, this article. but these did not do the rolls justice and simply provided an easy means of enlarging the PianoDisc catalog. The beginning A colleague (Ross Chapman) came up with the answer. Using the MIDI electronics from a I was introduced to the world of the reproducing piano PowerRoll combined with electronics I constructed for the purp by Denis Condon, in 1976.1 remember my jaw dropping when I ose, he was able to convert my original Ampico roll recordings t heard his Ampico playing a Chopin waltz. It wasn't the instru - o MIDI. This was no mean feat, as converting 1500 files to MID ment, it was the fact that the waltz sounded as though it was I was to take well over 12 months. Furthermore, this work resu being played live. Within a few months I had purchased an unre- lted in two types of MIDI files, those that could be used to p stored Ampico and within a few more months I had it playing. lay an Ampico fitted with MIDI valves (which I call an eroll f While I was fascinated with the pneumatic technology in the ile), and another set I could play on the PianoDisc. It's these files t Ampico, I was more fascinated by the library of music that hat I want to talk about. awaited me. I also realised that much of this music would never be mine, as rolls then, as now, were expensive and hard to come Windplay by. The process to achieve a MIDI file of a reproducing I had neither the room to store them, nor the money to piano roll that can play on a MIDI mechanical piano is called purchase them, so I put my thinking cap on about how I could emulation. A computer program that can do this is called an emu- convert Ampico rolls to an electrical signal. The upshot of that lator, which 'reads' the expression data on the roll, and converts it was the construction of a roll reader to record Ampico rolls, and to MIDI data a MIDI piano can use. I'll explain more about this an electrically operated set of valves fitted to the Ampico. I didn't later, first something about the emulator program I use, called realise then that I was pioneering something, as the lack of easy Windplay. This program was written in the 1990s by Richard communications meant I had little contact with the rest of the Brandle, in the US. He worked with Wayne Stahnke and Larry world. I had all this running by 1979, and by the end of the next Broadmore (who developed the PowerRoll), and made the pro - decade, I had some 1500 recordings of Ampico rolls that I could gram available for US$50. It was aimed at PowerRoll users, but play on the Ampico. Quite a few other collectors purchased my it went a lot further. Built into the program are emulators for 'system', and some are still operating today. Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte rolls. Ampico rolls and a Pianodisc Windplay does not operate with standard MIDI files, instead it requires what are known as bar/arm files. A 'bar' file is The first electronically controlled player piano was the essentially a MIDI file, where 'bar' is for tracker bar. The associ- Pianocorder, which was marketed from the late 1970s. I was ated arm (for annotation) file is a simple text file containing the never convinced by the performance of these instruments, but name of the piece, pianist, composer etc, plus other data to tell could see they offered another way of playing a piano. Instead of Windplay the type of roll (Ampico, Duo-Art, etc), and the tempo pneumatics, this instrument had solenoids to operate the keys. of the file. To create bar/ann files of a MIDI file requires another
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 285 program, called Wind. This program, also written by Richard data, not note data. In a MIDI editing program, the pedal data Brandle, was designed to produce files to operate the Tonneson shows up in a separate part of the screen to the notes. The second perforator. However, with a bit of trickery which Richard difference is the 'velocity' of each note, where velocity is the explained to me, Wind can be used to produce bar/ann files. MIDI term for volume, or how loudly to play a note. See Figure By playing a bar/ann file with Windplay, and selecting 1 (right) which shows the dynamics of each note as a vertical line the emulator to use, it becomes possible to play an eroll MIDI beneath the note. As you can see in the eroll file, all notes have file on a MIDI mechanical piano, as Windplay does the emula - the same velocity, as this information is not needed. Instead, a tion in real time, while displaying a graphic of the roll passing note-on command simply turns on the relevant MIDI valve in a over a tracker bar. The program lets you set the maximum and pneumatic player, which operates the note via its pneumatic minimum note volumes, and provides a table of values that relate valve. suction in inches of water gauge to a MIDI velocity level. These values can be changed if required. emulating piano roll expression enter a Duo-Art, Disklavier and new roll reader It's here we come to the contentious bit. It is argued by some enthusiasts that the complexity of the pneumatic regulators If I can fast forward to the present day, since the arrival in the various types of reproducing pianos means it is difficult, if of the PianoDisc, much has changed. In 2002, I had the opportu - nigh impossible to model them with computer software. And to nity to purchase a second hand Mkll XG Disklavier in a C7 an extent, they are right. But there's a bigger aspect to consider. piano. It was the piano I sought, as I have always loved the sound And that is whether there are any reproducing pianos that can be of the Yamaha C7. Then, in 2009,1 purchased and restored a regarded as giving an exact replay of the original performance. Duo-Art, in an upright Weber. You may have read my restoration Obviously not, as we have no way of knowing. Furthermore, no saga. Furthermore, by 2011, I had my new roll reader in opera - two pneumatic reproducing pianos will ever sound identical. tion. In a way, this was deja vu, as again I wanted to obtain a col - Your zero levels might be different to mine, and your piano lection of piano roll music for the Duo-Art. Rather than construct might play more loudly, or more softly. It will probably have a my own set of MIDI operated valves to fit into the Duo-Art, I different tone, and the various expression levels will also differ. purchased a set made by Bob Hunt, in the USA. These are excel - Not by much, and in all but the worst cases, all reproducing lent by the way. pianos will give a similar performance, but not an identical one. With the new roll reader operational, and the Duo-Art And no reproducing piano in the world can be held up as playing capable of playing from MIDI files, it has only been a matter of in an identical way to the original performance. time for me to obtain a decent library of Duo-Art erolls. By the The best we can hope for is that the performance from a way, an 'eroll' is a MIDI file that regards every column of a piano roll is musical and enjoyable. Most enthusiasts adjust their pianos roll as a note. For example, the loud pedal perforation is note F#l to suit the listening environment, where a small room requires and the soft pedal note F9. These notes are not on a standard 88- less overall volume, as opposed to a large room. So when it note keyboard, but they are on a MIDI keyboard, which has 128 comes to the piano's expression, the aim is to create a dynamic notes. As shown in Figure 1 (left below) an eroll file in a MIDI range that imparts a sense of reality to the performance that you editor (eg, Cakewalk), in piano roll view it will look much like can enjoy. It must not be so soft that you can't hear it (or keys the actual roll. That is, you see expression and pedal perforations, drop out), nor so loud it drives you out of the room. The various along with all note perforations as they appear on the roll. dynamic levels (ie, pianissimo, piano and forte) must be correct A MIDI file for a MIDI mechanical piano such as the in relation to each other, all of which depend on how the player Disklavier is different to a MIDI eroll file. The first major differ - system is adjusted. ence is the pedal information, which is now stored as control
Figure 1: (Left) Eroll file, which has all roll perforations displayed as notes of the same velocity (in red vertical ). (Right) Emulated file of the same piece showing note velocities (in red vertical ) as interpreted by Windplay, and all expression and pedal perforations converted to MIDI data
286 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 So, when it comes to emulating an eroll for playing on a ed file. This file is still not suitable for playing on a Disklavier, Disklavier or the like, much the same set of rules apply. We can but is suitable for some types of electronic MIDI pianos. It's a never know the absolute velocity values the pianist produced on fact of life that MIDI pianos are not standardised. A note with a the recording piano. We can only go on the expression coding on particular velocity level will play at different volumes on differ - the roll. And as explained, this a guide, not an absolute. It's my ent MIDI instruments. To achieve a file that sounds good on my view that some enthusiasts exaggerate the capability of the Disklavier requires further work. As I've mentioned, this involves expression coding. This is fair enough, as the companies produc - adjusting the emulated file to give the right dynamic range for ing the rolls did likewise. Every piano roll advertisement uses the my listening environment. In some cases this is easily achieved term "musical nuance", suggesting that the expression coding is with a simple program called Veloset, which lets you adjust the responsible. dynamic range of the MIDI velocity levels produced by the emu - But there is more to a piano performance than how lator. Some figures will help explain. loudly each key is played. I believe that the timing of notes and The loudest note I allow the emulator to produce is pedals is the most important. This is how many musical nuances MIDI 104, where the loudest possible is MIDI 127. The softest I are created, which are enhanced with the correct expression. But allow is MIDI 37. However, the loudest MIDI level I want on the turn off the expression, and the essence of the nuance remains. Disklavier is MIDI 85. As a general rule, the emulator produces a Phrasing, rubato and legato are all products of timing, not expres - dynamic range of between MIDI 55 and 104. Notes outside this sion. Note timing is the one thing we can be sure of when it range sometimes indicate an emulator error, due quite often to comes to a reproducing piano roll. At least, we can be sure that the coding on the roll. This requires the emulated file to be edit - the point at which a note is struck is accurately recorded. ed, which I do in a MIDI editor program called Cubase. After So when it comes to emulating the expression on a editing, I can then produce a file for the Disklavier, in which I piano roll for playing on a Disklavier, there are several consider - use Veloset to give a velocity range of 37 to 85. I keep the origi - ations. These include the obvious ones of setting the minimum nal emulation so I can produce emulations for other purposes. To and maximum playing levels, in the same way as applied to a my ear, the emulations sound pretty much like the roll, whether pneumatic player. The dynamic levels between the extremes of Duo-Art or Ampico. Fortunately, all Disklaviers have similar soft and loud must be relatively correct, in order to impart a sense playing characteristics. A PianoDisc can be adjusted to suit, so of realism. For example, an accent must be just that, although it my emulations tend to sound much the same on all types of might be that an accented note on one piano will be louder or mechanical MIDI pianos. But there's more. softer than on another. The important thing is that accenting is occurring. Who's to say how loud that accenting should be? We Advantages of emulated piano roll s can only guess and use our musical ear when making adjust - ments. There are many reasons I spend hours producing emula - Setting up an emulator is therefore rather like adjusting tions of piano rolls. The main one is that this lets me hear my the pneumatic regulators in a reproducing piano. Instead of favourite rolls on my favourite piano, the C7. Being relatively springs and screw adjustments, values are entered into the pro - new, it's in fine regulation and condition. Unlike my Duo-Art and gram, which are then finetuned until the results are satisfactory. to a lesser extent the Ampico, the Disklavier operates in almost Of course, the emulation program itself must be capable of doing total silence. Still not convinced? Well, there is an unassailable a good job, which comes down to the skills of the programmer. reality with a pneumatic piano that needs to be considered. And Over the many years I have been using Windplay, I have found that is that at any one time, notes playing in the same part of the that with appropriate settings, this program can produce highly stack will do so at the same volume. This is fundamental to all satisfactory emulations of Ampico and Duo-Art erolls. However, pneumatic players. You might think that the roll editors dealt the emulation program is only a part of the process. with this aspect, by advancing the note that should play more loudly, or by other tricks. Not always so, as I discovered recently The emulation process when I was recording a Duo-Art roll titled Fantasia Triumphal on a Brazilian National Hymn, by Gottschalk, roll number 6442. The starting point to produce an emulated MIDI file is This piece has a very long trill that starts after about the eroll file. In my case, all my eroll files have been produced on four minutes in, lasting for over two minutes. The trill is between a roll reader, not a roll scanner. I believe files produced by a notes D4 and Db4, below middle C, and therefore in the bass side reader have the best chance of achieving a quality emulation, as of the stack. Dancing around this trill is an arrangement of the this type of file is of the performance itself, not of the roll. A roll tune, with most of the tune also in the bass side of the stack. scan records the roll, in effect as a photocopy, making this type of Gottschalk is one of my favourite composers, so I was listening file ideal to control a perforator to produce duplicates of the roll. carefully when I first played this piece on the Duo-Art. When the A reader is essential when it comes to recording Duo-Art erolls, trill section came along, I began scratching my head, wondering as this is the best way to ensure all note, theme and expression what on earth the pianist was doing. The music made little sense. timings are preserved. Ampico erolls are not so demanding, and It wasn't until I examined the emulation of this piece in Welte even less. Even so, these should be recorded on a reader to Cubase that the reason became clear. Notes in the trill were being ensure correct note durations. accented along with the melody notes. I was not hearing what the Once the eroll file has been obtained, my next step is to pianist would have originally played. The same situation would produce a bar/ann file of the piece. This file is then played occur on an Ampico or Welte. Because Cubase shows loud notes through Windplay into another computer that records the emulat - in red and soft notes in blue, the problem was graphically obvi -
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 287 Figure 2 - A section of Etude Op. 36 by Arensky (Duo-Art 6187), in which dark shaded notes play louder than light shaded notes. Theme notes in the treble are causing adjacent accompaniment notes to play at theme volume. ous. After readjusting the velocity of the affected trill notes, the not always stick to the score. All of these corrections are easily music now made sense. Since then, I have made it a part of the added to the MIDI file. process to look for accompaniment notes that are playing at the same level as the tune notes, due to them occurring at much the Conclusion same time, and in the same part of the stack. This occurs more In writing this article I am mindful that not all readers often than you might think, and it can seriously affect the music. will agree with me, and that some will be positively annoyed. As A tune that is muddied by accented accompaniment notes sounds one collector said "I love steam trains. That's how I am." But I so much cleaner after appropriate editing. This can only be done am sure many readers will also see that emulating piano rolls is a with an emulated file playing on a MIDI instrument. Most of us way of keeping the music alive, and of making it accessible to are not fazed by this aspect of the pneumatic player, as the music others, such as music conservatoriums. still sounds pretty good. Proof perhaps that our ears are easily While I believe the emulations I am producing are faith - fooled. An example of this problem is shown in Figure 2. ful to the original, this becomes a matter of opinion. But I can There is another advantage with emulations. A say, without any doubt, that hearing an Ampico or a Duo-Art Disklavier (and PianoDisc) have 88 playing notes, unlike an emulated eroll on a fine piano such as the C7 offers another lis - Ampico (83) or a Duo-Art (80). Only Welte offers all 88 notes. tening experience. And one that I find most satisfying. There are many instances where the missing notes are part of the My hope also in writing about this topic is that others score. The Grieg piano concerto requires bottom A on several might put pen to paper and describe their experiences. There are occasions. These missing notes are easily added to the MIDI file. many others experimenting with piano roll emulations, and I Another aspect is editing the music. Busoni playing the Bach- think it is about time we paid more attention to this aspect of Busoni Chaconne (6928) is an example. Apart from the missing mechanical music. I see it as the future of reproducing piano roll bass notes, Busoni does not always follow his score. If you have music. The pneumatic instruments we presently know and love this roll, you will notice that the two end chords are the same (D will probably be in far fewer numbers in 30 years or so. But that minor), where the second last chord in the score is an A7 chord. is no reason to discard the wonderful library of music left to us Busoni also misses out four bass notes in a passage near the end by the piano roll companies. It is far too important for that. of the piece, showing that he, like other pianists of the time, did
288 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 In The News THE MUSIC TRADES to return to uphold that same Italy, we presented our inquiry to May 14, 1921 the Clerk. "Yes, there has been a falling off in organ-grinders of Passing of Grind-Organ Man heralds late years," the man admitted, smiling, "and, as' is usual in mat - ters mundane, money is the cause. Arrival of Motorized Street Pianos "You see, to a man with the wanderlust in his veins, going about as a hand-organ man is about the easiest job in the Familiar Characters of Pre-War Days Driven from world. the highways by Prohibitive license Fee, "To begin with, in most sections of the country the unscrupulous Methods and Growing love of Good organs, or later the street pianos, belonged to a well-to-do party, Music-Possibilities of the Automatic Street Piano who bought them from the manufacturers, took out licenses for the individual musicians, purchased monkeys as added attrac - tions, sometimes bought the organ-grinder's wife or' little daugh - By FELIX J. KOCH ter bright colored Italian costumery in which to dance to tam - bourine accompaniment, Miss him? Of and then assigned a route - course we have missed him. and bid the man go forth. Ever so often, somehow, the "He could rise when thought has . come squarely he ,chose. he could walk or home to us that we haven't ride to the point where his heard a hurdy-gurdy or route 'began. He could stop hand-organ or even a street long at one house and wear piano in ever so long now, out people's patience until and we have rather won - they paid to be rid of him. dered, as conscience may He could purposely play but have pricked a bit, if our little at some other, where contributions and those of he spied kiddies at the win - near neighbors were so dows, knowing full well small as to cause the knight they would .secure coppers of the handle to •seek pas - with which to hail him tures new! back. We missed him; then forgot him; then, some - The Way of the how, we'd again remember him; and, away down in our Organ Man hearts, somehow, we wished he'd return. The hand-organ "Come noon, come man, Spring, our vanished tea time, he would go to the youth, they do seem to go back door and, spying Brid - hand in hand! What, though, get from auld Ireland, he has become of the hand- would play the 'Wearin' of organ men? Whither, the Green' and the like till indeed, have they gone? he received a hand-me-out. The little girl "In warm weather across the way, who was he played till late of wont to dance to his music, evenings, for folk were on the little •boy just next door, Organ Grinder and Jocko Plying Their Trade their porches and really who loved to fondle his ape, wished to know, so we set us about enjoyed the music and, what was more, neighbors could keep an to find out. eye on neighbors, and tight-fisted Jack Roosa would give to the In our home city, Cincinnati-and it is typical of most organ-grinder's boy, when he -came up the steps in summer, as he American communities of the larger size-the organ-grinder& and wouldn't at seasons when such lad rang-at the door! the other street musicians are required to pay a license fee, and "The hand-organ man played till he was tired; then he the license clerk in the office •of the city auditor, it would seem, found some vacant lot with billboards around. and there he should know! spread the big~ ragged blanket he carried to this end, tethered his With visions of stories of patriotism and love of the ape to his belt that it should not escape, drew his hat on his face, home-land rising in mental vision before us, pictures of gallant and slept as the gipsy might. Italian immigrants, who had dropped their organs in their tene - "All that was required of him was that he turn in a stated ment bedrooms, even as Cincinnatus left his plow in the furrow, amount each week-end, this based on so much a day. "The man knew little English, knew no other trade he liked so
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 289 well, was duly impressed with the capacity of the police to track Examine them carefully, next time you've a chance, and a fugitive anywhere, and so never thought to steal the instrument you'll find that they are instruments not at all to be sneered at. and escape. Originally almost all of them came from Italy; of later years a "Only, by and by, the hand-organ man, or the factors single New York concern almost cornered the output. The organs behind, began killing the goose laying golden eggs. Hand-organ 'cost, in thedays before the Great War, $100 apiece. They would men would return over and over to streets paying well, until what come to almost twice that sum if manufactured in the same fash - had been a pleasure at first became an absolute bore. ion now. Street pianos to-day, it will be recalled, come to from "They made especial point of returning thus to sections $400 to $500. where there are very poor children, knowing that each child The old organs employed wooden cylinders bearing would beg parents for a few more pennies, as the other children nine tunes to the roll. When a man had played that repertoire so had. Three cents to each of four children to 'feed the monkey' often that he himself had tired of it, he sent the reel to New York meant 12 cents, which would have purchased two loaves of bread to be repinned with nine new, wholly different tunes. then. But time has not only wrought its changes in public 'leg - islation toward the hand-organ man and in bringing in the sheet Turning to Bribery piano to drive out the organs of old, but that invaluable partner in attracting the trade, the little ape, has become almost prohibitive "Some of the men turned more unscrupulous. They in price. would play at hours so late that .folk in their beds threw them Organ-grinders used for their purposes the cheapest really exorbitant sums to get them to move to another street, that monkeys obtainable and these were South and Central American the givers might sleep. They kept an eye out for houses where sorts. Before the Great War one might buy such a monkey, either light at late hours showed illness, knowing that there, too, would from the importers or through zoos and menageries, at $6 to $7 at be bribes to bid them go away. most. "In short, the hand-organ man became a public nuisance To-day the very sorriest specimen of these sorts will and had to be regulated by ordinance. come to $30, this for some undersized ringtail, and chances are "In Cincinnati this regulation consisted in putting a that there is something wrong with an ape costing so little and he license fee of $25 a year on every street musician of whatever will take cold extra easy and die soon after a journey's start. sort! Twenty-five dollars, when taken in by pennies and nickels Wherefor the knell of the old-time hand-organ man and dimes, when the gleanings are •often interrupted by rain or appears to have been sounded; his days are numbered on the by S1).OW, is a lot of money, and the hand-organ men slowly country highways, in the cities he is almost no more. 'but surely concluded it did not pay to keep at the old trade in the old haunts at this price and so have decamped beyond the borders The Advent of the .Motorized Street Piano of town. "There, except on Sundays, they are free to play when - Already the spirit of the age has arranged for his succes - ever and wherever they choose, except that county sheriffs and sor, present and shortly to come. The street pianos are grinding township trustees and village 'constables are apt to see to it that out post-war favorites, while their steeds stamp their .feet impa - they do not play on the Sabbath, as State laws against unneces - tient, as we write within ear-shot; while rumor has it that motor - sary common labor on the Sabbath stop their organs on the sev - ized street pianos are being considered and found to be even enth day." more satisfactory and that before very long we may expect to This ordinance, which has its counterpart in many parts meet these, perhaps paying so well as to • take out the heavy of the country, is the fruit of agitation against the exploitations by license required of them in the .cities, and especially on the quiet, the street musicians. . which began in 1911 and thereabout. In fee-free reaches of the motor tourists' roads! Cincinnati, which may be taken as typical of the larger American municipalities, it brought about the passing of all but one single hand-organ man. This man keeps the organ at home, except for special occasions, such as fairings, country dances, things of that sort, where a picturesque organ will add much to appearances or where it will replace an orchestra for dancing; and this man then charges $10 to $15 for a single afternoon or night. And the organs themselves-what has become of them? As already suggested, the hand-organ men are moving out into the country. There, ' though, distances between farms are great, pikes are often dusty or muddy, hi11s are steep, summers are warm. The men are substituting the heavy hand-organ, with the pole beneath to support it, for the street piano, drawn for them by .a sorry little horse, just strong enough to pull the piano and the rider when he sits atop.• The old hand-organ is being sold for junk often to some village scrap man, who will rent it out at harvest homes and township fairs. By and by these hand-organs of old will have Grind-Organ Man and His Pet, the Monkey, become curiosities, very nearly. Now Passing as an Institution of the Highw.ays.
290 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 New York Times has all kinds of bells and whistles,” said Larry Fine, the editor New York, NY and publisher of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, the industry 30 July 2012 bible. Used pianos abound on Web sites like eBay, driving For More Pianos, prices down and making it difficult to sell Grandma’s old upright. last note Is Thud in the Dump With moving costs of several hundred dollars, even giving a piano away can be expensive. Abandonment often becomes the By DANIEL J. WAKIN only option, especially for heirs dealing with a relative’s proper - ty. SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. — The Knabe baby grand did a Many pianos are also dying of old age. In the late 19th cartwheel and landed on its back, legs poking into the air. A and early 20th centuries, before radio and recordings, pianos Lester upright thudded onto its side with a final groan of strings, were the main source of music, even entertainment, in the home. a death-rattling chord. After 10 pianos were dumped, a small yel - They were a middle-class must-have. low loader with a claw in front scuttled in like a vicious beetle, So from 1900 to 1930, the golden age of piano making, crushing keyboards, soundboards and cases into a pile. American factories churned out millions of them. Nearly 365,000 The site, a trash-transfer station in this town 20 miles were sold at the peak, in 1910, according to the National Piano north of Philadelphia, is just one place where pianos go to die. Manufacturers Association. (In 2011, 41,000 were sold, along This kind of scene has become increasingly common. with 120,000 digital pianos and 1.1 million keyboards, according The value of to Music Trades maga - used pianos, especially zine.) uprights, has plummet - The average life ed in recent years. So span rarely exceeds 80 instead of selling them years, piano technicians to a neighbor, donating say. That’s a lot of them to a church or just pianos now reaching the passing them along to a end of the line. relative, owners are far Piano dealers also more likely to discard blame other changes in them, technicians, society for a lack of movers and dealers demand in the used- say. Piano movers are piano market: cuts in making regular runs to music education in the dump, becoming schools, competition for adept at dismantling practice time from other instruments, selling A Requiem for Pianos: O’Mara Meehan Piano Movers has been the business pursuits, a drop in parts to artists, even since 1874. The vice president, Brian O’Mara, laments the fact he has to spending on home fur - dispose of five to ten pianos a month burning them for fire - nishings with the fall of wood. the housing market. “We bust them up with a sledgehammer,” said Jeffrey Whatever the reason, people in the piano world agree Harrington, the owner of Harrington Moving & Storage in that disposals are mounting. Maplewood, N.J. O’Mara Meehan Piano Movers said it takes 5 to 10 Pianos consist of hundreds of pounds of metal, wood pianos a month to the debris transfer site here. The company was and intricate machinery able to channel Bach, Mozart and founded in 1874 by the great-grandfather of the brothers Bryan Beethoven, along with honky-tonk, “Happy Birthday” and holi - and Charles T. O’Mara Jr. day tunes. It is strange to think of them as disposable as tissues. Bryan O’Mara and an employee, James A. Fox, drove Yet economic and cultural forces have made many used pianos, their truck into a hangarlike structure one day last week. Inside with the exception of Steinways and a few other high-end brands, the truck were six uprights and four grands. Several came from prone to being jettisoned. the Philadelphia school system and one from a retirement home. With thousands of moving parts, pianos are expensive to “This was Mrs. Dombrowski’s from New Hope,” Mr. O’Mara repair, requiring long hours of labor by skilled technicians whose said, patting the Knabe. numbers are diminishing. Excellent digital pianos and portable Mr. O’Mara and Mr. Fox pushed them off the back of keyboards can cost as little as several hundred dollars. Low-end the truck one by one. The top of an upright popped off when it imported pianos have improved remarkably in quality and can be landed. Mr. Fox tossed amputated piano legs and a pedal mecha - had for under $3,000. nism. Sprayers from above sent out a swirl of dust-settling mist, “Instead of spending hundreds or thousands to repair an adding to the surreal atmosphere. old piano, you can buy a new one made in China that’s just as Mr. O’Mara had charged the former owners about $150 good, or you can buy a digital one that doesn’t need tuning and per piano. The trash site charged him $233.24 for dumping them
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 291 all. A recycling company would pick up the debris and separate chron.com the wood from the metal. Houston, TX Beethoven Pianos, a restorer, renter, mover and dealer 26 July 2012 in New York, has a 34,000-square-foot warehouse at the base of the Third Avenue Bridge in the Bronx, with scores of pianos his own private pipe organ awaiting disposal, said the owner, Carl Demler. By Lisa Gray “In wintertime we burn them,” he said, pointing to a [email protected] round metal stove. “This one has eaten many pianos.” "It's just one of those things," Glen Douglas told me He watched as a worker, James Williams, dismantled a when I pressed him to explain why he'd built one of the most grand. “Ashes to ashes,” Mr. Demler said. amazing places in Houston: a white concrete dome, hidden on the “Dust to dust,” Mr. Williams added, unscrewing pins wooded banks of Sims Bayou, that is first and foremost a pipe that held the strings. organ, and only secondarily Douglas' house. The junking of the modern descendant of the “grav - He shrugged: "It started small." icembalo col piano e forte,” the Italian precursor, can evoke Small, for him, was a little electronic organ, one of strong reactions. A video posted on YouTube by one mover those pale imitations of the real thing, the sort of instrument that showing pianos being dumped drew violent remarks. Com - a young military doctor stationed in San Antonio would play menters said they felt sickened and called the scene barbaric, around with. Its case left something to be desired, so Douglas painful, outrageous, even criminal. “Stop the horror!” one wrote. thought maybe he could decorate it with a few pipes salvaged When the video was described to Madeleine Crouch, from a real pipe organ. the administrator of the National Piano Manufacturers Associa - A military friend, John Ballard, suggested that he could tion, she responded with a sharp intake of breath. “That makes do better. Ballard had worked with a pipe-organ builder, and he me cry,” she said. “Pianos are lovable. You wouldn’t want your pet horse to be thrown out into the glue factory.” showed Douglas how to build the complicated pneumatic Such reactions emphasize the abyss between the emo - machinery that would make the pipes function. In '76, Douglas tional value of used pianos and their worth in the marketplace. played the result for the first time. “It is the most emotionally charged piece of furniture And he was hooked. He began adding a few new pipes that there is,” said Martha Taylor, a rare restorer of uprights, here, a few salvaged pipes there. He learned to build chestwork, whose Immortal Piano Company is based in Portland, Ore. the wooden stuff that holds the pipes in place, with the valve “When I have to say: ‘You’ve buried your grandmother. You underneath that lets air into the pipe; he learned to manage blow - have to bury her piano,’ it’s a really hard thing.” ers and ductwork and wiring for the electropneumatic system. To Many movers say they strive to find homes for aban - make room for more pipes, he tore out the wall between his bed - doned pianos, making the rounds of nursing homes, schools and room and his living room. other institutions. He moved to Houston, to set up a practice in occupa - “You hate to see them go,” said Mr. O’Mara, whose tional medicine, and as the organ grew, it took up ever more of a company tries to give away discarded pianos. Any rescued piano, succession of houses. Finally, about five years ago, he built a he noted, is also a potential future move for O’Mara Meehan. But new one on a wooded lot not far from the Glenbrook Park Golf there is just so much room in his warehouse for adoptees. He has Course: a white, stucco-covered structure called a monolithic to cull them like a herd. Churches and schools often do not have dome, the shape chosen for its acoustics. In essence, he hired a room or the means to maintain them. firm in Italy, Texas, to build a canvas balloon, then pour 900,000 Brian Goodwin, who owns Piano Movers of Nashua, pounds of concrete over it. The Aeolian Manor, Douglas calls the N.H., and who had 30 pianos in his warehouse ready for the place. dump recently, said he created the Web site Piano Adoption part - It's more pipe organ than house. The little kitchen and ly as a clearing house to find homes for unwanted pianos. He two small bedrooms are wedged in at the sides, next to the curv - posted the video of the dumped pianos that drew such shocked ing walls. The main space - the living room/auditorium, a soar - responses. ing, two-story central domed area - is utterly dominated by what When owners ask where a cherished piano is going, he is now the fourth-largest pipe organ in Houston: an organ with said, he tries to avoid the subject or tells them it will be put up roughly 7,000 pipes, in 110 ranks. It's smaller than the organs at for adoption. Second Baptist, St. John the Divine and First Methodist, but sig - “The last thing they want to hear is that it’s going to a nificantly bigger than the one at downtown's Co-Cathedral of the landfill,” he said. Sacred Heart. But piano movers can also take a clinical view of piano "What's a hobby?" Douglas asked philosophically, disposal, since they understand the economic realities. While not - standing at one of his three consoles' keyboards. "Some people ing that piano disposals can be painful, Mr. Goodwin said: “To be have boats. Some people have model trains. I always liked organ honest with you, the guys enjoy it. They try so hard all day not to music." scratch anything. And all of a sudden they get to throw it off the back of a truck.” Rescued Ed Note: Story may be seen at: The Aeolian Manor Residence Organ, as Douglas calls http://tinyurl.com/c8d4tlq his creation, is a cheerful hybrid, made up mostly from salvaged
292 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 pipes. Among organ people, it's a cliché to say that more organs rank of pipes - than about what the organ means to him. Later, are lost to changing taste than to overuse. The pipes don't wear he'll tell a Chronicle photographer that he doesn't even want to be out. But churches decide to go with a more modern, rock-band photographed along with his organ. He'd rather that the instru - sound. Old theaters, whose organs once accompanied silent ment speak for itself. movies, fall to the wrecking ball. Robber barons' mansions are Still, to me there's something moving about giving new torn down to make way for skyscrapers. homes to all those abandoned pipes, about reclaiming all that His tall wooden pipes - the tallest, in the center of the glory lost to changing style, about not letting something beautiful central array, rises 16 feet - came from the Manhattan mansion of end up in a landfill. As we talk, one of Douglas's three grey - steel magnate Charles M. Schwab. At the back of the room, over hounds, an elegant brindle, pads through the room. All three, he the front door, an array of 49 brass trumpet pipes juts out hori - says, are rescue dogs. zontally, as if to proclaim the entrance of a bride or a bishop; they're some of the rare pipes that Douglas bought new in 1973. Feel the sound One of his three consoles, one he hasn't hooked up yet, is from "Do you want to hear it?" he asked at last, after a couple of hours of trying to explain to me everything about pipe organs. It's important to him that the world understand them. That's why last year he set up the nonprofit Aeolian Manor Foundation (aeo - lianmanorfoundation.org) "to promote and encourage pipe-organ performance." For its inaugural house concert in November, he lined up rows of chairs in his living room, and Pierre Pince - maille, the organist at the Basilica of St. Denis, flew in from Paris to play Bach. Since then, he's hosted concerts every couple of months. For the next one, Brett Valliant of Wichita, Kan., will play theater-organ music, possibly accompanied by a silent movie. I nodded. I was hungry to hear it. He poured us glasses of white wine. Then, at the organ's console, he cued up one of the records of a past performance on the organ. With a digital device something like a player piano, Douglas can record the player's precise movements on the key - board, then replay them again later on the organ. He didn't want to say who the organist was - just "someone who can really play, unlike me." We walked toward the front door and stood facing the organ, on the tiled rectangle that marks the room's sweet spot, the place where the pipes' sound best converges. Bach's Fugue in E-flat major swelled around us. It began with a melody like the hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past." I could feel the sound in my sternum - large and simple and holy. The melody then began to transform itself, shifting from one rank of pipes to another, moving around the room. As it grew The half house, half pipe organ owned by Glen Douglas is seen Thursday, July 19, 2012, in Houston. The organ is comprised of bigger and more complicated, the vibrations spread outward from 7,000 different pipes and three consoles with keyboards. Douglas my ribcage, into my limbs, into all the rest of my body. And sud - essentially lives inside the organ. (Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle) denly, all the clichés - about being swept away by music, infused Photo: Cody Duty by the spirit, taken over by something larger - seemed true. Philadelphia's long-gone Orpheum Theatre, a vaudeville house I understood then what had gotten into Douglas, why that came to show silent movies. There are pipes from First he'd collected all those pipes, why he'd built his dome. I under - Methodist Church in Fredericksburg, from the Jesuit Church of stood then how the pipe organ had swept him away. the Immaculate Conception in New Orleans, from estates in Pittsburgh and Mount Kisco, N.Y. One set of metal pipes, Dou - Ed Note: glas noted off-handedly, is from the Arkansas church that he contributed by Keith Bigger grew up in. He didn't make much of that. He's a doctor, with a doc - Story may be seen at: tor's professional reserve, and he'd much rather talk about the http://tinyurl.com/d6xqv6v organ's technical aspects - about, say, the way that trumpet pipes use a metal reed, or the way that pulling out a stop activates a
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 293 In Memoriam major venue in Australia and New Zealand, with a range of sym - Vale Denis Condon phony orchestras. We also recorded for Philips and made many Piano roll enthusiast since 1948 recordings for the ABC of works played by Percy Grainger. In 1991, Denis entered into a recording contract that Australia’s foremost reproducing piano roll expert and resulted in the release of a series of CDs titled the Condon Col - collector, Denis Condon died on August 30, two weeks shy of lection. The CDs were issued as a boxed set of 32 in Japan and his 79th birthday, after some five years of illness with Parkin - Taiwan, with 17 disc titles on sale in Europe and the UK, and 10 son’s disease. Denis’s interest in the reproducing piano and piano titles being issued in Australia. However, they were not offered rolls was sparked at age 15, when, in 1948 his father purchased for sale in the USA. The recordings were made at Denis’s house, an Ampico B. Around this time, there was little interest in player on a Yamaha C7 piano using vorsetzers. Around this time he also pianos and rolls, and over the following years Denis was able to presented a series of radio programs for the ABC, using record - gather a large collection of Duo-Art, Ampico and Welte rolls, ings from the Condon Collection. some from piano roll libraries, oth - His theme music was Reverie, by ers supplied with a piano Denis had Carlos Salzedo, on Duo-Art roll purchased. 6456. He sought rolls from col - Denis purchased a Mk II C7 lectors all over the world, his first Disklavier in 1995. Although he international swap being with UK respected player piano history and collector Gerald Stonehill in 1962. technology, he had always sought On a teacher exchange arrangement, better ways to listen to the rolls. To Denis travelled to England by ship this end, he built an Ampico vorset - with a trunk full of Duo-Art rolls, zer, another Duo-Art vorsetzer and returning a year later with the swaps. used these plus his Green/Licensee His collection today has over 8000 Welte vorsetzer to record piano roll rolls, with rolls for almost every performances as MIDI files on the reproducing player system. The bulk Disklavier. So, in later years, it was of the collection covers Ampico, rare to hear an original instrument, Duo-Art and Welte (all types). It is rather we heard recorded perfor - the largest roll collection in Aus - mances on the C7. Prior to the tralia, and is generally regarded as Disklavier, the main source of being important for its variety and piano roll entertainment was a content. Marshall and Wendell Ampico Denis studied at the Sydney grand, with a combination of A and Conservatorium of Music, alongside B parts. Later came a Steinway the likes of Richard Bonynge and Welte Mignon Cabinet piano, others. He trained to become a which was joined even later by a music teacher in Australia’s public green Welte vorsetzer that Denis school system, and his teaching modified so licensee rolls could be style, musical skills and all round played on it. This vorsetzer was enthusiasm made him well known soon to sit in front of and play a and appreciated in musical circles. Steinway red Welte upright, giving His work with musical ensembles and choirs was noted by sever - a compact trio of Welte instruments. Other instruments in the col - al speakers at his Memorial Service, held September 6, and lection, in various degrees of playability include a Hupfeld attended by several hundred people. Phonoliszt and a red Welte vorsetzer. He had owned a range of My friendship with Denis began in 1976. I was a student instruments before I knew him, including a Duo-Art and an in one of his music classes, and, as Denis did for all his classes, Ampico B in a Chickering piano. we were invited to see the collection of player pianos. This was a Denis was a great promoter of the reproducing piano pivotal event for me, and my relationship with Denis began that and piano rolls. For some 35 years, every two months apart on a evening. Our combined skills soon saw us working together on a Saturday night at his home (called Ampico Towers), Denis ran Duo-Art vorsetzer, something Denis had wanted to build for what became known as Roll Night. People from all walks of life many years. The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) would attend, with crowds of 70 or more on several occasions. heard of this venture, and in mid 1978, the vorsetzer was taken Visiting musicians, particularly pianists would be invited to from my workshop to a recording studio, where we made a Denis’s home, and it’s there I met the likes of Aaron Copland, recording of the Grieg Piano Concerto played by Percy Grainger Tiny Tim, Shura Cherkassky, Stephen Hough and many more. on Duo-Art rolls with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. This Denis’s enthusiasm for reproducing piano rolls is leg - recording became famous at the time, and was issued around the endary, as was his profound knowledge of the pianists and the world, winning an award in the USA. We travelled extensively repertoire. He could not only pick the piece, but the pianist, virtu - with the vorsetzer, performing the Grieg Piano Concerto in every ally every time. At his Memorial Service, all the speakers men - 294 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 tioned how much Denis Condon had contributed to their lives. I know that if I had not met Denis Condon all those years ago, I Dr. Philip l. Konop, Jr. may well never have encountered mechanical musical instru - ments. To Denis, on behalf of all those who knew him and caught the piano roll collecting bug, I say a huge thank you.
Peter Phillips [email protected]
Denis Condon with Duo-Art recording artist Flora Mora at an AMICA convention held in San Francisco in the mid 1970s. Always the humorist, Denis would say when showing this photo, pointing to the flowers on the right “Flora”, then pointing to the next bunch of flowers “Mora Flora”, the pointing to the lady her - self, recording artist “Flora Mora”.
The Welte HARVARD - Dr. Philip l. Konop, Jr. of Harvard died setup at on September 10, 2012 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Denis Condon’s, in Boston. He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on August 21, with a 1935 son of the late Philip and Ruth (Snow) Konop. He grew up green/licensee in the Baltimore area and received his BS and MS at MIT. Philip vorsetzer received his PhD from Northeastern University. Dr. Konop “playing” a worked as an electrical engineer at both Mitre Corp. in Bedford Steinway red and Draper Labs in Cambridge retiring in 1993. He was married Welte. in 1959 and has made his home in Harvard ever since. He was a member of MBSI (Music Box Society International) and AMICA (Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association). Phil is survived by his wife, Phyllis (Kenyon) Konop of Harvard; 2 sons, Lt. Col. David A. Konop, US Army and his wife Brenda of Watertown, NY, and Thomas F. Konop of Harvard; and 5 grandchildren, Ryan J. Konop and Sara L Konop both of Johnson City, NY, Dominic A Konop of Watertown, NY, Krystina A Konop and Stephanie M. Konop both of Harvard. He was also the brother of the late Cora P. Konop. Warwick Moriarty Visiting Hours were held at the Badger Funeral Home, (vice-president of 347 King St., Littleton on Friday September 14 from 4-6 p.m ACMMI) (on left) with a Memorial Service following at 6 p.m. Contributions may and Denis Condon be made in his memory to loaves and Fishes , P.O. Box 1, Ayer (on right) in Denis’ MA 01432 or Indian hill Music , Attn. Orchestra, P.O. Box roll room. 1484, Littleton, MA 01460. Please see www.badgerfuneral.com (photo taken 2005).
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 295 Web Sites of Interest
Frank himpsl 's piano roll midi archive Joe Rinaudo at the American Photoplayer (contributed by Matthew Caulfield) (contributed by John Ferreri) http://frankhimpslarchive.com http://tinyurl.com/d9pxp6r and Ray Scheffy 's Musical Memories Museum http://www.wimp.com/unusualinstrument/ (contributed by Vincent Morgan) http://tinyurl.com/csryuhu AMICAn Ron Connor on TV News http://tinyurl.com/c6zqhdd Radio career of Duo-Art artist Robert Armbruster (contributed by Bill Flynt) network Awesome (old movies) http://tinyurl.com/bvbsbky http://networkawesome.com/
Yet another Variations on a Theme of Paganinni Player Piano 101 by Bob Berkman as played by Marc-André Hamelin (contributed by Eli Shahar) http://tinyurl.com/d7mkmtx http://tinyurl.com/ct78u9a
Circus Galop , composed for the player piano how player piano rolls are made . by Marc-André Hamelin (contributed by Mike Walter) (contributed by Duaine Hechler) http://tinyurl.com/3xokqfd http://tinyurl.com/3zlhfgt The late George Cushing MBE The Piano Guys and Victor Chiappa 1962 TV News (contributed by Hi Babit) (contributed by Max Lakeman) http://tinyurl.com/8fw77cw http://tinyurl.com/c73b49r
Player Piano Tracking patents Construction of a Weber Maesto replica http://tinyurl.com/8bq2cg6 (contributed by Max Lakeman) http://tinyurl.com/9ow3yso The transformative power of classical music (contributed by Thad Kochanny) Manischewitz Wine Bottle Organ by Phil Dayson http://tinyurl.com/9ugvxro (contributed by Vincent Morgan) http://tinyurl.com/9bx7eyf Old Time Radio Shows (contributed by Thad Kochanny) link Piano and Organ Company http://www.dumb.com/oldtimeradio/ (contributed by Art Reblitz) http://tinyurl.com/8fq6nwb Wayne Stahnke 's Live Performance Sampling (contributed by Thad Kochanny) Wurlitzer Theater Orchestra Style 160 C http://live-performance.com/seehear.html (contributed by many) http://tinyurl.com/8nvts4u 1895 hupfeld roll-playing player piano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoIYZt1FzqM John DelCarlo’s Mason & hamlin Ampico http://tinyurl.com/c52pz3o
296 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 ADVERTISING FOR SALE
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All items for publication must be submitted directly to the Editor/Publisher for consideration. FOR SALE: All items are either partially restored or unrestored. Asking prices below or best offer. ClASSIFIeD AD RATeS FOR AMICA MeMBeRS: 1-100 Words $20.00 Seeburg Coin Operated expression ‘X’ - $2,000 Non-member rates are double for all advertising. losche Piano with mandolin – 2 available - $1,000 each limonaire Band Organ (44 or 49 key, not sure) - $2,000 DISPlAY ADVeRTISInG Wurlizter Style A #24789 - $1,000 Double page color $ 200.00 Knabe Reproducing Piano w/parts (reproducing part is partially Full Page color $ 150.00 restored, piano fine) - $2,000 Double page B&W $ 150.00 hupfeld Phonola - $1,000 Full page B&W $ 100.00 Open wooden cabinet for holding music rolls - $250 Half Page B&W $ 75.00 Please call Betty & Frank Rayle(206) 498-2959 or email at Quarter Page B&W $ 50.00 [email protected] (email contact preferred) Business Card $ 30.00 Located in Whidbey Island, WA. rf Non-member rates are double for all advertising 1922 Steinway Duo-Art upright grand in good condition (plays Special 6 for 5 Ad Offer - Place any ad, for a full year (6 issues), and great). Includes approx 1,200 Duo-Art rolls. You must arrange pay for only 5 issues. Payable in advance. Photographs or halftones for pick-up and delivery. Asking $10,000.00 for all, located in $15.00 each. Loose Sheet or Insert Advertising: Inquire San Leandro, CA. Contact Joel & Frances Roberts at 510-317- 0767 or < [email protected] > rf Display advertisers supply camera-ready copy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed to correct size. We ordinarily do not prepare advertisements from raw content. George Steck Duo-Art grand piano. I restored the system 20 years ago, still works well. Contact Victor Wolfe , 1715 Rich - PAYMenT: Advertisers will be invoiced. Make check payable to mond Rd., Columbus, OH 43223, (614) 279-1266. 5-12 AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Typesetting and layout size alterations charges will be billed if required by professional services. Pianos from the estate of well-known AMICA member, repro - DeADlIneS: Submissions must be received no later than the first of ducing piano aficionado Bill Pixley , priced for quick sale: Desir - the odd months (January, March, May, July, September, November). able Fischer Ampico spinet . $1,249. Steinway 1920 Model XR The Bulletin will be mailed not later than the first week of the even Duo-Art grand with beautiful mahogany veneer under badly months. checked original varnish. Remote pump for very quiet operation. $2695. Both need complete restoration. Also Stroud upright Duo-Art , older restoration of player mechanism, piano and finish original. Played well in the 1980s but needs keytops, regulation, and possibly other work. $975. All F.O.B. Arkansas City, Kansas. Music is what feelings sound like. Art Reblitz , (719) 598-2538, [email protected] rf Author Unknown
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 297 WANTED Wanted – POPPeR Orchestrion parts . I am rebuilding a Pop - per Konzertist orchestrion. The top section above the piano was gutted of all the instruments and pneumatics. Would like to restore it with original instruments and pneumatics if possible. So am looking for Popper percussion instruments and/or Popper pneumatic beaters for bass drum, snare drum, wood block, trian - gle and metal bells. Also looking for Popper pipe sections and pneumatics for violin, clarinet or saxophone pipes. Contact Wayne Finger , [email protected] Please list AMICA or Pop - per in the subject of the email. rf
298 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 299 PLEASE VISIT THESE SUPPLIERS OF ROLLS Brian Stahl: Piano Ticklers Music Rolls Joyce Brite: Player Piano and P.O. Box 220, Elizabethville, PA 17023 Mechanical Music Exchange email: [email protected] http://www.mmdigest.com/Exchange/ www.pianoticklers.com http://www.mmdigest.com/Exchange/rollpage.htm Phone: (717) 599-1369 email: [email protected]
Rob Deland: Blues Tone Rolls Dick Hack: Hack Mechanical Music www.bluesrolls.com 2051 Chesapeake Road, Annapolis, MD 21409 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Phone: (847) 548-6416 (410) 279-5859 Cell Days (410) 757-2164 Home Evenings Bob & Ginny Billings: Sierra Music Rolls 14010 Rim Rock Drive, Reno, NV 89521 Frank L. Himpsl: email: [email protected] Valley Forge Music Roll Company Phone: (775) 853-4659 604 Linnet Road, Audubon, PA 19403 (484)-250-7046 roll shop Leedy Brothers Music Rolls (610)-291-1841 my cell 4660 Hagar Shore Road, Coloma, MI 49038 http://www.valleyforgemusicroll.com www.leedyrolls.com Phone: (269) 468-5986 - Fax: (269) 468-0019 Kukral Collection: Welte-Mignon and 88-Note Rolls Larry Norman: Rollertunes 216 Madison Blvd., Terre Haute, IN 47803 www.home.earthlink.net/~rollertunes Phone: (812) 238-9656 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] Phone: (540) 721-7188 Julian Dyer Don Teach: Shreveport Music Co. 5 Richmond Rise, Wokingham RG41 3XH, 1815 E. 70th Street, Shreveport, LA 71105 United Kingdom email: [email protected] www.pianorolls.co.uk Phone: (318) 798-6000 - Fax: (318) 797-4572 email: [email protected]
Robin Pratt: Artists' Choice Music Rolls John Motto-Ros email: [email protected] “Nickelodeon Rolls” Phone: (419) 626-1903 “A” “G” “O” Rolls & Boxes 516 Pierce Street, Sandusky, OH 44870-4725 110 Allen Ranch Road, Sutter Creek, CA 95685 209-267-9252 Steve Bentley, SB-"O" Rolls series. www.johnnysmusicrolls.com Play-Rite Music Rolls e-mail: [email protected] 1536 N. Palm St., Turlock. CA 95380. U.S.A. Keystone Music Rolls Phone. (209) 632-5784. P.O. Box 650, Bethlehem, PA 18016 Fax. 209) 667-8241. email: [email protected] Gnaw-Vol-ty Rolls Stephen Kent Goodman QRS Music Technologies, Inc. www.gnaw-vol-ty.com 1026 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 1-800-247-6557 - Fax: 1-716-885-7510 Fax: 866-828-2165 www.qrsmusic.com D.C. Ramey Piano Company, LLC . Magic Melodies 17768 Woodview Drive 360 Lawless Road, Jamestown, KY 42629 Marysville OH 43040 Phone: (270) 343-2061 708-602-3961 www.dcramey.com David Saul: Precision Music Rolls email: [email protected] 1043 Eastside Road, El Cajon, CA 92020-1414 email: [email protected] Ed Sprankle Piano Roll Auction Search for my eBay Seller ID:jensprank email: [email protected] Jennifer Sprankle 6114 La Salle Avenue #491 Oakland, CA 94611
AMICA Bulletin - Sep/Oct 2012 300 A watercolour portrait showing Frank Holland in 1981, wearing his characteristic fez, demonstrating a roll playing orchestrion to a visiting group. The setting is that of the church where the Musical Museum in Brentford, UK, was originally located. The original of this, by UK illustrator Jane Harding, hangs in the roll library in the museum today. (contributed by Peter Phillips. Reproduced here with permission.)