4 14Dul 13 Rec'd REGISTER NOW for INTERNA.TIONAL CONVENTION

4 14duL 13 REc'D REGISTER NOW FOR INTERNA.TIONAL CONVENTION

J U I YJ 1970 Vo 1. 7, No. 7

Honorary Ganz ----- 9 - So. Cal. Aug. Meet Left V5. Right ------2 9 ------Back Issues President Brooks ------3 10 ---- No. Cal. June Meet No July Meet in No~ ------3 11 -----~-- Slick Trackerbar International Meet·.------1+ 11 ------PepDe~corn & Kid ?~ F. Fire ------~-~- 6 12 ------5hould Know (p ink) (. 1lo-Phone ------~-- 7 . 15 --~------The Masterp ieee AMnCA A~t Case --~---~------~----- 7 16 ------Duo-Art Recording 50. Cal. June Meet 21 ~------Dating Catalogues Sp. Cal. July Meet ------9 21 ------Addenda 1 RUVOLPH GANZ HONORARY McM5ER OF AMI CA

I have been trying for some time to get in touch with Rudolph Ganz, one of Duo-Artis and Welte1s most prominently featured and prodigiously recorded artists. Finally, both Ralph Obenchain of Wilmette., 111 inois and Vernon Brown of Japan were able to obtain his address and send it to me. Having heard that Dr. Ganz' correspondence was handled by his wife since his heart attack 5 years ago, I wrote her to offer Dr. Ganz the Honorary Membership. In add i t i on to the fo II "'" ing though tfu I 1etter, Mrs. Ganz also sent considerable biographical material in response to my request, and several photographs. To my extreme del ight, she even asked her husband a long list of historical and technical questions l id sent, and wrote down the answers he rememberedl We are indebted to both Dr. and Mrs. Ganz for this invaluable material, which I will attempt to campi le and present in a subsequent bulletin. Such generous cooperation with my intrusive research accompanie~ Rudolph Ganz is especially touching in view of the gratitude we mezzo-soprano Esther already owe the Ganzes for their contributions to the LaBerge during their 1958 concert tour. Miss Arts - the most pertinent to this bulletin being the Welte-Mignon and Duo-Art recordings of Rudolph Ganz, LaBerge is now Mrs. Gan z. and his Hupfeld recordings that were converted to the Ampico sometime between 1925 and 127. (The statement "n my "From Cari l lon to Ampichron" article that Ganz recorded for "all t hree!' is _,J roven false by Dr. Ganz ' own testimony that he never recorded for Ampico, and the 127catalogue supplement's admission that the Ganz rolls it listed were conversions.) I believe I have also seen a Ganz performance for the wide-roll So i o Art Apol.lo , but I wouldn't know if this was a conversion or not.

June 7, 197J Dear Mr. Elfers: Belated but sincere thanks for your letter and the enclosures. I had previously heard from Mr . Obenchain in Chicago and suggested he call for an appointment on one of my non-teaching days so that I could handle t he conversation, but I promised very little i n the way of information due to Dr. r,an z ' i llness . Then a letter from Vernal Brown in Tokyo, which I answered today. ( My SUIUmer free of a teacllin.g schedu~e has just oegun - hence the letters! ) First, thank you very much for wishing to name my husban d an Honora~f Member which he acceFts gratefully. Now, as to your questions - they are so interesting and begging answers. How I wish I could supply them. But i t seems impossible for my husband to recall most of what you wished to know. 1 do recall his telling of correcting the Paderewski rolls that he tried to get the two hands to play more simultaneously but this was a failing - or perhaps an intentional individualistic attitude - of Paderewski. Dr.Ganz always sa.id Busoni was the first to play with two hands together. And I recall another Ganz story of his working on editing in the N.Y. studio. He was in soiled shirt sleeves and an official of Duo-Art opened the door and sadd , "Ganz, 'urrj" and clean up. the Queen is coming." But Ganz thought this was a practical ( - Joke - until a :£ew minutes later in walked the Queen of Belgium with her ~tourage1 "- But she was Vf!rygracious and said she had enj eyed hearing some Ganz recordings on -the boat trip over - a Duo-Art had been placed at her disposal on the bcat, 4 "1- ,. dAt)t·

RUVOLPH GANZ, HONORARY MEMBER (oonti t d) 2

As to biographical material - I enclose a. number of clippings. The jacket article of Robert Ma.rsh on the Veritas recording put out by International Piano Library is extremely good. But Veritas is no longer and IPL suffered a dreadful fire a few weeks ago at which time much of their valuable collection was destroyed. A great many "Who's Who" and similar reference books carry articles about Dr. Ganz. I believe I am also listed in "Who's Who among Women" but I hasten to add that my accomplishments are very modest compared with those of my husband. My principle activity is to be a good wife - and since 1965, a good nurse! For mere sta~istics I am ~~ Associate Professor of Voice at Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt {miversity (Dr. Ganz is President Emeritus of CMC). Prior to his stroke we shared many concerts in the United States, Israel and a few in Europe. We performed the Webern 14 songs from ma~uscript found shortly before in Europe. These we performed for the first Webern Festival in Seattle, washin~on and later gave a firs~ performance of t ne s e in Te L Avi.v , We have also given all-Swiss c on cer t.s ~ a=..l .~erican concerts, conte~ora~f concerts, all-Ganz concerts, etc.

2. wi s r. =- could be mcre he Lp rul , but hope f'uLrv t.h'i s will fill in a rev oLanks . Cordially,

I II II II II II II II II Ii II II I II. II II II ;

SOMETlf.tES THE LEFT HANV VIDN'T KN()(lJ WHAT THE RIGHT WAS VOl.'JG

Dr. Ganz' revelation that he was required to artificially coordinate the Paaerewski paws in the Duo-Art recordings came as a surprise to me, although I had hea:d that Ganz had been chosen by Paderewski to do his editing. However, the famous Pole also contributed some of his QVJn suggestions. In a letter that a member of tne International Piano Library wr ot e to the Editor of The Gramophone Magazine in January, 1967. he cited a notation which Paddy himself had written on one of the Duo-Art ma s te rs presently in the IPL collection (unless it was destroyed by their recent fire): "' cannet play thes~ passages even 1v; can you even them out for me?" The statement that Ferruc2~o Susoni was the first major artist to Dr. Ganz' ~nowledge who had natural coordination of his two hands was also a revelation. It wou l dn l t have occurred to me that this was a prevailing problem among virtuosi. Per1aps it no ~onger is, and the World has reproducers to thank for that. The ev,dence of sloppy t e chn i que p roduced J~y the i r revea 1in9 record i ng dev ices may have exposed to the artisrs faults which their concert audiences hadn't noticed. In the series of articles appearing in ~pcorded sound Magazine in 1967, John Farmer {an Ampico collector) uses Welte's faithful recording of this coordination problem to condemn the Welte playback mechanism: liThe explanation [for lithe persistent lack ll of unison between the hands ] 1 ies in the fact that since the bass and treble units never deliver exactly the right vacuum level to their respective note pneumatics, the hammers for the bass and treble notes will arrive at the strings slightly later or- earlier than intended because they are moved at the wrong speed. 1I [1] It apparently never occurred to Mr. Farmer that the artists might have played that way, or to check the rolls to see that the perforations are not aligned, and that this lack of coordination persists even when both hands were recreated on the sa~e side of the stack, so it was not a matter of inconsistent response in the system." A mechanism would have to be pretty drastically out of adjustment to deliver timing variations so pronounced as to be detected by the human ear, which 1- think might be more inclined to first perceive that one side of the" stack is playing fortissimo while the other is pianissimo! . Max Pauer, a Welte recording artist, was not quite so reluctant to recognize his ONn faults. In Great Pianiete on Piano Playing by J. F. Cooke (loaned to me by B;:! Coverdale), he says: liThe remarkable apparatus for recording the playing of virtuosos, and then reproducing it through a mechanical contrivance, is somewhat SOMETIMES THE LEFt HANV (oont t d)

of a revelation to the pianist who tries it for the first time. In the records of the play i n9 of art i s ts whose in terpreta t ions are pe rfect 1y fami 1 i a r to me, there sti 11 remain unquestioned marks of individuality. Sometimes these marks are small shortcomings, but which, nevertheless, are so slight that they do no more than give cha racter ;" "When I listened to the first record of my ONn playing, I heard things which seemed unbelievable to me. Was I, after years of public playing, actually making mistakes that I would be the first to condemn in anyone of my own pupils? I could hardly bel ieve my ears, and yet the unrelenting machine showed that in some places I had failed to play both hands exactly together, and had been guilty of other errors no less heinous, because they were trifling. I also learned in listening to my own playing, as reproduced. that I had unconsciously brought out certain nuances, emphasized different voices and employed special accents without the consciousness of having done So." This latter admission - of noticing technique unfamiliar to himself - might suggest the hand of an overly-individualistic e d i t o r , were it not that the Ge rrnan editors were reputed to have had neither musical ~ra!ning, nor - one hopes - opinions.

Perhaps such h as t e as Farmer's to blame the mechanism for the p i an i s t s ' faulty t e chn i q ue '.: as wh a t p romp t ed t ne American Welte and the other brands to abandon what the hi-fi buffs .voul d call j'absolute fidel i tv!' and concentrate on producing good recordings f a i t h i ul o r i ma r i l v t o the artists' interpretations. After all, if the reproducer ov/n e r :::anted to hear faulty t e chn lque , he needn I t pay for a recording .. He could a lwav s ask his rna i de n Cousin Clara to play - she who "took piano!' (in much the same VJa',' as Gr ar: t took P. i chrnon d] fo r th ree yea r s ,

No doubt the I:Golden f.1.ge r)f the P;arol! produced many great artists, but the fact remain; that- t r e aud i e r ce s of t he day v.e re not very sophisticated, and it was entirely possible that ~,econJ-rdte rr.uv i c i an s w i t b some platform f l a i r could attain the de s i qna t i on of "Virtuoso". This rank does not in itself confer retroactive perfection. Numerous pedagoques had advised Paderewski to abandon the piano, but d famous (and non-musical) actress encouraged him, a~d great masses of the unsophisticated made him the most notable financial success !n the history of the piano. Some - like de Pach-nanr - '.ad fa',llts wh i ch were acknow le dqed even by the critics who adored them. It is a rni·:)tc-1L..!~· t'J assume that anyone wi t h a famous name and iegendary reputation was immune to err-or. Today'~aft7r reprodu:ers ~nd the ~h~nograph have given more of us more Crequert exposure to musIc under 1lstenrng conditions we can control, the public a t large expects more of its too virtuosi - although showmanship can s t i l ! put across an occasional fraud.

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~VOOKS HITS THE rnp

Larry ~an(1US of Burlingame" California informs us that our very he In f u l Honorary Member, E'mer F. Brooks, Jr., has been aopointed President of the AEol ia~ Corporation (Dou~ Hickling, who is researchino a corporate history of the firm for a future bulletin, tells ~ that the former AEolian American has thus shortened its name). This makes a very effective rebuttal to the contention that Qood QUVS finish last. We extend our heartiest congratulations to Mr. Brooks, and o~r admi~atinn to the AEolian board for an excellent choice.

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VARK JULY

There will be no meeting (as such) of the Parent Organization in July, 'a holdover of the summer abstinence of more leisurely years - and also perhaps a calm before the storm of the August International Convention. However, it is expected Auction #7 will take place at a time and location to be announced in the separately-mailed bid lists. III II II II If 1111111 4 14:£ 4

FIR S T A MrCA I N T ERN AT ION AL CO,\! VENTI (JI·J

SaZ Zy Iaumenee, Conuentiion Chai.rman

OATES: AUGUST 28, 29 & 30, 1970.

ADt~ISSION: FIFTEE~! DOLLARS ($15.00) PER PERSON (Honorary Members & their spouses exempted). Includes registration, meals, and all costs (exclusive of lodging and transportation). MAKE CHECK PAYA.BlE TO: AfflCft. Conve.Yl.ti.on Flu1n.

RESERVATI01'IS: SEND CHECK \JITH APPLICATION (see back pace) TO: !·1rs. Robert:a Cherneu, Peirie trar 952 -tonneon ,CJtreet, Reduood City, CaZ1.:.~o'Pnia, D40fl

P P 0 G r A'~ S C HE V U L E

I. FRIDAY EVENlfJG, AUGUST 28, 1970. Locat i on: home of Dick Peutil.inper h:OO - 7:00 PM Peg i s t rat i on 824 arove Street 7:30 - 8:00 PM Dinner San Fr-an eieco 8:3') - 1'1:30 PM Speaker & Fotoplayer II. SJ\TURDAY MORNltlG, AUGUST 2~, 1970. location: ?ort~ZZis, home of Jarod CZark ~:30 - 12:00 AM Auction 444 Sprtr!nan. .r;treet 12:t)n - 1:00 PM Box Lunch San Francisco

III. SATURDAY I\FTE~~JOO~!, Al'GUST 2~, 1970. Loca t ion: home of Jim F:Z.+-ers 2:00 - 5:00 P'1 Duo-Art & 827 Cotrt land At'enue \/e 1te-H j qnon San Prancieco (Licensee) Concert IV. S.A.TURDAY EVEtJING, AUGUST 20, 1970. Loca t ion: PortcuZ Z7.~S, homeM~ Jarod Cl-ark 7:"n - 8:311 PM ~~nquet 444 Brannan St-reet g:3~ - 12:30 ? Speakers (. San. Praa:ncisco Ampico Concert v. SUNDAY HORNING, AUGUST so, 1~70. Loca t i on : home of .t-im r:z.rers 9:00 AM -? Technical Session 82'1 Cornland !.t'enZlf? San Pranen 8 co

vr. SUNDAY PFTERNOO:~, AU~lJST 30 , lC)7f'): Open houses, to be listed in program.

f\ rundown of the various events is provided on the next paqe , '·Je regret that we can't give more specific details at this tiMe, but the first convention has had some regre tab 1e de 1ays • Ha'Jeve r , I I m con f i den t vre no.-J have the right cha i rman in Founding t1ember Sally (~~rs. na1e) la\-/rence. She has the enthusiasm and organization to pull it off 'l,ith great success, if it kil1sl\LL of us! \.Je are ho("ing to feature numerous of our distinguished Honorary Members and members prominent in the field .of co l Iect iriq , but the delay hasn't given them time to make defin.ite conmi tmen ts before this bulletin must get out. .~. ~.rTE r~, C(J~I ~/Tl ~ 5 Fl P_<;T A,'i1 R'J ATl JAL liE n J I( cont "d) ilX~~ .~ I. It has been our experience that when collectors oe t tone the r , a whole lot of yakkin ' goes on. Therefore the opening evening of the convention is set aside for getting to know each other, and talkinq about vrhateve r grabs IOU with a1.1 those people whose names you've seen in the bulletin and on the membership list. ~ Readers of the January, June and December, 196) Bulletins wl l l be anxious to see Dick ~eutlingerl5 spacious Victorian home \-/ith furn lsh incs of the period augmented by his 1928 Knabe 51 6" Ampico ''''.' , 1~33 Stroud 5' Duo-I'.rt, and his Fotoplayer ~ WurliTzer orchestrions. II. It's old hat to us, hut visitors generally find the AMICA auction a stimulating event, and ~!itnessing the thing live probably aids their understanding of the procedure. The rivalry for the "goodies" can get quite suspenseful, but the miracle of it all is that we all come out friends - perhaps closer than before. After the informal (and cheap - we had to cut costs somewher-e] lunch, we think there w i l l ~e enough vrhee led memhers to provide rides for the unwhee Ied to the next even t , III. This w i l l he the virgin event in the "conce r t or l um" Editor .Lirn Elfers is havin9 built in the old store beneath his flat on Cortland Avenue. Honorary ~~ember, Duo-Art record Inn artist and recent Academy .~v/ard nominee Pobert Armbruster will perform a concert here in conjunction with his recordings on the 1921 Weber 6' Duo-Art. Other recordin~s will be featured on this instrument ll and the 1924 Ba l dw in 51 6" \,t'elte-Mi9non (Licensee), l nc l udi nn some rare "goodies • There's also a strong possibility thatVe l te recordinq artist Ruth Bin~aman (now Smith) will attend and perform! It'. Sack to President Jarod Clark's stunning Porticull.ie to vie\'I it at its best, and partake of the catered banquet, which will feature fresh pineapple salad, chicken parmesan or roast beef, baked potato, string beans, wine, and ice cream sundae. T~~ard the end of the meal some of our members most prominent in the commercial aspects of the field wi l l address us, includinq Dave Boaw"/ers of Hathaway z • 1 11 I Af terwards , a concert on the Knabe 6 4 Ampico IA , featuring Honorary Member Charles Cooper comparinq his performance of today w i th those of his Ampico recording days. RUdolph Friml and '.Ji l bur Chenoweth \'Ii 11 also try to attend. V. The technical sessions will be conducted by Dave Saul, whose reputation for expert restoration is so firm that customers continue to send their rare instruments from Texas to California, where Dave is studying for a Master's deqree. He does l l not intend to I'lecture , but moderate a give-~-take session in which all participants can share their knowledqe , In addition to the r1angus-restored '.-Jelte-Hi9non and Duo-Art instruments, numerous ,reproducer parts wi l l be on hand for illustration. This session will be open-ende~, or will terminate when the rubber, neoprene and plastic tubing adherents start choosing up sides. We also hope to have Durrell I\rmstrong on hand with displays of his wa res., and hopefully, Nelson Barden wi 11 attend wearing a jumpsuit of Polylon. VI. Sometime during the convention we will announce the hosts of the various open houses, and you can decide at that time which home(s) and/or instrument{s) you wou ld most 1ike to see. The registration form is on the last page of this bulletin. Please fill it out and send it to Mrs. Cherney TODAY, \-,i th your" check payab 1e to the Al~lICA Convention Fund, "Tourist 1iterature and a map \-/i 11 be returned to you, so you can make your hotel or motel reservations as soon as possible. RemeMber, San Francisco is a busy place in the summer. Also, if the initial sign-up is qreater than we've anticipated, we may have to disappoint later applicants. We're cutting costs pretty close, but if there happens to be money left over in the. ( Convention Fund account, it wi 11 be retained perpetually to give subsequent conven t l ox, ."" .hos ts a loa." to start them off. -. I wish we had a theme song to herald this first, historic get-together of our greater membership. 'considered "San Francisco, Open Your Sforzando Pneumatic", but it didn't scan, somehow. Perhaps, "If You Come to San Francisco, Be Sure and Wear a Crash Valve in Your Hairl? ••• t . FIRE FORCES OUT ~EMBERSHIP SECRETARY

At 5:30 Tuesday morning, June 23, 1970, a fire broke out in the abandoned house next to Ed Hayden IS home in San Francisco. Ed was on a business trip in Atlanta, Georgia at the time, but his recently-widowed mother was staying in his apartment to oversee some repairs he was having done to the property. As her dog awoke her and the tenants upstairs, no one was hurt, but the building suffered extensive damage to one wall and the roof. The fire chose to break through Ed1s bu;lding in the closet where he stored his rare Angelus Artrio recordings, a collection of around 100 that he had laboriously built practically one at a time - from the 11 he began with last year. Although the fire completely destroyed his expensive photographic equipment, the efficient San Francisco Fire Department managed to put it out before it got to the rolls. However, the boxes were ruined by the heat, smoke and wate~. By removing the rol Is from the wet boxes before the moisture seeped through and removing the rubber bands that were beg'nning to form an impression in the humid paper, I think I managed to save the rc'ls themselves and the many priceless performances they recorded. I l r-on i ca l i. , the only one seriously warped by water was

171'd Duo-Ar t version of Frank Banta p l av i r q "Co l leq i a te'", which I had loaned to Ed for comparison with his Artrio version of t-e same performance.) However, the boxes are virtually useless, diminishing the ro113 1 collecting value significantly. The Artrio boxes are especially important to the c:llector, as most of them contain the artist's testimonial on the top. Unlike the Duo-;rt IItestimonial", wh i ch was envariably the same typeset rressage (frequently with' t-aese t " s ignature"!) , the Artrio legends are of varied wording in the artist's own rend, usually name the specific composition, and testify whether it is "an author i ze c" version, or lithe only authorized ve rs i on" of the composition recorded by that art~st for any reproducer. Included in these r-ecordings done specifically for the Ar:rio are performances by Berge, Buhlig, Gabri16witsch, Godowsky, Leginska, Ler~er, Mero and Poldowski t as well as the prolific ~immelreich. There are also ~elte conversions of CarrePio and Hofmann, although these bore the legend Ilfrom a =oreign reco rd i nq'", instead of the script re s timon; a 1• 't is uncertain at this writing whether the $10,000 insurance coverage of Edls belongings wi 11 cover the restoration c- duplication of the boxes, which a local book restorer estimates at $10 apiece. Also to be considered is the piano itself. Although the firemen moved all furniture to the center of the room and covered it with tarpaulins before turning on the r~se, the moisture content of the air itself wil i cause the strings and pins tQ rust and the veneer to warp if corrective action i 5 nit taken s con . ------~ All of this brings up several considera:ions: First, Ed has obviously had to resign as AMICA Membership Secretary. The mor:h-]ong business trip to Atlanta had already created a confusing backlong, and the +=~re cinched ma t te rs . Until further word, refer all changes of address and new me-,bers to me: Jim Elfers, AMfCA Editor, tl27 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco, Ca:ifornia, 94110. The second consideration is whether the rest of us have insurance that wi 11 adequately cover our valuable instruments and roll collections. It might be necessary to have a local dealer or technician (with letterhead) appraise your collection for the purpose of taking out a scheduled "Fi ne Arts" policy - especially if your piano was acquired at a bargain price inconsistent with its replacement valu~. You are all urged to contact your brokers, and report back to me any unusual "b a r-qa in s" in adequate coverage for our collections. Another question that Ed's emergency brought to mind is :. what is,the best action to take in such a case, to save the rolls from water damage? 1 1 m not yet convinced that I took the right action - or th'at it would have been effective if the moisture .had a 1ready soaked th rough the boxes into the ro 11 5 • It, occurred to me that the rolls should not be dried too fast, as this would seem to encourage buckling. Yet if I left them in the wet boxes, mildew might have formed, as well as rust on the ? FI RE FORCES OUT ~jE I\fl3ERSHIP SECRETARY ( conti t d)

metal flanges. After unboxing the rol Is, I stacked them i n dry cardboard boxes~ each layer separated by cardboard so the flanges woul dr"· make an impression in rol Is below. When the heat was turned on at the suggesL ion of the Fire Department, I placed the rol Is near the f loor register. Actually, the 88-note rolls came out as we l I as the Artrio recordings . As they had been lower on the shelves and their boxes absorbed less moisture, I left the rolls boxed and just placed them all in the sun, standing them on the opposite end every hour or so to even the drying process. I wou l d appreciate receiving anyone's advice on this, so we might all be prepared if it happens to any of us. When it does happen, it1s too late to study up on it, as Ed and I learned. I 1111 11111111 11 II 1111 II II I I JI ll II I

The Me 1v i I leela rk Apo11 o-Phone-cin the Bi i. l t s Ot her Pi.an o > t he: 1.IJiJ Xnabe collection of Larry Givens of Wexfo rd, Wi Zlicun. & /v,'al",J AT'i';: 'l c c '3' preeeri t Z!' Pennsylvania. Don W 0 0 ~ o f Phi lauPlphia in the A the~ton~ Cali:oPnia ho r~ of has one like it, but n mahogany. Of Bi l t Knorp 's si s t er. his i ns t r ument , La rry writes: "The term i s au thentic -I have a 1924 issue of the Pur- chase r-s ' Gui de t o t.ne Music Indus t ry , i n whi ch the Apollo wri teup contains a short par-agr-aph on t he ApoLl.o-Phone Player. "I gue s s mine is quar t er ed oak - at l eas t it's t he t y-pe of oak wh i.c n i s gener ally cal l ed ' quartered'. The phonogr aph i s mounted be hind the left doo r on the front of the piano. It does not pullout - you put the records inside t he pi ano. The opening for the 'horn' is directly behind t he music roll spool, above t hetrackerbar. The sound is channeled from the pickup head through a metal tune which then connects with a wooden pa s s age which comes out behind the roll. "I. think t her e was never much attempt to synchronize the playing of music rolls with phonograph records, and I. believe the raison d'etre of the Apollo-Phone was sLmpIy to add another sales promction gimmick to the ApoLl.o player. .You know - by buying ( - one of these marvels~ you thereby saved the expensive and space-consuming necessity of owning a phonograph. However, I .do have 3 or 4 .old Q~S rolls which are specifically made to accompany certain Victor records. The roll labels say 'To Accompany Victor Recording #_, as sung by Enrico Caruso' or some other artist. I guess the Apollo-Phone would be the ideal instrument for reproducing these masterpieces !".

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACTIVITIES 8

by Sam Thompson

NICKELS· VICTUALS TITILLATE The setting couldn1t have been nicer for our potluck patio party than that provided by our hostess, Anita Nickels. Anita's home, with its beautifully cared-for grounds, lends itself perfectly to outside as well as inside Southern California living. Her yard must be seen by anyone who enjoys gardening. That huge gardenia bush loaded with blooms; the orange and other fruit trees loaded with fruit ripe and begging to be picked and eaten. The picture-perfect dichondra lawn and all the flowers in bloom - a heavenly place, perfect for a relaxed, sumptuous meal. Inside, Anita·s table was loaded with many fine dishes: tasty potato salads, cakes, ham and much more. "m sure everyone had plenty to eat. It was business first, however, so our Chairman, Tom Meeder, called for order. Tom discussed his recently mailed IIGet Involved Ba l Iot'". In this merrbers are encouraged to select one of twelve aspects to become more active in club involvement. The twelve areas are: 1. Hospitality and Welcome; 2. Programming; 3. Refreshments; 4. Typing and Mailing; 5. Telephoning; 6. Librarian and Properties; 7. New Materials and Supplies; 8. Special Project - Edgar Fairchild Conversions; 9. Chapter Reporter; 10. Chapter Secretary-Treasurer; 11. Chapter Chairman; and 12. Other Ideas to Help. Those who have not returned the ballot are urged to look it over again in hopes you l11 find something in which to take part, and to write Tom Meeder. Barden & Clark1s recent 60,000 series Ampico roll compilation was called to members· attention, along with B & C·s many Ampico and now other reproducer patents. These patents explain in a technical nature the device under patent. Most interesting reading for the mechanically intrigued. Ralph & Edith Jensen brought several unusual Ampico rolls to show. These factory cut rolls were marked "spec i a I cutting" across the box label. Two rolls had hand printed labels. One was ~d8ummsr Night's ~am, the second, Song without WordS, ope 38 No.3, both Mendelssohn compositions played by Brahm 'van den Berg. A third roll, Capriccio BriZZante, ope 22 (Mendelssohn) J played by Olga Steeb, contained numerous pasted-up corrections throughout. The Jensens also brought the departed remains of several- Ampico rolls which had been badly eaten by termites - a sad sigh t , The informal meal followed and we were now serenaded by Anita'~ very nice Chickering Ampico. The piano had been pampered the previous day by Keith Hardesty, who did his usual fine job of tuning and voicing. Also, Clare Spencer, who lives but two miles away, had spent considerable time regulating and adjusting the Ampico so that it performed as it should. It was nice to see Mrs. Hardesty present, keeping an eye on her husband's work. Don Stewart played, for comparison, two different rolls of Griegls To Spring, one by Clarence Adler, the other by Hans Barth. Our organ enthusiast,. Dan Til1manns, showed and told about his Duo-Art reproducing pipe organ spoolbox. Tom Meeder has just finished a two-month chore of laboriously hand-punching a copy of the Duo-Art roll, Gershwin's ~ap8odY in BZue, Part 2. While he was at it he made four copies, so he now has three extras to trade. Interested people write he's willing to wheel & deal. Tom Is a perfectionist, so the rolls are punched beautifully and come with one of the club 1 s reprinted leaders. It sounds Just like the original, too. "

r- 9 SOUTflERN CALIFORNIA ACl-IVITIES (oonti t d)

HILL WILL HOST Our next meeting is scheduled for July 18 at the home of Phil Hill in Santa Monica. ( California. We apologize for this meeting's being scheduled too late to make the las t bulletin, and for a time too soon to make this announcement of much value.* The well-known Duo-Art artist, Robert Armbruster, wi!l attend. Ampico enthusiasts will be able to shake hands with Wilbur Chenoweth, w~o will also be present. Phil requests the meeting be of a party nature; a buffet will be provided and guests are encouraged to stay as long as they please. The following pianos will play: I 11 Steinway Duo-Art, 'T with Concertola; Mason & Haml in Ampicos IA & IB', both 6'2 ; and Chickering Ampico lA' (late, rare, intricately-carved cabinet model with a token keyboard only for tuning). Phil's antique cars, Mil;s Violano, music boxes and phonographs may also be seen.

MINGLE AT MrLLER'S On August 15 at 2:00 P.M. Saturday afternoon, AMI CAns wi 11 gather for another meeting at the nome of Bill Miller at 29075 Clevis Road, San Pedro, California. Telephone, (213) 831-1568. No before-meeting mailer will be sent, so members are reminded to bring this bul letin when they start for the M~ l1er house. The directiors are complex. Bill gave them as follows: Travel South on the Harbor Freeway to, Anaheim Street. Turn right cnto Anaheim (Wes:) and go past the 76 Refinery to Palos Verdes DrIve North. Watch this, as Vermont yl~ into Palos Verdes Drive North and Gassey Street at Anaheim. Turn left (South) onto Palos Verdes Drive North. Go to Palos Verdes Drive East about 1 7/10 miles, passing Western midway. Turn left onto Palos Verdes Drive East and '.-lind up the hill for two miles to Clevis Road. Watch the left side of the street, as Clevis does not cross. Go to the end of the street to #29075. Bill has opened his home to AMICA and encourages members to listen to his superb component stereo system. Pianowise, the featured instruments will be his recently completely-rebuilt and refinished 6'611 Steinway Duo-Art and his Shoninger upright Welte-Mignon (Licensee). Lig~t "nod and re f r-esbrren t s wi l' be s e r ve d ,

An instructive session in roll-repairing will also be featured at the meeting. Several people have indicated having problems Cit this, while it's really quite easy

if undertaken correctly. Repairs of foldover, bridging t tears and patching wi 11 be demons t ra ted.

* We are breaking our necks trying to get this issue out early~ as we feel that all events scheduled by chartered AMICA groups should be open to aZZ members, and not just an informed few. -Ed.

r u n u n u n u u u u u u n u •• t'tJI BACK ISSUES

Back issues of the 1970 bulletins are available to all members f~r 60¢ ap:ece. Order from the AMICA Editor. When ordering, do not ask for "the last i s sue'". Yv'.J might be referring to July, whi le we might have mai led August and have no way of knowing whether or not you've received it yet. Spec 7f v the month, or volume and number , Reprints of the 1369 bulletins continue to be available from Bob & Barbara Whiteley: 175 Reservoir Road, San Rafael, California, 94901. Make th~ check payable to them. (~ The year's supply is $5, cr $5.50 including the 12-page,cross-r~ference index cf the year's material. The index and single issues are SOC each. 8eing p~ny, the Jdnuary and February 1969 bulletins count as ONE issue - SOC for the set.

1111111111111111111111 q 1.4lJ TALK ON RECUTS AT PARENT ORGANIZATION'S JUNE MEETING 10

Alf & Marjorie werolin remained true to their tradition of hosting fine AMICA meet ings Saturday ni qh t , June 27, 1970. The swee t s , punch and coffee provided by I Marjorie were excellent, as usual, and the 1924 Mason & Hamlin 51 1011 Ampico IA performed better than I 've ever heard it. We were especiai tv pleased to see our distinguished Honorary Member, Charles Cooper, and his charming wife Marie among us again. Anita Nickels, Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern California Chapter was also a welcome attendee, on her way back from shooting the Rogue River rapids in Oregon (1 1 m told she didn't bag any, but seriously wounded several). The night before, at the auction held in Portcullis, we were pleased to welcome Elliott Lacy from the same chapter. Dave Saul and his lovely wife Ann made a special effor~ to attend this, their first AMICA meeting, and Dave was interested in examining the f an r shaped , late Juo-Art expression box brought by Doug Hickling. This interesting specimen wi 11 be available for the technical sessions that Dave will conduct at the International ~eeting in August, along with other parts and complete reproducers. The Werolins had hoped to sponsor Edgar Fai rc~i ld's return ~isit to the ParenI Organization as they had originally presented him in October, 1966, but due to recent problems wi th his vision, Cookie was unable to attend. Jnstead, Harold Powell of No r th Hollywood presented a discourse on his recutting business, illustrated by sl ides of the perforators owned by Larry Givens of Wexford, Pennsylvania, a~d Artona of England. He also showed several views of the electronic equipment he's added to the original perforators owned by himself and John Malone of Turlock, California, who does Mr. Powell IS recutting. In this modern modification, Powe l l wisely disregarded the ro l ls ' original bridging (the tiny "bridges'l of paper that separate individual punches constituting a slot, meant to give the paper stability without interrupting a sustained note). These caused reading problems, as the masters aren't available to Powell, and resulted in much hand-correcting of his previous copies. Also, some of the original bridging left a great deal to be desired - especially in very early Duo-Art editions. Powel1 1s device simply measures each slot and automatically inserts appropriate bridging with approximately 1/411 of uninterrupted punching at either end. The results are excellent, and Mr. Powell is probably correct in his claim that his recuts are superior to the originals that are avai lable to us today. The paper he uses is of a quality comparable to the fine "purp le seal" Welte rolls, and far superior to that used by the other~anufacturers of the period, although of the same thickness. Samples of his product - both Duo-Art and Ampico - were passed around. Those who noticed the tiny burrs in a few of the perforations should be reminded that these were also present in the originals, but have long since been inhaled into somebody's trackerbar. They should serve as a reminder that frequent use of a trackerbar pump is a must for every col lector. Making 17 copies in each run and discarding the bottom two excessively-burred copies, the Malone-Powell team turn out a remarkably clean product. Notable among its virtues are the facts that each roll is the same length as the original, and as the paper is the same thickness, plays at the same speed and presents no takeup variation that wasnlt compensated for in the original. owe 11 mentioned several times that many of from other collectors - but of r next Duo-Art 1 ist twhich he expects to mail out within the mont fully stocked) reveals some Juicy delights, including Rhapsody in Blue (by Whatsisname), ~riaan in PaPis (the graphpaper-coded 2-roll set by Frank Milne and his alter-ego, Ernest Leith)," Chop in t s Andante Spianato & Polonaise, Op , 22 (Cortot - a breathtaking performance not available in its entirety on any other reproducer), Brahms' VaPiations on a The~ of Paganini (Bachaus - the same theme used in Rachmaninov's Fantasia - a tremendously difficult opus attempted by few pianists but mastered by Bachaus at the age of 17 - also available only on the Duo-Art), Bach's Toaaata &FUgue in D ~nor TALK ON RECUTS AT P.o. (oont:'dJ

(the Tausig transcription~ a crash is working properly). L. · h I I

We were also pleased to hear that Mr. Poweli is soon to start producing Welte-Mignon (Licensee) recuts. Already a pioneer in responding to the needs of the Duo-Art collectors, it is ingratiating to know that Mr. Powell is also sympathetic to the most deprived collectors of lithe big three". If this proves profitable, can Ar t r i o and Artecho be far behind? At the conclusion of the Poweli presentation, Jack Maiman triggered an interesting discussion on the comparative economies of the Itwenties and today. It was finally estimated that a $4.50 roll was at that time comparable to a $9 price today. Thosp who sigh wistfully over box prices might consider that they were as dear then as the prices the same rolls (aged) are bringing in the auctions - and considerably more than today's fine recuts are bringing. Think about it. (In case my message is too subl iminal for those unaccustomed to the Elfers subtleYt I am suggesting that we should all stock up on recuts.so it will be profitable enough for Mr. POf.!~~· to abandon his job as recording engin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UW"~ ~ he rare goodies.

We are a) 1 extreme 1'1'

11111111,,1111""'111'1111111111;

SLICK TRACKEREAR

Regarding my footnote to Dave Saul1s letter on paQe '9 of the May 1970 bulletin, Bill Coverdale of Waynesville, Ohio writes: "Regarding the electric motor vs , air motor - I will just say if you take some BRASSO and shine up your trackerbar and then give it a spray with McL~~hich Armstrong sells through Player Piano Company, you cannot make the timing vary whether expressions are on or off. At least this is '-'50 with my Weber. Before shining and s pr-ayi.ng, T vas 1 3/5 seconds 5 low 'Wi. th full blast vs , soft." J II "" UII .... 111111 '"I II II II L 1

PEPPERCORN ANV THE PROVIGY

Ken Caswell of San Antonio, Texas tells of the time in recent years when a Welte-Mignon enthusiast ;nterviewed Gertrude Peppercorn, who lived in England. Asked about her Welte recordings, Madame Peppercorn snorted that she never made "piano rolls". Her memory prodded by her sister, she finally recalled, "Oh yes, I guess I did make some. around the same time as that prodigy did". The prodigy of whom she spoke was Josef Hofmann, who died in 1957 at the age of 81. ( Sudden ly , you don't feel .50 old anymore~ do you?

111111111111111 1111111',11111111111 II 111111111111111 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW (PINK) 12

Space did not permit the inclusion in last month's bulletin of both the test booklets Alf Werolin retained from the Ampico technicians· school he helped conduct around 1929. The questions printed were from the pink booklet, relating to the regulation of the grand piano action. By including this instruction in their Ampico course, the Service Department stressed the fact that no reproducer can perform well if the instrument itself isn1t functioning properly. The ques t ions from the grey "What Do You Kn",,?11 and "What You Shou 1d Know" book lets, pertaining to the Ampico mechanism specifically, will follow in later bulletins. Meanwhile, here are the answers to the pink questions: "WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW" IIGRAND ACTION REGULATING ANSWERS ISSUED BY THE SERVI CE DEPARTMENT OF THE AMP I CO CORPORATION" 1. With keys removed. 2. Action is screwed back to frame after removing keys because this draws frame to the form it takes when completely installed. 3. Yes. This also places key frame in natural position as when completely installed. 4. By thumping front and back of frame to detect high spots - these to be sanded down with fine sandpaper. 5. Grease is removed with fine sandpaper. b. Soapstone finishes key frame and bottom for smooth fitting. 7. Sliding type. 8. After frame is properly fitted screws are turned down on strips of paper all properly adjusted so that each strip of paper is barely locked under each screw. 9. Distance of hammer at rest on cushion or hammer rail. 7/81 1 from top of hammer to underside of string. 10. Shank should not rest on rail - otherwise keys could not be leveled. 11• Shan ks shou1d be ra i sed about 1/811 above ra i 1• 12. To the bass. 13. At bass key frame stop block, placing cardboard of proper thickness between side of piano and stop block. 14. Care should be taken to h9Ve hammers striking three strings strike even on both s ides. Hammers striking two strings favor treble and harrme rs striking one string favor bass. 15. That hammers leave resting point when properly spaced and travel (0 strings, striking at proper point of hammer. 16. By building under flange at either side, causing hansrer to travel to right or left as desired. 17• Yes - spac ing es pecia11y • 18. The jack should be so adjusted that its back edge is in direct 1ine with back edge of wooden tongue in the knuckle. 19. On the jack adjusting screw. 20. Should be so adjusted that top of jack is just a paper thickness below top edge of repetition lever. 21. On repetition lever adjusting screw, 22. When jack is lined too far back on knuckle, it is compelled to drag, causing slugginess. lSZugginess?J 23. When. Jack is lined too far front on knuckle the blow or power to raise hammer is fos t. 24. The raising of whippen to to carry shank"at desired distance from rail. 25. When jack has been properly adjusted in ~elation to shank knuckle and repetition lever, or when shank rests on rail or is too far'from rail. 26. The tripping of jack under knuckle before hammer blocks against string. 27. The hal1l11er should be let off 1/8" maximum from string. At let off button. WHAT YOU SHOULV KNOW (PINK) (oontitd) 28. By letting off one hammer at each end of section; then using a let off guide frame after action is out .~f piano. 29. The drop screw does not trip repetition lever and so lever itself carries { hammer to string. 10. The drop adjustment comes after the let off. It is an adjustment on the drop screw which should be set to cause hammer to fai i 1/32" to 1/16" a fce r le t off takes place. 31. Usually the drop is adjusted to 1/32". 32. Because without it the hammer would block. 33. it is used to carry the weight of shank and hamrne~ away from jack as much as possible, thus allowing jack to return under shank knuckle freely fo~ quick action or better repetition. 34. The touch is the dip of the keys. 35. App rox i rna te 1y 3/8". 36. They both should be the same, measuring oe tween 1/32" and 1/16". 37. A touch plate corresponding with the drop measurement is placed on top of front rai 1 punching. Key is depressed and paper punchings should be filled in so as to necessitate slight pressure before hammer drops. 38. When sharp is fully depressed with touch laved, care should be t2k~n to make 5 u re t hat 5 ha rp tops don 0 t drop be l ow 1eve 1 0 f 'IIhite k~ Y5 • 1 39. Usually 1/32", but the after-touch varies between 1/32" and 1/16 '. 40 By striking two keys medium b l ov, , then releasing one key slightly from check , causing repetition lever to raise that hammer in o rde r to compare checking point. hi. The top of the released hanmer s vou l d be app rox i ma te lv 1/21 t above the top of hammer sti 11 in check. To do t h i s accurately both hammers must check evenly in the beginning. 42. Because there would be a rebound and a danger of strain on the action which would receive the weight of the 6low. The back check eliminates this. }43. By striking key to check and then slightly releasing, thus caus i nq back check to free hammer heel. The repetition lever should raise hammer quickly not not so strongly that it wi1 1 bounce. l~i.!. When repetition lever spring has been removed from its slot use wire hook t c increase the bend of the spring to strengthen. To necrease r,trength rub under spring with hook or decreasing bend. 45. By no means. The smooth curve of the spring mus t a lwavs be preserved. 46. f tis used as an added check aga ins t the b lON of the harrrre r on the act ion shou 1d back check fa i 1 to ca tch hanme r . 4l. By depressing key to check and forcing hammer heel down on check so that it is even with l()V.Ier edge of back check . At this point there should be about 1/32f f movement at the repetition lever. 1 1 48. At about 1/3 of hammer travel or when key h as beer- depressed 1/8 • 49. First, make sure that dampers seat properly on s t r i nqs in order to r s i se squarely. Then check off the start at OF1e damper at each end of each s~ction. Line others with straight edge. 50. After dampers have been laved squarely on strIngs and adjusted to start at proper time. The block off rail is so adju~ted thdt a depressec sharp wi 1: leave about 1/1611 free movement of the damper. 51. It is used to hold individual dampers independent of the sustain!ng pedal. 52. When using the susten~to pedal the tongues on the damper levers are caught with the lip of the sustenuto red holding ur dampers after keys have been released. 53. (a) Sustenuto rod lip should be even 0; exte~d backward slightly when looking dONn from top of rod. (._ ,. (b) Lower edge of lip on sustenuto rod shou l d be even with top ~dge of red tongue on damper levers. , (c) Distance between lip of sustenuto rod and tongue of damper ~~ve~ should be 1/32". 5~·. \a) is adjusted with dONe 1 on trap work. (b ) and (c) are ad jus t.edw i tn brackets holding sustenuto rod. ia' II "IIII'~ 11',rll II" ill RECORVING, COVING, ANV RE-COVING; ARMBRUSTER ON VUO-ART

There were t~ recording pianos In the Duo-Art studio, both 9-foot concert grand Steinways. Neither had Duo-Art mechanisms. As they both fed signals to the control booth, they could be used alternately (in case one was temporarily out of order), or together. This explains how Bauer and Gabril6witsch managed to record Arensky1s ~alt8, q'. 15 without getting their fingers hopelessly entangled. Perhap~ it al~o explains why, although it was an extremely profitable recording for Duo-Art, it was never issued by companies with only one recording piano, although the rapid response required to isolate the theme above the intricate accompaniment might also have been a deterring factor. In a room separated from the· recording pianos by a glass window, the editor (who was highly trained in music) operated the control panel described by W. Creary Woods in the July, 1967 lli.oh. Fi.del.i tu L~agazine: "The artist played at the recording piano while I sat at my desk, As he played, I traced his dynamics and phrasing, using a

series of dials bui It into my desk with a musical score t previously prepared by the artist, before me. A series of wires ran from my desk to the recording device. When thp 0Pr"f()rrnanc~ \·/as over the roli vias ready immediately for ol av in q , Of course, my tracings were never completely accurate:" no matter how many times the artist and I had gone over his conception of the piece beforehand. We would spend long hours together, playing the rollover and over, changing inaccuracies in my dynamic .nu r ca t i on s , contriving to make those musical effects work that the artist had played but that could not be rep roduced , and erasing the p i an i s t ' s mls takes ;" Mr. Woods ~/as in charqe of all the Duo-Art recordings, but he gradually restricted his personal supervision to the classical performances. Robert Armbruster recalls only two full-time recording artists: himself, in charge of operatic, light classical and salon music; and Frank Milne,* in charge of pops and dance music. [This would s u9gest the s tate me n tin Mil ne •s bi 0 9 raphy (AM I CABu11e tin, Vol. 6, No.8, p . 13) , that Rudolph Erlebach was regularly employed there throughout the 'twenties and into the 'thirties (and that he produced the Ampico Bolero attributed to Morton Gould) might be in error. In fact, Erlebach1s name disappears from the Duo-Art recordings quite early.] The other artists were hired on a contract basis. There were four or five editors, one of whom was named "Be t ts!", I asked Mr. Armbruster about the earlier, rrrechanical method of recording to wh i ch the High Fidelity article alluded (a method comparable to Welte's early ones and Ampico's late one), but he repl ied that the control panel was used for his first recording in the 'teens (his 'teens as well as the century's), and was used throughout. He did not know how it work~~, but remembered there were two dials or "pots". These probably would have"been for Accompaniment and Theme pressures. Armbruster thinks there might also have been foot controls, but he couldn 1t be sure. These might have been used to punch the "snakeb i t es" that distinguish Theme from Accompaniment. He doesn~t remember if the device was pneumatic or electric, although Woods' reference to "wires· 1 would indicate it was at least partly electric. A number of people have found it hard to believe Woods' contention t~at the Duo-Art recording machine was able to produce a completely-punched and fully-coded roll during the performance. However, Robert Armbruster vouches that it did just that. The notes, pedalling, dynamics and snakebites were completely punched on a roll of paper 11 1/411 wide as soon as the performance was over. Of course the dynamic coding wasn1t completely satisfactory, but the roll was ready for immediate auditing, and the pianist remained with the editor to dictate the changes, while the mood that had governed ,the recorded interpretation was still fresh in his mind. Mr. Armbruster .aavs it was surpri-sing how few changes were required, and that they were made on lv at the artist's suggestion. He could not testify to the prevalence of changes in pedalling, as this would depend upon each artistfs preference.

* Mr. Armbruster verifies that Milne himself pronounced his name I'MILl ney", and not as I "d thought, to rhyme with "kl 1n". 17 AR~iBRUSTER ON DUO-ART (oon t t d) Also taxing the latter-day credulity is the ability of the control panel operator to time the snakebites to coincide with the accented notes. This needn't have been difficult, if the device was wired to punch the double perfs only when two conditio~_ were met: 1) the foot was on the right (or left) control pedal; and 2) a note was struck on the corresponding half of the keyboard. The fact that so much of the Duo-Art coding relegates treble runs and other intricate fingering to theme coding would suggest that this was accommodated by Just such mechanical logistics. Mr. Armbruster was unable to confirm the rumor that the Duo-Art editors also used phonograph records to aid them in recapturing the dynamics. He was not aware of such a procedure, and never saw a turntable in the Recording Department. He thinks it extremely unlikely, as the phonograph was even less adequate in those days than it is today. Perhaps it was a method used in the English Duo-Art recordings, inasmuch as the rumor is traceable to the series of articles John Farmer did for Recorded Sound Magazine in 1967. Gordon 11es of Artona verifies that the London firm did produce discs for its phonograph, the AEolian Vocal ian, but this neednlt mean there was a tie-in with the reproducer recordings. Armbruster was not aware of the similarities or differences in the American and British recording and editing methods. I had heard rumors that some of the artists couldn 1 t be bothered assisting with the editing of their own recordings, and indeed, Rudolph Ganz verifies that he was entrusted with some details of the Paderewski recordings. However, Robert Armbruster remembers most artists to have been extremely fussy on that point, and since the initial recording was immediately playable before they left the studio, there would seem to be little motivation for them to sacrifice their artistic integrity so capriciously. Harold Bauer has written that Busoni did not help much during the editing, and as a consequence 11- the person who tried to reproduce his special characteristics from memory, fa l le d'". However, the 1924 catalogue states that Busoni recorded in London, so this might further indicate a difference in methods. Mr. Armbruster verifies that the popular rolls were also done using the same control panel recording machine, and that both pops and classical recordings had to be approved by their artists before they were issued, although the pops, of course, required less editing (one can't quite feature Frank Banta getting picky about "nuances"}, When the approval was not granted, they would either rework the editing or re-record until it wftS satisfactory, or abandon it if they felt the performance wasn't important. / Armbruster knew George Gershwin quite well, and attended the recording of Rhapsody in BLue. In fact, as the 250 Most P~uLar Duo-Art Recordings folder recently reprinted by Barden & Clark lists this composition among the "Fi f tv Most Popular Salon" [I], this most significant of all reproducer recordings Just might have developed within Armbruster's department. However, he cou1dn lt remember why the second half was released by 1927 and the first half delayed until 1928. He is sure that Gerhswin recorded the complete composition in the first session. We can only' conjecture that Gershwin would not approve the editing of the first half, but the second half was rushed out to meet the publication deadline of the 127 catalogue and/or a monthly bulletin. [Bi 11 Coverdale points out that the serial nunner immediately prior to Part II IS has not yet been traced to an issued recording. Part I's serial number is in the 1928 context, and was probably a completely new re-recording. ] The entire recording process seems to inspire incredulousness. In my reply to Henderson (AHICA Bulletin, 6:7:11) I expressed disbelief that a qualified editor would not use a "proper punching tool" to effect changes in the punched roll. ( However, while Edgar Fairchild testifies that he used the point of a pencil to make the Ampico codIng changes requested by R.chm.ninov and others (AHICA Bulletin, ~_6':9: 10), ftobert Armbruster says the Duo-Art editors used a penknife to provide missing holes on the origln.1 Duo-Art recordlngsl. Superfluous holes (wrong notes, ARMBRUSTER ON VUO-ATrr (aon t rdJ 18 excess volume, etc.) were covered at AEolian by court plaster - the tiny gummed patches that were used for ladies' beauty marks! However, Mr. Armbruster adds, "I think a punch was used for single dots and to advance a no te", [This latest testimony indicates that the knifed & patched rolls found by Dale & Sally Lawrence and turned over to Henderson were not concert re-editings of standard issues as Henderson had assumed; but the original working copies of the recordings from which all subsequent production copies evolved.] After the original punched recording was corrected with penknife and court plaster and approved by the recording artist, it was fed through a machine which read the perforations and drew corresponding lines with styli on a wide cardboard roll on which the trackerbar slots were preprinted. These lines were subsequently hand punched (this is probably vJhere the bridging was added) to form the master from which the production copies were madeQ Armbruster indicated the flexible cardboar~ was about the width of his coffee table (approx. 20" wide).

While l i c r en i nc t r. pry taped recording of liThe Stein Song", which Duo-Art recording he did as llGene Waldron'l, Robert Armbruster suddenly stiffened, for his rnos l c lan ' s ear detected no fewer than three hands on the keyboard. He said the third hand was penknifed in after the recording was made. With the exception of cutting an extra hand into such frivolities as liThe Stein Sonq!' or such busy orchestral reductions as the SyZvia Ballet Music, it is rather surprising that AEolian was almost meticulously fussy about the I'integrity" of their four-hand arrangements, in view of the cheating they could have done without detection. For instance, Armbruster first recorded the primo part of his four-hand arrangements. After it went through the complete editing process (short of punching the large master roll), it was then played on a Duo-Art while he recorded the secunda part. The two were later combined onto one roll. [Neither of the two recording pianos were Duo-Arts, so one presumes there was a third piano in the recording studio.] 'suspect the second part could have been as effectively accomplished by penknife since coordination would have to be forced anyway, but at least this more complicated process would serve to placate the fidelity purists. Mr. Armbruster points out that "- it would have taken many man-hours" to do it by hand, but they might have been less costly man-hours than the artistls and editor's. The process was even more complicated when involving pianists of Harold Bauerts temperament. To save him the necessity of imagining the other part of a duet, they would have another artist record with him. Mr. Armbruster recalls taking part in recordi~ such a duet for the Bauer of a Sa i n t r Saens composition. Inasmuch as the labelling of such one-name duets was rather ambiguous (they can sometimes - but not always - be identified by '-With Orchestral Accompaniment Adapted and Added by -':), one would assume this performance would have sufficed. Certainly, Bauerls interpretation of the primo part would have prevailed in any event. However, Woods was apparently a purist to equal the most nit-picking of fidelity buffs. (Are you ready for this?) After the dual performance, Woods would have alZ of Armbrusterls contributions covered over, and Bauer would then re-record that part in conjunction with the patched-up recording! Think of it - enough court plaster to keep Theda Bara supplied with beauty marks throughout Eternityl In the final result, all of the notes had actually be~n recorded by Bauer - and Armbruster had performed solely for Baue r l s convenience. This lifidelityl:* is especially surprising in view of the fact that the AEolian publicists apparently never took advantage of it~ This procedure might have been abandoned later, as the 1929 supplement to the 127 catalogue quite honestly admits that the "Speeial.lu adapted" recordings of Frederic Lamond playing Beethoven's Eroiaa Symphony were partly recorded and partly cut:

* The quotes signify that I find it rather ironic to be concerned about be;ng faithful to an impossible performance - that of one art i s r with four 'iands ! ~ ARMBRUSTER ON VUO-ART (cant'd)

'~ith rare devotion and painstaking labor, Mr. Lamond has adapted this colossal symphony for the Duo-Art by making a new piano version from the orchestral score .. and the piano arrangement for four hands. After recording this, he went over the rolls in the Duo-Art Recording Studio and indicated various additions of notes and groups of notes beyond the power of any two hands to play. These additional parts were cut in under his supervision; and the result is a superb, set of Duo-Art records of one of the greatest of musical masterpieces. 1I I haven't examined these recordings, but maybe "rnaki nq a new piano version from the orchestral score and the piano arrangement for four hands" meant that the four hands were recorded as before, in two sessions, and a fifth hand was cut in for orchestration not included in the standard piano version. It would certainly seem that the recording set-up would make it much more convenient to record any two-hand part, while only one-hand embellishments might be more expediently cut in. In this context, I must repeat an anecdote related by Mr. Armbruster. It will perhaps be in questionable taste in a bulletin circulated to jndividuals of diverse discretionary discernment, but I am compelled by my self-imposed pretensions to reporting accuracy - and also because I personally think it's funny. Those who prefer to avoid exposure to Life1s earthier humor will choose to skip the next paragraph. When Armbruster was required to perform one of his four-hand arrangements on a promotional radio program in the Midwest, a rather naive lady announcer attempted to explain how this was done - that the primo part had been recorded alone on a Duo-Art roll, and the same pianist would now perform the secunda part live with the recording. In conclusion, she proudly announced, "And nOt-/ we'll hear Burgmein's F:c-~nJa and CoZumbine, with Robert Armbruster playing with himself at the Duo-Art!" Trying to retain his composure, Armbruster looked to the control room for fortitude, but the technicians had collapsed to the floor, while the nettled female registered an expression of "What 1d I say, what'd 1 sav?" She never did learn the implication of her remark. Julius Chaloff remembers noticing the flatness of a performance once the visual effects of the artist are removed (AMICA Bulletin, 6:11:19). Ampico1s recording artists therefore had to somewhat exaggerate their dynamics to replace some of the emotional impact of the dramatic movements they used on the concert stage. Robert Armbruster discovered the same thing quite early at AEolian. He particularly remembers the shortness of the Zuj1pause - that sustained interval toward the end of a phrase or in "a schmaltzy r i t ard" when the performer wi 11 raise his arm and hold his hand suspended over the keyboard (frequently with a facial expression of exquisite pain, depending upon the histrionic tendencies of the performer). The spectacle of the suspended hand tends to hypnotize the audience, and makes the interval seem much longer than it really is. On an unmanned reproducing piano (the same thing would apply to a phonograph), the recorded interval is realistically short, so some method had to be devised to enable the artist to lengthen it for the desired effect. After some experimentation, Armbruster found that the act of standing up and bowing to the man at the control panel took up just the right amount of time for a satisfying blind Zuftpause. In fact, the effectiveness of this .ginmick resulted in his being offered the full-time job at AEolian. Whi 1e occupied with the recording of Love Sends a LittZe Gift of Roses (ila horrible ll ballad" recorded by "Robert Summers ), giving it all the pizazz for which his marvelous rubato is renONned, and interspersed with little gentlemanly bONs to the editor, Armbruster became aware that someone had entered the recording studio behind f him. After the performance he turned to see a wide-eyed Paderewski t who inquired, ,- "What is this extraordinary performance you're doing, young man?1I Abashed, the young Zuftpauseur explained the technique, and was surprised to hear Paderewski, after some reflection, agree with him! He suspects the famous Pole might have used it himself afterwards. He found Paderewski to be extremely personable and erudite. 4 1.3~' ARMBRUSTER ON VUO-ATrr (cont'dJ 20

He also expressed particular admiration for Rudolph Ganz and Alexander Siloti. Both top-flight virtuosi, they were more,generous with their encouragement to young performers than Armbruster would have expected. Either would be drawn into a discussion about pianistic techniques at the slightest provocat~on, and would envariably end up performing recitals to illustrate their points to their awed admirers. Mr. Armbruster remained deliberately free of technical familiarity throughout his career - not only of the reproducer recording and reperforming apparati, but of electronic equipment as well. He feels the musician should stick to his last, or he might make of himself one of those nuisances who presume to advise the experts on matters of which they have learned very 1ittle. However, he is most generous in commending the technicians with whom he's worked, saying they were extremely sensitive to sound values, but never attempted to interfere in matters of musical interpretation. Although this mutual respect and cooperation undoubtedly made for pleasant working conditions and many fine recordings, it denies us some valuable technical information until we can locate some of the men who worked with the mechanisms. For one thing, every time there vias a significant engineering change to the Duo-Art system, a new piano wou ld be delivered to Armb r us te r ' s apartment for recommendations. Howeve r , he doesn ' t recall the dates of any of these deliveries, nor did he ever ask about the changes. He simply listened to the instruments and evaluated the effectiveness of the resu 1ts. Although he worked wi t h the editors in the adjustment of his recorded dynamics, his involvement was limited to commenting on the effects achieved. He did not fully understand how the editor's use of court plaster and penknife achieved the results he requested. In fact, he seems to have had the idea that the dynamic coding on the right influenced only the treble portion of the keyboard, while that on the left controlled the bass. [Briefly, the "Accompan lrnen t!' on the left controls the entire keyboard until a "snakeb i t e!' on either side switches that side for a split second to control of the !ITheme" coding on the right.] However, he did notice one technique the familiar one of advancing a theme note slightly ahead of accompaniment notes when all were struck at the same time on the same side of the keyboard. This permits the louder note to receive pressure from the Theme chamber, while the later ones revert to Accomnaniment. Exclu~ive of the different volume attainable, this also has a subtle psychological effect which is beautifully explained by Nelson Barden in FideZity and the Ampico (AMICA Bulletin, 6:11:17 - revised version available from Barden & Clark). An inter~~t;n~ - though perhaps trivial - contrast: Barden says Ampico taped the accompaniment nntes Dack, whi Ie Armbruster says Duo-Art cut the theme note ahead. Mr. Armbruster feels that the reproducers· inability to replay the varying pressure given to different notes in a chord is a limitation of which the electronic recordings are free - although it is perhaps not as serious as the totally different drawbacks of the electronic recordings, which he thinks are still especially inadequate in the reproduction of the piano. I reminded him that such subtle tricks as he had described gave the imppession of accenting one note in a chord, and that the human ear usually could not detect the deception. He agreed, but pointed out that the problem was not in the playback, but in the recording. Although the distinctive variation in finger pressure serves to identify the pianist1s IItouchll to other musicians, he says the pianist himself usually can1t explain what he did to achieve that touch. During the editing process, he can perhaps notice that a chord "doesn l t sound right'·, but he can1t tell the editor why. I ventured the opinion that any such effect of which the pianist didn't have conscious control might not be especially pertinent to his performance, but Mr. Armbruster insisted such effects we~e deliberate, if instinctive. This explains why the various companies insisted their editors be hig~ly qualified musicians with a mechanical inclination, for they frequently had to understand the artistls technique better than the artist did himself. Many pianists are properly ll trained in pianistic IIg i nvn icks in the beginning of their studies, but the resulting :":1 ARb.fBRUSTER ('N VUO-ART Lconi t d)

effects are frequently not explained to them. After these techniques become ingrained the artist will sometimes account for their effects by resorting to a musical mvs t i que to cover up for the lack of a thorough understanding of the mechanics and psychology involved. A pianist once attempted to demonstrate to me that a rotating mot ion of the hand over a depressed key would influence the "tone!' of the note that had just been struck! Anyone familiar with the piano action knows that the singing strings are at that point completely free of contact with all other moving parts of the piano, and no amount of massaging on the key is going to influence those strings. The rotating motion was probably a technique taught to accomplish an emotional effect in rubato (it would naturally serve to delay the striking of the next note) and/or legato, but of course this was not explained during the instruction - and indeed was probably not fully understood by the teacher. Such a believer in the mystique is not going to be impressed by a reproducing piano, which obviously has no hand to perform the magical revolutions over the keyboard, even though it can manage to perform the more mundane requirement of sustaining one note and delaying the next for the same period of time. The recording artist may have needed the rolling motion to aid his timing, but the recording mechanism needs only to measure that timing to successfully recreate it. Another pianist mistook a Leschetizky lesson in legato/staccato to imply that a key "struck" and the same key "pushed" would produce different "tones" - even though their volume be identical (the hammer velocity the same). Oddly enough, this supporter of the mystique also believes in the effectiveness of the reproducers, although he doesn't explain how an Ampico or Duo-Art manages to "s t r i ke" a key one time and "push!' another, both at the same vo 1ume. All of which indicates that the fidelity of reproducer recordings probahly wouldnlt be questioned so much if the punched rolls werenlt available for detailed inspection,

and if nuts like myself we ren t t forever trying to ferret out the many psychological and mechanical quirks used by the editors to manipulate our artistic sensibi lities. But frankly, 1 1 m much less concerned about the ambiguous "fi de l i tv!' than I am fascinated by the ingenuity of the reproducers' designers and editors. So they "foo le d" the artists and audiences of the day - fooled everybody but the pedantics who spend long hours staring at the rolls and crying IIAha! A.nother infidel ity!" Who does that make foolish - the editors, artists and impressed critics, or the guy who worries about how he's been hoodwinked?

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VATING> THE VUU-ART CATALUGUES Bi 11 Coverdale is trying to date the supplemented 1927 Duo-Art catalogues, and a good thing, too. The original 1927 issue contains 480 pages, and mentions the date. However, the supplerrented versions don't indicate the later date they cover. I had thought my 5l9-page job was a 128 issue, but evidence n~J indicates it might be 129, while the Sal-page edition must be updated to 1931. If any of you have a different page count, please write to Bill at Route 2, Waynesville, Ohio, 45068. Tell him the number of pages and the highest roll numbers in the several series listed in the supplemental pages beyond 4BO.

11111111111111111111.1111111111111111111111111111111111til ADDENDA After I'd typed the article on page 6 and before he had to return to Georgia, Ed Hayden spent the entire July 4th weekend updating the AMICA membership List and producing the las t: complete version of it to be ieeued this year. It wiLl, be mailed l~- eeparatielq later. Just before bhat, Gar- Bntten had spent many hours updating the ,, maiZing list on Ed's Plexaari.te», I'm indebted to these men for their generous contribution of time - and if you're sti ZZ raeceiving the bul.lebin, you should be, too. The beaut-iful: Duo-Art: ad on page 15 was from the February~ 1925 Vogus Magaaine, and was thoughtfuZly provi-ded by Southem CaZiforrnia Chapter Reporter, Sam Thompson.

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