,.

.~ fE' ;_ (J ~~~ase '-. Established 1875 t "America's Finest Piano"

The C~lg~

He-presents the Artist's Playing

A. 8. CHASE PIANO CO. Dit1ilion

UNITED PIANO CORPORATION ~ Executive Office,: Norwalk, Ohio

CELCO REPRODUCING MEDIUM, THE.-The Celco Reproducing Medium is the latest achievement in the art of re-presenting the whole range of music plus the interpretation of great pianists. It embodies some of the most recent inventions in this field of endeavor, and is made in one of the largest plants in the world devoted to the manufacture of player actions. It embodies improvements based on many years of experience and which are to be found in no other mechanism. Notable among these features is the floating crescendo and diminuendo, which allows a gradual increase or decrease of tone volume without resorting to a series of up and down steps. It is claimed that at any moment during the time the diminu­ endo or crescendo valves are in operation, the intensity may be increased from any given point, which offers a limitless range in the degree of force with which any note may be struck. This feature completely eliminates any suggestion of mechanical limitations. A large and well-balanced library of music rolls is available for use for the Celco Reproducing Medium. This collection of recordings contains much of the best in classical music as well as the popular dance music of the day. The Celco equipped piano may be used also as a regular player piano, it being possible to disengage the automatic mechanism and make use of sensitive control buttons for personal interpretation. The Celco Reproducing Medium is available in the A. B. Chase, Emerson and Lindeman & Sons pianos, all of which are manufactured under the control of the United Piano Corporation, to which refer. CHASE, A. B., PIANO CO.-Established in 1875. The A. B. Chase Piano Co., factories and executive offices are located at Norwalk, Ohio. The officers are: J. H. Williams, president; J. H. Shale, treasurer, and S. B. Keilholtz, secretary. These men are highly qualified for the important offices they hold in this prominent concern. The company has built up a nation-wide reputation for producing instruments of the highest quality. Only the very best materials are used in the construction of A. B. Chase pianos, and the most skilled workmen, with years of training and experience, are employed at the factories. Early in 1922 this company became a division of the United Piano Corporation. The manufacturing end of the business is now under the personal supervision of James H. Williams, well known in the piano trade, who has established a reputation through his successful connections of previous years with other great piano houses. The affairs of the company are in the hands of men who are well known throughout the trade, and whose ideals and ambitions are the production of musical instruments of the highest artistic quality. Many of the men in the personnel of the A. B. Chase factory have devoted their lives to the production of A. B. Chase pianos. The average length of service in the interests of the A. B. Chase Co. is thirty-one years. The manufacturing capacity of the A. B. Chase factory is 3600 pianos per year. The line includes uprights, grands, concert grands and player pianos. A. B. Chase grands are also equipped with the Celco Reproducing Medium. The Celco Reproducing Medium is the latest achievement in the art of re-presenting the whole range of music plus the interpretations of great pianists. Embodying the newest inven­ tions of this field of artistic endeavor is it is capable of striking any note at any time with any degree of force, thus making possible perfect reproduc-_ tion of the artist's individual interpretations. A large and well balanced library of music rolls satisfies every demand, from the classics to the popular /­ dance music of the day. The A. B. Chase line is represented by some the largest and most successful dealers throughout the country, who find it a ready seller where quality is of first consideration. The A. B. Chase is the official piano for the Scotti Grand Opera Company, The San Carlos Grand Opera Company and the Society of American Singers. It is also the first choice of some of the most famous orchestra leaders, including Paul Whiteman, of New York and E. A. Benson, of Chicago. The A. B. Chase piano is to be found in some of the finest residences in America, including the White House in Washington. The financial standing of the company is unquestionable. See also page 115 THE AMICA BULLETIN ~\ AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls. AMICA was founded In San Francisco, California in 1963. ROBIN PRATT, PUBLISHER, 515 SCOTT STREET, SANDUSKY, OH 44870-3736 - Phone 419-626-1903 Associate Editors: Emmett M. Ford and Richard J. Howe

VOLUME 30, Number 3 MAY/JUNE, 1993 AMICA BuLLETIN Display and Classified Ads FEATURES Articles for Publication Letters to the Publisher A Rhenish Rhomance 85 Chapter News Single copies of back issues Artistic Restraint: The Sustaining Pedal 94 ($5.00 per issue - based upon availability) Fidelity and the Ampico 105 Robin Pratt Artist's Corner 116 515 Scott Street Sandusky, OH 44870-3736 The Man Behind the Dour Mask 120 419 - 626-1903 Conlon Nancarrow in Concert 122 UPCOMING PUBLICATION DEADLINES Player-Piano Concert at the Ludwig Hupfeld Factory! 126 The ads and articles must be received by the Publisher on the I st of the '""~ Piano Company Lightens Tune in Timber Town 132 Odd number months: January March May DEPARTMENTS July September AMICA Officers, Chapter Officers, Affiliates 82 November Bulletins will be mailed on the 1st PresidentlPublisher's Notes 83 week of the even months. Tech Tips - Duo-Art Accordion Pneumatics 127 Chapter News 133 Classified Ads 139 MEMBERSHIP SERVICES New Memberships COVER ART: Renewals Address changes and corrections Front Cover: Read Publisher's Notes Directory information updates Additional copies of Member Directory Inside Cover: 1925 edition of ...'The Purchasers Guide to the Music Industries" Mike Barnhart 919 Lantern Glow Trail Back Cover: Aeolian Roll Catalogue from the late 60's - early 70's Dayton, Ohio 45431 513-254-5580 To ensure timely delivery of your BULLETIN, please allow 6-weeks advance notice of address changes.

Entire contents © 1993 AMICA International

8\ AMICA INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS CHAPfER OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Mel Septon BOSTON AREA NOlUHERN LIGHTS Pres. Bill Koenigsberg Pres: Craig Remmon 7 9045 North Karlov " Skokie, Illinois 60076 Vice Pres: Tony Misianos Vice Pres: Donald Jones 708-679-3455 Sec: Charlie Randazzo & Sec: Jason Beyer Barbara McFall Treas: Robert & Katheryn Dumas Treas: Alan Jayne Reporter: Kay Dumas PAST PRESIDENT Ron Connor Ruth Anderson Reporter: Don Brown Route 4, Rogers, Arkansas W56 Board Rep: Craig Remmon 501-636-1749 Bd. Rep: Sandy Libman PffiLADELPmA AREA CffiCAGOAREA VICE PRESIDENT Maurice Willyard Pres: Paul Dietz Pres: Marty Persky Vice Pres: Brian Helfrich 1988 NW Palmer Lane Vice Pres: Dee Kabouras Sec: Diane Wagner Bremerton, WA 98310 Sec: James Doheny Treas: Bob Taylor Treas: Elsa Pekarek Reporter: Lynn Wigglesworth SECRETARY Sally Lawrence Reporter: Margaret Bizberg Board Rep: Bob Rosencrans 837 Coventry Road Bd. Rep: Mike Schwimmer SIERRA-NEVADA Kensington, California 947fJ7 Pres: Bob Patton 415-526-8438 FOUNDING CHAPI'ER Pres: Don Ellison Vice Pres: Kathy Cochran Sec: Tom Hawthorn Vice Pres: Pat Clemens TREASURER Janet Tonnesen Treas: Virginia Clark 903 Sandalwood Sec: Bing Gibbs Reporter: Ed Baehr Richardson, Texas 75080 Treas: Sandy Swirsky Board Rep: Ray Bauer 214-235-4497 Reporter: Rob Thomas Bd. Rep: Bob Wilcox SOWNY (Southern Ontario, Western NY) PUBLISHER Robin Pratt GATEWAY CHAPI'ER Pres: John Cairns 515 Scott Street Pres: Cynthia Craig Vice Pres: Rick Drewniak Sandusky, Ohio 44870-3736 Vice Pres: Joe Lorberg Sec: Anne Lemon 419-626-1903 Sec: Treas: Holly Walter Treas: Dorothy Ruprecht Membership Sec: Mike Walter (Amer.) MEMBERSmp SECRETARY Mike Barnhart Historian: Larry Hollenberg Laurie Taylor (Can.) Photographer: Bill McCleary Board Rep: Cynthia Craig 919 Lantern Glow Trail Reporter: Ada Cairns Dayton, Ohio 45431 HEART OF AMERICA Board Rep: Nancy & Ed Group 513-254-5580 Pres: Linda Bird SOUTHEAST AREA ~..- Vice Pres: Bill Pohl Pres: David Oppenheim COMMITTEES Sec/Treas: Betty Ann Olmsted Vice Pres: John Daly Reporter: Willa Daniels TECHNICAL Harold Malakinian Sec: Wayne Fisher Board Rep: Ron Bopp Treas: Don Winter 2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098 Reporter: Wayne Fisher LADY LIBERTY Board Rep: John O'Laughlin ARCHIVES Bob Rosencrans Pres: Bill Albrecht 109 Cumberland Place, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Vice Pres: Joe Conklin SOUTHERN CHAPI'ER Sec: Richard Carlson Pres: Shirley Nix PUBLICATIONS Robin Pratt Vice Pres: Herb Mercer Treas: John Ellems 515 Scott St., Sandusky, OH 44870 Sec: Frank Nix Reporter: Randy Herr Treas: Ken Hodge AUDIO-VISUAL Harold Malakinian Board Rep: Diane Polan Reporter: Ken Hodge 2345 Forest Trail Drive, Troy, MI 48098 MIDWEST Board Rep: Mary Lilien Pres: Bob Porter CONVENTION COORDINATOR Liz Barnhart TEXAS 919 Lantern Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431 Vice Pres: Harold Malaldnian Pres: Sal Mele Sec: Judy Barnick Vice Pres: Wade Newton HONORARY MEMBERS Dorothy Bromage Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Sec/Treas: Janet Tonnesen 157 School Street, Gorham, ME 04038 Reporter: Henry Trittipo Reporter: Bob Butters Board Rep: Liz Barnhart Board Rep: Richard Tonnesen

AFFILIATED SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS AUSTRALIAN COLLEcroRS INTERNATIONAL PIANO NETHERLANDS MECHANICAL PLAYER PIANO GROUP OF MECHANICAL MUSICAL ARCHIVES AT MARYLAND ORGAN SOCIETY - KDV (England) INSTRUMENTS Neil Ratliff, Music Library 1. L.M. Van Dinteren Frances Broadway clo 4 Lobellia Street Hornbake 3210 Postbus 147 39 Sydner Road Chatswood, N.S.W. 2067, College Park, Maryland 20742 6160 AC Geleen, Netherlands Stoke Newington Australia London N16 7UF, England NORTHWEST PLAYER PIANO MUSIC BOX SOCIETY ASSOCIATION SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF DUTCH PIANOLA ASSOC. INTERNATIONAL Raymond and Dorothy Ince MECHANICAL MUSICAL Nederlandse Pianola Vereniging Corresp. Sec'y.: Marguerite Fabel 4 Barrowby Lane INSTRUMENTS Kortedijk 10 Rt. 3, Box 205 Leeds LS15 8PT, England Jurgen Hocker r 2871 CB Schoonhouen, Morgantown, IN 46160 Eichenweg 6, D-5060 Gergisch, G1adbach; Netherlands SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Germany Division of Musical History Washingtom, D.C. 20560 By now all of you have hopefully received your 1993 Convention President's Message registration package in the mail. For those of you who have attended an AMICA or Musical Box Society convention in the past, you know how much fun these meetings always are. For those who have never attend­ ed such an event, a few words of encouragement to attend this years' "sure to be fantastic" joint convention in Los Angeles. I have yet to belong to any organization where so many individu­ als from different walks of life become friends as quickly as they do in our hobby. We have executives of major corporations, homemakers, doctors, farmers, shipping room clerks, assembly line workers, teach­ ers, piano technicians etc., etc., etc., who become friends the first few minutes of each convention. I have never met a collector with a huge collection that wasn't eager to socialize with a fellow collector even if that collector had only one piano or music box in hislher collection. If you have never been to a convention and are worried about not knowing anyone there, put your worries aside and register for the 1993 joint AMICAIMBSI Convention. Several hundred soon to be close friends will be waiting for you.

Friendly Mel Septon AMICA President

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Arden continued A Rhenish Romance by: Robin Pratt his studies at the American Conservatory of Music. He was one of the most prolific of Ampico's popular song recorders. Although nearly two dozen rolls were issued under his real name, most were released under his professional name. He also did many four-hand rolls with Adam Carroll as well as other artists. His Ampico career was interrupted by an eight year absence when he recorded for QRS. He returned as an exclusive Ampico artist in March 1928. Later he recorded for Victor, Brunswick, Vocalion and Okeh. Arden was pianist for the All Star Trio and played in duo with Phil Ohman on radio and in musical shows. He conducted a number of radio shows including Manhattan Merry Go Round and helped orchestrate such stage shows as Lady Be Good, Funny Face and Oh, Kay (all by Gershwin). He also made some movie shorts. Two of his original compositions are available on Ampico rolls. Honeymoon Waltz A flat, Arden and Williams 20046E Why is THIS on the cover??? you may ask. Well, did you Round the Town, Arden and Lambert 56303D ever wonder what piano roll artists did before they were estab­ lished artists? I came across several of these libretto/scores at I don't have either of these rolls, but since I do have the a sale 'and was surprised to see that Luis Fuiks was the main score from the college show, it certainly would be interesting composer for the University of Chicago's Blackfriars produc­ to compare and see if either of these numbers were developed tion of "A Rhenish Romance". Following are some photos, from his early days. Rehashed as it were, since that was an the story line and a selection from the show. In the complete EXTREMELY COMMON process used by all composers. book are all of the musical numbers with also the entr'acts, Gershwin's, "The Man I Love" is made up from at least overture and finale. Not great music, but it's nice to see some- two former songs. The verse and the chorus both being from --=- body's roots, as it were. separate, failed compositions. Keep searching, there is still a The Elaine Obenchain AMPICO book says: treasure-trove of items waiting to be saved out there! VICTOR ARDEN (born Lewis J. Fuiks)b. ca. 1893­ Happy Hunting! Wenona, IL., d. July 31, 1962, at age 69, New York, New Robin Pratt York.

83 Letter to the Editor . ..

MICHAEL BROADWAY 39, Sydner Road Stoke Newington PIANOLIST London N16 7UF /r ENGLAND '\ Tel: 071 254 6145 Fax: 071 249 0130

Robin Pratt, 515 Scott Street, 5330;' Sandusky OH 44870-3736 U.S.A. 14th April, 1993 THE CUCKOO QUt\kfLT Allegro con brio. Op.27 Firat Movement Dear Robin Pratt, SCHAAF ;")',:-::j,: \;oPYl'ighft",J l~)i;. Many thanks indeed for Bulletin 30/5 which arrived today; it is !·:d .':;1:,11 O. ~." !1;~:d. magnificent - two pages of photos of tea parties seems the right balance! I was particularly interested in the article concerning Edward Schaaf; although I cannot agree with the writer when he says that the player­ ~~f'7'~~1j,"~ ~!~~~ I piano has "evenness of tonal intensity, and lack of expressive powers", ~, .. and I hope that I have proved this wrong in my concerts and radio ~t,~J, broadcasts on the Pianola. '. . .,,!'l in my own collection of rolls J have six of Schaaf's compositions: .:~ the first two listed are issued rolls, and the remaining four are .")( )~ I think made on a Leabarjan perforator. .-, The Cuckoo Quartet Op.27 First movt. Royal Music Roll Co. 5330 Ballade No.3 Ballade No.3 Op.39 (The Devil in the Belfry - Poe) International 5025 0"..'" London Bridge is Falling Down Op.37 NO.4 Leabarjan (T!·,e DeVil in the !-;" .')'. ',.".) 5,,1:;'0 ; Symphony No.2 1st movt. Leabarjan ,F Untitled ~ ~::'?':"'" Sweet Lavender Composer's player piano transcription, from a song setting; by Edward Schaaf (written in ink. Autograph?)

I hope this is of some help. Publisher's Note: "Wig-Wag" - ~~~} Richard Dearborn, Lawrenceville, NJ also has a copy ofroll by ~~-0-~ Edward Schaaf

. .i"." ~~~_." ~"';zr" .~"'~J.., '1: ,~

' ..... ~.

[f;~_.·· bl~ . "r:' .lY~,&.~~: r . '. #. : .., .' .. ,r., :y' ~ s~ ~ ::,~ro'. <'4; '. 0 "'1 . 1 , .. ,E w~4 S4 ~ . '/,:-;,...-.:-" ~ .. :~~: . ·r 85 BROTHERS OF THE ORDER ])onald D. Delan,' Harold D. Moore Arthur Teninga George ,V. Caldwell Stanley M. Banks Henry C. Shull Ralph Cornwell Chauncey Scott Arthur W. Rogers J. Phelps ,Vood Lewis J. Fuiks Stellan \Vindrow Lucius Hilton Lyndon Lesch C. A. Siedschlag James Dyrenforth Vernon Brown Bruce King Alexander Vaughn C: Percy Dake Craig Redmond Max Cornwell Vaughn Gunnell Robel't Willett Sherman O. Cooper Rov"lancl Geoq;-e Alvin Hanson Harold Huls Emerson Axe John Nuveen. Jr. Harold Moore Paul Russell Donald Hops \Vade Bender Hamilton Walter Dan Brown ])un lap Cia rl< Francis Broomell Arthur Hayford Charles G. Parker nifforrl Plume James Webb Sig-mond Cohen H. C. Vogtel H. P. Henry C. Philip Mill"r William 'Wiley Raymond B. \Vhitehead Judson S. Tyley Lindsey J. Wait Rnlph Davis Hownr'l CopIe,' Hnymond A. An'lerson Roy Doolan Orrin Zoline Fred Burc)hn Slif"r A Rhenish Rhomance

RICHARD E. MEYERS ROBERT E. TUTTLE

Bretzendorf is a small town in the valley of the Rhine. It is a quaint old village, delightfully picturesque in its fragrant provincial life. Its people still preserve the customs and believe the legends of their Teutonic forefathers, and display in their buildings and dress a pleasing ignorance of Progress. Into this village strayed two erstwhile American actors out of a job, both wearied with fatigue and hunger. One, Sam Shine, had not allowed the pangs of hunger to prevent him from admiring the beautiful scenery, but his compatriot, Tony Pratt, was too disconso­ late to allow his stomach to be satisfied by the aesthetic and could think of food alone. Thus it was with keen satisfaction that they welcomed Katinka, a nimble-witted and coquettish peasant girl, whose basket of fruits and vegetables the tactful Sam bought with his fraternity pin. After having eaten voraciously our wanderers decided that the time had come when their appetites would no longer allow them to be men of leisure and parted for an hour's hunt for jobs. It so happened that on this very same day the peasants and townspeople came dressed in festive attire to celebrate the birthday of the Princess Irmengard. Her father, Rudolph of Bretzendorf, wished the Princess to marry Otto von Altenburg, a rich and powerful neighbor, but it was rumored among the village folk that she loved another - a foreigner - an American. It was just a week's time until the day of her betrothal to Otto. And then the plot boiled harder, for into quaint old Bretzendorf came Martin Cole, Irmengard's true lover, a young, wealthy Chicagoan fresh from college, but appointed Consul to Bretzendorf, with our old friend Sam Shine as his valet. While Sam and Charlotte, Irmengard's companion, were entering into acquaintance, Martin and Irmengard planned to elope aided by Sam Shine. However, their plans were interfered with by Otto and his newly hired accomplice - no other than Tony Pratt. The elopement was thwarted by a shot fired by Tony, which brought a squad of guards and gendarmes upon the scene. Martin ordered the guards to release Sam as an American citizen, but woefully was unable to enforce his authority for he found that his credentials were missing and was himself subject to arrest unless he could produce the papers within a week. A week soon passed and the town was decorated with flowers in celebration of the betrothal of the Princess to Otto. In the mean­ time, Tony Pratt had been hiding in an enchanted well cared for from above by the coquettish Katinka, who finally learned that it was Otto who had stolen the papers from the American's wallet. Sam had been released during the week and had rapidly become a victim to the charm of Charlotte, who was eager to learn the Star Spangled Banner and sail to America with her lover. Marty had failed to locate his papers but nevertheless had persuaded Irmengard that he truly was the American Consul. One ray of light drew forth another, for Katinka cleverly secured the papers from Otto and tossed them to Tony, eve-napping in the bottom of the well. The bright girl soon won the love of Tony, who agreed that she should cook for him always. The hour came for the betrothal and Irmengard was heavy of heart, as she thought of marrying the man she did not love. In the midst of the ceremony a noise and a commotion was heard outside and Marty, breaking through the guards, came before the throng and exposed Otto's treach­ erous acts. To complete our story we must secure the hand of Irmengard for Marty - and that is just what happened. The degraded Otto was banished from Bretzendorf and Marty was betrothed to the Princess Irmengard. Joy then did e'er prevail.

87 ffA 1Rl1ruinl1 1Rl1owaurr H

THE CHARACTERS In order of appearance '-( Sam Shine STELLAN S. 'WINDROW, '17 Tony Pratt JAMER DYRENFORTH, '16 Katinka JOHN W. BANISTER, '] 8 HlIdolph CHAR. BREASTED, '19 Otto MILTON FRANK, '19 JI'lllcllgal'd :YIORTON HowARD, '] 9 Charlotte , NORMAN K DUEHHI'\TG, '] 9 Marty " ...... CHARLES SOUTTER, '16 THE CnOTU;SES

'VI NI'~ (; IIlLS IHI'I'('" noys IHI'I'f'" (aRI.S

'(~(~Ol'g'e V'll. Tr(\v~I·. '17. Wallace Miller. 'H. Yrank P. nl'ec){enri(l~·e. Stanley M. Black, '1~ Arno U. Ilhlhorl1, '1~1 Stanley M. Dlacl<. '1~. '19 Albe,·t H. Gairt, 'J9 ,Joseph Hibbard, 'J:). Clarence C. Neff, J 8. Goodell Crawfo"d, '19 .Joseph Hibbard, '19 Albert H. Gairt. ·UI. (;orrlon Van-Kir'k, 'J 9. James C. Hemphill, 19. Lawrence Jacques: J9 I':arl E. Sproul, 'J8. Harry H. McCosh. '19. Harry H. McCosh, 'J 9 George W. Traver, 'J7. (;oorlell Craw ford, '19. ,John D. Moorman, '19. Wallace Miller. '18 Gordon Van Kirk, 'J 9 Frank 1'. BreC'kenrirlg-f', ,James C. Hemphill, 'J 9 Earl E. Sproul. '18 Arno G. l1hlhorn, 'J 9 '19. Lawrf>nee Jacquef', 'J n John D. Moorman, '19

(; II ,\ II ns (;(I(1SI'~ S'1'Jo:PI'.':IIS PEASANTS

(:eorg'e F'. Mal'U II. 'I!l l...yrnan l"ol'bes, 'J!l Otto F. Weiner, '18 Lyman PO"bes, '19 (:has.- C. () reene. '19 Merlin M. Paine, ·1f. ,James M. Sellers,' 17 Wm. H. MacMillan, '17 J'aul S. MC'Mahon. 'Jf, J~dwaJ'(l Hicks, 'J9 Edward Hicks, '19 Paul Y. 'Willett, '19 Wm. 1-:aul-;('h. 'I S J:ernard Nath. '19 Hernarrl Nath, '19 Brwin H. Cope, '16 F. Clnirf' (;ur,1<'.\·, '19 James M. Sellers:'1; Merlin M. Paine, 'lr. Anrlrew J. Sullivan, '19 Paul Y. 'WilIett, '1 n C"'lric n. St"ohm, '17

(' \

88 MUSIC COMPOSERS

Fuiks Myers Herzu~ I

Gualano Smith Whitehead

INDEX OF MUSIC Name Charaders ACT I 1 Overture . 2 Prelude , . Hi 3 College Fraternities (Katinka, Sam anu Tony) . 17 4 Entrance of Irmengard (Chorus) . 5 The Danger That Lurks in Your Smile (Sam, Tony, lrmengard amI ('luLl·lotte) . Love is Like a Fairy Tale (Marty) . 7 Crumpets and Tarts (Katinka, Sam and Torry) . 8 Campus Strut (Sam, Tony and Chorus) . 9 Villager's Serenade (Chorus) . 10 Finale (Ensemble) '.' .

ACT II 11 Opening Chorus . ,n 12 Legend of the 'Well (Katinka and Chorus) " . 50 13 Rhenish Drinking Song (Ottb and Guards) . fj5 14 Sentimental Serenade (Marty) . .57 15 Advice (Otto and Katinka) ...... 59

16 Wine-A Toast , . ('0)- 17 Teach l\1e How To Say (Tony) . (H 18 The :Melting Pot (lVlarty) . G7

19 Finale (Ensemble) . 70 89 The Campus Strut Lyric by (Tony and_Chorus) Music by JAS.DRYENFORTH LEWIS J. FUlKS l\loderato >- r

# f} 'Voice . , . H· . · H· . · .. . . H· · ·1 The danc-ing craze of now - a-days has had a strange ef- feet up - on the One of them a sen - iar 1\Ia,- bel rrrat- ter was her name, >- f} n • . • . • • _ .101_ •• · . · . · . u) l) • .. • p - >- " . n .. I IS: #: I J J: - D -

,-;.£. f} l L l ~ · . . . 4!J • r' ----...-' · · girl- ies at the U of C, · They shuf-fle o~r the Campus with a strutted in to His - t'ry Three, The hand-some young professor up and

f} ~,~ ,.., ~ .~ -' -' ,.. - - • • • . . ·• ··· ~ . r v- I ~ ~:.J I I r: J f:.J f:' I ~ , 1----- I f} l l . , · , . , 4!J r r' r' I rag - gy lit - tIe step Just as syn - co - pa-ted as can be.------They , . askd'her for a date And she told him eigh-teen-nine- ty - three. She

~. .u~..... !Ill Ii-~.• fl... -....f-. _,.----- • () ~ e I -.• -. • 1-. ./'---.""" ,' ( . l l: #~ ..I: ~~: ~.,. -- - . L....: QI\ I BF 7 T'- fl I ~ . . · • · · n) I" wan - der 'round In twos" and threes all sway - ing as they go, And their --' said "I don't know His - t'ry Greek or an - Y stuff like that, I'd '1 • • .. • I . . · ··· · · } 41 J ·· · .- · -I I ....:= l - ~- • - · I

~ L. I ~ ~ ~ ~ I. -' . · · . · ., I" Y I r r r rag- gy lit - tIe charms en-trance, If you'd learn the late hour an-tics watch the rath - er dance most an - y day, Come ar-round this ev'ning and I'll fl • • 1'\ I • · · · . . · . 41 · · ... T · - -- - ... -- lYe . ~ #~ ~ -f!- · - I f' r f' ~ """iiil I

f} l ~ I · . • . 41 r r H'" n y .. girls a lit - tle while They don't know how to walk but they can dance. show you how to strut rrhis fine pro - fes - Bor gave that girl an A. ~ . I · - . . , 41 T' • ,j- ~ft ·r· ~r ... #-=t.... ~T ~ I · I ~ \ · I I - I

CHORUS f} I I l · · 41 ) -- - Oh the girls are syn- co - pa - tion craz - Y, fl - • 41 - ·#:i r #~U r(#)lrU ... 111 ~ #:i ~t..r~W · • . I ...... - ...... I I I 91 fl~ I =

4J I I I I ~ /l'" -. And they~e start- ed up a brand new step (Are you hip to the ~ ~ I I I I I

, 4· t" I ~ 1+1:.~0.. - ...: -i ...... U- (- U ::>- ::>-- · ~ n 0 ~ . · ,... .> " ......

f) "---""'1 I r-:.l .~ 0 41 /l ... • ~.J . '-'" step full of pep) You'll nev - er learn to do it if you're f}

4I~ ...... -" o J ,. ff._~.. - #~ ~ ~~ :I ... • ::>- 1 #H:t· ~ ... .. ! "lII '-'" ~ ~ ..".. · - I I =II f} ?, - 4IJ I H· T ... I la - zy Be- cause it takes a lot of

f} r-- I 1"'0- ~ I I

.. -eo - • "l r- ff1 -; #! 1 ~ ~ U- I- ffU I I I 0 --

fl I I I

0 I 0) ~ /l-' ... l+" . I

pep (There's a rep to the step full of pep) You daub - Ie shift your shaul - del'S and

fl I

, 4IJ -i ft~o ... - .,.: ... T'':: ~-i -i • 1+I'~ ~i c:.'"' ~ ff· ;:::.. V ff"'~ .-:;:f ;:::.. ~ ;:::.. iI*- I . ~ . ~'f' · - 92 The Campus Strut 4 3 fl I . ~ I , I I I I sway from ank' - les neat the girls will os - tra - cize you If you e-.... fl I I I ""

1 1 ~ ~tJ_~q·...... q-. .... -6 Di -i ~ Lr~ Doe. ~ . I- I I I I I I I I "" I

~ I I l I I

. '--" 4 I • I I cant con - trol your feet oh see those rag - gy las - se::> Syn - co -

fl . 4 ... .:;-..:: ...... ~ ~ q~ - -=jj: .--"11 ... l 4 '''"iI =i "'--....-" tt,-- ! · • ~ - - i i

fJ I I l ~ I

4!J I I I I I - pat - ing to their class-es Its the Cam- pus Strut And it't; a ~

r _ ..::: 4 ~ 'lI ...... =i ':;; ... =4i~• 'lI I >- - • · ~ 1+. T - >- I ;i i

f) ~ · 4 ) ,I I bear Oh the bear fJ . . . "'---. . t . . . . . · ., • , 4 11 1 - · - - I - ~ ~ ~ ~- ~ ~ ~ .. •• • • • · · • I

93 ARTISTIC RESTRAINT: The SUSTAINING PEDAL or No.3 ofSix SOSTENUTO KNOW-HOW (NO-How!) Articles ..; by L. Douglas Henderson

PREFACE The Pedal for Pianists and Pianolists The publication of this article represents Number Three in At first glance, the concept of lifting up felt dampers for a the Six-part Series being written for The AMICA Bulletin in "sustaining" effect seems relatively simple. Just attach a hand 1993. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the first lever or a finger button (with a complementary pneumatic two installments (PIANOLA 'PIZAZZ' in the January­ assembly) or let the music roll interpreter share the same foot February issue and JUST IN TIME - THE TEMPO LEVER in pedal (on an electric player) that the keyboard artist uses. the March-April magazine) .. or at least has access to these Beyond that, the pneumatic pedal could be automatically acti­ two texts. By going through the Pianola controls from a per­ vated by the paper roll, using a tracker bar hole - similar in context to the operation of the piano keys. When the hand­ formance perspective in a step-by-step fashion as The Aeolian played roll "myth" - or premise - was in full swing, the sus­ Company rightfully suggested for two decades,. you must taining pedal could be "recorded" along with the notes. Do the bear in mind that many functions OVERLAP in their opera­ artist's effects with the pedal coincide with the Pianola func­ tions and/or influence other elements in the entire pneumatic tions? Absolutely NOT! For one thing, the sustaining pedal Z mechanism. For example, JUST IN TIME - THE TEMPO is part of the striking operation - the keyboard attack - for the LEVER presented the fact that the roll-speed control, usually live artist; while its use is partially for tone blending and col­ a lever, was part of the ACCENTING SYSTEM on foot-pedal oration purposes, the lifting of dampers is primarily used for players and that it was also mandatory in the human "monitor­ technique. Ten fingers cannot be everywhere on the keyboard ing" of ALL expression rolls for the so-called "reproducing" at all times (as opposed to the Pianola with its pneumatic "fin­ pianos. By a similar token, portions of the future articles gers" resting on each note) 3 so the momentary use of the foot (Numbers Four and Five) regarding the Soft Pedal(s) and Solo pedal allows the hands to reach another location in the scale Effects will dovetail, since the skilled Pianolist always uses while the elevated dampers give the illusion of connected the hammer rail or "soft" graduations to isolate chords and notes. Technique along with legato playing 4 are the major ... notes, thus creating a "solo effect", on instruments lacking the functions for this most-important portion of the keyboard J pneumatic devices such as The Themodist or Melodant. Ifthis pianoforte action. By contrast, an insecure pianist or one who series interests you, we urge that you collect all six magazines is surpassing his or her technical limits invariably "sits on the and have them arranged in succession, keeping in mind that pedal", playing louder and louder in a vain attempt to mask over the "clinker" notes, often grazed. 5 This is one of the rea­ references will be made to prior issues from time to time. sons that OUTSIDE LISTENING is recommended for all Music, player rolls, Pianola designs and human attributes are Pianolists, for by studying recorded performances of the diverse and do not lend themselves to over-the-counter gener­ BEST keyboard virtuosi you can employ the "concept" of alizations. Since you know your player action and piano's damper lifting even though this is done without mimicking or tone better than the roll arranger (or this author) always use duplicating the human keyboard endeavor. You retain the your own judgment and imagination as you discover new IDEA of what the artist does "in performance" and apply this facets of Pianola music interpretation. Ideally, once you have to your compromise between Pianola and music roll arrange­ mastered the lever controls, their use should become some­ ment. There is an indefinable "something" to what makes a thing that "flows" from your fingers as the music soars, great pianist....perfect note-playing, alone, is dry and boring - manipulated in an instinctive manner. (Never operate your -- blurred and sloppy performances masked over with exces­ Pianola levers as if they were light switches!) The focus must sive sustaining pedal are downright offensive to the cultured at all times be the human element superimposed upon the pro­ listener. Someplace in-between these extremes is the artist grammed arrangement, viz. the music roll. Finally: PRAC­ who has minimal (and rapid) use of the pedal and who relies TICE! Your Pianola skills will develop over a period of time, on interpretive keyboard technique to carry the music along. augmented by the ~ of music and the rolls that bring it to The Pianola is plagued with NO STANDARDS for the your instrument. Unlike the original promotions showing a sustaining pedal design, and even more infuriating (for the baby pushing down pedals on the Gulbransen Registering arranger) is the cavalier approach the manufacturers had with Piano .. or Anna Held seated at a Simplex piano-player and the PLACEMENT of the tracker bar holes and the SIZE of the mugging for the camera, you already know that this is an openings on individual instruments - even with a specific instrument with limitless artistic potential, a combination of brand of player action.' The electric player with its automatic " piano-AND-player design, music roll arrangement and per­ pedal, such as "The Duo-Art as a Pianola" (to quote Aeolian ( sonal interpretive skills. Put them all together and you'll have terminology), is many shades ahead of the pedal-operated an audience every time! instrument in this regard. For example, not only does the

94 Pianolist operating a Duo-Art manual1y have 2 independent bar: one for locked-ON and one for OFF. The Red Welte (T­ vacuum systems for the expression (which allow for the inser­ WO) and the 11 1/4" American Welte instruments all featured tion of accent notes and chords) ... but ... since the instrument the 2-hole, lock-and-cancel system ... at best a slo-wo-o-ow is always at FULL DYNAMIC POWER the pedal does not and insensitive method of using an already slower-than­ ..... change its response with pianissimo (P.P.) playing, a common human device. Moreover, the Welte-Mignon Licensee grand oJ'" form of interpretive frustration for the foot-pedal Pianolist (built by The Standard Pneumatic Action Co. under a variety when interpreting Debussy rolls with the automatic pedal fea­ of names, such as Art Deluxe, etc.) had one of the worst mani­ ture. One of the main drawbacks of the Player-Piano's sus­ festations of pneumatic installations: mounted on the pedal taining pedal - be it manual or automatic, lever/foot-operated lyre --- and requiring great force to push the dampers upward, opening up the Licensee to a myriad of "lost-motion" or button-controlled - is that the interpreter is always detached and linkage problems. Yet, the Red Welte and Welte-Mignon from the striking essence - unlike the keyboard artists. (The Licensee (plus the more elusive Welte-Mignon 'Original') affect is similar to operating the gear shift lever and accelera­ players (grand and upright) have - in spite of the erratic and tor pedal on an automobile, but having another party run the "twitchy" striking for the patched up hand-played roll arrange­ clutch pedal for you!) In spite of this important difference ments on many titles - ARTISTIC and SATISFYING pedal between the pianist and Pianolist (who has lessened intimacy scores! How can this be? The answer is simple: knowing that with the damper control), a rol1 with a good pedal score (and the pedal cannot cope with what the artist does (and being dra­ tasteful sostenuto effects added by the arranger) can more than matically slower for rapid pedal effects than the single-hole compensate for the inherent detachments. 7 Naturally, systems of later design), the Welte arrangers stepped-in Pianolists who operate an instrument without any automatic (behind closed doors!!) and juggled the "ON" function of the pedal device should, when playing an Interpretive pneumatics with note-elongation (sostenuto) on the music Arrangement, endeavor to duplicate the pedal effects by fol­ score. It was this PedallSostenutolPedallSostenuto effect of lowing the perforations visually. Afterwards, you can decide the superb Welte-Licensee ARRANGED rolls, primarily, if the pedal score is to be used or rejected: in part or in total. which inspired the writer to rethink the entire automatic pedal Interpretive Arrangements by ARTCRAFT often have special score operation and develop what - for better words - is called uses for the sustaining pedal which are out-of-rhythm with the "live" pedal in ARTCRAFT terminology. Welte-Mignon Pianola foot-pedaling or the "beat" of the music; this will be Licensee rol1s, by and large, outperform not only the jerky explained later in the article. Interpretive Arrangements also hand-played German titles (or rolls made in the States by the have minimal use of the automatic pedal so that one possess­ same mercury trough and marking methods) but also - espe­ ing an instrument which does not allow the pneumatic control cially in the field of Ballads - leave the Ampico and Duo-Art -. to be turned off can override the automatic arrangement with in the dust, both players equipped with potentially superior ... pedal designs! The influence of Howard Lutter, whose name ."I additi?nal manual pedal effects. The ~utomatic sustaining will not appear on many Welte-Licensee rolls bearing labels . pedal IS (on standard 88-Note 11 1/4" WIde rolls) near the left of "other" artists, cannot be overstated. Not only was he strad­ margin of the music sheet; absence of the perforation indicates dled with a retrogressive 2-hole sustaining pedal, adapted the pedal is OFF and the length of the perforated slot indicates from the Red Welte arrangements, but - in later years - he got the TIME in the musical performance the Player-Piano's pedal stuck with a single-punch requirement: 1 punch, 2 punches, 3 is to be ON, always (for the Pianola) a full travel operation. punches, etc. (approximately a legato 32nd note, a legato 16th The keyboard pianist often "nudges"the dampers up a bit or note, a legato dotted-16th, and so on). Mr. Lutter circumvent­ compensates for an out-of-regulation piano action with ed these tremendous arranging limitations by a) using a lot of uneven damper-lifting. Again, regarding the automatic pedal single-punch (legato 32nd notes) to add "excitement" to the score as part of the music arrangement, the short use of the performance .. , b) overlapping perforations (for glissando automatic pedal is preferable to the elongated pedal perfora­ effects not possible on this type of stepping) ... and finally c) tions, since a sluggish pneumatic pedal has time to "recycle" selecting FASTER ROLL SPEEDS, as ARTCRAFT more easily and also since the tracker bar hole dimensions Interpretive Arrangements do today when simulating specific cause the timing to vary widely. The use of sostenuto in the artists.s Gone with the Welte-Mignon Licensee are the ridicu­ arrangement, i.e. the lengthening of particular notes (no matter lous Tempo 80 (NORMAL) restrictions that made a mockery how a live artist might strike the keys), in tandem with the out of European virtuosi (like Josef Lhevinne and Ignace judicious use of the pneumatically-operated sustaining pedal Paderewski) and their respective keyboard attack. While the in the score is what defines the clarity available to the serious author has had no experience with the Tempo 70-75 Green Pianolist. Pianolists are advised to chart their own waters Welte rolls of later European use, it's obvious that 'Twenties since excessive and inartistic sustaining pedal effects have Welte (in Germany) opted for background music, longer-play­ always been the realm ofcommercial rolls. ing rolls at the expense of performance flexibility. Tempo 70­ 75 (7 to 7 1/2 feet/minute) introduces a very muddled striking nature and pedal timing when compared to Tempo 80, the for­ mer Welte "norm" --- and on any rolls, including the stan­ The Welte-Mienon Sustaining Pedal System dard 88-Note variety. Here, as in Germany, the players from "'" While it might seem strange to the reader that the Welte "The Radio Era" appear to have chosen the "elevator music" .,,/ "reproducing" roll system would be reviewed, since the route as a defense. Bland, predictable (a nice term for boring) instrument was sold as a self-performing entity (by the and "safe" medleys would be created by Messrs. Milne, Germans, initial1y), there is much that can be learned from Susskind (Fairchild), Armbruster and Delcamp ... for "furni­ this early design, using 2 holes on the right side of the tracker ture-that-played".' The Welte-Mignon Licensee, by contrast, 95 was a COMPLETE PIANOLA which had the ability to per­ Sustaining Pedal on Music Rolls. Old and New form 88-Note rolls with lever control (and artistic distinction); the beautifully-engineered Licensee player also broke away LUSTSPIEL OVERTURE. Part II from the Tempo 80 (NORMAL) paper travel limitations for Pianostyle #35267B "Hand-Played" - Tempo 75 the sake of music. This is why, for the most part, those Arranged or Highly-Edited ('Hand-Played') rolls in the Naturally, upon examining Figure 1 you can see that this -I brown-box (Welte-Mignon/Deluxe) era play so well ... even arrangement of LUSTSPIEL OVERTURE is a by-the-book ­ for modern ears! (If you are unfortunate enough to hear sheet music transfer roll,1O probably originating from a "graph TEMPTATION RAG or BALLIN' THE JACK on Red Welte paper" stencil or an Acme-style hand-crank arranging machine or the II 1/4" equivalent, you already know what the term which - like the Imperial Industrial "recording" piano in the J. "unlistenable" means. The Germans needed Howard Lutter!) L. Cook days - accomplished essentially the same thing: notes From approximately 1922 to the end of the era in 1931, Mr. based on sheet music time values. This portion of r.UST­ Lutter took a clever German expression mechanism (the SPIEL OVERTURE is a bouncy, vibrant and exciting piece of Welte-Mignon system) and through creative arranging made a music, not unlike the sprightly passages in a Rossini or Von divided-stack Player-Piano into a magnificent SOLO instru­ Suppe composition of the overture genre. Regarding the note­ ment which allowed for partial or total manual interpretation, score on the illustrated roll, it's the musical equivalent of a plus the use of all 88-Note rolls, reading the I-hole standard fallen souffle: muddled, plodding and organ-like in the strik­ (left margin) pedal through an ingenious switching device. No wonder the Welte-Mignon Licensee was installed in over 110 ing. The lack of an exhilarating treble solo line combined with makes' of pianos! It made the most of its potential through a ponderous bass accompaniment (i.e. octaves and chords held ARRANGING and the only fraud was in the unrestricted mar­ down for the notation score time value) make the roll a total keting ofthe time: "The Master's Fingers on Your Piano". The "dog" from any audience performance standpoint, and this is two Welte-Mignon Licensee rolls used to illustrate this article before the automatic pedal score is to be considered! The have been marked by the writer to show the ON/OFF opera­ writer is not condemrning Pianostyle salon and classical rolls tion of the right margin pedal, since the average Pianolist is per se, since Aeolian led the field in clumpy Mozart, overlap­ used to seeing (and evaluating) the traditional left-side single ping Rossini and club-footed Beethoven if their massive sheet perforation pedal score. music transfer lines of rolls are considered: Universal and Themodist-Metrostyle. No wonder Aeolian could advertise 58 and 65-Note arrangements (from which many 88-Note rolls were perforated) by the TENS-of-THOUSAND! Very little musical thought went into the Aeolian transfer process in .;: those days, which spanned 1895 to approximately 1920 when'" reform began to take place in a measured fashion. The pedal on LUSTSPIEL is nothing more than the perforation of the sheet music notation, adding more sustained effects to an already hopeless arrangement. Neither automatic or manual pedal can save this type of roll, so search for another arrange­ ment if you wish to perform this sparkling, effervescent com­ position! LILY OF THE VALLEY -Gilbert- Deluxe #15658 "played by Clarence Gaskill" Here's another example of a mathematical arrangement pretending to be a "hand-played" roll, this time an instrumen- tal One-Step. Without the words, which are the essence of inane, the roll has little going for it: "Lily of The Valley ... Dearie, le(s be pal-y ... and I'll be your Forget-Me-Not"etc. Skipping over the (absent) mundane lyrics and the trite melody, the arrangement is another boring clutter ofconnected notes. Even without the sustaining pedal being used, what ought to be a snappy One-Step turns out to be a confused, droning performance. Note the glissando at the top of the illus­ tration, adding even MORE blurriness to a "nothing" arrange­ ment. About all the Pianolist can do is suppress the bass accompaniment and hope to elevate one's interest in the rou­ tine treble melody line. This is the typical style of music roll '1 .! which gives the Player-Piano a bad name - and image - with the general public. Don't waste your piano hammers on this style of roll, let alone try to introduce the sustaining pedal. It's FIGURE 1 a pre-sustained arrangement! 96 IIlIS ­ Ittl~ 1.I~rl Ugh! ~ji!:: I It" s ! I : . .. ..'. 1l~1 ! i III. U " ! =. : :. , :: : :: :; ! , : " : ~ ; : :' I••• i .. : :: ::_:e: J. : . :: : : : :: I j: ::• 10 :•••: : I i ...111 Til •.. ! ; 1 i ! II : :::: i : . i: :i:: i : . : : ::: : -: :'" : : I ... : .. .: . .. :: ::. : I ": : : YUU. fUll . : ! •• t.

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' .. ·. MY '" :: I ,'~Il ! : • ,I L..- ---' J. FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 Let's examine one more bad example of a music roll organ" treble line, a cocktail-lounge "tied-triplet" rhythm in before progressing onward (and upward) to the better models the accompaniment and the usual sostenuto IOths in the bass of sustaining pedal arranging: that practically every roll made on the QRS "recording" piano by Cook seems to possess. The pedal, minimally scored on the roll, is of little or no value since sostenuto in the treble and MY HEART CRIES FOR YOU (1951) bass has already been decided for the Pianolist. LILY OF THE VALLEY, critiqued above, comes across as a superlative roll QRS #8695 "played by Bob Williams, Jr." when compared to this arrangement, which did have musical The roll looks - and sounds - like Milne or Cook, if opportunities in the original song! Use a roll like this for bal­ indeed the artist actually existed. Refer to the prior article, last at a flea market sale. Don't waste your time with the roll. JUST IN TIME - THE TEMPO LEVER (Page 46 and also Pass it on or salvage the spool and box for other purposes! Footnote #10) for a brief discussion of taping-over "tied­ triplet" accompaniment IE you wish to use The Tempo Lever on this, a SIMULATED Hand-Played arrangement. SEXTETTE from LUCIA PI LAMMERMOOR -Donizetti ­ Deluxe Welte-Mignon #A3819 "played by Heinrich Burkard" MY HEART CRIES FOR YOU is a saccharine Waltz (with a verse based on a Swiss folk song), one of those weepy - Tempo 90 dreary 'Fifties numbers of the 45 r.p.m. record era; "My Heart We offer you a roll which illustrates 2 ~ood aspects of the CRIES for you .. SIGHS for you ... DIES for you ... and -" automatic pedal score (keeping in mind that the author has (the illustration takes the lyrics from there). Lyrics aside, the marked the ON/OFF Welte-Mignon pedal - on the right mar­ SwisslTin Pan Alley combination piece lends itself to varia­ gin - with a line to make the process easier-to-see). First, by tions and arpeggios; in fact, several Thorens, Cuendet and using this example you can observe the pedal being used to 'Reuge musical box arrangements of the last 5 decades are combine chords and inversions of same; in other words, iden­ I fountains of trills and imaginative ornamentations - under the tical notes can be sustained without risking dissonance. original title (which at this moment escapes the author). The Second, this hand-played roll shows extensive editing (super­ QRS roll of 1951, however, gives the listener a "funeral imposed arranging), a trade-mark of the excellent Welte-

97 I i

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: l( I I Off f' I On ...... I I I I i I 1::= :: i : : .. f Welte pedal"'7 .t FIGURE 5

Mignon Licensee line in the Howard Lutter years. The erratic Whiteman's orchestra) ... and an even faster paper-travel norm nature ofthe perforations has been smoothed out and the notes of Tempo 100: 24 inches MORE musical information per given the post-production work done by the arranger - are minute beyond the trudging Tempo 80 (NORMAL) of the ear­ lengthened here and there to give the slow Welte 2-hole pedal lier German standard. Unlike the competing commercial rolls plenty of time to "recycle". It's a classic case of the Sostenuto of the day, this Gershwin composition has a "Gershwin and Sustainin!: Pedal alternating technique mentioned above sparkle" - albeit thematically different from what the leg­ in the section describing the Welte-Mignon pedal system. endary Composer would have played, as evidenced from his Discarding the old German Tempo 80 (NORMAL) for Tempo many 78 r.p.m. audio recordings. Note the minimal pedal, 90, the Lutter-era arrangers gave themselves all-around flexi­ mostly used to "enhance" key chords with the fuller sounds bility to improve the note striking, distribute the Welte expres­ that lifted dampers add to the music; octaves and their har­ sion information more intelligently and arrange-in a musical­ monies - for only a beat - will vibrate in unison with the struck ly-satisfying sustaining pedal score. Throwin!: keyboard chords, giying the listener a sense of "musical importance" to "authenticity" to the winds in order to create a pleasant-sound­ snatches of the arrangement. The single-note staccato coupled in!: roll appears to be the unwritten rule-of-thumb durin!: the up with agogic accents (double-punches in the Lutter formula) brown box DeluxelLicensee era. What great commercial rolls for the melody line further direct the ear to specific points in were created by American Welte during that brief 8-year peri­ the music. This Lutter technique of mathematical elongation is od! what led the writer to develop the Interpretive Arranging method, only his striking has been further refined down to a 1/4 perforation overlap (approximately a 128th note) in order COSSACK LOVE SONG from SONG of THE FLAME ­ to control the staccato. Still, with the Welte "floating crescen­ Sothart & Gershwin-Deluxe Welte-Mignon #Y73 18 "played do" added to the mix, this Gershwin holds up very well to by Harry Perrella" - Tempo 100 contemporary ears. (If you don't believe this author, play one "? Howard Lutter triumphs again! The second Welte­ of the Duo-Art Gershwin rolls - such an #713122 KICKIN' ·01 Mignon example features a roll with 100% arranging (in the THE CLOUDS AWAY arranged by Frank Milne and sold as name of a real pianist who often appeared with Paul "played by Gershwin" - or the atrocious CLAP YO' HANDS,

98 Ampico #208211 "played by Frank Black", the latter as far tern running. There is an "air-space" between all the notes in away from a Gershwin production number as one could ever this arrangement, designed to simulate the touch of the imagine!) Good Gershwin ... excellent arranging ... creative Composer: Wally Rose - a living legend in the Ragtime field." manipulation of an OLD German expression system ... and There is none of the slushy, liquid playing in VIGNETTE that effective automatic sustaining pedal. As the Composer's one experiences with, say, an old Ampico roll #55273 ""-. brother wrote in a slightly later song lyric: "Who could ask for SPARKLETS or Duo-Art #69256 THE ROBIN'S RETURN. rI anything more?" With VIGNETTE the piano vacillates from variable staccato (with pedal suggestions in the cutting) to more languid chords i I (which in turn do not overlap, but have calculated slight • Dim. "breaks" between them to imitate the movement of the fingers Ii from one key to another). These and other improvements to ! Ii -< i i . the arranging process are why the Interpretive rolls of today I I ! ! i i i -< dominate so many stage performances, Pianola concerts, films and broadcasting - especially in Europe. IZ The Pianolist using . an Interpretive Arrangement can ignore the pedal score ... add I more manual sustaining pedal (with the automatic feature in ...• operation) ... or use the arranged pedal as provided, and the I I M.F. roll cooperates with each individual musical demand. (Once more: additional thanks to Mr. Lutter!) VIGNETTE is shown as an annotated 88-Note roll, but the dynamic markings echo the tandem Duo-Art release, featuring the same note-score and pedal.

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Th.. ARTCRAfT Rail ';, I -u..' Roll I i i< SUit_lac,.... ;;~~,~.~~ - I II FIGURE 6 II

VIGNETTE A Piano Novelty -Wally Rose ARTCRAFT Interpretive Arrangement: Introduction The Introduction of VIGNETTE shows how the "sostenu­ to" serves the Pianolist in a modern Interpretive Arrangement. Look at the opening notes, prior to the 3 printed accent marks; examine the varying length of the staccato notes, for there are .. . approximately 5 types - all striking in mathematically-phrased rhythm. (On the earlier LUSTSPIEL OVERTURE or LILY OF THE VALLEY rolls, these would be connected 3 or 4 M.F. punch chains ... and very, very tiring to hear after a few sec­ onds' time!) The arrangement the sustaining score, for this Emphasize the TREBLE Melody. lli. IIII is a Pianola simulation of the "tap" a virtuoso pianist uses on i i! ! : :: : .the pedal as he or she strikes the keys rapidly. Pedal for tonali­ ty is in the arrangement, so the music roll could actually be FIGURE 7 'I played with no real pedal at all, and for many people it would be an acceptable performance. Moreover, the pedal is infre­ quent (when compared to most old music rolls) and one can add more pedal - if desired - while leaving the automatic sys-

99 VIGNETTE by" ARTCRAFT: A-Theme, following the the way!) At 6 punches per beat, the 'Jazz' rhythm is (in true Introduction time, though not perforated by ARTCRAFT in the notation­ score lengths) 4 1/2 punches + I 1/2 punches = 6, viz. one beat. The FAKE-'jazz' rhythm ("tied-triplet") gets boring if Crese. used too frequently - which is why it's ideal for background ~ music - and it corresponds to 4 + 2 punches = 6, viz. one beat. "r .' i 1 i At the slow paper travel speeds of player design 13 the arranger has to deal with I 1/2 punches vs. 2 punches and similar frac­ tional ratios. You can see WHY the commercial factories of l< the past avoided snappy arrangements and gave James P. Johnson (and others) "tied-triplet" rhythm -- which probably helped the sales of Orthophonic Victrolas and Atwater-Kent radios in the process! The pedal, to recapitulate, is minimal on all 3 VIGNETTE examples and much of the sustaining effect is in the striking.

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, , '.

, P. ., "I II < :;£,Yipf" , :01' I !~! • M.F. :.. • it. , ; Ir I i j ,,'I'",,,1M"eow Emphasize the TREBLE Melody. ,, I • • "Woof- Woof' II • i.. I i .j i i ,,'II",i ''M

100 chromatics, the 'cat' having the treble and the 'dog' located in · ," the bass register of the piano score.) Ian Whitcomb sent the · .. author not only his score, plus a polished one by Robin Frost, · I' but also a synthesizer recording featuring his vocal commen­ ··· \: ·· I: tary and sound effects.The combination of these sources led to ··· I CHESTER THE CAT as a music roll, a captivating piece that ··· :, I, draws from history with numbers such as TEDDY BEARS' ·· , .• ·· , : PICNIC and WHISTLER AND HIS DOG ... but CHESTER ··· :: I' includes (in the writer's opinion) a superior melody line plus ·· ··· :: I effects possibly only with a Pianola action. Note the short use ·· ,, of the sustaining pedal, largely AFTER the chords have been ··· : r struck in the chromatic series ... and this is something that ··· ) ·· I would be difficult to accomplish with the manual use of the ·· I ·. ( pedal lever. A similar - but not illustrated - specialty of the ·· Pianola using Interpretive Arrangements is the lifting of the ···. dampers prior to a LARGE chord, and then releasing them ·· ·· : immediately after the chord is struck; this technique was used ·. . with the "train crash" for CRUSH COLLISION MARCH, .··· described in the previous article. Lifting the damper felts, .·· especially on a grand piano, gives more power for a major , ·· · . : crash accent. A third use of the pedal - also not illustrated in · ·, this article - is for "ambience", notably in pipe organ tran­ · ·'. scriptions for piano; FANFARE FOR ORGAN by Lemmens " ...... ;; , :: for Duo-Art, by ARTCRAFf, is a good example ofthis perfo­ . : .' rating style. All these out-of-synch short pedal-insertions are .'...:: , best executed by the music roll or by visually following the . _, ••• ''' 01'.. , ' • s.u_u. Pedal. , . . • eflTJ"AiR. score as perforated. Again, note the variety of short staccato ...... ' .., , ~. 1: . : notes in the arrangement. Howard Lutter, the unsung genius of , .. American Welte (Licensee, that is!) set the standards for the a ... ! f ! i ! ( r .. , Interpretive Arrangements of the present. He alone - within .' the player industry - seemed to see the "reproducing" Pianola FIGURE 10 as AN ARRANGED MUSIC MEDIUM and succeeded in controlling the pedal, striking and expression (within the lim­ British PIANOLA PRACTICE ROLL by Reginald Reynolds its of his time) with the initial perforations. The others in his era merely thought in sheet music terms, and so do the failed The final (2-part) illustration is for the WORST sustain pedal score known to Man. Runners up in the "stinky-pedal" attempts of using a computer to "record" artists today since award have to be Lee S. Roberts and Felix Arndt, representing they "sequence" the performance (already laden with irregu­ QRS Music Rolls and The Aeolian Company respectively, for larities) in sheet music increments. CHESTER THE CAT as a their BLUE DANUBE WALTZ for DANCING rolls. music roll performance could only have been created through However, it's The Orchestralle Co., Ltd. (viz. British Aeolian) an overllJp arranged-perforating process. We hope you will which gets the imaginary - and deserved - "THUMBS take the time to compare the visual differences (which trans­ DOWN" Statue, modeled to represent a giant pair of Ear­ late into performance latitudes for the Pianolist) between the Plugs. "May we have the envelope please?" ... fanfare .... Interpretive Arrangements and Mr. Lutter's Gershwin roll ... drum roll ... The Winner: Cadenza from WALTZ OF THE and again between these and the earlier examples, mostly FLOWERS by Tchaikowsky, the Grainger sheet music pre­ masquerading as "hand-played" but really being arrangements sented by Mr. Reynolds. This PRACTICE ROLL is amazing, in their own right, and hopelesssly locked into notation stan­ since it was supplied to almost every Pianola and Duo-Art dards in the perforating. Until a gear-shifting system (or the owner in the British EmpireP4 (At least, here in the States, some companies buried their ghastly pedal-jobs in the like) is developed as a retrofit for old Pianolas, VIGNETIE Catalogue, attracting only a few unlucky customers from and CHESTER THE CAT represent the apex of the arranger's time-to-time.) When radio and Vitaphone talking pictures striking control. Lacking the Tempo 150-200 speeds, were thriving, British Aeolian made it a company policy to Interpretive Arrangements like CHESTER THE CAT illus- distribute this roll along with a related pamphlet by Percy , trate the need for 1/4 Perforation overlap standards in the per­ Scholes to budding Pianolists. Beyond this example, Reynolds I forating process. Musicians can hear the difference! & Co. inflict the music roll interpreter with his patented hori­ zontal lines for musical measures in the attempt to get the Pianolist to think in sheet music notation ~ instead of

WI called at the time. Who knows?) There is much to be enjoyed from the musical arrangements of the Past, as evidenced in the i i !) ! ! Lutter "played by Perralla" roll of a Gershwin selection. I.' Similarly, there is much. to be avoided, especially in the I . :,., Sustaining Pedal department. This PRACTICE ROLL is a .f • ,,1. . . .. prime example of that! .... ! • .: · : ' .., . In closing, let me suggest that you engage in as much ·, ... · '.. OUTSIDE LISTENING as possible, since this activity will · '"~ assist you with all aspects of your personal development in : t· Pianola playing (or "reproducing" piano monitoring). The · Footnote that closes this, Part Three of the series, should be :.:.· I · .: looked upon as a "cultural source" and not a mere commer­ ::· cial.u During your study of The SUSTAINING Pedal give ·. extra attention to the pianists you most enjoy hearing on ::·. recordings. The chances are high that if you repeat the same ·· Cassette over and over, you not only enjoy the technique and · dynamics of a particular pianist, but that the pedal shading is ·· also a major portion of their endearing qualities as a keyboard · artist. The more you know about music, the greater the free­ : ' dom (and wisdom) in your creating music roll interpretations that are recognizably your own! , ! :I! : : FOOTNOTES I. See How To Play The Electric Duo-Art, a pamphlet . published originally by The Aeolian Company of New York ­ ., reprinted by AMR Publishing Co., PO Box 3007, Arlington ·. WA 98223. i .·· : : 2. Never use the offensive term "LOUD PEDAL"! Many player action manufacturers, of course, even printed this FIGURE II incorrect term on components of their instruments. Example: Pianola perforated PERFORMANCE! One 'scans the roll' as A Hardman AUTOTONE upright often has "SOFT" over the mentioned earlier in this series, separating the Theme and 2 buttons for the hammer-rail lift and "LOUD" over the sus­ Accompaniment as the perforations approach the tracker bar. taining pedal button. Lifting the dampers does not increase the There is nothing to be gained from segmenting the arrange­ dynamics of the piano; it sustains the struck keys plus intro­ ment into moving horizontal lines! The idea of equating the duces additional, often generalized, harmonies of sympathetic music roll to sheet music is carried to its fullest in the strings to the mixture. Cadenza shown in Figures to and 11. These are connected 3. Never mind the fact that pneumatics have different notes, such as an organist would play. (Even the jerky "played dynamic striking "curves" from the human finger ... or that by Grainger" Duo-Art roll #6085 has staccato for this pas­ solenoids (as in the Disklavier electronic player) usually have sage!) As the 2 illustrations show, the pedal is held down problems with crisp staccato and rapid accent shifts. The strik­ NONSTOP for a World's Record ... and the Reynolds text ing "fingers" of both pneumatic stacks and solenoid banks rest even tells the Pianolist to "note the effect!" The Cadenza is on the keys, as it were. This makes many effects of human sustained in the cutting and addition of a pneumatic sustaining playing impossible, unless one arranges-in additional notes or pedal makes for a musical experience reminiscent (in the utilizes repetition effects characteristic of the player medium. writer's opinion) of Schoenberg, Cage or Ravel on a bad day. A virtuoso pianist who "crashes" in the midst of softer pas­ No wonder British Aeolian ran into financial difficulties long sages cannot be duplicated by AN.Y player action, simply before its domestic counterpart. Adherence to strict sheet because the dropping hand-and-fingers give an extra "punch" music transfer (dumped in the States about 1920 when to the striking operation. There goes the (claimed) "authentici- Universal became Mel-O-Dee rolls) and the erratic 1923-1934 ty" of exciting pianists during the so-called Golden Age, at "hand-played" rolls (most cut in a 5-year period, ending in least in the music roll field: Horowitz, Rubinstein, Lhevinne, 1928) could have been two major contributing factors to eco­ Levitski, Bauer and the rest. If one cuts for the "concept" of nomic troubles with the overseas operation. (Perhaps the Felix the artist -much as an organist does when playing vocal or 1- Arndt era "dial-twisting" machinery for off-rhythm hand­ piano solos - the music will be transmitted. As said many '" recorded rolls was crated up and shipped to Great Britain, fol­ times in this series of articles, the terms "legacy" and "repro­ lowing Aeolian's return to arranging procedures during the ducing" were piano-sales marketing ploys! Creary Woods' conversion to "The New System" as it was

102 4. Two good examples, wherein a gentle melody line is mission lever control rods) the REPROTONE comes close to played as a continuously-linked (legato) melody - much like a the goal! Solution: turn off the automatic pedal on the voice or violin - are: the Second Movement of Beethoven's REPROTONE with certain virtuoso Duo-Art rolls and operate PATHETIQUE SONATA, Adagio Cantabile or Chopin's the manual lever instead. ETUDE in E-MAJOR, Op. 10, No.3 "No Other Love". 7. See page 4 of the 1990 (current) ARTCRAFf Music Considering that the piano is a percussion instrument, the idea Roll Catalogue for additional information about the pneumatic of playing in a connected, lyric fashion is a challenge for pedal operation as a music roll feature. ANY keyboard pianist ... and one of equally-great difficulty for the manually-controlled Pianola. During the last 40 years 8. See Footnote #5 in the second article: JUST IN TIME ­ the author has heard only .!IliID.YID. interpretations of "reproduc­ THE TEMPO LEVER for a discussion of paper-travel speed ing" rolls which can elicit TRUE legato playing, since - again options. Generally speaking, the slower the roll travels, the - the music roll arranger never knows the size, make, condi­ less expression on a "reproducing" roll, the less delicate the tion and tonal qualities of a specific piano ... and one roll can­ pedal shadings and the more unlike the supposed pianist the not be arranged for all. The writer, in his youth, used to hand­ roll will sound. Why didn't the industry have an "overdrive play the Adagio Cantabile of the PATHETIQUE SONATA gear" for virtuoso roll performances? A short, exciting roll and let his Stroud Duo-Art upright take over the First and should have been preferable to a lengthy, belabored arrange­ Third Movements for this reason! ment. 5. Part 2 of the ARTCRAFT roll of GOING TO PIECES 9. See the advertisement that adorned the cover of The One-Step (1915) is a simulation of an imaginary rotten AMICA News Bulletin, Vol. 27, No.2 (March-April 1990). pianist, a contrast to Part I which is a complete Pianola This issue featured an attractive and "arty" promotion for the arrangement with virtuoso piano effects and variations galore. Sohmer Reproducing Grand. The text didn't specify if the Almost every bad characteristic of sloppy piano playing is customer were to have a Welte-Mignon Licensee "floating demonstrated on Part 2 of GOING TO PIECES, available in crescendo" expression player installed ... or the 'Recordo' 5­ 88-Note and Duo-Art editions. If you study the repulsive sus­ step intensity system using (primarily) QRS-made expression taining pedal passages on this roll, especially the portions rolls. By the late 'Twenties, one advertisement fit all! The two which involve the pedal being used on chromatic progression paragraphs of text do not discuss the tone qualities or design it will give you an audio-visual experience of what-to-avoid in attributes of the Sohmer piano. Rather, a list of the musical music roll interpretation. Part 2 is a collage of several exam­ styles is given and the rest of the promotion is devoted to the ples of terrible piano playing (of other selections) in the furniture value and the period cases availabe. author's recorded music collection, tapes sent to him by roll Taking the "background music" route was a foolish customers who took candid Cassette recorders to live con­ industry decision, in the opinion of the writer. The late certs. 'Twenties' and early 'Thirties' would have been the ideal time 6. Aeolian had at least 2 shapes and placements of the to move into Tempo 150-200 spoolboxes and hire Howard Sustaining Pedal holes on the tracker bar and 2 positions for Lutter (type) arrangers who knew how to make the MOST of the pedal perforations on music rolls as well! Beyond dimen­ the player roll medium. Considering what Kern, Berlin, sions changing on the bar, the valve systems and linkages Gershwin and Porter were writing in those years (plus Bloom vary, so even a "single perforation" on the roll can have quite and Grofe) there was no reason for the player action manufac­ different effects on, say, the ARTCRAFT Studio's electric AR turers to evaporate without making major changes in elevating and pedal 0 Steinway grands. At a recent concert, the writer the "performance latitudes" of their instruments. Seeing some was playing his travelling Pianola, the Story & Clark REPRO­ of the Blue Chip giants of today withering with similar atti­ TONE described in the first article, and all-of-a-sudden a tudes only proves to this person that history does indeed Duo-Art roll seemed to have a blurred pedal score. Believing repeat itself! it to be a problem with the pneumatic system, he switched 10. We trust you can now identify the 4 styles of music over to the manual lever control and the audience was none rolls (boring) sheet music transfers, (jerky) genuine "hand­ the wiser. Later, upon close examination of the 2 or 3 rolls played" rolls, (pleasant) simulated (i.e. arranged) "hand­ which featured the problem, he discovered that Story & Clark played" rolls and Interpretive Arrangements. See the first arti­ had cut the Sustaining Pedal hole a few microns too large, so cle, PIANOLA PIZAZZ, for more information about these 4 that a' virtuoso arrangement with continuous stretches of methods of perforating a roll. You should be able to 'identify' Themodist "solo system" holes in the bass would trigger the the system used to cut each roll in order to formulate an pedal pneumatic. Considering that the REPROTONE was approach to use in interpreting the arrangement. ARTCRAFT supposed to handle Duo-Art, Artrio-Angelus and Themodist­ also offers a Cassette which demonstrates the 4 styles for style 88-Note rolls (still widely being made in Great Britain those who wish to hear the differences as well. and Continental Europe at the time, where Story & Clark had salesrooms), this can be chalked up to faulty design. However, II. Anybody who discovered the music of Scott Joplin " if one examines the typical Duo-Art roll of the 1927-1929 era and Classical Ragtime in the 'Forties and 'Fifties knows the ..,/ (popular or classical) how many rolls have 1 to I 1/2 inches of name of Wally Rose. Long associated with Lu Watters' Yerba 16th-note (equivalent) bass solos in them? The perfect Buena Jazz Band, he has made many recordings and has per­ Pianola has yet to be invented, in the writer's opinion ... but formed world-wide. At the 1990 Sedalia, Missouri "Joplin except for the tracker bar hole for the pedal (and tempo/trans- 103 FestivaI" during which he premiered VIGNETTE on the PO Box 5243 stage while the rolls were simultaneously marketed in the Kreole Station, Moss Point, MS 39562 Theatre Lobby, he chatted about his long career - still in A staggerinq performance from start-to-finish, possibly progress today. the most important piano composition of this decade. ''I'm very big in Footnotes," Wally remarked, and so he Morten G. Larsen (Oslo, Norway) on Stomp-Off Records . r is! - including this article. Write: Bob Erdos 12. Recent films that featured ARTCRAFT Interpretive 549 Fairview Terrace Arrangements on the soundtracks include a documentary on York, PA 17403 Swedish Television by Anders Wahlgren, about the life of Arthur Lima, piano Fernand Leger who collaborated with George Antheil and Pro-Arte #CDD312 "Brazilian Dances" Dudley Murphy on BALLET MECANIOUE: the reconstruct­ ed ARTCRAFT rolls were used as a musical score for part of Scott Kirbv, piano the film about the cubistic artist. A Franco-Russian motion The 3-Volume Scott Joplin Set by Greener Pastures picture entitled KLABOUAK, about cinematographer Robart Records. Here's an all-Joplin recording that should Flaherty filming NANOOK OF THE NORTH (with Russia replace any and all of the 3 earlier Sets previously faking the Yukon of the 'Twenties!), featured PREACHER published. One was homogenized and boring ... one AND THE BEAR by ARTCRAFT along with sundry was crass and insensitive ... and the other was blurry Ragtime rolls, all Interpretive Arrangements. For the movie, a and full-of-echo. (You know which one of these for­ French production company bought a player in Paris and mer Sets you have!) Kirby's music merits repeat shipped it to Russia to use in a trading-post scene. Recently, playing. the Democratic Party of Maine used the Duo-Art roll of FAN­ Ian Whitcomb FARE FOR ORGAN on a 1931 Stroud grand belonging to This talented and creative individual probably needs no Roger Baffer, who edited the videotape for the cable systems introduction or definition (which is just about impossible in the State. After listening to Mr. Baffer's large library of anyway)! Max Morath put it best, in a recent letter written commercial rolls and Interpretive Arrangements (88-Note and to the author: "Ian has a good ear for history and trends ­ "reproducing"), the audio crew selected 2 titles and finally and his recent compositions show a lot of maturity in chose the Lemmens' FANFARE. Perhaps the most unusual them." At this writing, many ARTCRAFT rolls have been .." presentation of ARTCRAFT arrangements of recent times was assembled while listening to his latest Cassette: SPREAD -I Douglas Heffer's "CINE MEMOIRE" series at The Louvre A LITTLE HAPPINESS - esp. the cut with EVERY which involved both old and contemporary Duo-Art rolls NOW AND THEN that surpasses the original 1929 per­ alternating with Vitaphone shorts of symphonic and operatic formance in Von Stroheim's film "The Great Gabbo", music, rolls and films linked by title and/or composer. Interested? Impossible as it might seem in "our" Space Age, the music Write: ITW Industries, Inc. roll is alive and well, especially on motion picture sound­ PO Box 451 tracks! Altadena, CA 91003 13. See the second article for a thumbnail sketch of spool­ A list of additional Cassettes recommended for OUT­ box transport variables. SIDE LISTENING can be found on page 6 of the 1991 14. See the second article, Footnote #5. Training anyone Supplement to the ARTCRAFT Catalogue. to master a Player-Piano by presenting Chopin's PRELUDE Op. 28, No. 20 at Tempo 30 seems to be the zenith of absurdi­ ty. (The entire roll #T82592 with Two Preludes is offered by the PRACTICE ROLL, for those who want "more"!) Question: How many rolls in your collection are supposed to be played at Tempo 3D? Second question: Does your wind motor pull evenlv at that speed? Class dismissed! 15. OUTSIDE LISTENING suggestions, beyond the French, Ikemiya and Jenks recommendations in the Footnotes :z::::: " .> of the first and second articles, are the following: ~~ David T. Roberts (Composer of ROBERTO CLEMENTE, see ARTCRAFT Catalogue) NEW ORLEANS :f STREETS, Suite for Piano, played by the Composer Write: Pinelands Press

104 NOTE: Before reading the following article, readers are directed to note four important date corrections in a previous article entitled "Reproducing Piano Systems: Their Evolution and Compatibility" which appeared in the September/October 1992 issue of the BULLETIN. Because of confusion created by the recent change of publishers, the corrected dates did not appear in the article as originally published. The corrections are underlined for clarity. The corrections all occur on page 38 and are as follows: I. Left-hand column, paragraph 3, first line should read: From 1914 through 1919 Ampicos read the same 2. Left-hand column, paragraph 4, first line should read: Early Ampicos from the period 1914- 1919 3. Left-hand column, paragraph 4, line five should read: coded accordinaly, Extremely early (1912-1913) - the true Stoddard 4. Right-hand column, second complete paragraph, first line should read: Phase #1 - Early Ampico, circa 1914 through 1919.

FIDELITY AND THE AMPICO*

by Nelson Barden Jeffrey Morgan Richard Howe

The musical validity of the reproducing piano has been a years ago. It has appeared twice in the AMICA Bulletin, once subject of controversy since the preliminary efforts of Welte in the November, 1969, issue and again in the March, 1976 at the turn of the century. It has always been difficult for issue. This version has been extensively edited and updated pianists, critics or the public to accept the idea that a machine by Jeffrey Morgan and Richard Howe, with permission from /" could "make music." Despite extensive advertising campaigns Barden, to reflect new information which has become avail­ and rapid improvements in the fidelity of performance, these able during the past 20 years. Barden is currently president of pianos have been considered sophisticated toys, divorced from Nelson Barden Associates, restorers in residence at Boston Art by virtue of their mechanical nature. University. Inasmuch as Art is a function of human elements and direction, a machine of itself cannot create Art. Mechanical means are nonetheless involved in the realization of most art forms, and in piano playing the performer's body is literally a Theory ofoperation machine operating another machine. It is at least theoretically Reproducing pianos are operated by means of a partial possible to substitute a completely mechanical device for the vacuum, usually created by an electrical pump. The roll pass­ performer machine so that his key and pedal movements are es over a tracker bar having a hole for each note and expres­ precisely duplicated. Although the artist will not be present at sion track on the roll. Suction is sustained in the holes until a the keyboard, the sounds of his performance will be re-creat­ perforation in the paper roll admits atmospheric pressure ed. which causes valves to admit suction to a pneumatic. The In the case of the reproducing piano, such as the Ampico, pneumatic is shaped like a partially open book with the space Duo-Art and Welte-Mignon, we must establish not only the between the covers wrapped in a flexible, airtight cloth. When machine's potential for fidelity, but also the extent to which suction is applied the covers snap together and the movement that potential was realized. It is toward both these ends that is transmitted to the key of the piano. The set of pneumatics, the writers, dissatisfied with a patchwork of rumor, started one for each key to be played (83 in the case of Ampico), gathering firsthand information (in 1969). Much of the pre­ make up the stack, which in a reproducing piano is divided in liminary information was gleaned from personal interviews by two (bass and treble) near the center so that varying suction Nelson Barden with Adam Carroll, Dr. Clarence Hickman, may be fed to each side without affecting the other. A higher .... Julius Chaloff, Emse Dawson and Angelo Valerie. (Note: All degree of suction will close the pneumatics with greater but the Chaloff interviews are contained in "The Ampico power, and result in louder playing. .ttl Reproducing Piano", edited by Richard Howe.) Expression tracks (coding) on the margins of the roll con­ *Publisher's Note: This excellent article on the Ampico trol not only the suction level on either side of the stack, but was originally written by Nelson Barden approximately 24 also operate the dampers, the hammer-rail and/or the key-shift 105 of the piano action and the various expression mechanisms. A known as "correcting." Further corrections and additions recorder was necessary to create the rolls, as mechanically might be later hand-cut into trial copies of the perforated rolls. arranged rolls are generally unrealistic. A note recorder made Until at least 1932 all rolls were hand-played, though fre­ pencil marks on a moving roll while the pianist played, and quently under pseudonyms, or "noms de piano." This practice, expression tracks were usually added later to create the universal among piano roll companies, was designed to fatten '" dynamics (loudness of each note) until the playing seemed the artist roster. Particular pseudonyms were assigned a defi­ realistic. On Ampico rolls the dynamics were referred to as nite style of playing in order to preserve their tenuous identity intensities. and to save the real artist's reputation for a higher class of The method of dynamic control employed by Ampico music. throughout its history entailed a unique combination of fixed Selections of Ampico titles and artists (or pseudonyms) steps (intensity stages) and smooth progression (crescendos) was a function of J. Milton Delcamp. Delcamp joined of volume; a sort of combined digital and analog system, to American late in Inl as General Manager of the Recording state it in contemporary technical terms. The stages could be Department at Ampico, a position he held until 1928. Delcamp locked on or canceled at will, and the crescendos could be previously had a similar position with Republic Player Roll raised or lowered at either of two available speeds. Generally, Corporation, a subsidiary of the Auto Pneumatic Action the intensity stages were used for accents and rapid changes in Company which was part of Kohler Industries. Republic volume; the crescendos employed for overall and gradual stopped producing rolls at about the same time as Delcamp adjustments of volume. This unique combination of dynamic moved to American. control was deemed so important by American Piano Company that a U.S. patent application was filed on April 27, Adam Carroll, who was responsible for a large percentage 1920. Indeed, U.S. Patent No. 1,409,481 was finally issued to of the popular Ampico rolls, also worked at Republic. He fol­ lowed Delcamp to American in 1922, about nine months later. Charles F. Stoddard on March 14, 1922 and specifically cov­ At Ampico, Carroll also recorded under the pseudonyms ers the concept of such a combined system ofdynamic control. Victor Lane, Harry Shipman and Corrine Debert, though the Initial development of the Ampico was done by Stoddard latter was usually Edgar Fairchild. Mr. Fairchild, Editor-in­ during the latter part of the first and very early part of the sec­ Chief of the Recording Department until 1925, also used his ond decades of the twentieth century. The early pianos and original name, Milton Suskind, and others. rolls were known as Stoddard-Ampicos. This term has become Recordings by the real artist and one of his pseudonyms generic and, hence, ambiguous! It has been used by contempo­ (such as Carroll & Lane) were in this case played by Adam rary collectors and historians to incorrectly denote any pre­ <'! Carroll and Edgar Fairchild, though occasionally Delcamp or f model A Ampico. Actually, a true Stoddard Ampico is a pre­ Victor Arden took the second part. Recordings by two pseudo­ type 2A Ampico! (See "The Evolution of the Ampico" by nyms (such as Shipman & Lane) were accomplished in the Howe and Morgan, The AMICA News Bulletin, same fashion. Four-hand arrangements requiring only occa­ NovemberlDecember 1991.) This would include Ampicos pro­ sional figuration in one part might be recorded by only one duced from 1912 through 1913. The transition, which artist and the rest penciled onto the note roll or cut into the occurred sometime during 2A production, entailed the addi­ trial roll. tion of an amplification system. Ampicos produced circa 1914 through 1919 would more accurately be labeled early Edgar Fairchild did much of the dynamic coding ("edit­ Ampicos. By 1920 Stoddard's work led to the development of ing") for Adam Carroll's recordings, and all of it for Fairchild the mechanism now referred to by collectors as the Model A & Carroll rolls. He was also responsible for the editing of Ampico. Dr. Clarence N. Hickman, a physicist, who joined the much of the better classical work of the period, including all AMerican Plano COmpany in 1924, redesigned the Model A the Chaloff and pre-1925 Rachmaninoff recordings. with Stoddard. The result was the Model B, introduced in According to Adam Carroll, other editors were: Emse early 1929. (Note: The 1929 Ampico Service Manual is dated Dawson, Marguerite Volavy, Mortimer Browning, Arnold May 1, 1929). Dr. Hickman also constructed the first and only Lackman, Egon Putz and Angelo Valerio. recorder for the dynamics. This recorder came into use in After the pencil roll had been corrected it was hand-perfo­ 1926. rated at the start and end of every note and dynamic marking. This roll was then read by vacuum in the ordinary manner on the automatic stencil machine, which was designed by Charles F. Stoddard. It was an enormously complicated device, with Ampico Popular Rolls about 700 valves for the tracker bar reading alone. (Note: Clarence Hickman later redesigned the device, using only Ampico popular and classical rolls were not made by the about 500 valves.) This machine generated the typical slot­ same process. For the popular rolls, the dynamics were not and-dot note perforation from the hand punched roll. It not recorded, even after the advent of the Hickman dynamic only created several trial rolls for playing and editing, but the; recorder in 1926. A basic music arrangement was hand-played master stencils and duplicate master stencils as well. These -' into the note recorder which generated a very accurate pencil were cut at triple spacing so that while the trial roll showed a line recording. On this roll, wrong notes were erased and addi­ slot, the Master had spaced, single perforations. These master tional notes and figurations penciled in as necessary, a process stencils were also read by vacuum on the production perfora- 106 tors first located at Rythmodik Music Corporation in Bellville, roll was played for the artist who, though encouraged leave New Jersey; later (circa 1922-1930) at Amphion Piano Player rough sections as examples of his individuality, might make Company (Ampico's pneumatic component manufacturing further corrections. Eventually, a master stencil was corrected division) in Syracuse, New York; and, final1y, at the main to match the artist-approved trial roll and used operate the pro­ i ~ American Piano Company plant in East Rochester, New York, duction perforators. l) where they remained until the early 1950's. These high speed production perforators produced the familiar Ampico rolls sold to the public. Within limits, the playing rhythm was relatively unimpor­ The Note Extensions tant on the original note roll. By an extremely ingenious com­ A unique and controversial feature of Ampico rolls was bination of a floating tracker bar and an infinite gradation added during the editing. These were the note extensions, drive, the Stencil Machine automatically corrected faulty which were covered by patents granted to Stoddard in 1911­ rhythm so the rolls could be used for dancing. The floating 12. The technique was originally designed to improve the tracker bar was not used for ballad rolls, which had to be per­ playing of mechanically arranged rolls, and consisted of over forated as played in order to have "soul." It was also not used cutting (lengthening) the melodic notes, causing them to sus­ for the classical rolls. tain through succeeding harmonies. A "singing" melodic line Starting in 1931 many Ampico popular rolls were pro­ was created, and the technique was so successful that it was duced by the Duo-Art artist Frank Milne (mispronounced immediately extended to chords as well. On the Ampico rolls Mill-Knee by so many that he finally gave up and accepted this meant that perforations were arbitrarily lengthened past this pronunciation himself) who was a highly skilled pianist the end of the note(s) as played by the artist. Chords and and arranger. He was the sole editor after 1932, and after 1935 arpeggios were usually extended coincidental with damper or 1936, recorded and/or edited the entire Ampico output until pedaling. production ceased in June of 1941. He used his own name as For a company to purport they reproduced the artist's well as a wide variety of pseudonyms singly and in combina­ playing and yet to deliberately change the recording, was tion: Robert Farquhar (Farquhar was the first name of Mrs. indeed peculiar. As late as his 1927 Tuners' Convention talk, Milne's father), Bob Edgeworth (Edgeworth was Mrs. Milne's Stoddard argued the practice at some length. He used the stan­ uncle) Noel Sherry, the Sherry Brothers, Jeremy Lawrence, dard Ampico thesis that the extensions only duplicate the Ralph Addison (the name of a friend from Newark, NJ), and artist's half-pedaling-the quick and usually incomplete damp­ Ernest Leith (the name of another friend). Milne's rolls consti­ ing of the piano strings to control the amount of blurring tute some of the most sophisticated arrangements and nimble between chords. li dynamic coding of the Ampico popular library. This effect is not easily obtainable by the damping of the Profits for both the American Piano Company and the Ampico mechanism, which is either on oroff. Another way to Aeolian Company, (producer of the Duo-Art and longtime approximate this effect is through the use of selected note competitor), were falling long before the Stock Market Crash extensions. These are also referred to in the article title of 1929. To avoid a disastrous bankruptcy, Ampico was reor­ "Recording the Soul of Piano Playing", which appeared in the ganized in May of 1930 to become the American Piano November, 1927 issue of Scientific American, as "tone color­ Corporation, and merger negotiations were instituted with ing extensions." Aeolian, eventually resulting in the Aeolian American Corporation in 1932. Though an important pianistic technique, half-pedaled effects are not easy for the performer to control. It seems unlikely that even a very accomplished pianist would half­ pedal as much of a melodic line as indicated by note exten­ sions on the rolls. Considering the constant extensions of sin­ The Ampico Classical Rolls gle notes as well as chords, Stoddard's argument may have Before 1926 the classical rolls were also recorded only on constituted an inadequate and unsophisticated justification. the note recorder without dynamics. The process of editing Nevertheless, based upon interviews with and recol1ections of was not only to improve the playing as much as possible, but great keyboard artists of the period, it would appear that the to slowly build up realistic intensities from notations made on use of half-pedaling as a means of sustaining harmonic conti­ the music during the recording session. Aside from removing nuity without blurring melodic structure ·was much more wrong notes and making minor corrections on the pencil roll, accepted during the early part of this century than it is today. all editing was done on a trial roll cut by the stencil machine, We must be careful not to fall into the trap of basing aesthetic and played on an Ampico. judgments of historic practices solely upon the fashionable opinions of contemporary musicologists and performers. Dynamic coding was hand punched onto the blank trial roll, first the intensity stages then the crescendo coding, until Since a preponderance of the chord extensions duplicate -I the playing became musical and realistic. Note perforations the damper pedal action, an 88-note piano would be certain to were lengthened by hand punching or shortened by taping sustain these notes whether the damper pneumatic worked over as necessary, and from this roll the stencil machine made from the roll or not. Ampico rolls cut without expression do corrected trial rolls for further editing. Eventually a completed occur as 88-note rolls, and on these pianos the extensions do 107 produce a smoother sound. Dr. Hickman, Mr. Stoddard's expanded to seven squares. Chaloff did not know why this assistant, was anxious at the time to get rid of the technique, was done, except that it made the playing sound more natural. but was overruled by Stoddard for this reason only. (In his interview, which has now been published in "The Ampico Reproducing Piano", Angelo Valerio explained this From a mechanical point of view the extensions were process.) The actual reason involved the speed of closing of undesirable. The note sheet was weakened, and it was a waste the Ampico pneumatics on varying suction. Playing a loud of suction to bleed so many pouches at the same time. Worse .r note on high suction caused the pneumatic to close quickly. yet, a reproducing piano holding down 10 or 15 notes at the When playing soft notes on low suction, the pneumatic closed same time obviously exceeded the capabilities of a single more slowly, and the notes played later. The difference was pianist, and made questionable the fidelity of the performance. slight but perceptible: loud notes seemed to "jump the gun" on Actually there were two reasons for the Ampico roll the soft chords. In the art of musical accenting, it is well extensions. The first was that the artists themselves felt the known that "early is weak, late is strong," and the settirtg back sound was somehow preferable if the sustaining was done by process compensated for the incorrect accenting. Setting back holding the keys down instead ofonly using the damper pedal. altered the impact of the hammer on the string only by a frac­ According to Julius Chaloff, Dr. Hickman thought differently, tion of a second, but it made the playing smoother and consid­ and won numerous bets using a roll he had perforated with erably more realistic. selections played both ways. Dr. Hickman's dynamic recorder was first used in 1926. More important was that at least the melodic extensions All rolls made on it were intended for eventual use on the do make the playing smoother and allow more latitude in edit­ Model B piano, and most were coded accordingly. However ing. Almost all Ampicos were installed in pianos, 6' II" or the 1926-27 rolls hardly utilize the full capabilities of the less in length which, because of the size, could be rather short­ Model B. Possibly the coding was still thought of in terms of toned. By means of arbitrary melodic extensions a small piano the Model A, and for awhile Model A pianos were still used could be made to "sing" with some of the elegance of the 9' by the editors. The only Model B initially available to them concert grand normally used by the artist. Considering the dis­ was the Research Laboratory prototype, which was used pre­ advantages of the chord extensions, it is not surprising they dominately for the classical editing by Emse Dawson and were largely discontinued in the late 1920's and that A to B Marguerite Volavy. roll conversions show a great reduction. But melodic exten­ Many rolls later issued as Jumbos or with Model B labels sions were always used, even in the Jumbo rolls and by Frank were recorded between 1926 and 1928. Old Model A rolls Milne until he left the company in June of 1941. could also be re-coded for the new machine with comparative The musical justification (if any) was that the editors ease by utilizing the old coding and the inherent musicianship / could capture on a small piano the half-pedaling as well as the of the editor. Since the recording piano did not have an superb legato effects of such artists as Josef Lhevinne. Ampico mechanism, it was not possible to re-record or over Comparison of Lhevinne's seemingly choppy early Welte dub, nor was it necessary to do so. Vorsetzer rolls to his graceful 78 rpm disc records and The recording piano itself was a medium sized grand, and Ampico recordings would seem to bear this out. For the play­ certainly an American Piano Company product. But the actual ing of a "dry" pianist such as Rachmaninoff, this kind of edit­ make had been open to question, as every identifying mark ing was perhaps not as necessary. His accuracy of attack and was removed. Major artists usually contracted to endorse and control of the piano was phenomenal. Julius Chaloff told play only one brand of instrument, thus potential legal diffi­ Nelson Barden that Rachmaninoff was the only Ampico artist culties were avoided. The fall board carried only the word consistently able to trigger large chords so that each note "Ampico." However, recent research by Jeffrey Morgan has would record with the same dynamic level and at precisely the revealed that it was a Model 59 (5'9") Chickering. same time. When Rachmaninoffs pencil-line record came off the recorder, the notes of large chords lined up so perfectly Rolls made for the Model B piano were coded in such a that "you could lay a ruler across them." Chaloff went onto way as to also operate the Model A piano; in fact, both kinds say that on "rainy Thursday afternoons" the editors them­ of rolls do reproduce on the other model, though somewhat selves often attempted this feat, but "not one of us was ever unrealistically. Both utilize similar intensity coding configura­ able to do it." tions, yet there are major differences in their expression sys­ tems. The moot point of the extensions was that of fidelity. The editors could and did use the extensions to "warm up" the playing of lesser artists. However, a comparison of such rolls Model A Expression System as the Julia Glass and Josef Lhevinne versions of "On Wings On the Model A, for instance, slow crescendo is eleven of Song" indicates that the practice was perhaps not as preva­ seconds and fast crescendo is two seconds. (Model A crescen­ lent or even as effective as might be thought. do timing indicates how long the dual crescendo mechanisms Chaloff explained another editing process that was called require to increase the suction available to their respective "setting back." One of the editing operations was to locate soft bass and treble sides of the stack from minimum to two-thirds ..../ notes surrounding loud notes, and to move the loud notes back maximum suction or vice versa.) The Model A crescendo tim­ on the roll by one, two, or three squares. When the Hickman ing specification is determined with the "amplifier", which is dynamic recorder came into use, the setting back scale was described next, inactive (disabled).

108 Additionally, the Model A is equipped with a variable Yet, no perforation multiplexing is required to decrease an pump spill controlled by suction levels in either side of the amplification stage previously locked upward. Because of this stack. This "amplifier' is engaged automatically as stack suc­ mechanical integration, a Model B amplifier locked at mid­ tion levels exceed a predetermined threshold. As stack suction stage will raise the bottom end of the crescendo travel, hence, increases beyond this threshold, the pump spill is increasingly cutting its effective range in half. A Model B amplifier locked closed resulting in a "bootstrap effect" on pump suction avail­ at its highest stage (full pump suction) will render the crescen­ I able to the expression systems. This Model A amplifier affects do totally inoperative! pump suction from two-thirds maximum to full suction. Additionally, the Model B stack is equipped with two Crescendo timing becomes compressed to a certain extent as spill valves (bass and treble) automatically operated in con­ this amplifier is engaged (resulting in a net crescendo timing junction with their respective number six intensity stages. of approximately I second fast, 7 seconds slow). With the Unless their respective bass and treble number six intensity amplifier active, the Model A crescendos have the ability to stages are engaged, these spills remain open and induce a pre­ affect their respective stack suction levels from minimum to determined amount of atmospheric leakage into their respec­ full suction. Under the same condition, the intensity stages of tive sides of the stack. The main (but not exclusive) purpose the Model A (two-four-six bass and treble tracker bar holes) of such a spill valve is to allow almost instantaneous return to can also affect their respective bass and treble stack suction minimum stack suction levels upon cancellation of any previ­ levels from minimum to maximum. ously locked intensity stages. It also has the ability to facilitate Stated another way, the crescendos and intensity stages rapid changes between transient stack suction levels! on the Model A are controlled by roll perforations; in terms of Stated another way, the crescendo, intensity stages, and supplying stack suction, each has the capability to totally amplifier in the Model B are all controlled by roll perfora­ override the other. The Model A amplifier, moreover, is auto­ tions; in terms of supplying stack suction, the intensity stages matically engaged by suction levels in either side ofthe stack. can partially function without any crescendo or amplifier activity, but the crescendo and amplifier cannot function effectively without some intensity stage activity. Additionally, a "sub" stage can lower suction in either side of the stack Model B Expression System below minimum for very soft passages. On the Model B, slow crescendo is much faster, being four seconds, and fast crescendo is reduced to 1/2 second. (Model B crescendo timing indicates how long the single l crescendo mechanism requires to increase pump suction avail­ Incompatibility able to both bass and treble intensity stages from one-half maximum to full suction or vice versa.) The Model B crescen­ To compare the two, Model A crescendo activity immedi­ do timing specification is also determined with no amplifier ately and directly affects stack suction. Model B crescendo activity but should, in theory, be best compared with the net activity, however, must have some intensity stage coding in crescendo timing of the Model A as opposed to the actual order to effectively transfer its effects to stack suction. Model A crescendo timing,specification (see previous sec­ Moreover, the Model A stages are relatively large steps and tion). This still results in a crescendo speed increase of almost the crescendo will have less effect for a given length of perfo­ two-to-one in the Model B versus the Model A. ration. The Model B stages are smaller and the crescendo will have much greater effect. Though the stages and crescendo Full suction to both intensity stages can also be supplied tend to balance out, it is immediately apparent that A and B by a three stage lock on the pump spill (amplifier) which is rolls are not compatible on the other system if the full poten­ operated by an additional perforation on the bass margin of tial of the roll is to be realized. the roll. The bass and treble intensity stages of the Model B (operated by the 2-4-6 bass and treble tracker bar holes in a manner identical to that utilized by the Model A) can affect their respective stack suctions from minimum to one-half maximum unless expanded by a crescendo or the amplifier. EarlyAmpico Pianos Therefore, the intensity stages are, to a certain degree, depen­ A theoretical possibility also exists for incompatibility dent upon the crescendo and amplifier. However, by merely between later rolls (Models A and B) and early Ampico acting upon the suction supply to the intensity stages, the pianos and vice versa. Early Ampicos have the same crescen­ crescendo and amplifier completely depend on the intensity do and intensity coding configurations as the Model A. . stages for transference of their effects. Hence, intensity coding Crescendo timing is also identical in both (contrary to popular must be utilized to convey, to appropriate sides of the stack, notions derived from observations of net Model A crescendo effects generated by the crescendo and/or amplifier. speeds) systems. However, while sharing a similar, automati­ I Moreover, the Model B crescendo and amplifier are cally operated "bootstrap effect" amplifier affecting pump mechanically combined, but independently operated by sepa­ suction at nearly identical levels to the Model A, the early rate roll perforations. These separate perforations must be Ampico amplifier is engaged exclusively by suction levels in multiplexed in order to increase a locked amplification stage. the treble side of the stack. Suction levels in the bass side are 109 totaIIy ignored by early Ampico amplifiers. Early Ampico not be signaled, the "sub" stage capabilities of the Model B rolls are, ofcourse, coded with this idiosyncrasy in mind. will not be utilized. The overall impression is what might be called lumpy expression. Furthermore, because all early Ampico and Model A crescendos directly affect their respective stack suction levels without benefit of any step intensity coding, the theory of i "platforming" (currently championed as a viable coding tech­ nique) would be difficult if not impossible to implement on B Rolls on an A Piano such instruments. Finally, while the effect of early, Model A and Model B B rolls on an A piano will tend to sound better than vice amplifiers is similar, the method of their activation is radically versa. All the notes will play. Because, for the sake of com­ different when one compares the three systems. And, when patibility, editors duplicated the B roll crescendo and di'minu­ one considers crescendos, early and Model A systems contain endo perforations (read only from the treble margin of the roll true crescendos acting directly upon stack suction. The Model by the single crescendo system of the Model B) in the bass B crescendo, on the other hand, is merely a pump amplifier margin as well, the Model A dual crescendo systems will both capable of being operated by roll perforations in two separate respond simultaneously to B roll crescendo and diminuendo ways (i.e., steps and smooth progression). In this manner the perforations. However, these crescendo and diminuendo per­ Model B departs conceptually from its predecessors! forations will be of insufficient length for proper expression but the effect is not objectionable.

Because the Model A is equipped with an amplifier auto­ matically engaged by stack suction, the B roll 2-4-6 intensity A Rolls on a B Piano coding will often result in over-expression and, particularly the melody lines will be too sharply defined and, usually, too A rolls on a B piano will almost always exhibit certain loud. (This phenomenon is often cited as proof of compatibili­ detrimental characteristics. Staccato notes played at very low ty when, in fact, it is an indicator of incompatibility.) For the intensities or fast tempos occasionally skip because at very same reason, the Model A will tend to handle B roll fortissimo low suction the single valve system of the Model B is some­ passages (coded for amplification steps) unrealistically. And, what less responsive to the single perforations so common to without the "sub" stage, some of the softest effects will be A rolls. It will be noted that many A to B roII conversions lost. often have single perforations lengthened to oblong slots. -,/ ~ A rolls have independent coding for the Model A dual (bass and treble) crescendo systems. The single crescendo sys­ tem of the Model B will only respond to the treble crescendo Early Rolls on A and B Pianos and diminuendo perforations on A rolls. Hence, all A roll non­ coinciding (independent) bass crescendo and diminuendo per­ Early rolls will tend to perform more realistically on the forations will not be recognized by the Model B and, there­ Model A than on the Model B. When played on Model A fore, their effects will be lost. This is a serious flaw as any A pianos, some early Ampico rolls could contain levels of bass roll note activity relying upon the bass crescendo for suste­ expression coding (intensity and/or crescendo) high enough to nance or effect will fall flat (unless, by mere chance, adequate engage amplification (if coinciding with insufficient levels of coinidental crescendo activity occurs in the treble margin of treble coding, such bass coding would not have engaged the roll.) amplification in early Ampico pianos). In Model A pianos this situation of incompatibility would result in significantly high­ In addition, the A roll treble crescendo and diminuendo er levels of suction in the bass and slightly elevated levels in perforations will overstimulate the B mechanism, resulting in the treble than called for by the early Ampico roll. The effect a constant and annoying seesawing between soft and loud on treble suction levels would be limited by the lower levels playing (this phenomenon is often mistaken for intentional of treble expression coding necessary for this phenomenon to dramatic effect by the inexperienced listener). Moreover, this occur. However, this phenomenon is rare because the above phenomenon will be further aggravated by the effect of A roll mentioned high bass coding situations are, usually, accompa­ intensity stage coding (intended for use with stacks having no nied by sufficient treble coding to h~ve engaged amplification spill valves) upon the Model B stack spill valves. on early Ampico pianos anyway. Naturally, any coding used Because the three stage lock on the pump spill (amplifier) on early rolls to achieve amplification in early Ampicos will will not be signaled and, hence, not latch up to its higher set­ similarly achieve amplification in the Model A. When played tings, intensity stages 2-4-6 together (bass and/or treble), upon a Model B piano, early rolls will exhibit the same prob­ which on an A piano would yield the loudest playing, will lems as previously described under the heading "A Rolls on B ,/ produce only mezzo-forte. In part this will be compensated for Piano". by the overacting crescendo, but passages which depend on the stages to sustain high suction, such as the conclusion of many rolls, will be too soft. Furthermore, because they will

110 A Rolls on Early Ampicos on early Ampico pianos! From this observation we can con­ clude that while some effort was exerted on these late Broils It is probable that some A rolls exist coded so as to to make them compatible with the Model A, no such effort engage the Model A amplifier solely by means of suction lev­ was made regarding compatibility with early Ampicos. In els in the bass portion of the stack. Such rolls will not engage more than a few cases such efforts as were made for roll com­ the amplifier when played upon early Ampico pianos (unless patibility merely amounted to expedient compromises. ) by mere coincidence, sufficient suction was also present in the treble portion at the time of needed amplification). The above Since the familiar Art-Deco Model B label was not intro­ stated situation would severely limit the dynamic potential of duced until late 1929, rolls made before this time bear the typ­ A rolls played on early Ampicos! ical Model A labels but are actually Model B rolls if cut after 1926. Fortunately, both popular and classical rolls ofthis peri­ od can be identified by the use of the word "London" on the B Rolls on Early Ampicos lower right hand corner of the box label. Additionally, many The most extreme problems of compatibility will be have red or black stars in the lower corners of the box label encountered when playing B rolls on early Ampicos. In addi­ and sometimes on the roll leaders). Since some of the labels tion to the crescendo and diminuendo perforations being of do not contain stars, rolls having stars on their leaders may insufficient length, the situation could occur where some level more reliably be distinguished from earlier "A" rolls. Yet, the of amplification is required for bass expression needs and sub­ absence of stars on the leader does not necessarily preclude a sequently not delivered by an early Ampico piano. The B roll B coded roll. However, the earliest Model B rolls contain might signal some level of amplifier stage lock to accompany intensity coding very similar to that previously used for the whatever bass intensity coding is employed. For example, Model A, and some collectors consider the later efforts (in the let's say the amplifier is coded to lock in second amplification high 68000 classical series upward for instance) as the only (full); and the bass intensity coded with tracker bar holes two, rolls issued under "A" labels that are true Model BroIls. four and six, resulting in a number seven bass intensity. The Model B expression coding may be easily recognized by early Ampico piano will not respond to amplifier lock coding either the pump amplifier coding in the extreme left margin, on the B roll. And, if treble intensity coding is insufficient to "sub" pressure coding in the extreme right margin, and raise treble stack suction levels above the predetermined (though riot infallibly) by duplication of the fast and slow threshold on the early Ampico piano, no amplification will crescendo perforations on both treble and bass sides. Another result. Pump suction will, therefore, remain at normal; bass typical pattern is a slow treble crescendo with occasional sin­ stack levels will merely be a result of the intensity coding. gle perforations in the fast crescendo position. While many This situation will result in the early Ampico having a bass / early Ampico rolls used this coding technique, its use was stack suction level nearly half of that indicated by the coding greatly reduced during production of rolls during the Model A on the Broil. era (1920-1928). After 1928, it was again used extensively. Additionally, even when no amplification is signaled by Though a few "A" rolls did use this pattern, it is seen largely the B roll, its treble expression coding will often engage the prior to 1920 and after 1928. early Ampico amplifier and result in over-expression some­ what similar to that described previously under the heading "B Though Model B development was well under way by Rolls on an A Piano". 1927, the changes in the coding were gradual. Initially the editors were working with Model A pianos, though these were soon replaced. More important, the editors at first thought Roll Characteristics only in terms of the Model A, and were slow to take advan­ tage of the opportunities offered by the Model B system. Another point of consideration is the difference in coding Many collectors feel the Model B intensity coding culminated styles between the early and late rolls. The change is gradual only in Frank Milne's latest rolls, cut between 1935 and 1941. but sure: early editing emphasized crescendos; late editing emphasized stages. Extremes of crescendo usage are seen in some pre-1920 early Ampico rolls which exhibit only rudi­ mentary use of the stages, with a heavy reliance on crescendos. Milne "Kitchen Table" Arrangements It has been observed on several early Ampico rolls that One intriguing puzzle concerns the total absence of sur­ were subsequently re-coded to B configuration that some viving 3-to-l Ampico paper master stencils from the so-called effort was made to retain coding utilized exclusively by earlier Milne "graph-paper era". It is obvious to the interested cod­ systems but not necessary for B operation. However, it ing watcher that Frank Milne's rolls are more heavily coded . appears this re-coding practice was limited to selections than almost any others. His daughter says she watched him deemed volume sellers. More importantly, rolls issued exclu­ draw out masters on their kitchen table, the notes in red pencil )" sively as B, as well as some late A to B conversions, have and the expression in blue. With a chart of the Ampico inten­ been observed that contain passages of sustained high suction sities probably the same thing could be done today. The first utilizing B pump amplification coding; yet these rolls lack the Milne Ampico roll known to the authors is number 213141; necessary treble coding required to fully engage the amplifier What's the Use? released in January, 1931. How the produc~ 111 tion rolls were made from the "graph paper" masters is not probably because they were considered the "standards" of that known but they seem to date from 1932 on. day. The few popular Ampico masters that do survive at Keystone are in chronologically random clumps. This leads A plausible explanation for this is that Milne did all of his one to surmise that the popular survivors were somehow "kitchen table" arranging on 3-to-1 cardboard masters which buried amongst the classical masters when they were cleaning were read mechanically by a key frame on the Duo-Art perfo­ house, and hence, eluded detection. ~ rators. These masters could have been easily duplicated and re-coded, expressionwise, to produce Ampico rolls using a If Harold Powell had not negotiated a deal for the surviv­ second key frame perforator re-fitted with dies containing no ing Ampico masters with Aeolian American in the early themodist punches (snakebites). Such a melding of technolo­ 1970's, they would probably have either been discarded or gy would have been possible after the 1932 merger between made the long trip across the Pacific by now. The Ampico Corporation and Aeolian (producer of the The Soul of the Artist DuoArt). Those of us who have at one time or another tried to add It is known that in the 1970's Mrs. Frank Milne gave a expression coding to an 88-note roll know how tedious and collector who has since disappeared at least one of these unrewarding the effort can be. One of the authors (Barden) DuoArt 3-to-1 cardboard masters which had been marked in can only admit to results which, despite high hopes and great red and blue pencil by her husband. She also gave the collec­ care, sound more like a typist than a pianist, whether the tor some of the pencils! expression mechanism of the piano is on or off. The fact that many, but not all, Ampico popular rolls pro­ Yet if we turn off the expression on a reproducing piano duced in the 213000 series and beyond appear to bear the sig­ and playa reproducing roll, there still seems to be some nature of the Duo-Art perforators supports the above hypothe­ dynamic variation remaining. While the propaganda of the sis. (They are also 0.069 inches in diameter, the same as reproducing piano companies would have us believe the artist DuoArt.) The appearance of the Ampico, Duo-Art, and Welte­ somehow has fingers, or soul, enmeshed in our pianos, the Mignon "twins" and "triplets" during this same time period actual situation is somewhat more involved and much more also supports this hypothesis. This would have also been a fascinating. good way to drastically reduce the costs of producing three types ofrolls. In music, a series of beats advance at a relatively even rate. We feel each beat not as an isolated pulse, but related to It is important to note, however, that quite a few Ampico the one which preceded it. We also predict, if only uncon­ popular recordings issued from 1931 to 1935 (213000, 214000 sciously, the timing of the pulse to follow on the basis of the and 215000 series), continued to be cut on the Ampico perfo­ ;:; pattern we already perceived. In mechanically arranged 88­ rators in the normal way, using Ampico 3-to-1 paper master note rolls or dance music rolls, our unconscious predictions stencils. The few Ampico paper masters which do survive will be perfectly correct-the beats are absolutely even. from this period do not contain selections which appear as "twins" or "triplets". This, of course, also supports the above However in hand-played music the beat patterns are not hypothesis. even; there are tiny variations in the placement of the pulses. Though we do not necessarily perceive the unevenness of the rhythm on a conscious level, we do find it more interesting than a mechanical beat. And in some cases of artifice or acci­ dent, uneven rhythm produces a very interesting auditory illu­ Surviving Ampico Masters sion. Our perception is not necessarily that the pulses of the It is a curious fact that while many of the Ampico classi­ music fall ahead or behind the true beat, but that they are cal master stencils still exist (almost all of the surviving louder or softer, that is more or less intense. Ampico Model B masters and the original production perforators are now owners may encounter an annoying example of this phenome­ owned by the Keystone Music Roll Company of Allentown, non in the process of Note Compensation-setting the mini­ Pennsylvania), there are much fewer surviving popular master mum playing intensity of each note using a test roll made for stencils. One explanation for this is all roll companies had the purpose. The success of the adjustment depends on mak­ known for years that, for the most part, popular music was a ing all the notes sound with precisely the same intensity at the highly perishable commodity. Very few of the popular issues lowest suction. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to use became "standards". Although 3-to-1 Ampico master stencils either an original Note Compensation test roll or one made made from roll paper were used to produce all Ampico rolls from a 3-to-1 master stencil. Conventional recuts are not into the 1930's, it appears that almost all the popular masters accurate enough to use for this purpose. Fortunately, were burned for boiler fuel, sent to the dump or dumped into Keystone has such an original 3-to-1 master. the legendary "Ampico Lake" or "Ampico Swamp". Devices of rhythmic variation have always been used as a American, and perhaps Aeolian American after them, means of musical expression, the ritard being a conspicuous \ seemed to have the attitude that "some day we might find a example. Agogic accents and rubato are terms for two of the . use for the classical masters as they have historical value, but more subtle devices. An agogic accent consists of playing a these popular masters have got to go; we need the space!" note or chord a little off the beat to achieve a heightened Interestingly enough, most ballad-series masters did survive, musical effect. Rubato is the same technique applied to a

112 series of beats in a melodic line or phrase, to give them shape Editina: and Expression Codina: or definition. Agogic accents and rubato are of enormous importance in expressive pianism. The sweep and elegance of In addition to accuracy of note placement, reproducing piano fidelity depends on the efficacy of the editing and cod­ a great keyboard technique is as dependent on these subtle rhythmic alterations as it is on dynamic variation. ing techniques, which can result in either fantastically lifelike perfoflllances or meaningless sequences of notes completely /_ Pianists use both agogics and rubato almost constantly. It devoid of feeling. When we look at the finished product, the is stylistically correct for all music of the Romantic Period to coding and editing of a classical roll may seem nearly impos­ be expressive in this way, and to a lesser extent, all music. sible to duplicate. Certainly it is a time-consuming operation, For example, A Viennese Waltz would sound like any other and one must have unbounded admiration for those who have waltz unless played with an early second beat in each measure recently produced new reproducing rolls with credible expres­ (an agogic accent) to give lilt and drive to the music. sion. Chopin's melodic lines "sing" because of the acceleration or Much of the better editing before 1926 was the work of relaxing of the rhythmic pulse (rubato). Patterns of subtle Edgar Fairchild. Compared to later efforts, when the beat misplacement make music personal and interesting. To Hickman Recorder gave an incredibly accurate dynamic delay or hurry the pace by a minute amount, to shape a phrase record of virtually every note, Mr. Fairchild's rolls sometimes with tiny rhythmic variation, to pause only just perceptibly lack vitality. But considering the method of expressing them, before a decisive note or modulation, and to do all these largely from memory and his notations on the music as the artist played, many rolls are great monuments to his good taste things boldly and definitively, is a necessity of any artistic and musical ability. Given a talented editor like Fairchild, keyboard technique. who was aware of the potential of the machine, there is little Thus, if a reproducing piano handles note placement with reason to doubt the rolls were as faithful as it was practical to accuracy, it goes far toward reproducing the artist's playing. make them. The same can be said of the excellent editing The "soul" of piano music so highly touted in the advertising work done by Theodore Henrion on some of the early Ampico of the period was almost as dependent on rhythmic effects as rolls. Tragically, Henrion's career was cut short by his death on dynamic variation. In a quiet selection not requiring wide in the flu epidemic of 1918. As we shall see later, the over­ whelming number of coding perforations necessary to achieve dynamic range, most of the "expression" was captured on the "perfect" reproduction would have slowed the roll making to a note roll alone because the artist used a wide variety of non­ standstill. dynamic techniques to enhance his playing. It is known that the artists were not always pleased with r the rolls, and despite an immense amount of painstaking edit­ ing, could refuse to approve them. Though the faults were not The Note Recorder infrequently those of the artist, whose s.ubjective response while playing was inferior to the objectivity of the recorder, it The note recorder must be quite accurate to record these nonetheless became the editor's job to please the artist at subtleties, and the Ampico recorder designed by Charles almost any musical cost so the selection could be released. Stoddard was just that. Key contacts in the recording piano The editor might employ a gentle program of persuasion and were connected to the solenoids of the recording machine. capitulation. These operated a series of styli resting on the note sheet, Julius Chaloff has stated: "Some of these things (editing which ran over a drum coated with carbon paper. To indicate effects) were done artificially. They had to be. George a note, the stylus had only to move a few thousandths of an Proctor would say the playing sounded dry, so I would tell the inch for a mark to appear on the under side of the sheet. This girl to extend the notes here and here. 'That's better' he would say. But I would reply, 'You didn't play it that way! process was covered by patents granted to Stoddard from Electricity travels 186,000 miles per second. You put the 1914 to 1921. Great accuracy was possible not only through pedal there, or it wouldn't be there, because electricity is the speed of the tiny movement, but also because the key con­ faster than you are.' That was my argument all the time." tacts were set high. It was hardly necessary to more than (Note: Actually, light travels at 186,000 miles per second, brush a key for the note to record. electricity considerably slower, but still much faster than the artist.) Madeline Gaylor, the girl shown in the November, 1927 Scientific American article over the captions "Transferring The editing and re-editing as seen on trial rolls is exten­ Measurements" and "Wrong Notes are Eliminated" states that sive and fascinating. Much of it is concerned with correction at the time she could not understand why such great pianists of the crescendos and with separating the melody note and its coding from the rest of a chord in the same register. Because made so many mistakes. She was a budding pianist herself, the Ampico stack was divided in two, varying suction could but did not realize the recorder was somewhat overly sensi- be supplied to notes playing at the same time if they occurred ; tive. Wrong note "blips" were of course erased. on either side of middle E on the keyboard. But notes on the same side requiring separate intensities had to be separated on the roll enough to give the expression mechanism time to change the suction level. 113 Although the -recording pianist might have made some But it was not so! Dr. Hickman himself encountered the separation unconsciously in the playing of the melody note first problem on an early Model B roll recorded by E. Robert against the chord, it was a special headache for the editor to Schmitz: manage the effect without creating the impression of sloppy "It would drive you out of the room, it was so loud! We playing or a broken chord. In most cases the melody note is went back and checked the dynamics over, but they were. Ji left in position and the remainder of the chord is taped one right. We finally came to the conclusion that when Schmitz increment (termed a "square") back on the roll. This spacing was there in person, the force of his personality permitted him is quite obvious to the attentive listener, and occasionally to use a very loud fortissimo. But if you took Schmitz away quite objectionable, though at tempo 85 there is only 1/13 sec­ from the piano, it was too much. We had to tame the ond between the playing of the two notes, if the difference in record down because you simply couldn't have sold it the playing the note is 1/8" of paper. Frequently the spacing is way he actually played it." much smaller and therefore much less conspicuous. Also, Julius Chaloff has stated that the playing of the Ampico was not always successful because the artist was not A constantly recurring problem in fast playing was to be present-that without a human pianist making appropriate ges­ able to leave enough space between repeated notes for the tures at the keyboard, the playing seemed flat and uninterest­ valves to reseat and the pneumatics to work. Usually the first ing, or even completely unrealistic. This phenomenon can be note was shortened to give the action time to get back into observed in today's feeble attempts to record contemporary position, but if the spacing was still too close the music was music for roll or disc-actuated pianos without the necessary rearranged. Julius Chaloff says that passages in his Chopin F editing to make it listenable. For this reason, Mr. Chaloff says minor Ballade recording are rearranged for this reason. It is that he always tried (as did the other great artists) to slightly interesting to note the great subtlety with which this was overemphasize the agogics, crescendos, and rhythmic expres­ accomplished, particularly in this instance. sive devices during the recording session, if it could be done without distorting the music. If the intensity coding was going to be crowded, it was necessary to use a very fast roll speed to give better resolu­ The result was that, although the dynamic recorder gave tion. This was impossible on very long rolls which the intensities and made the editing quicker and more accu­ rate, the subjective human element was still necessary to pro­ approached the limit of the take-up spool flanges, which in duce a musical performance. Musicality proved once more to turn caused various types ofroll transport problems be too complex and elusive to reduce to cut-and-dried rules, and the Model B system only demonstrated again the old prin­ ciple: The mechanism of artistry does not readily lend itself to analysis by machine. ~1 The Hickman Dynamic Recorder The dynamic recorder was put into operation in 1926, and gave such an accurate rendering of the intensity of nearly all the notes that the editing was not only simpler but much Conclusions quicker. The dynamic sheet did not give the intensity ofevery Probably the playing of the Ampico was never signifi­ note played, as three adjacent notes and several octaves were cantly better than that of the artist. The editing process was tied together and recorded on the same segment of the too time consuming and never easy. The difficulty of working machine. But interpolation was easy in the case of over­ with a punched roll precluded any except the most mechanical lapping, and for the first time it was possible to record in of corrections. Consider only one roll of the thousands issued permanent form enough information to make a substantial the Schulz-Evler arrangement of the Blue Danube Waltz improvement in the quality ofthe Ampico playing. played by Lhevinne. Mr. Stoddard, in his Tuner's Convention The operation of the recorder is fully covered by an talk of 1927, which was published in the August 1927, issue article written by Dr. Hickman entitled, "Spark Chronograph of The Tuners Journal, stated that this single selection con­ Developed for Measuring Intensity of Percussion Instrument tained 7,915 notes. (There is no reason to doubt this figure; Tones" and published in the October 1929, issue of The but by actual count this arrangement has 1,217 notes in the Acoustical Society Journal and in a Barden interview with treble figurations preceding the first entrance of the waltz him which appears in "The Ampico Reproducing Piano". melody.) Stoddard went on to say that 71,235 operations were Additional contacts to operate the dynamic recorder were necessary before the roll was first heard, and over 100,000 added to the recording piano. The dynamic roll, nearly a yard operations were required to bring it to completion. Editing of wide, showed remarkably accurate measurements of the speed this roll and many of the other late classical records was the of the piano hammer travel for each note as it was played. work ofEmse Dawson, a fine pianist ahd musician. Since the loudness of the piano string vibration depends Naturally the editor would correct slight rhythmic faults, almost solely on the speed of the hammer as it hits the string, blurred pedaling and wrong notes before the artist ever heard precise indication ofthe loudness ofeach note was recorded. the roll. But these changes were insignificant ones and would add little to the actual effect of the music. Changes and cor­ It is easy to imagine that with an accurate note recorder rections on a larger scale could lead to worse, not better and a super-accurate dynamic recorder, all the problems of results. 1 fidelity would be solved. If the notes and dynamics were recreated just as the artist had recorded them, the Ampico Julius Chaloff said, "If the artist wanted to try to change dream ofperfect fidelity would finally be achieved. the interpretation, I would help, and skillfully you could 114 sometimes make rough places a little better. But more often Blue Danube Waltz, the Rochmaninoff performance of the than not, you couldn't do it. Listen to the Godowsky records ­ Chopin B Minor Scherzo, Chaloffs reading of Islamey, or the top notes of those cadenzas and passages aren't even; the Levitski's Symphonic Etudes are only four of the enormous note placement is very bad. But if you changed one (chord) number of artistic performances available to us on piano rolls. you threw the next one off, and if you changed that you were in trouble with the next. You got in more and more of a pick- The~e performances were created by the artist on the original f Ie. It was like a photographer retouching a picture of a man recording just as easily as he created them in his day-to-day with a big nose and a wart on the end. Naturally he could concert career. It is also important to remember, however, make the wart disappear. But what could you do with the that poor editing, particularly as related to the dynamics, could nose? It was better to leave it alone. We used to say to the convert a great performance into a mediocre one. artists 'a little imperfection makes it sound more human.' Listen to the records - you'll hear the imperfections, there's no The piano roll editing techniques correspond to little question ofthat!" more than modern day editing of magnetic tape masters. Early, Model A and Model B Ampicos are capable of Artur Rubinstein admitted in an interview in the September, reproducing the nuances of a human pianist. The mechanisms 1969 issue of Clavier Magazine, that he is generous with are accurate, well designed, and the intensity systems operate wrong notes, but that they were removed on his RCA releases with incredible rapidity. Only a few pianistic effects cannot be literally reproduced, and these too may be simulated. by his recording supervisor, Max Wilcox. We have only to listen to "undoctored" discs such as the Horowitz Carnegie Modem critics do not object to machine reproduction per Hall series to realize how prevalent modern editing has se; they are now accustomed to hearing reproduced music of excellent fidelity via LP's, cassettes and CD's. Unfortunately, become. many adverse conclusions about the quality of reproducing It was as true of RCA and Columbia in the 1960's as it piano rolls have been based on erratic performances by repro­ ducing pianos which were poorly restored, voiced and tuned. was of the Ampico in 1925, as it is of the CD's today. A Too often such instruments are paraded in front of modemday recording company must do the best it can with the available musicologists who then become justifiably skeptical! There is resources. Thus for the reproducing piano, musical veracity certainly no shortage of poorly played and coded rolls, but can be convincingly demonstrated by playing the bad rolls! neither is there a shortage of poorly restored and regulated There are many unrhythmical, unmusical and completely reproducing pianos. uninteresting rolls played by a host of fortunately forgotten Another point of recent curiosity, (or animosity in the pianists. If it had been either a general practice or even a case of a few) has been the editing, because it has been incor- remote possibility to create great artists out ofevery pianist by r rectly assumed that editing could easily produce a great piano technique. This was not true. Neither dubious editing nor any "silk purse" editing, these "sow's ear" rolls would not exist. other spurious means could have produced such stunning Instead, all would play with the fire and style of the head­ pianism as can be heard from The Ampico. The Lhevinne liners. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Continuedfrom Inside Front Cover: UNITED PIANO CORPORATION. - The United Piano Corporation was organized in April, 1922, representing the consolidation of three of the leading pianoforte concerns in this country. Its products are the A. B. Chase, Emerson and Lindeman & Sons pianos, all three of which are names of very high standing in the trade. Under the direction of the United Piano Corporation the individuality of these three reputable trade names are being retained and perpetuated, it being the idea of the company to produce pianos of the highest types. Executive offices are located in Norwalk, Ohio. The officers are James H. Williams, president; J. Harry Shale, treasurer, and S. B. Keilholtz, secretary. The subsidiary companies of this corporation are: A. B. Chase Piano Co., established in 1875; Emerson Piano Company, established in 1849, and Lindeman & Sons, established in 1836. The manufacturing end of this business is under the supervision of men whose practical experience in some of the greatest piano factories in America has equipped them to supervise the production of fine instruments, products that represent the best in a careful blending of skill and highest qual ity mate­ rials. The policy of the United Piano Corporation is to build pianos which will be a credit to the industry, and quality production rather than quantity output is its principal aim and ideal. J. H. Williams, the president of this corporation, is one of the best known authorities in the country on retailing of musical instruments. Prior to the formation of this corporation Mr. Williams had successfully conducted one of the biggest retail piano houses in the co~ntry, and it was due to his thorough knowledge of the retailing of musical instruments, as well as his general executive ability, resulting from a wide experience in business, that he rose to the pinnacle of success in the retail piano field. J. Harry Shale, another officer of this corporation, has devoted the major portion of his life to the piano business, and is thoroughly familiar with piano manufacturing in all its branches by virtue of his long association with the industry. He is in addition an expert on financial matters, and therefore peculiarly well fitted for the important post he holds with this concern. The affairs of the concern are, therefore, in the hands of men who are highly experienced in all branches of piano manufacturing and marketing. Knowing the problems of the business as well as they do, this corporation has made rapid strides in the short time of its existence. The A. B. Chase piano stands today in the front rank of pianos. It has been endorsed by some of the most discriminating musicians and conservato­ .ries of music in America. It is the official piano of the Scotti Grand Opera Company, and the Society of American Singers. The Emerson has been known as "the sweet-toned Emerson" since 1849, and is preferred by many in a position to buy a more expensive instrument. Lindeman & Sons ; pianos are noted for their high quality and attractive prices since 1836, this company being the second oldest piano concern in America. All of the pianos manufactured by the United Piano Corporation are also offered equipped with the Celco Reproducing medium. The Celco is the highest development along the lines of re-presenting the work of the leading musicians, at the same time preserving to even the most minute detail of touch all the expression of the original performance. It embodies the latest discoveries in the art that preserves great music plus masterful interpretation. Concern in highest financial standing. 115 ~fisf's

KOCH Legacy has issued two CDs labeled The Art of Harold Samuel. Mr. Samuel was a famous exponent of the compositions of J.S. Bach. He preferred to use the piano in place of the harpsichord used by many other famous inter­ II preters of Bach's compositions. In 1927, in Town Hall in New York, he gave six Bach recitals in six days (January 18th to January 25).

Two CDs are of his 78 rpm discs. Information on this pianist may be found in the AMICA Bulletin, July 1977.

Mr. Samuel's sudden death was January 15, 1937, which shocked the musi­ cal world to end the career of one of the greatest Bach interpreters of his time. His Duo-Art rolls are all of the compositions of Bach.

HAROLD SAMUEL

~~l

SEPTEMBER 4, 1992 - MESSAGE FROM JOHNNY HONNERT Temperature 90 degrees, and it's 2:00 p.m. (Sent in by Dorothy Bromage)

Dear Dorothy, room. Phooey -I don't get excited with it - neither. Ha! It is so nice hearing from you. You feel bad? I never will get "Maine Stein Song" reminds me of the time in 1937 when r over what Hurricane Andrew did to me. August 23 atl :()() p.m., they played piano at a gorgeous club in Chicago, on Rush Street. Rudy said EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY, the whole place, about 56 of us, Vallee came in with some folks one night, and the folks asked him to in two buses, mostly in walkers and wheel chairs. And we had to come up on my stage and sing a few songs. But he didn't know I was sleep on mattresses on the tloor in another nursing center with 900 recording the thing with my machine, and he didn't notice it. Finally patients there already. Wowie! and food-what's that? Not even cof­ he said, "Oh, recording!" But the little small record I gave to the fee. We stayed two whole days and nights, before they drove us back folks, and I ended up with the record anyway. Wanna hear it? Come here, and no lights and water for days! So, what else is new? on, here in Miami. I heard from Mike and Liz after the convention. They said they My grandson was in Florida City (next to Homestead, Florida). all thought about me. Did you go? All' said he was gonna be there -I Wiped out - in his duplex. He had sent his wife and Stephanie (one­ haven't heard. I am OK now, thank God. I took off five pounds, at year old) to stay with her mother. And they are in the same town, and least. their roof was blown off, I heard. Oh, my - wowie, eh? I haven't heard from him at all, I wonder what's cookin'. I celebrated my 84th birthday and was thinking of the day in California when I was 80, when you all signed a card for me. I never I am still sitting on the bed typing this to you. OK? I'm tired will forget it. How nice. already, and I love you, of course, too. Hello to all the AMICAns that So [ see you moved - and to such a nice house - great! Have fun you write to. OK? - in the snow, soon? Ha! Don't you miss California? Musically yours, I had an operation on skin cancer, under my left eye, and three Johnny Honnert more on top of my dome. OK now, I think. I don't play the piano c/o Heritage Rehabilitation Center here much anymore. I get tired, so what else is new? 220 I NE 170th Street, 1 I can picture you with all those nice instruments around you, in North Miami Beach, Florida 33160 that new house. Nice! All I have is a portable keyboard, here in my

116 Clarence Adler "always gloves over the steel"

by Leopold CLARENCE ADLER GODOWSKY Last year, the fiftieth anniversary of Clarence Adler's career as pianist and teacher, brought warm tributes from a host of distin­ guished fellow musicians.• Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, his outstanding talent was in evidence so early that he was admitted as a regular student to the Cincinnati College of Music at the age of eleven. Later a student of Leopold Godowsky for five years in Berlin, he made numerous solo appearances there, also with chamber groups. Returning to this country, he continued similar activities, including performance of a cycle of fourteen Mozart concertos with the National Orchestral Association under Leon Sarzin. Long established as ateacher in New York City, he has guided many outstanding pianists, and several, such as George Gershwin, Aaron Copland and Walter Hendl, who were more than pianists.

A QUARTER OF A CENTURY has slipped by since the sor­ played, no matter how involved or technically difficult, rowful day that Leopold Godowsky departed this earth. was tossed off with the greatest of ease and simplicity. I had the sad privilege of attending the last rites. As I The audience was never for a moment aware that what looked at those expressive, flexible hands (they seemed the Master was doing would have been impossible for any flexible even in death), I heard again the wonderful other performer. He made beautiful music of pieces that sounds which emanated from his soul to the tips of his were written for the sheer display of virtuosity. He was fingers into the bed of the keyboard. I began listening to an ideal program builder. All styles were included in his them in the year 1905 and have been hearing them ever recitals. He had that rare ability to take his audience into since. His genial, warm personality, his wise precepts are his confidence and to guide it safely through the laby­ constantly inspiring me. The loftiness of his musicianship rinth of the most abstruse compositions. has guided me every hour of my existence since 1905. It As a composer he occupies a unique position. Unfor­ has made of me a better musician and a finer instrumen­ tunately, his compositions are neglected by the great and talist. He set the goal for my pupils who, through me as less great pianists. What a pity! Why are they neglected? his disciple, are traveling the pianistic road to Parnassus. Because they are very difficult, and because they have not

-' There was nothing of the commercial or showman in been written to bring forth enthusiastic applause from the the musical stature of Godowsky. Every composition he audience or to add glamor to the performer. If you wish

THE PIANO TEACHER IMPACT

to worship at the shrine of music, study and play Godow­ exclaimed: "He is the master of us all," and RachmanIn­ sky's compositions. off:" Godowsky is the only musician of this age who has In the editing of his music he reveals still another given a lasting, a real contribution to the development of miracle of his genius and his unselfish desire to give away piano music." James Huneker, in his Unicorns, wrote: his knowledge. The phrasing, pedaling, fingering are "He is the superman of piano playing. His ten digits are other examples of his learning and mastery. How unfor­ ten independent voices." tunate that he did not edit a large portion of the piano I have been asked repeatedly to describe Godowsky's literature! If he had done this, and if pianists had followed playing. The closest I can come to it is to recall faintly his instructions religiously, teachers could sooner be dis­ from the deep recesses of my memory my impressions of posed of. As a transcriber and paraphraser of music he the first time I heard him in recital. This was in Berlin in enhanced the original score through his keen and sensi­ Beethoven Hall during the winter of 1907. I was then tive harmonic imagination. As a contrapuntalist, he had busily engaged in strenuous rehearsals as pianist of the no peer. As a performer, he was a pianist for pianists. famous Hekking Trio, which gave six concerts each year. The titans of the keyboard bowed to him. Vladimir de I had succeeded Artur Schnabel, one of the founders of Pachman said: "Wait until you hear Godowsky play. We the organization. After a typical, strenuous, and fatiguing are all woodchoppers in comparison." Josef Hofmann rehearsal I felt the need of relaxation. How did I seek it?

continued World-traveler Godowsky in Berlin

GODOWSKY Contd. . Simply by attending a Godowsky recital, which began ~- several hours after the rehearsal. I purchased a ticket for . the left side of the hall, where the artist's hands were plainly visible. The pleasure of listening was thus en­ hanced, particularly when Godowsky played. His hands were very small, but wonderfully developed and exceed­ ingly expressive. They were rubbery, and he had trained them so marvelously he could master wide stretches and dangerous skips with the greatest of ease. Godowsky's hands always reflected the mood of the music he was pro­ pounding. He was less of the showman than any other artist I ever heard. He would never resort to anything theatrical, nor to any external effect in order to bring forth applause. He was a true disciple of the composer, whose message he hoped to convey to his flock. He walked to the piano unobtrusively, bowed cour­ teously to his audience, and sat down quietly. The public could not notice any visible sign of anxiety or nervous­ ness, but within himself there must have been a certain questioning: "Will my memory serve me perfectly? Will the limitations of human mind and body enable me to en­ compass the glories of the music?" There is nearly al­ ways doubt coupled with faith in the truly great artist. Godowsky was ready to play. His whole manner changed. His serious attitude, his philosophic counte­ nance was like a Brahma. He began that beautifuLWeber Lr Sonata in A-flat major. (How unfortunate that this lovely piece is so seldom played today. Surely an art work is eternal and speaks a universal language through the ages.) The opening tremolo of broken octaves on a flat in the lower part of the piano sounded like a faint rum­ bling of double basses-and then came that haunting, appealing first theme, so exquisitely and sensitively an­ nounced. His crystal, pearly scales played with feathery, velvety fingers, his many, many shades of nuance be­ tween piano and pianissimo, his steadily mounting cres­ cendi and powerful, resonant, ringing chords made you realize that he also had wrists and hands of steel, though there were always gloves over the steel. One never sensed any harshness or rough contact with the hammers. In fact, one never was conscious of instrument, keys,. ham­ mers, pedals, but just the vision of an Apollonian sage from whose pores the sublimest music was emanating. Enthusiasm ran high after the concert. Applause was unrestrained, and many encores were demanded. The audience would not leave until the lights were lowered. Thete was the usual rush to the artist's room. A galaxy of artists and stars of the day swarmed about the Master, offering hearty and sincere congratulations. He accepted the praise graciously and modestly. He looked tired and sad. I understood his feeling. The great artists are humble Gand they are sad, even after sublime accomplisbment, be­ cause their goal is an apparition, always evasive, never attainable.

in Constantinople The Man Behind the Dour Mask From The New York Times, April 4, 1993 By Igor Buketoff .1 Sent in by William Knorp

That was the real Rachmaninoff remembered by his Russian Friends: a warm and fun-loving man, in sharp con­ trast to the dour stage presence so familiar to his audiences. Even now, as the music world observes the 50th anniyersary of his death, on March 28, 1943, the personal side of the com­ poser is little acknowledged beyond the reminiscences of those who knew him. My first experience of Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff occurred when I was around 10. My father had taken me to a Passion Week evening service at the Russian Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior, on Madison Avenue and 121 st Street. Everyone stood holding a lighted taper. The church was dark but for the tapers and the candles illuminating the saints on the sanctuary screen and side walls. The icons were Byzantine in style, with elongated faces and heavy bags under their stem, almond-shaped eyes. I had busied myself examining those exotic, forbidding faces, and was turning my attention to my candle when my father whispered, "Look! Rachmaninoff!" There he stood, barely 15 feet away, his back to the wall, head half-bowed, eyes fixed on his candle, only occasionally looking up toward the altar. In glancing around I had mistaken him for an icon. I ..t watched him for more than an hour, willing him to move, but ;_ he never did, not even to cross himself, as Russians frequently do in church. I was fascinated. Many years later, as he and I walked along West End Sergei Rachmaninoff - The look ofa Byzantine icon, with his Avenue, I told him about this first memory. We always spoke enlongatedface and bags under his stern, almond-shaped eyes. in Russian, his preferred language. He would often retreat into The concert was one of Rachmaninoff's greatest tri­ a shell when spoken to in English. He cultivated a stock umphs, but as usual, his facial expression remained mask like: answer to anyone who inquired about his health: "A-number­ unsmiling and austere. The audience left Carnegie Hall in one, First Class." Sometimes his answer missed the point of a euphoria. Everyone was animated - except one person, lost in . question. thought. Our conversation turned to the wonderful rector of that Michael Chekhov, a nephew of the writer Anton Chekhov Russian church, Father Vasily. A huge man, unmistakably and one of Rachmaninoff's closest friends, had been invited to Russian, he owned a Russian wolfhound, which always the pianist's home for a post concert party. As he left the hall, attracted attention during their walks. Like Rachmaninoff, he struggled for words to express his awe. He walked through Father Vasily understood little English. One evening a passer- Central Park to regain his composure. After some time, still by noticed the dog but was even more fascinated by t~e obvi­ dumb struck, he headed for Rachmaninoff's apartment on ously Russian man in his clerical collar. Unable to contain his West End Avenue and rang the doorbell, expecting to be curiosity, he asked, "Are you a Russian Orthodox priest?" admitted by a servant or another guest. Suddenly, the door Father Vasily gave his usual reply: "Yes, yes, yes. Russian opened, and there stood Rachmaninoff. Completely undone, wolfhound, Russian wolfhound." Rachmaninoff chuckled Chekhov simply got down on his knees, bowed his forehead when I recounted the incident. It was a familiar predicament. to the floor and froze. Rachmaninoff's characteristic reServe belied his surprisingly rowdy youth. Too precocious for the St. Petersburg Finally, overcome by embarrassment, he looked up. Conservatory, the 9-year-old "Seryozha" regularly cut classes, . Instead of finding Rachmaninoff towering over him, he dis­ devoting his time to jumping on and off moving trolleys with£ covered that the great pianist and composer had responded by his buddies. Before long, his mother sensed that all was not also getting down on his knees and bowing his head to the going well. On the advice of her nephew Alexander Siloti, she floor. had Seryozha transferred to the Moscow Conservatory, where

120 Siloti taught piano. With a full scholarship, Seryozha began to For a while, Rachmaninoff pursued a career as a compos­ study, and live, with the school's foremost piano pedagogue, er, pianist and conductor. But the conducting career was short­ Nikolai Zverev. The surname, meaning "beast," was appropri­ lived. No one could understand why he had suddenly aban­ ate to how Zverev treated pupils. The tight discipline to which doned it. Finally, he told a friend that in a rehearsal, a musi­ he subjected Rachmaninoff partly explains the composer's cian tested his ear (a common occurrence even today) by play­ J lifelong self-discipline and obsessive punctuality. ing a nursery tune instead of his part. Rachmaninoff stopped, made his correction and promptly gave up conducting, choos­ At that time, in the 1880's, the conservatory students ing not to subject himself to another such insult. behaved in an affected manner, smoking, lacing their conver­ sation with foreign words and wearing their hair long, in the In 1917, with Russia in political upheaval and most of style of Liszt. In contrast, Rachmaninoffs demeanor was nat­ Europe in flames, Rachmaninoff fled with his family to ural, his speech direct, and over the years he gravitated toward Scandinavia, where he had been invited for a concert tour. the haircut "of a convict," as described by the Russian bass Soon thereafter, an invitation to tour the United States com­ Fyodor Chaliapin. This haircut was to become his signature. pelled him, at age 45, to build a new piano repertory no longer dominated by his own familiar compositions. Rachmaninoff was a wonderful pianist, but his greatest aspiration was to become a composer. After graduating in In 1927, he re-emerged as a major composer with the pre­ piano in 1891, he studied for one more year as a composition mieres of his Fourth Piano Concerto and Three Russian Folk major. For the final examination, he and his two classmates Songs for chorus and orchestra. My father, a Russian were given one month to compose an opera, in piano score, Orthodox priest, was asked to assemble a chorus of basses, based on a story by Alexander Pushkin. When the time came drawn from the Russian clergy, and altos to sing the folk to submit their works, Rachmaninoffs opera, "Aleko," was songs with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold completely orchestrated, and the score was bound. He had fin­ Stokowski. ished the assignment in 17 days. He was 19. At the first rehearsal, as Stokowski started the third song, By then, Rachmaninoff had experienced his first serious Rachmaninoff rose from his seat in the dark hall and asked the crush, on his cousin Verochka Skalon. She was the youngest conductor to take a slower tempo. Stokowski agreed, then of three sisters for whom he composed two pieces for piano, resumed his original pace. Again, Rachmaninoff asked for a six hands. Her family gave him the kind of love he craved, slower tempo. Again Stokowski agreed, only to continue as and his heart went out to the 15-year-old. But they were before. Disconsolate, Rachmaninoff returned to his seat, shak­ observed holding hands, and the budding romance was ing his head, but at the first opportunity he went on stage and brought to an abrupt halt. appealed to the priests of the choir: "I beg you, do not ruin a devout Russian Orthodox churchman! Please sing more slow­ ,/ Far more tantalizing and more typical of Rachmaninoff ly!" They replied that it was impossible to sing a tempo other was his relationship with the young poetess Marietta than that set by the conductor - a fact he ruefully understood. Shaginyan. Slieinitiated a correspondence with him under the pseudonym Re and gave him many ideas for songs. Judging In 1941, I became director of the Juilliard School's choral from their letters, this mutual affection was discreetly distant department and, in my youthful hubris, decided to perform the yet profoundly intense. Eventually Rachmaninoff confessed to songs at Rachmaninoffs tempos. He agreed to go through the her that he had known her identity for some time. They were work with me. I remember his faint smile as he played the alone together only once or twice. accompaniment and sang the vocal parts, seemingly three octaves lower; when he smiled he was beautiful. He entreated Not many people know that early in his career, me not to take the third song too fast. But years later, on hear­ Rachmaninoff was a superb conductor and once the director ing a homemade record of my performance, I realized that I, of the Imperial Opera. During this time, he developed a deep too, had let him down. friendship with Chaliapin, who was known to take excessive liberties in tempo and interpretation. Once, during a rehearsal We talked frequently, and his manner was always gra­ of Glinka's "Life for the Czar," Chaliapin was to start singing cious and often mischievous. Once, my wife and I drove him after a brief silence. He made the silence endlessly long. home from a meeting of the Bohemians, a New York musi­ Finally, Rachmaninoff, who was conducting, boomed, "It's cians' club. He sat in the back, resting his chin on the front really ~ime for us to continue, Fyodor Ivanovich." seat-back while we talked. Suddenly (and tactlessly) I asked, "What do you think of ShostakovichT He replied instantly, in Despite this tense moment, the two giants (both well over his typically understated manner, "He's very talented, but he six feet tall) became close friends. Seryozha adored Chaliapin, should learn how to use an eraser." whose marvelous sense of humor often left him weeping with laughter. On another occasion, he and the younger Chaliapin lis­ tened to a broadcast of the premiere of Shostakovich's In later years, Rachmaninoff told one of Chaliapin's sons, Seventh Symphony, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. After the also named Fyodor, that Chaliapin had scolded him about the performance, Rachmaninoff remained silent until Chaliapin, j way he took bows, insisting that he be more ingratiating to his unable to stand the suspense, asked how he liked it. '" audience. Rachmaninoff explained that for him such behavior Rachmaninoff stood up and said, "Let's go have some tea." was unnatural, adding, "Your father was a basso, but he bowed like a tenor."

121 Newspaper accounts mistakenly attributed his death to ated hands, which were already becoming cold, and said, pneumonia and pleurisy. He died of cancer. Unaware that his "Farewell, you precious man." At ):30 a.m., four days before days were numbered, he blamed the excruciating pain in his his 70th birthday, he quietly ceased to breathe. side on rheumatism. He gave his last concert in Knoxville, Non-Russians remember Rachmaninoff as a gaunt, severe Tennessee, on February 17, )943, and was traveling by train figure, remote and seemingly unapproachable. His friends to play in Texas but could not continue. He headed for his recall an intensely charming, gentle man who adored his fami­ new home in Beverly Hills. The train ride lasted an agonizing ly. 60 hours. He blessed his two daughters repeatedly, whenever they In Los Angeles, he was rushed to a hospital, where tests left him for even the shortest time. He listened to his grand­ revealed the hopelessness of his condition. Sent home, he daughter's first piano lessons, assuring her that he 'would seemed to improve for a few days: his appearance was good, speak to his manager about her. Once he was found on the his humor intact, and he even entertained thoughts of working floor with his grandson sitting triumphantly astride him. The in his garden. But after March )0, his condition deteriorated child, it seemed, would not eat his beans until he was with frightening speed while his wife, Natalie, his daughter promised that he would become strong enough to defeat his Irina and his sister-in-law, Sophie Satin, watched helplessly. grandfather. So down went the beans, and down wentgrandfa­ On March 27, young Chaliapin was allowed to see ther. Rachmaninoff, now in a coma. He kissed the pianist's emaci- That was the real Rachmaninoff.

C,onlQD Nancarrow in Concert by Terry Smythe

Some months ago, I was approached by a local contempo­ was a 9'Baldwin, turned end-on to the audience. The rary musician/composer, Jim Hiscott, inviting me to consider Ensemble is a ten person group who surround the piano, not loaning one of my reproducing pianos for use in a concert, unlike a circle of surgeons surrounding a patient on an operat­ sponsored by Groundswell, in their New Music series. ing table. The keys are not struck at all, but rather a large They were planning a concert of contemporary music, featur­ number of four foot stranded loops of fine nylon fishing line ing the piano in most unusual applications. were each looped under specific strings. Jim had in mind to feature Conlon Nancarrow with some Each of the "players" were responsible for specific notes, of his compositions for the player piano. It sounded like a fun which they played by pulling the strands taut and "bowing" thing to do, so readily agreed, offering my )935 George Steck the strings in a most unconventional, but nevertheless logical Ampico AlB. Knowing that Conlons music places awesome fashion. The effect is astonishing! I would never have demands on the pneumatic system, I felt that only this piano believed that the sound of a full blown pipe organ could out of my collection had the courage to satisfy the perfor­ emanate from a grand piano. mance requirements. The ten "players" were all dressed in black, and silently Both Jim and I set out to acquire some of Conlon's rolls, moved around the piano in absolute military precision that in hoping one of us would be successful. Recalling his introduc­ itself was quite an unusual sight. The concept of playing the tion to AMICA in San Francisco in 1988, I contacted his spon­ piano in this manner was somewhat similar to a group of hand sor, founding members Sally and Dale Lawrence, who did bell ringers, where each player has responsibility for precision their level best to find us some rolls. They put me onto a lady timing ofonly two notes. In the Stephen Scott Ensemble, each in their area who confirmed she had a large number, but I was of the 10 players had responsibility for many more notes, and unsuccessful in persuading her to part with a few of them. did an outstanding job. Meanwhile, Jim made contact through a friend of a friend While I was understandably pleased with the Nancarrow of a friend, with someone name Trimpin in the Seattle area, portion of the concert, I must say I was quite impressed with and was subsequently successful in acquiring three fine selec­ Stephen Scott's compositions for the "bowed" piano. Highly tions - Studies # 12, 21 and 25. They did indeed put enormous recommend this group if they should happen to be performing demands on the Ampico system, but it performed beautifully. in your area. The review sez it all. My piano was returned safely, and a good time was had Also on the program was the Stephen Scott Ensemble by all. Who knows, we may try it again some time. from Colorado College, featuring a "bowed" piano. The piano

122 The Performers

The Colorado College New Music Ensemble

Stephen Scott, Director Brian Arnold, Kaya Ayers, Scott Bramwell, Shawn Keener, Jennifer Pierce, Michael Scagliotti, John Steohenson, Julie Urquhart, Daniel Wiencek Diana McIntosh, Piano 1935 Steck Ampico Player Grand Piano

The Bowed Piano The idea of producing a sustained tone on a keyboard instrument other than an organ dates back at least to the time ofThomas Jefferson, who in the late 18th century com­ missioned a harpsichord fitted with a "celes­ tial stop", a bowing device invented by an English instrument builder named Walker. first heard of a sustained piano tone in the music ofCurtis Curtis-Smith, a pianist/com­ poser from Michigan.Some of his piano pieces from the I 970s require the player to draw filaments of nylon fishline beneath the strings to produce an organ-like sound. I have developed a form of this device which I call the "soft bow", consisting of several strands of rosined nylon fastened together at each end with color-coded tags. When sev­ The 1935 Steck Ampico Player Grand Piano eral of these are drawn under different strings of the piano simultaneously by sever­ The piano used in this concert was built by the American Piano Company and al players, sustained, resonant chords are contains an original Ampico reproducing mechanism. Self-playing pianos had produced. The players may also sound dif­ their origin just after the tum of the century, were short-lived, and eventually ferent pitches consecutively, much in the evaporated approximately in 1930. The American Piano Company was one of three major North American piano manufacturers equipping their premier way hand bells are rung in sequence to pro­ instruments with reproducing mechanisms. Those player pianos known as duce a line of melody. In the last few years, reproducing pianos, got their generic name from their ability to faithfully the palette of the bowed piano medium has reproduce the expression and intent of the original artist recording the perfor­ become more orchestral through the inclu­ mance on a special kind of paper music roll. Little known today, they were sion of pizzicato, tremolo, dampened key­ popular in the teens and 20's, and most of the legendary masters of the piano strokes and various kinds of strumming. of around the turn of the century, made recordings for use on these pianos. This particular piano is owned by Terry Smythe, owner of Sounds of Stephen Scott Yesteryear, Canada's foremost collection of vintage self-playing musical instruments, containing fine examples of reproducing pianos, nickelodeons, circus band organs, and large music boxes.

123 Program those earlier Studies, and they occur in several different forms: (1) major triads, arpeggiated through one or several Rainbows (Parts One & Two) (1981) Stephen Scott octaves; (2) diatonic scales; (3) harmonic series sequences; (4) Colorado College New Music Ensemble 7th-chord arpeggios; and finally, (5) longer concatenations of Study #12.....•••••••••••••••••••••••••...... •.•••.•...... Conlon Nancarrow such 7th chords, on successively different scale degrees. Each .,. Study #21 Conlon Nancarrow of these forms has a distinctive sonority or "timbre", even ~ Music For Player Piano James Tenney though they are all quite similar in their general effect. Study Study # 25 ConIon Nancarrow # 25 also marks the only extensive use, within the series of Intermission (15 minutes) Studies, ofthe sustaining pedal. Murkings* (1993) Music: Diana McIntosh Text: "The Eighth Sea", Paul Dutton Music For Player Piano (1964) by James Tenney was com­ Sound poetry: Paul Dutton and the composer posed during his last year at the Bell Laboratories. The com­ Photography:Vivian Sturdee puter was used in the composition process as in computer Additional direction: Richard Armstrong sound-synthesis works of the same period (e.g. Phases, Originally created slides: Marlene Milne Ergodos II ); that is, a stochastic process was organized into With thanks to Vinie Glass temporal gestalt-units at several holarchicallevels. The work as a whole exploits the fact that the same piano-roll can be Intermission (5 minutes) read by the player mechanism in four different ways- back­ Minerva's Web (1985) Stephen Scott ward, forward, and "inverted"- so that one hears here the same Colorado College New Music Ensemble one-minute segment in all four of its "serial" forms: original *world premiere or "prime", retrograde inversion, inversion, and retrograde, in Stage Manager/Lighting: Ian Fillingham that order. Sound technician: Clive Perry School matinee: Karen Jensen, Richard Wedgewood About the Composers Conlon Nancarrow GroundSwell gratefullly acknowledges the financial support of Born in 1912 in Arkansas, Conlon Nancarrow studied music The Manitoba Arts Council and The Canada Council in Cincinatti, and later in Boston with Nicolas Slonimsky, Walter Piston, and Roger Sessions. As an instrumentalist, he Yamaha is the official piano ofGroundSwell played jazz trumpet. Among his music idols are not only Igor Stravinsky but Louis Armstrong, Earl "Fatha" Hines, and Special thanks to Terry Smythe for providing the Bessie Smith. In 1937, Nancarrow joined the Abraham I 1935 Steck Ampico Grand Piano Lincoln Brigade in Spain where he participated in the fight against the fascist Franco Government. In 1939, upon return­ ing to the United States, he underwent political harassment Program Notes from the federal govemment and in 1940 he relocated to Study # 12 by Conlon Nancarrow is strongly Spanish in char­ Mexico City, where he has resided ever since. Nancarrow's acter. One hears flamenco guitars, and that wonderfully relative isolation in Mexico, until 1981 when he travelled to intense singing that is associated with flamenco dancing. San Francisco for a New Music America Festival concert in These basic elements are extended, amplified, and elaborated his honor, now seems to be thoroughly broken. far beyond the ordinary boundaries of the flamenco style. (Charles Amerikhanian, Wergo Records) (paraphrased from notes by James Tenney, Wergo Records) James Tenney Study # 21 by Conlon Nancarrow is subtitled Canon - "X". Born in New Mexico, Mr. Tenney received his early training The "X" in the subtitle refers to the graphic image of the as a pianist and composer in Arizona and Colorado. He changing tempo-relations between its two voices. The first attended the University of Denver, the Julliard School of voice begins at a relatively slow tempo while the second Music, Bennington College, and the University of lllinois. A begins at a fast tempo. From the beginning to the end of the performer as well as a composer and theorist, he was piece the tempo of the first voice gradually increases, while cofounder"and conductor of the Tone Roads Chamber that of the second voice decreases. A little before the half­ Ensemble in New York City (1963-70). He has long been way point, the tempos of the two voices cross, reversing the active in the field ofelectronic music, working with Max fast slow relationship between them. Nancarrow's harmonic­ Mathews and others at the Bell Telephone Laboratories in the melodic language becomes more and more difficult to relate early sixties to develop programs for computer sound genera­ to traditional tonality; thus, more like that of Charles Ives than tion and composition. He has written works for a variety of of Schoenberg or Webern. (paraphrased from notes by James media, both instumental and electronic, many of them using Tenney) alternate tuning systems. An author of numerous articles and two books, Mr. Tenney has received numerous prestigious Study # 25 by Conlon Nancarrow.The most striking thing awards and grants. He has taught at the Polytechnic Institute '? about the sound of this study is the incredibly fast arpeggios ofBrooklyn, California Institute of the Arts, and the and glissandos which constitute one or more strata in the poly­ University ofCalifornia. He is currently Professor ofMusic phonic fabric from the very beginning of the piece. These at York University in Toronto. linear aggregates are given much greater prominence than in

124 Gershwin performing their own music. CONCERT REVIEW Smythe found his first instrument by placing ads in rural news­ papers. While waiting for the first one to be delivered he heard of another up for sale in Lac du Bonnet. Through digging, trading, buy­ Uptown, Winnipeg's Entertainment and Lifestyles ing and contacts made in his association with the Automatic Music .. _Magazines, Apr. 29-May 13, 1993 Vol. 7 Issue 11 Instr~ments Collectors Association (he was international president for eight years), he estimates a good 10 years of restoration ahead of .; Old Style Piano Not Forgotten him. By Randal Mcilroy Fortunately, he has a way with machines. Years before synthesizers and sequencers enabled composers to "It helps if people who own these kinds of pianos have some create patterns miles beyond the human limitations of real-time play­ natural technical skills as well as natural music skills. It's a relatively ing, an American named Conlon Nancarrow was training player rare combination." pianos to do the impossible. It's getting harder to find the instruments. Smythe estimates Working in Mexico, having exiled himself during the McCarthy about 10,000 were produced and that no more than 2,000 have sur­ witchhunt, Nancarrow composed piano rolls designed to celebrate the vived. Most are in private collections. Despite a growing awareness mechanical instrument as a musical machine, capable of multiple of the rarity of the instruments, some reproducing pianos still find simultaneous octaves, dizzying runs and punishing rhythms. their way into the hands of unsuspecting piano dealers who, finding them difficult to sell, remove the reproductive workings. Interestingly, Conlon Nancarrow doesn't play piano. Winnipegger Terry Smythe doesn't find that strange, though. After "The mechanism is lost forever and that piano becomes another all, Smythe's passion is collecting pianos he can't play. They play for casualty." him. His instruments don't appear in public as often as they once did One of Smythe's instruments took center stage April 22 at the - "People have all but forgotten that the collection exists, but I've Winnipeg Art Gallery for GroundSwell's Nuts and Bolts, perfor­ never refused an appropriate appeal for the use of the instruments" ­ mance of Nancarrow works. The concert also included live piano but they're kept in shape. Nancarrow's music makes especially high playing, although with a program completed by Diana Mclntosh and demands. the Colorado College New Music Ensemble (the latter played bowed "The instrument has to be in flawless operating condition, piano) conventional may not be the operative word. because the rolls place such heavy functional demands on the mecha­ By day the general manager for provincial Highways and nism. You may have 15,20,30 notes down all at once and you can Transportation Taxicab Board, Smythe has been collecting player have simultaneous runs going up and down. The physical demands pianos and other mechanical instruments since 1969, when he first are awesome." heard the instrument known formally as the reproducing grand piano. Smythe even met the reclusive composer a few years ago in San "The terms reproducing grand piano comes from the instru­ Francisco -"A very interesting fellow," he recalls. Now in his eight­ - ment's ability to faithfully reproduce the expression and intent of the ies, Nancarrow has been composing and punching piano rolls since ,) original artists who recorded the original rolls," Smythe explains. 1948, and many of his several hundred rolls have yet to be repro­ duced. And while Nancarrow is a trained composer (and formerly a In its heyday, from about 1900-1935, the reproducing piano was professional trumpet player) his work still bypasses the piano key­ a luxurious home entertainment piece. It was also an antecedent of board. sorts to the personal tape recorder, in that the punched-paper rolls relayed not only the original pianist's notes and spaces but also the "I don't play piano either," Smythe says with a shrug. "That inflections. Master rolls still exist of composers such as Grieg and doesn't prevent me from enjoying it." ------_._------Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, April 24, 1993 Using strands of rosined nylon drawn under the piano strings, the ten­ players dressed in black dart allover the place in fluent choreography By James Manlshen Free Press Correspondent producing a decidedly un-pianistic, often very beautiful string tone. An intriguing mix ofNuts and Bolts from With the players standing over the open piano, the scene resem­ GroundSwell bled an operating table where some extra-terrestrial was being sutured, such was the disembodied nature of the sounds. GROUNDSWELL, an aggregation of several small avant-garde musical ensembles, has always asked its audiences to be adventure­ But the two Scott pieces they played were of variable musical some in their listening habits. invention, mainly repetitive minimalist trappings of not very interest­ ing ideas. In presenting the Colorado College New Music Ensemble, the world's only professional bowed-piano ensemble, plus some striking Another story pieces for player piano and the premiere of a multi-media work by Conlon Nancarrow's music for player piano was quite another Winnipeg composer Diana Mclntosh, GroundSwell served up an story, for here was music composed specifically for the player piano intriguing mix of sounds for the piano Thursday to a regrettably small to allow one to hear things a live performer couldn't do, namely play audience. more notes in less time than humanly possible. Entitled Nuts and Bolts, this concert only contained about five A 1935 Ampico grand was lent to GroundSwell by Terry minutes where the piano keys were actually struck by human hands. Smythe for this concert, and Nancarrow's music was both ravishing The rest consisted of frequently fascinating, though musically vari­ in its sonority and satisfying in its harmonic and dramatic structure. able timbres produced from inside and underneath the piano. Mclntosh's new work, titled Murkings, received its premiere. It For those to whom infatuation with novel sounds can sustain an was set to a Canadian environmental poem by Paul Dutton and per­ formed by McIntosh herself. Supported by evocative slides and 'A evening, this concert hit the mark nicely. But for those who must ,/ have a more involving, symphonically-argued musical journey, this clever lighting, Murkings showed a comfortable handling of the concert showed that the medium is not always the message. tricky multi-media technique. Though, again, it was of limited musi­ cal interest. The Colorado group, under the direction of Stephen Scott, goes about its work with hair-trigger precision and dead seriousness. It came off reasonably well, despite some echo effects that out­ stayed their welcome. Mclntosh delivered like a trouper.

125 PLAYER-PIANO CONCERT AT THE LUDWIG HUPFELD FACTORY! Wolfgang Heisig Interprets CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Rolls Using An 88-Note "Hupfeld Phonola" Console Player

The photograph shows Composer and "Phonolist" ARTCRAFT Music Rolls of George Gershwin's THREE (Pianolist) Wolfgang Heisig of East Germany performing his PRELUDES and most recently Balcom & Albright's BRASS own - plus a few ARTCRAFT music rolls at the Hupfeld KNUCKLES RAG have been included in Herr Heisig's pre­ buildings, for the Leipzig automatic musical instrument group: sentations. Of the latter, he writes on April 7, 1993: "Your Gasellschaft fuer Selbatspielende Musikinstrumente. This work is very interesting and technically so different from what concert took place on September 19, 1992, and was described we have here. BRASS KNUCKLES held the audience in com­ in a recent letter translated by Danilo Konvalinka of the plete awe when they heard the roll!" Musical Wonder House in Wiscasset, Maine. The Phonola is The German Composer-Phonolist has many other activi­ shown in connection with a Hamburg-Steinway Model B ties in progress, including a music roll composition entitled grand piano. A packet of other Phonola concert brochures was HYMN TO JEAN GENET by Christian Muench, described as included with the photograph, among them a performance at a young Dresden Composer at the Semper-Opera in that city. The Goethe Institute in Berlin on July 7, 1992, featuring Another Heisig project (scheduled for June 1993) is an origi­ Heisig's latest music roll compositions. An elaborate brochure nal work for the Weber Maesto orchestrion! On May 19 he for the 1992 premiere of a Phonola composition entitled will premiere in Munich a SEPTETTE by Cornelius Hirsch for CAGE-FACE (along with other John Cage pieces) dates from "mechanical Klavier" (the Phonola). October at the Dresden Center for Contemporary Music. A lengthy article from the November 1992 issue of Positionen Wolfgang Heisig is part of the European Renaissance of magazine published in Berlin (not yet translated!) gives a the Pianola, in which the horizons of the instrument are being -y detailed profile of Wolfgang Heisig and his work in the "new expanded through the medium of experimentation and the cre- .... music" field, with a special emphasis on his music rolls for the ation of new music rolls. Phonola performances.

126 TECH TIPS

DUO-ART ACCORDION PNEUMATICS Functional Aspects and Adjustment Criteria by David L. Saul The Duo-Art reproducing piano's dynamic response depends were fair game for "polishing" performance or coaxing test to a large extent on performance characteristics (or idiosyn­ roll results into compliance. Such fanciful extrapolations are, crasies, if you will) of its expression regulators. The less­ in fact, on very shaky ground from a technical point of view. than-ideal capacity of these venerable components to maintain (Evidence suggests that theme and accompaniment regulator set levels of pneumatic tension under conditions of changing springs were the items more likely to have been factory-select­ demand was lovingly accommodated by Aeolian music roll ed for matching the characteristics of individual pianos, editors, who simply adjusted the expression coding until the accounting at least in part for today's plethora of subtly differ­ music came out right. In practical terms, this meant increasing ent regulator springs.) theme and/or accompaniment power as needed to maintain a Regarding the accordion pneumatics, all editions of the Duo­ desired loudness level when larger numbers of notes were Art service manual clearly state the following: struck, and lowering power levels as needed when fewer notes were played. A Duo-Art piano's dynamic response further l. The four respective sections collapse 1116", 118", depends on interaction of theme and accompaniment regula­ 1/4", and 112", and tors with the expression box spill, residual leakage, pedal 2. Factory settings should not be changed. operation, and many other system factors. To assure uniformi­ ty, Aeolian produced test rolls (several different editions of In his 1929 Duo-Art treatise published in The Tuner's Journal. I - which are extant) in which dynamic response was quantified Wilberton Gould reiterates the ubiquitous caveat about leaving '"-i"'"1 in terms of note counts, pedal operation, and power levels the factory settings undisturbed, and then goes on to declare applied. When all factory instructions are carefully followed, that accordion pneumatics "... should be adjusted only by a set the test roll serves as an indispensable tool for achieving musi­ of accurate gauge blocks that are made for that purpose. " cally satisfying results from a Duo-Art piano. If accordion The times and circumstances of that treatise strongly .suggest pneumatics are not adjusted to factory specifications, however, that Mr. Gould was describing the method of adjustment pre­ test roll results may become misleading and possibly fail to ferred and used by Aeolian. yield an accurate appraisal of a Duo-Art's playing condition. The factory's use of precision gauge blocks for adjusting Reasons for this will become clear as this article's contents are accordion pneumatics would have made sense in many ways. read and understood. Gauge block adjustments in general tend to be accurate and All expression components must function perfectly and work consistent. Such a method would always result in identical together as a whole if the highest artistic potential of the Duo­ travel for each pneumatic section at all three adjusting screw Art is to be realized. This article deals specifically with the locations, an important consideration in eliminating wobbles accordion pneumatics, and how their adjustment (or misad­ and unsteady motion during operation. The adjusting proce­ justment) affects dynamic response. Hopefully the informa­ dure would have been quick and easy to learn, and skill tion presented here will help to clarify topics that tend by requirements would have been minimal. Factors such as these nature to be somewhat obscure. Careful study confirms that a would be especially significant in a production situation. sound technical basis exists for always keeping accordion The accordion pneumatics for both theme and accompaniment travel ~xactly as specified in service publications. regulation are constructed identically. The same operating Aeolian's explicitly stated and often repeated numbers for principles apply to both. Each has four collapsible sections of accordion travel remained unchanged in service publications unequal size, corresponding to the I, 2, 4, and 8 power levels throughout the Duo-Art's production lifetime. In spite of this, of the tracks that activate them. Taken as a unit (ignoring con­ advice touting "improved" accordion adjustment for alleged necting linkages for now), each accordion pneumatic is performance optimization (usually by forcing test roll results designed to produce linear motion (i.e., motion in a straight - ~ during chord tests) continues to be propagated within today's line), the extent of which can be varied by collapsing its JDuo-Art community. Factory instructions (in contrast to more respective sections in various combinations. This linear recent publications) offer no suggestion that accordion travel motion is additive, which means that total travel is the sum of might at some point have been customized to accommodate the combined travel of the individual collapsed sections. The individual piano characteristics, or that accordion adjustments values of 1,2,4, and 8 assigned to each set of dynamic coding 127 tracks are recognizable as powers of two, with each number All Duo-Art test roll editions contain chord tests to check double the one before. They can be written as 20= I, 2 1=2, dynamic buildup for both theme and accompaniment. The chord tests utilize "play" followed by "no-play" (or play very 22=4, and 23=8, respectively. Note that accordion motion occurs in increments directly proportional to powers of two. softly) sequences of chords as quantitative checks of dynamic These increments are measured in multiples of a sixteenth of buildup at power levels 0, I, 2, and 4. This places them in the an inch. With each section traveling exactly double the one dynamic scale's lower region, where interactions between note! before, properly adjusted accordion pneumatics move in direct counts and power levels are most critical. Level 3, however, proportion to the powers-of-two weighting (i.e., 1-2-4-8) of is not explicitly checked, possibly because it is reached by their respective dynamic tracks. The Duo-Art implementation collapsing 1 and 2 together, and each of those is checked sep­ comprises basic elements of a binary-coded digital system, up arately. (The logic of implicity checking level 3 in this man­ to the mechanical interface with the respective theme and ner, as will be shown, is jeopardized if the intended powers­ accompaniment regulators (which are, of course, analog of-two travel relationship is not preserved.) devices). Note counts and pedaling vary somewhat for chord tests found Accordion pneumatics perform the critical function of trans­ in various test roll editions, but they all work basically the lating the music rolls coded theme and accompaniment levels same way. Further test roll sequences strike chords that repeat into mechanical motion, which, in turn, positions the knife at several ascending power levels, but these can accomplish valve heels of the respective regulators. Sixteen discrete posi­ little beyond confirming that each successive chord sounds tions (including the zero position) can be reached by each of louder than the one before. the accordions, with total travel extending to 15116". (Note Accordion settings can be altered to force a change in dynam- that in-between positions are passed through "on the fly", and ic response at a particular power level, but this tends to cause examples can be found in music roll coding in which in­ problems at other power levels and distort the overall shape of between positions are accessed for subtle expression purposes; the buildup curve. Power levels adversely impacted often turn the sixteen positions, however, provide repeatable reference out to be those not explicitly checked by the test roll. How levels at closely spaced intervals.) Duo-Art service literature out-of-spec adjustments can lead to insidious irregularities can variously refers to the sixteen positions as loudness degrees, be appreciated by considering the following: When you elect loudness gradations or dynamic gradations, and these are to change the travel of anyone of an accordion pneumatics enumerated from through 15. They are also less formally ° four sections, you are changing not just one power level, but referred to as power levels or loudness steps. eight of them. Each of an accordions sections reaches a col­ Motion applied by each accordion pneumatic to its associated lapsed state in exactly half of the total of 16 possible combina- r knife valve heel undergoes non-linear mechanical transforma­ tions, and remains open in the other half. These, as well as tion in the connecting linkage. Beyond that point, further sys­ the correct travel adjustments, are documented on page 6 of tem non-linearity influences pneumatic tension and the loud­ the 1925 Duo-Art service manual in the "Pressure Chart ness of struck notes. Clearly, however, under controlled test Showing Graduation Adjustments for Correct Settings". conditions, loudness should build up evenly, as opposed to There is a similar chart on page 16 of the 1927 Duo Art ser­ having abruptly large jumps between some steps, and little or vice manual. no change (or change in the wrong direction) between others. Graphic plots are useful for revealing exactly what happens over the full range of travel when an accordions adjustments

SECTION ADJUSTED TO: DEGREE DISPLACEMENT STEP SIZE 0 0 DUO-ART ACCORDION 1 0.0625 0.0625 TRAVEL 2 0.125 0.0625 0.0625 3 0.1875 0.0625 1 4 0.25 0.0625 0.9 5 0.3125 0.0625 2 0.125 0.8 6 0.375 0.0625 c 0.7 7 0.4375 0.0625 :: 0.6 8 0.5 0.0625 4 0.25 Gl g 0.5 9 0.5625 0.0625 10 0 ..625 0.0625 ~ 0.4 11 i5 0.3 0.6875 0.0625 8 0.5 12 0.75 0.0625 0.2 13 0.8125 0.0625 0.1 14 0.875 0.0625 0 15 0.9375 0 N q- 10 co ...0 N...... q- 0.0625 L? NOTE: All distances are Loudness Degree TOTAL DISPLACEMENT: 0.9375 in inches. Factory value: 0.9375 NORMAL DUO-ART FIGURE 1

128 ------~------_._---. ------~ SECTION ADJUSTED TO: DEGREE DISPLACEMENT STEP SIZE 0 0 DUO-ART ACCORDION 1 0.0625 0.0625 TRAVEL 2 0.093 0.0305 0.0625 3 0.1555 0.0625 1 4 0.25 0.0945 ..J 0.9 5 0.3125 0.0625 2 0.093 0.8 6 0.343 0.0305 0.4055 0.0625 0.7 7 :§ 0.5 0.0945 0.6 8 I) 9 0.5625 0.0625 4 0.25 u 0.5 c:: 10 0.593 0.0305 III 0.4 ..en 11 0.6555 0.0625 is 0.3 8 0.5 12 0.75 0.0945 0.2 13 0.8125 0.0625 0.1 14 0.843 0.0305 0 15 0.9055 0.0625 0 N o:t co ex:> 0 N o:t

NOTE: All distances are Loudness Degree TOTAL DISPLACEMENT: 0.9055 in inches. Factory value: 0.9375

SECTION TWO SHORTENED FIGURE 2 are changed. The first plot presented here was done with the ing proper fractions (as given in Aeolian service literature) to factory recommended settings. This is followed by examples decimal form without rounding off. and is not intended as a in which selected pneumatic sections were set to values devi­ measure of accuracy or adjustment precision. ating from factory recommendations. Settings were selected Figure I plots the behavior of a normal accordion pneumatic. as might result from attempts to bring a test roll's chord tests with travel of all four sections set to factory specified values. into compliance. To make these plots. an accordion pneumat­ Note that the resulting plot is smooth and linear. Each incre­ ics travel behavior was modeled in Microsoft Excel. which is mental step is the same size as all the others. This is the way able to produce a new plot automatically each time an adjust­ an accordion pneumatic should work. ment is changed. When this application is running on a com­ puter. results for all sixteen positions are instantly displayed (See Figure I) , whenever a data entry (representing an adjustment change) is Now let's create a hypothetical situation. Assume that the test -0('" revised in the "ADJUSTED TO" column. The numbers in the roll is running a play. no-play chord test at power level 2 (this column labeled "TOTAL TRAVEL" indicate linear displace­ could be either accompaniment or theme). and both sets of ment at each of the loudness gradations. These become ordi­ chords. play and no-play. are playing distinctly. To counter nate values in the corresponding plots. The STEP SIZE col­ this. we reduce the travel of the power 2 (second) accordion umn shows incremental changes between adjacent levels or section by 1/32". That's one full turn of each adjusting screw. gradations. Figure 2 shows the result. Although the test roll result now suggests that chords are behaving as desired at power 2. the Readers may notice that certain decimal fractions shown with overall response curve has taken on a serpentine shape. (Any these plots display a greater number of significant places than resemblance to the critter that sank its fangs into our music practical conditions might suggest. This is a result of convert- SECTION ADJUSTED TO: DEGREE DISPLACEMENT STEP SIZE o o DUO-ART ACCORDION 1 0.0625 0.0625 TRAVEL 2 0.093 0.0305 0.0625 3 0.1555 0.0625 0.9 4 0.21 0.0545 0.8 5 0.2725 0.0625 2 0.093 6 0.303 0.0305 0.7 7 0.3655 0.0625 :§ 0.6 8 0.5 0.1345 I) 0.5 4 0.21 u 9 0.5625 0.0625 ..16 0.4 10 0.593 0.0305 c3 0.3 11 0.6555 0.0625 8 0.5 0.2 12 0.71 0.0545 13 0.7725 0.0625 0.1 o 14 0.803 0.0305 o N co ex:> 0 N o:t 15 0.8655 0.0625

NOTE: All distances are Loudness Degree TOTAL DISPLACEMENT: 0.8655 in inches. Factory value: 0.9375 SECTIONS TWO AND FOUR SHORTENED FIGURE 3

129 SECTION ADJUSTED TO: DEGREE DISPLACEMENT STEP SIZE 0 0 DUO-ART ACCORDION 1 0.0625 0.0625 TRAVEL 2 0.125 0.0625 0.0625 3 0.1875 0.0625 0.9 4 0.175 -0.0125 0.8 5 0.2375 0.0625 2 0.125 6 0.3 0.0625 0.7 0.3625 ~ 7 0.0625 0.6 8 0.5 0.1375 "';; 0.5 4 0.175 u 9 0.5625 0.0625 lii 0.4 10 0.625 0.0625 ~ 0.3 11 0.6875 0.0625 8 0.5 0.2 12 0.675 -0.0125 13 0.7375 0.0625 0.1 14 0.8 0.0625 0 0 N ~ <0 ClO 0 N ~ 15 0.8625 0.0625 ~ NOTE: All distances are Loudness Degree TOTAL DISPLACEMENT: 0.8625 in inches. Factory value: 0.9375

SECTION FOUR SHORTENED BY 30% FIGURE 4 rolls i's purely coincidental!) Serpent or no, notice that power would also the disturbing leap in power from 7 to 8, and the level 4 remains unaffected by the adjustment performed thus 11 to 12 intensity drop. far. Another side effect of tampering with accordion adjustment is (See Figure 2) changing the total extent of travel, which is nominally 15\16" with all sections collapsed. This is a factor in determining Moving ahead to the next chord test at power level 4, it's as achievable dynamic range. Caution: don't try decreasing trav­ likely as not that we'll again hear both sets of chords playing el in one pneumatic section to offset increasing in another, or distinctly when the second should be a no-play. To appease vice versa. This only worsens the response curve's irregulari­ the test roll at this point, we trim the accordions power 4 sec­ ties. tion by 16%, or 0.040", thereby reducing that section's travel from 0.250" to 0.210". This takes about one-and-a-quarter Changes from factory recommended settings also tend to dis- ~1 turns ofeach power 4 adjusting screw. Once again, the test roll rupt the relationship of theme to accompaniment (i.e., theme ~ is successfully faked out. Two of the four accordion sections always one degree above accompaniment). With accompani­ are now mis-adjusted, and figure 3 shows the overall result. ment following one sinuous buildup curve and theme another, the two will be prevented from maintaining a consistent rela­ (See Figure 3) tionship over the full dynamic range. There's an obvious hump in the curve, and one step has From a listener's point of view, effects of tampering with become excessively large. The level change from 7 to 8 is accordion adjustments are usually more subtle than dramatic, more than four times as large as the step from 5 to 6. Dynamic but they are very pernicious nevertheless. The Duo-Art's buildup has acquired some serious irregularities, although test dynamic levels are many in number and closely spaced, and roll results appear again to have improved. Why? Simply musical dynamics undergo continual and often complex because the test roll doesn't check for conditions caused by changes. As a result, uneven buildup may not be directly cheating! It's much like fiddling with a bathroom scale's zero noticed as such during play. The human ear is more likely to adjustment when you're weighing yourself. You can trim off respond to uneven dynamic buildup by interpreting musical or add pounds as you like, but you can believe the indicated performances as mechanical sounding, poorly edited or per­ result at your own risk! formed, or otherwise lacking in artistic quality. Dynamic Further mis-adjustment can actually cause changes in the anomalies often affect certain rolls more than others, and it's wrong direction, with power decreasing on advancing steps. anyone's guess how many artists and music roll editors have Figure 4 shows the result of shortening the power 4 pneumatic been erroneously blamed for problems caused by "cus­ sections travel by 30%, with the other three normal. tomized" accordion adjustments. (See Figure 4) What should one do, then, if one's Duo-Art stubbornly fails chord tests when its accordion pneumatics are set to factory Notice that loudness degree 4 is lower than 3, and 12 is lower recommended travel? First of all, make sure the tempo is set than 11. In the middle part of the loudness range, a large jump accurately, and follow the test roll instructions carefully. A upward occurs between 7 and 8. If this particular adjustment visual check of accordion operation may be helpful. Get had been done to fake out a chord test at power 4, it would under the piano with a good light, and watch the accordions in leave power 3 (which, as mentioned earlier, is not explicitly _--r operation to make sure they do exactly what they are supposed checked by the test roll) in a too-high condition likely to to do. Having an assistant at the controls to repeat desired sec­ wreak selective havoc with musical performances. Sadly, that tions of the test roll can be very helpful at this point. Does condition would remain forever undetected by the test roll, as

130 each pneumatic section respond independently of the others? age seems to be to try to find a pair of originals that work well Do one or more sections respond slowly, possibly indicating in your piano. If that isn't practical, you may be able to bor­ leakage or valve problems? Do both accordions consistently row a good pair and have a spring shop duplicate them for return to their respective zero positions when released from you. _various states of collapse? Does the spill valve actuating lever In grand Duo-Arts, re-positioning the linkage that transfers -..../impede accordion travel to a noticeable extent? Does the man­ motion from each accordion pneumatic to its respective knife ual control linkage interfere during normal DuoArt operation? valve arm can change the mechanical transfer characteristic to Are both accordions able to complete their full travel unim­ the knife valve heel, and this may help in obtaining a better peded? A useful technique for further checking is to stop the dynamic buildup. This technique has been mentioned by roll with blank paper on the tracker bar and pull off tracker bar Chester Kuharski in at least one technicalities article, and by tubes at the accordion valve box. (Be sure to label these in this writer at the 1972 AMICA convention in Los Angeles. advance if you remove more than one tube at a time!) You can step an accordion through its full count by removing and Other factors, such as residual leakage (a proper amount of replacing tubes in various combinations. Be objective. If which is expected in a normally operating Duo-Art), condition something is wrong at this level, the piano is never going to of components, correct pump speed, possible binding of man­ play well until the problem is fixed. ual control linkage, tension on the accordion pneumatic return springs, and many, many more such items can influence If the piano action is well regulated, Duo-Art components are results obtained. Check all of these things to the best of your problem free, and theme and accompaniment zero levels can ability. But to insure top results, set all accordion adjustments be set to maintain their state of adjustment without undue dif­ correctly, if they aren't already, and once they are right, leave ficulty, one available avenue would be to try a small change them alone, as the Service manual instructs. of the theme and/or regulator spring tension. The service manual allows this, within prudent limits; and it can make a For the sake of completeness, readers should be aware that difference. Tightening up a regulator spring just a bit and accordion travel can be reduced or increased without loss of subsequently resetting the zero level causes the knife valve to linearity if the powers-of-two relationship is strictly main­ seek a new zero position, from which the buildup characteris­ tained, i.e., each section's travel after the smallest must be tics may be more favorable. Remember, too, that chord test exactly double its predecessor. For example, settings of .05", instructions indicate that certain sequences should "not play or . I", .2", and .4" would yield a linear build up curve, but total barely play". Overzealous individuals sometimes ignore the travel would be only .750". This would perhaps be less harm­ second part of that instruction. Read the instructions careful­ ful to a Duo-Art's response than certain other pitfall-ridden ly. Hearing some notes play very softly does not necessarily schemes that have found their way into practice, but dynamic .•••/ signify test failure! Hearing all of them play at mezzo forte, of range would be curtailed. Greater than standard travel should course, is another matter. Soft and loud are subjective, but be avoided because of the possibility of exceeding the normal why not? Music itself is subjective, as are Duo-Art loudness operating range of the knife valve and its connecting linkage. degrees. Try to use reasonable and prudent judgment. Abiding by documented factory settings remains the best and safest course to follow, and is the recommended course of One or both expression regulator springs may need replace­ action. ment because of stretching beyond elastic limits at some time in the past, change or loss of elasticity for any reason, or even Perfect accordion pneumatics will, of course, never make a degradation caused by electroplating during restoration. Duo-Art outshine it's peers as long as other parts remain in (Some plating processes tend to ruin springs.) If one of the need of attention. But the accordions are critically important, springs is made of thicker wire or is stronger than the other, and results made possible by putting them in good working make sure the stronger one is installed on the theme side. order and keeping them in proper adjustment will be an Regulator springs can be a serious problem for Duo-Arts. If important step toward a better Duo-Art. replacements are needed, the best procedure in this day and

ADDITIONAL PIANO ROLLS OF PAYNE BISHOP'S COMPOSITION, HOME, HOME SWEET HOME Emmett M. Ford Charles D. Smith considerately mentions my article and roll review of the piano rolls of John Howard Payne's "Home, Home Sweet Home", in the March/April 1993 AMICA News Bulletin. My neglect, which I apologize, was not listing other piano rolls of this composition, that is the Welte and Welte-Mignon. Not having a piano with Welte or Welte-Mignon, I didn't give thought to rolls of this composition. Mr. Smith called my attention to the following piano rolls of Welte-Mignon. Pianist Angelo Patricolo (Gottschalk's para­ phrase) C-7142: Edward Brightwell recorded Variations Op. 72 (arranged by Thalberg) No B-1534. Harry Perrela made roll C­ J 7741 with a series of other songs labeled "Gift Selection of Heart Songs."

131 Piano Company Lightens Tune in Timber Town Hoquiam, Washington - From: Christian Science Monitor, March 10, 1993 Sent in by Alf Werolin With a degree in forestry from Washington State ~- University and millions of acres of forests in the Pacific Northwest, Greg Weist fully expected to have a long career in his chosen profession. He specialized as a log scaler, the expert who figures out how many board feet of lumber can be produced from a truck full of logs, so that buyer and seIl­ er can settle on a fair price. But with reductions in logging due to environmental restraints and the general decline in the timber industry, he was working less and less. "It got to the point where I was laid off more than I was on," he recalls. It was a tough spot for a young family man with two children. That was about three years ago, when Mr. Weist obtained financial aid from the state and enrolled at Grays Harbor Community College Greg West: Former Jog scaler finds 'certainly in carpentry and cabinetry courses. rewarding work' building high-tech pianos. As it happened, his new skills were just what Del and belonged to the Port of Grays Harbor, and an attractive lease. Barbara Fandrich were looking for a year ago, and they hired The state of Washington paid half of Weist's salary for his him as the first employee of their new piano-manufacturing first three months of training. company. Now, he is enjoying what he calls "certainly "We certainly can't replace logging in the area, but we rewarding work." can make a dent," Weist says. "And we can set an example "There's something about building pianos that catches for other industries." the imagination," he says, taking a break from the drill press where he is working on internal parts made of Olympic •••••••••••••••••••••••• Peninsula spruce. • ~ "We're delighted with him, just delighted," says Del • ~~Pr6~~Pr6~~' Fandrich, who used to be head of research and development • ~ ~ for the Baldwin Piano & Organ Company. • AMICA ITEMS FOR SALE • ~ AMICA BULLETINS, BOUND ISSUES: 1971, 1972, ~ The Fandrich Piano Company is just what this economi­ ~ 1973 bound Bulletins at $15 each. 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977. ~ cally depressed area is looking for: a new company that will • ~ 1978,1979, 1980 bound Bulletins at $18 each. 1981, 1982,1983 put local people to work in a manufacturing operation that • ~ bound Bullelins at $21 each. 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988 • bound Bulletins at $24 each. PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE ~ has high potential for growth. That it adds value to local tim­ AND HANDLING. Spiral bound to lie nat. Send order to Mary ~ • ~ ber more often shipped abroad as raw logs is a bonus. • ~ Lilien, 4260 Olympiad Dr., los Angles. CA 90043. ~ AMICA TECHNICALITIES BOOKS: ~ The Fandrich upright piano, which has been in produc­ • Volume I_ :. . (1969·1971), $9.50 postpaid tion for about a year, is getting rave reviews from experts • Volume II (1972·1974), $7.50 postpaid .,,~ around the world. Its patented action led Piano Quarterly to Volume 1/1 " .•..•... (1975·1977), $8.50 postpaid ~ • Volume IV _...... (1978·1980), $6.50 postpaid call it "the greatest single technological advancement in the • Volume V...... (1981·1988), $20.00 postpaid development of the vertical piano in more than a century ... • Reprints of interesting technical articles which have appeared in the first vertical ever produced that truly functions as a grand the AMICA News Bulletin. arranged and indexed into appropriate • categories. Brian Meeder. 904A West Victoria St.. Santa piano." • Barbara. CA 93101. ~u ~u The company and its nine employees are now complet­ • ~ Roll Leaders: Duo-Art. AMPICO and Welte: Excellent rePlicas.~~ ~ ing four to six upright pianos a month, but would like to • For order form. see mailing cover of Bulletin or write to Brian Meeder. 904A West Victoria 51.. Santa Barbara. CA 93101. raise that to one a day by the end of the year. Also, queries • ~ ~ and even deposits already are coming in for the Fandrich • AMICA STATIONERY: $3.50 (Ieller size). $3.20 (note size), grand piano, which is still in the design phase and will not be • including mailing charges. Fine quality stationery with ornate AMICA borders. Each packet contains 25 lellers and matching ~ produced for several more years. • ~ envelopes. Send orders to Tim Passinault, 105 Hemlock St., • Munising, MI 49862. Barbara Fandrich, the company general manager, says • ~ AMICA STERLING SILVER PINS: $8.00 each, postpaid. they plan to develop training programs at local high schools • Very allractlve on your lapel or dress. Send orders to Tim ~ and the community college to prepare piano craftsmen. • Passinault, 105 Hemlock St., Munising, MI 49862. ~- ~ Please make ALL CHECKS payable to ~ Eventually, they hope to employ 200 people. Local officials • ~ AMICA INTERNATIONAL ~ wooed the couple with remodeled warehouse space, which • • ~~~~~~~~~~ 132 NE-W-S FROM THE CHAPTERS

OUf April meeting was at Bob and Barbara Whiteley's The Chicago Area Chapter held its 1992 spring meeting home and country garden on a hillside in San Rafael. at the restored turn-of-the-century home of Dave and Toni Ramey. Guests were invited to listen to the Seeburg orchestri­ Barbara is ready to serve coffee from her "Mae West" on upstairs or to wander through Dave's restoration workshop percolator. We had lunch in the garden and Barbara gave us to see and hear other instruments. The "light refreshments" plant cuttings for our own gardens. Her maple trees were pro­ promised in the invitation were an unending succession of lific this year, and the chapter helped her weed her garden as delicious hors d'oeuvres provided by Toni Ramey and her they dug up saplings to take home. daughters. Barbara's friends played some snappy ragtime and Bach for us.

Dave Ramey serves as chaperone in his workshop.

L-R Barbara Ward, Barbara Whiteley, Iris Mumford, Mitzi Erickson, Jackie Palmer

Exploration.

A bare two weeks after hosting the AMICA Annual Meeting, the chapter gathered at the second band organ rally hosted by Blackberry Farm, an outdoor museum of pioneer buildings. A brief business meeting was held in a nineteenth century one-room schoolhouse, after which members were Barbara Whiteley and "Mae West" free to explore the grounds. After the park closed for the day, members were treated to a fried chicken dinner and boat cruise on the Fox River. The Christmas meeting was held at the home, workshop and showroom of Roger and Carol Dayton, who have con­ verted an old schoolhouse to these purposes. In addition to

133 '"J offering an abundant spread (this chapter appreciates good ~.::~ food), the Daytons invited us all to listen to orchestrions, ',- II .- /(~ music boxes, and pianos in their home and showroom; to look !.-., "~~':'1,1 for that elusive roll in their inventory; to enjoy the toy trains ,I,I.llA..lf; • r'il-'l1!: set up in one of the bedrooms, or to simply socialize. I: ..~ , ""4'(' ri~~."i. -"". -_••'_.:"IY,t-":f - ';,fi'",~,~ ;~~""~'''''''.; ~.fJ.i - . ...,~ '" ~l",1-...... I f' ~ 'I

I ...... - ~ 1 Christmas party host Roger You should see the ones Dayton demonstrating the that got away! Photoplayer

So many choices.

The more the merrier.

Marty Persky calls the meeting to order (to the tune ofthe hickory stick)

Jerry Biasella and the youngest AM/CAn

Los Kavourases offer an internationalflavor to the band organ rally A boy at heart

134 SIERRA NEVADA CHAPTER Reporter: Ed Baehr Our chapter hit the road for our first meeting in 1993. We ..... Journeyed to San Francisco for a tour of mechanical instru­ Vnents in the Zelinsky Collection at the old historic "Cliff House" at lands end on Point Lobos. The program was to have started off with a picnic lunch by The Carousel in Golden Gate Park. But Mother Nature intervened with a typical spring Pacific rain storm that poured buckets all day long. So the few of us who braved the storm gathered at the Cliff House for the tour and to meet the present owner and curator of the "Edward Galland Zelinsky Collection," Daniel Doug and Bob with their heads together. Galland Zelinsky. The world is enriched by men like Edward For your entertainment, he maintains a permanent, rotat­ Galland Zelinsky - collector, restorer, and preserver of fasci­ ing exhibit of these fascinating articles from his collection in nating antique automata...marvelous machines whose only the Musee Mecanique at San Francisco's Cliff House. purpose is to amaze and delight. Whether for a look into the past or just the enjoyment of the His collection includes hundreds of musical and mechani­ present, the collection will amuse and captivate people of all cal pleasures that bewitch the eye with their beauty and skill, ages. some are over a century old, and some so cleverly restored Daniel Galland Zelinsky...a 5th generation San they seem to be ageless. Franciscan and a 2nd generation collector...oversees the exhibit, and is a primary force in its expansion. There is a great deal of history and romance attached to this location and collection. At this location at Lands End, Adolph Sutro, who made his fortune on the Comstock Load in Virginia City, Nevada, in the 1860's, was so enamored with the Point Lobos area he bought and developed what came to be known as "Sutro Heights," "Sutro Baths," and the "Cliff House." The whole area overlooked the vast expanse of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. The original "Cliff House" and the second were opulent resort houses for the new wealthy of San Francisco. Both houses burnt to the ground and the present "Cliff House" does not come close to emulating the former structures.

Dan Zalinsky at keyboard ofhis unrestored"Corona" There was one part of this play land that housed a vast in his workshop. collection of mechanical musical instruments of all descrip­ tions. Unfortunately a fire in 1966 (of suspicious nature) burned Sutro Baths, the Museum, and also the building that housed the mechanical instrument collection to the ground. Miraculously some of the instruments did not perish and Dan Zelinsky has some of the salvaged instruments playing in his collection. For any of you AMICA members who visit San Francisco, a trip to the "Cliff House" and Dan's collection would certainly be worth while. Too bad for those "Sugar Plum" members of our chapter who wouldn't brave the rain storm, they don't know what they missed.

The entire group posing in front ofan Orchestrion that came from the "Wicked" Old Barbary Coast. The lady in the case in the upper left hand corner ofthe picture is the "Old Laughing Lady" rescued when "Whinney's' at the Beach was destroyed.

135 It was a beautiful day, and the view from their home was SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, fantastic. Inside, the strains of the lovely music from their machines filled the air, and everyone had a great time. P CHAPTER Reporter: Shirley Nix/or Fra~1k Nix The Seeburg KT, the Weber Unika, the Weber Styria, the Seeburg F, and juke boxes from various time periods all wov February 21 found fifty-some AMICANs traveling to their spells, and the Mason and Hamlin piano with Ampico Fullerton to the lovely home of Lowell and Joanna played beautifully, with pieces hand-picked by Lowell. They Boehland for our regular meeting. were great!

Our host & hostess, Lowell and Joanna Boehland. Pat Hange, Brooke Asmundson, Diane Lloyd, & Diane's Their gracious hospitality made us allfeel at home. mother, Vicki Scott, enjoying the music from the balcony.

Robin Biggins, Bonnie Bottolfson & Rudy Edwards Melissa Walker admiring (and who wouldn't) by the lovely Weber Styria. the Weber Unika.

Terry Bannister, Dave Reidy & Cal Soest having a Gloria Schack lining up volunteers for a mailing party at her discussion by the lovely Mason & Hamlin Ampico. house. Bud and Pat Saiben are the willing couple.

136 In the garage was another surprise! A Photoplayer! What a fun instrument to listen to. It seems there isn't room for it in the house, so it will be housed in the garage, where it will play its happy music. Fortunately, the Boehlands have a three car garage. We had a short business meeting, mostly centering on requests for volunteers for work for the upcoming Convention here in Southern California. There is a lot to do, and our mem­ bers are hard at work planning a Convention which will be one you will remember. A sad note was that one of our members, Dr. Daniel Beene, had passed away in November. His parents have his instruments, and are now members of AMICA. Lowell and Joanna had enough food to feed an army, and I must say our AMICA army did a pretty good job of cleaning up a lot of the delicious food. Prior to the meeting, the Convention Committee met at the horne of Dick and Millie Rigg, and plans were flying fast and furious. As ideas become more than just that, and take form as concrete plans, it is fun to watch it all take shape. Our committee meets monthly, and the phones are buzzing in between the meetings. All this so we can offer you many fun things when you corne to California for our Convention. You are corning, aren't you? The Table Favor Committee has been having work parties quite often, the last few being at the home of Frank and Shirley Nix. (We have room in our yard to set up lots of . tables and all the necessary paraphernalia). The response has veen good, and we get a lot done at each work party. It is just one more good reason for everyone to corne to the Convention. We have a lot of great (we hope) things planned, and the table favor will astound you!!!!!! • •

.MIDWEST CHAPTER '; Bob Porter Reporting

On April 24 and 25, members of the Midwest Chapter met in Sandusky, Ohio at Sawmill Creek Resort, on the shores of Lake Erie. The hotel had a weekend package that gave us free dinners and brunch. The weekend was coordinated by Robin Pratt and Bob Porter. Our first stop Saturday was the Merry-Go-Round Museum. This is in downtown Sandusky, in the old Post Office building. We rode a carrousel, enjoyed the band organs (2), and were treated to a display and lecture on the origins of the carrousel and carved horses. Some of the horses were truly fantastic! Did you know that carrousel horses are carved on only one side..,the side that showed? -~ From the museum, we walked two blocks to the Follett "-,,,House, Sandusky's Historical Society, which was built in 1837. We were impressed with the collections and history of the area. The house is in the midst of wonderful old homes.

137 From there, we walked to the First Presbyterian Church, secretary, Alvin Wulfekuhl is treasurer and Liz Barnhart where Robin Pratt, the church's organist and Director of continues as board representative. Music, gave us a tour of this 1855 church and demonstrated the Moller organ and Yamaha Clavinova by playing piano and organ duets with himself. During dinner big band type music played, which got many of us up on the dance floor. Liz Barnhart and Bob Porter even got to dance a Charleston! ~ (~ ,~ It .. ".. " , I

Dick and Dixie Leis announced that this would be their last meeting with our chapter, as they are moving to Florida. We will certainly miss this active couple. Paul and Dorothy Hauser, Robin Pratt Our next meeting Dick and Dixie Leis will be in Last Meeting with us. Indianapolis, July 31 st - August 1st. • • -~ i

r Jim Althouse, Dave Von Doster, Bob Elder ,I MUSIC DEPT. - .Please aOh't I Ka;o

0

~&k~ -- Our business meeting was Sunday morning, where we ~ elected new officers. Bob Porter is the new president,Harold Malakinian is vice president, Henry Trittipo is reporter, Judy Barnick is

138 ADVERTISING INFORMATION FOR SALE

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: 20¢ per word, $3.00 mini­ AEOLIAN PIANOLA PUSH UP PLAYER includes 62 rolls $1,800. Stroud Duo Art upright (electric) $650. Several different mum for members. Non-members may advertise at 40¢ per player uprights $250. to $500. each. Bill Maguire, 159 Dix Hills Rd., word ($6.00 minimum) Because of the low cost of classifieds, Huntington Station, NY 11746.516-424-6752. we are unable to provide proof copies. 6 UPRIGHT PLAYERS. $150. - $500. Reduced prices for 2 or PAYMENT: in U.S. funds mus't accompany order. Make more. Ed Jones, Box 1381, Staunton, VA 24402. checks payable to AMICA INTERNATIONAL. AEOLIAN RESIDENCE ORGAN, 17 ranks, including 3-rank DEADLINES: 1st day of the odd months: January, March, Echo, plus 49-note Harp. 82 Duo-Art rolls; player in separate cabi­ May, July, September, November. The Bulletin will be net. Installed in Brooklyn in late 1920s. For sale or donation to non­ mailed the Ist week of the even months. profit organization. Call: 718-636-1366. Franklin Ampico upright, new hand rubbed mahogany finish, play­ er unrestored original with bench, $3995.; Chickering Ampico DISPLAY ADVERTISING Grand, new hand rubbed walnut finish, new strings, keys and more, Current Rate New Rate good working condition, $9,500.; Weber Duo-Art Grand, new mahogany finish, good working condition, $9,500.; Stroud Duo-Art Full Page -7'/," x 10" $180.00 $120.00 Grand Mechanism complete, rebuilt 1985, piano damaged in fire, 'HalfPage-7'{," x 4'/4" $100.00 $ 65.00 player may be removed from or taken with piano, $2,000.; Wm Knabe Ampico upright, mahogany, unrestored and complete, Quarter Page -3'/." x 4'/4" $ 65.00 $ 35.00 $1,500.; Marshall and Wendell upright, unrestored mahogany, Business Card - 3'{," x 2" $ 40.00 $ 25.00 $1,200. or best offer; Aeolian Cabaret 42" upright, oak finish, lead­ ed glass, .$2,995.; ShatTer & Sons upright 50", leaded glass, dis­ Each photograph or halftone $8.00 tressed pecan, like new, $3,800.; Kimbell Artist/Console with Pianocorder, walnut, $2,995. or system only $1,200.; Yamaha We recommend that display advertisers supply camera-ready Ml00A Disklavier, polished ebony, $5,200.; Piano Disc systems and copy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed to parts. Call for info. Schroeder's Pianos, 13 119 Downey Avenue, correct size at your cost. We can prepare an advertisement Paramount, CA 90723. 310-923-2311 or 925-8868. from your suggested layout at cost. 1934 FISCHER AMPICO MODEL B, previous complete profes­ PAYMENT: in U.S. funds, must accompany order. sional restoration of case, action and reproducer under auspices of Typesetting, layout size alteration charges will be billed sepa­ Phil Hill. Newly retubed. Gorgeous contemporary walnut case. Over rately. Make check payable to AMICA INTERNATIONAL. J50 rolls. Showroom condition. $J4,900. or best offer 805-965-5802. SEEBURG L NICKELODEON with 6 rolls. Oak. Late style. DEADLINES: 1st day of the odd months: January, March, Original art glass. Photos available. Roger Abdella, 900 Canterbury May, July, September, November. The Bulletin will be Dr., Saginaw, MI 48603. 517-792-5620. mailed the Ist week of the even months. 1926 CABLE & SONS UPRIGHT PLAYER with Chicago motor player ("Electora") recordo system. Action restored 1991, refinished mahogany case. $3,500. (Neg.). Sixteen (16) 13 1/4" pin end GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT Cecilian rolls. Poor to good condition. Make an offer? Howard ALL ADVERTISING IN THE AMICA BULLETIN Stevens, RRI Box 1679, Moscow, PA 18441. 717-842-8528. All advertising should be directed to: MILLS VIOLANO #423 no pot metal, $16,500.; Calliope Krantz? Robin Pratt 37 pipes A-roll, $3,800.; Angelus Wilcox & White push-up Piano 515 Scott Street Player with reed organ, with 20 rolls, $1,800. All unrestored. 313­ Sandusky, Ohio 44870-3736 468-4480. (419) 626-1903 STECK BABY AMPICO, plays; Tangley Circus Trailer, $J,ooO; 33 key Street Organ, $1995; Chicago Bandbox, unrestored Publication of business advertising in no way implies Wurlitzer Orchestrions. Frank Rider, 1062 Alber Street, Wabash, AMICA's endorsement of any commercial operation. IN 46992. However, AMICA reserves the right to refuse any ad that is WELTE VORSETZER, completely restored last year and convert­ not in keeping with AMICA's general standards. ed to play iicensee rolls. New black finish to match new pianos. The BULLETIN accepts advertising without any endorse­ Approx. 450 rolls, mostly recuts go with machine. Price - $13,500., ment, implied or otherwise, of the products or services being or best offer. Complete works from Steinway XR Duo-Art grand vin­ tage 1927. Price - $2,500. Richard Riley, days 916-791-8079 eves offered. Ad copy must contain text directly related to the 624-8716. Sacramento, CA. product/service being offered. Extraneous text will be deleted at the Publisher's discretion. KNABE-AMPICO 5'4" late A, restored with 300 plus rolls. Marshall & Wendell upright, restored. Bruce Mercer, 1226 S.E. ADVERTISEMENTS: All advertising must be accompanied Second St., Evansville, IN 47713. 812-423-9706. by payment. No phone ads or written ads without payment COINOLA CF (SELTZER) 177426, Oak, restoration started, 75% will be accepted. This policy was established by a unanimous original, $5,500. Welte-Mignon Kurtzman 95659, beautifully refin­ vote of the Board of AM ICA at the 1991 Board Meeting and ished, matching bench, 75 Welte rolls, $4,200. Ampico Marshall­ reaffirmed at the 1992 meeting. AMICA reserves the right to Wendell 78346, walnut, refinished, Ampico rebuilt, 100 Ampico edit or to reject any ad that we deem inappropriate. rolls, $3,500. Automatic piano pulley pumps, 1140 rpm motors. Polyphon style 46, 5 disks, several broken tips, plays nice, $700. Stan Aldridge, 161 Morgan St., Tonawanda, NY 14150.

139 SPRING SALE OF GREAT OLD CHOICE STUFF: Rolls: 6 WURLITZER STYLE 153 BAND ORGAN, the most popular of Hupfeld $50., 5 Mills Violano $560., 20 "A" recut $400., 4 Kimball the Wurlitzers, older restoration needs some "tweaking", new Electramatic Organ $35. Duo-Art Grand Player Piano system (1970's) Stinson facade, Artizan double tracker system, great for $1,000. Reproduco $11,000. Wurlitzer 150 Band Organ $35,000. parades and rental, $32,000. National Automatic Dog Race piano, Wurlitzer Theatre Orchestra (Ency\. pg. 696) $24.000/ Chickering with automatic changer/selector system, unrestored $5,500. Peerless Player Grand Piano 6' 5" $16.500. Mortier Fairground Organ 44-note upright coin piano, great oak cabinet with fretwork, con~ w/539 pipes $110,000. Link Ax Orchestrion $26,000. Seeburg "E" verted to Pianolin endless system long ago, from the Harvey RoeW; Nickelodeon $10,000. Seeburg "K" Nickelodeon $16,000. Seeburg Rhode Island hoard, $5,500. Harmonipan style monkey organ, 33­ "L" Nickelodeon $10,000. Wurlitzer "A" Nickelodeon (Ency\. pg. key, 37 pipes, needs restoration, $4,500. Regina 15 112" curved front 673) $19,000. All of above restored/refinished. Aeolian 1980 manu­ automatic changer music box, mahogany home model, $17,500. al/electric player piano, perfect $3,800. WANTED: Seeburg KT Martin Roenigk, 26 Barton Hill, East Hampton, CT 06424.203-267­ Special Replica by Bill Edgerton. Wayne Edmonston, 2177 Bishop 8682. Estates Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32259. 904-287-5996 or FAX 904-287­ 4131. WANTED AMPICO VORSETZER - skeleton only with B drawer & stack & WANTED: DISK AND CYLINDER MUSIC BOXES in any con­ A expression - needs case & some work including external vacuum dition. Especially Regina, Mira, New Century. What have you? source $3,500. Howe, Mimosa Museum 606-261-9000. WANTED: Arnold Levin, 2634 Woodlawn Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062. 708-564­ Red Welte Rolls for Mimosa Museum seen in January, 1991 AMICA 2893. for our newly acquired Vorsetzer. Please help the Mimosa Museum WANTED: AMPICO B PNEUMATIC STACK. Will pay top dol­ find rolls. 606-261-9000. lar for original, restored or unrestored 32 valve block per deck layer. REBUILDER HAS 1909 MILTON NICKELODEON with Please call or write AI Zamba, 1010 Merchant Street, Ambridge, PA Mandolin, Triangle, Tambourine, Bass & Snare drums, 6 (0) rolls 15003. Days, 412-266-1840, nights, 412-761-4456. $6,200. 1924 Lyon & Healy AMPICO upright, satin ebony player, WANTED: SEEBURG KT SPECIAL REPLICAS (BY BILL restored, $7,500.1927 Weber Duo-Art 5' 8" Spanish walnut artcase, EDGERTON), Built-up orchestrions, Mills Violanos, Replica completely rebuilt, restrung & refinished with original papers and Orchestrions and Antique Orchestrions. Wayne Edmonston, 2177 bench, Collector Quality $14,500. We also rebuild various types of Bishop Estates Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32259. 904-287-5996 or FAX automatic instruments...714-836-7368 Mr. Kim Bunker. 904-287-4131. ADAM SCHAFF WELTE-MIGNON, rare collector's item. 5' 4" WANTED: ALL KINDS OF PIANOS - Specializing in Steinway, grand reproducer, case professionally refinished with bench, new Mason and Hamlin, and Art Case Grands. Top prices paid!! We also hammers, pins, keys, strings, regulation, voicing & etc., 850 Welte trade and sell players. Write or Call Irv Jacoby, Jay Mart Wholesale and Deluxe rolls in original boxes. Pictures available. Moving must "The Piano Store for the Piano Stores.", P. O. Box 21148, Cleveland, sell!!! Incredible bargain at $11,000. Negotiable. Delores J. Olson Ohio 44121. 216-382-7600. 612-251-5018. WANTED: 80 NOTE DUO-ART STACK with 16-31-17-16 J P SEEBURG 88 note upright player piano, mahogany finish, serial pushrod count. Mel Septon 9045 Karlov St., Skokie, II 60076. 708­ # 90278. 1912 Steinway Themodist metro-style 88 note upright, ser­ 679-3455. ial #152751 $4,000. Robin Pratt, 419-626-1903. WANTED: AEOLIAN PIPE ORGAN ROLL No 51130 STEINWAY DUO-ART PIANO Model XR 1925, Serial No. Symphonic Fantasy by Victor Herbert needed for research study# 23680 I, modem standard mahogany case, non-working, original tin­ Will pay top price. Rollin Smith, 1150-41st Street, Brooklyn, NY-', ish, $7,500 or a reasonable offer will be considered. 106 rolls includ­ 11218-1909. ed. Contact: Molly Morris, 216 South Columbia Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43209, pH. 614-258-6051. WANTED: AEOLIAN DUO-ART ORGAN ROLLS by Louis Vieme: No. 3543: Legende; No. 3545: Berceuse. Would like to buy, PIANO ROLL SALE. Large variety of rolls for reproducing pianos borrow, or pay for tape recording of same. Rollin Smith, 1150-41st and 88-note player pianos. Send large SASE for free list. Robert F. Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218-1909. Commagere, 761 Claymont Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1302. WANTED: I am trying to locate a tubing diagram for a Wurlitzer PIANO ROLL AUCTIONS, reproducing and 88-note rolls. Bennett "G" or "0" photoplayer. I appreciate any assistance you might be Leedy Rolls, 4660 Hagar Shore Road, Coloma, MI 49038. Phone able to provide. Douglas Mahr, 9503 Flintridge Way, Orangevale, 616-468-5986. CA 95662. H: 916-988-7794, W: 916,657-5405. VINTAGE PIANO ROLLS. Since 1970, we have supplied collec­ WANTED: PNEUMATIC STACK, case parts and other parts for a tors with the tinest in reproducing and 88-note rolls thru our mail CREMONA, style 3 piano. Tim Cragg, 2704 Rawhide Lane, auctions. We regularly feature Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte rolls, and Lawrence, KS 66046. 913-842-0038. a great variety of 88-note rolls with a specialty in hard-to-find rags WANTED: STEINWAY GRAND PIANO style M, 0, or A from and jazz categories. We also recut many of these gems and produce 1900 to 1970. Also STEINWAY PLAYER GRAND PIANO our Hot Piano Classics label of rag and jazz performances never (DUO-ART) XR 6'-1 3/4", OR 6'-5", or AR 6'-1/4". Need to know before available on rolls. These are sold at a fixed price. Try us ­ color, serial number, condition, price. Also need some photos. Please you'll like us! Mike and Annie Schwimmer, Piano Roll Center, 325 Fax or write to:NAOYOSHI KAWAKAMI 1-4-26 Higashi, Shibuya­ E. Blodgett, Lake Bluff, IL 60044-2112. ku, Tokyo 150 JAPAN. Fax: 81-33409-4476. PIANO ROLL AUCTION. Periodic mail auctions of mostly 88­ WANTED: "M" ROLLS used in Cremona Orchestrions; especially note rolls and some reproducing rolls from collection of the late Si roll number "M 626". Please write or call John G. Ravert, Sr., 9 Riman. For the latest auction, call or write Dan Inglima, P. O. Box Meadowvale DR., Watsontown, PA 17777.717-538-2155. 769, Hayesville, NC 28904. 704-389-3744. WANTED: AMICA BULLETINS Jan.-Feb. 1977, July 1983, May­ 1929 STEINWAY DUO-ART XR Walnut #262226,6'2", original June 1987, Jan.-Feb. 1990. Emmett M. Ford, 649 N. Pinecrest, unrestored, excellent condition, w/bench. $10,500. B. Koenigsberg, Wichita. KS 67208-3554. 77 High Pine Circle, Concord, MA 01742. 508-369-8523. WANTED: REGINA MUSICAL SAVINGS BANK. Am also still 1929 STROUD DUO-ART UPRIGHT. Electric Model 593-P. Full purchasing original literature. Richard Howe, 73 Saddlebrook Lane, Duo-Art mechanism. Original, complete, unrestored. One location for Houston, TX 77024. 713-680-9945. 63 years. $1,600. Call or write: David Charrier, 7607 Fillmore St., Philadelphia, PA. 19111,215-342-1074. WANTED: MILLS VIOLANOS, art-cased pianos, orchestrions, nickelodeons, band organs, monkey organs, coin-operated machines'F 1932 MARSHALL & WENDELL AMPICO B, 4' 8" grand, automatic disc changers, upright/console or table-top disc musilO> William and Mary Art Case with matching bench. Brown mahogany, boxes, on matching tables. Am also buying collections (large or original ivory keys. Professionally restored & refinished. $14,900. small), with fast payment and pick-up at your door. Wayne Call or write: David Charrier, 7607 Fillmore St., Philadelphia, PA Edmonston, 2177 Bishop Estates Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32259. 904­ 19111. 215-342-1074. 287-5996 or FAX 904-287-4131.

140 I!I~ I!I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~frinfua\! ~ ~ ~ and other fine pianos @! I ~ ~ including Reproducers ~ ~ ~ ~ and ~ ~ 4,000 Select Rolls. ~ I~ Fabulous Private Collection. @ ~ @I @I 1 11 ~ @I Boston 617-277-8925 Weekdays. @I 1927 Steinway Duo-Art 65 "OR" ~ @I @I Completely rebuilt, a "Screw Polished" level ~ @I of restoration throughout. $20,000. Liperi, Finland 358-73-651-871 All Times @I ~ @I Pictures and videotape available. @I ~ @I Tim Wheat @I ~ @/ 9773 Quincy St., Mnpls., MN 55434 ~ @I (612) 574-5972 wkdys, 780-5699 res. I!I ~ I!I

INFORMATION WANTED: WAITED !ted Welte !tolls The Midwest Chapter of AMICA is looking for Red Welte Rolls they can buy and donate to Mimosa Mansion in Covington, Kentucky. This Victorian House Museum has recently obtained a Welte Vorsetzer and they are in need of rolls. Contributions to Mimosa are tax deductible. For anyone with rolls to sell please For the restoration of a 1914 Farrand-Cecelian. contact: Need photos of missing light tops. IF YOU'VE Ed Ward SEEN one of these pianos, please call collect or 191 Riverview Drive write: Dan Crawford Woodville, OH 43469 1040 - 21 st Street Phone 419- 849-2616. DesMoines, Iowa 50311 (515) 244-1013

141 IN SEARCH OF HOFMANN or THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE REPRODUCER Reproducers, Nickelodeons and Fine Grand Pianos The early XXc pneumatic reproducing piano today is a turkey. Its performance is so poor that most musicians and musical people COMPLETE RESTORATION shun it, even where they know about it. Is this inevitable? Is the legacy of paper rolls carrying the signatures, pictures, and impri· FACILITIES maturs of the great pianists of the first post·Uszt generation, and OWNER OPERATED the machines to play them, to be nothing but collectors' items? Merely a curiosity in private museums, garages, and living rooms 22 years of experience in each related field up and down the land? Does it matter what they sound like? of restoration These recordings and their hardware are now closer in time CASE AND VENEER REPAIRS to Uszt and Chopin than they are to us. Are they to continue to be HAND-RUBBED MIRROR ignored beyond small interest groups? or SATIN FINISHES IN VARNISH The author makes an attempt to answer these questions by an inquiry into the technology of the reproducer from the grass roots VOICING AND lONE SPECIALIST up. The results give an insight, free from hunch and dogma, into Concert Quality Regulation the way they work. It suggests which of them are most worth improving, and how and why. Lowest Prices, Known References, Of particular interest to owners of Duo-Art pianos. Guaranteed Work. 202 pages A4 spiral bound 99 figures Only the worlds finest known grades of material are used. Cost including postage, etc.: U.S.A. Pacific/Far East Surface They are always fresh and continually checked. air air mail Hot glue and original materials used throughout $34 $36 $27 wherever possible. Send US$ cheque (not banknotes) to: Craig Brougher H. V. Stephenson, The Mines House, CQrony Bridge, Ramsey 3500 Claremont Independence, MO Isle of Man, via England, U. K. (816) 254-1693 64052 SURPLUS TO THE MUSICIANS' BENEVOLENT FUND

.:;:;

I~ WANTED ~ J\n J\merican JJfotop1atler STYLE 35 OR BIGGER

ALSO WANTED: FilmusiclPicturolls, recuts & originals, pamphlets, owners manuals, sales brochures and information.

PARTSALSONEEDED: Especially a double roll spool box, tracker bar switch mechanism, dual wind motor and Fotoplayer stack.

ANYTHING TO DO WITH AMERICAN FOTOPLAYERS SEND TO, OR CALL: --..... -- JIM BLANCO The Voice o£ 'i:h:~~~~f.l5lYettl 13 HALL PLACE the Screen ~;I3ISTIi:R'O EXETER, NH 03833 (603) 772-4882 (603) 772-2222 (after 7:30 pm EST) ~~ Also needed: Pipe chest and pipes for the Reproduco.

142 Three NEW Interpretive Arrangements -from

ARTCRAFT. • all Composer's/Virtuoso Pianist's requests!

«Merengue'" Concert Etude for Piano (1990) by Frank French Composer-pianist Frank French sent Mr. Henderson of ARTCRAFT n score of his complex concert piece, MERENGUE, based upon a Dominican Republic melody - and now the virtuoso number is ready for the Pianola World! Imagine the intricacies of a Gottschalk selection combined with the infectious rhythms of a Brazilian dance ... that's MERENGUE! Videotapes of music played by the talented Composer assisted in the creation of this spectacular "tour de force" for the Player-Piano! Duo-Art @ $18.50; 88-Note @ $17.50. «The Oyster Shimmy" (1992) by Galen Wilkes Composer-pianist Galen Wilkes penned THE OYSTER SHIMMY very recently as a homage to Jelly Roll Morton's lewd bordello dances ... only this composition is a few shades HOTTER! Introduce your Pianola to the "bumps and grinds" of tfle most erotic music roll ever created! The title comes from the Composer's research about Sedalia, Missouri's old red light district, but modesty prevents us from printing the details - which are interpolated into the sizzling Player-Piano arrangement! THE OYSTER SHIMMY is definitely not for prudes, who would recoil from ~ in their Steinways! Duo-Art @ $18.50; 88-Note @ $17.50. "Pickles and Peppers Rag" (1906) by Adaline Shepherd Virtuoso pianist (alld tflat 's all ullderstatemellt!) Masanobu Ikemiya recorded PICKLES AND PEPPERS and recently suggested a music roll version from ARTCRAFT. Here it is! The Player-Piano simulates his crisp touch and then augments the arrangement with Pianola variations! Duo-Art @ $18.50; 88-Note @ $17.50. Master·Card or VISA accepted on orders. Shipping costs are extra. Catalogue with demo. tape: $3.50. (207) 882-7420. ARTCRAFT Music Rolls, P.O. Box 296, Wiscasset, Maine 04678 U.S.A.

WANTED TO BUY MUSIC EOXES • MUSICAL CLOCKS MECHANICAL OrleANS

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

MASTIN SO!NICK 26 Barton Hill East Hampton, Connecticut 06424 Phone (203) 267-8682

143 AMICA INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

FULL FORMAL NAME (including name of spouse or second household member):

COMMON FIRST NAME (salutation/nickname) (including spouse or second member):

ADDRESS: _

CITY: ______STATE: ZIP: _

COUNTRY (if not in USA): _

TELEPHONE: HOME ( J _ BUSINESS ( J _

OCCUPATION: _

RECOMMENDED BY: _

Do you repair or restore your own instruments as a hobby? DYes o No ... for others part-time? DYes o No ... full-time? DYes o No

COLLECTION LISTING: Please be complete for directory listing accuracy. r (Optional) Use back of form if additional space is needed.

EXAMPLES: 1909, Aeolian, Player Piano, Upright, Standard 1932, Knabe, Reproducer Grand Piano, 6'6", Louis XV, AMPICO B 1928, Wurlitzer, Band organ, with Marimba, 153 YEAR BRAND/MAKE TYPE SIZE CASE STYLE MECHANISM/TYPE-MODEL

Please circle any of the following miscellaneous items in your collection: MUSIC BOXES JUKE BOXES PHONOGRAPHS fiHER

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES: REGULAR USA (Bulk Mail) $22.00 0 (Bulletin Mailing) REGULAR USA (First Class Mail) $37.00 0 (Check One) CANADIAN (Surface Mail) $28.00 0 OVERSEAS (Surface Mail) ...... $28.00 0 OVERSEAS (Air Mail) $48.00 0 ENCLOSE A CHECK (For Canadian and Overseas an 'International Money Order drawn on a US Bank in US Dollars) FOR THE ~ AMOUNT PAYABLE TO AMICA INTERNATIONAL. -; RETURN TO: AMICA MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: Michael A. Barnhart 919 Lantern Glow Trail Dayton, Ohio 45431 Phone (513) 254-5580 144 ®

• PIANO ROLLS for all player pianos See Your Local QRS Dealer or Contact QRS MUSIC ROLLS, INC. 1026 Niagara Street Buffalo, NY 14213 ~~ Phone 1·800·247·6557 • Fax 1·716·885·7510

·.... '0'1 • ,: I I'I 'II I:. ,I I' :, I • PIANOMATION MIDI '1 : :I: : I: , , , " .: I " ,I' makes any piano III:.o' HI III ).11 a high-tech player II,:., · I •• ': I,ll,. :1.1:' :I For information, phone, fax or write: ,I', ,;I': :II'~ .....,. ., ,f ; QRS PIANOMATION CENTER \ .. II' It " "I 2011 Seward Avenue J ,: ill: I:I 'Iii:1 : .....,I Naples, FL 33942 .....' iIII : :III i i/II : Phone 1·813·597·5888· Fax 1·813·597·3936 : III ~ • • ~~hp '~ --::::::- v. ~:::;;.-- .~ GJlot :::::- ~Spot~'

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