November 1983 Volume 20 Number 9 AMICA International Continuing Members: $20 Annual Dues AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION Overseas Members: $26 Dues New Members, add $5 processing fee NEWS BULLETIN (Write to Membership Secretary, PUBLISHER see address below) Dorothy Bromage Single back issues of the News Bulletin are P.O. Box 387 available from the Publisher for $2.00 each. La Habra, CA 90633-0387 Change of Address: If you move, send the USA new address and phone number to the Membership Secretary, Will Wild and Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Valerie Anderson Association, a non-profit club devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using INTERNA.T/ONAL OFFICERS perforated paper music rolls. AMICA was founded in San Francisco in 1%3. PRESIDENT Terry Smythe (204) 452-2180 Contributions: All subjects of interest to readers of the 547 Waterloo St., Winnipeg, Manitoba Bulletin are encouraged and invited by the publisher. All Canada R3N 012 articles must be received by the 10th of the preceding PAST PRESIDENT Robert M. Taylor month. Every attempt will be made to publish all articles of (215) 735-2662 general interest to AMICA members at the earliest possible 1326 Spruce St. #3004, Phildelphia, PA 19107 time and at the discretion of the publisher. VICE PRESIDENT Molly Yeckley (419) 684-5742 Original Bulletin articles, or material for reprint that is of 612 Main St., Castalia, OH 44824 significant historical quality and interest, are encouraged and will be rewarded in the form of AMICA membership SECRETARY Richard Reutlinger (415) 346-8669 dues discounts. (Chapter reports and Forum inquiries are 824 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94117 excluded.) PUBLISHER Dorothy Bromage (213) 697-1545 ADVERTISING P.O. Box 387, La Habra, CA 90633-0387 Classified: 10¢ per word, $1.50 minimum. MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY • All copy must reach the publisher by the 10th of the (New memberships and mailing problems) preceding month. Payment must accompany order. Will Wild and Valerie Anderson Make checks payable to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL. (803) 758-8846 P.O. Box 172, Columbia, SC 29202 • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign countries must be drawn on a U.S. bank. TREASURER Mike & Liz Barnhart (513) 254-5580 Display advertising 919 lantern Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431 Full page 7%" x10" $80.00 BOARD REPRESENTATIVES Half page 7%"x43,4" 40.00 Founding Chapter: Howie Koff Quarter page 3%"x4'4" 20.00 Southern California: Dick Rigg Texas: Haden Vandiver • Each photograph or half-tone $5.00 Midwest: Vincent Ricca • We recommend display advertisers supply camera­ Philadelphia Area: len Wert ready copy. Copy that is oversized or undersized SOWNY: Jeff Depp will be changed to correct size at your cost. We can Rocky Mountain: Dick Kroeckel prepare your advertisement from your suggested New Jersey: John De Paris Iowa: Alvin Johnson layout at cost. Boston Area: Sanford Libman • All copy must reach the publisher by the 10th of the Northern Lights: Lowell Boehland preceding month. Sierra-Nevaaa: Bob Moore Chicago Area: Jerry Biasella • Payment must accompany order. Typesetting, layout Heart of America: Ron Bopp or size alteration charges will be billed separately. Southeast Area: John O'loughlin Make checks payable to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL. COMMITTEES • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign TECHNICAL, Melluchetti countries must be drawn on a U.S. bank. 3449 Mauricia Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95051 • All ads will appear on the last pages of the Bulletin HONORARY MEMBERS, Alf E. Werolin at the discretion of the publisher. 2230 Oakdale Rd., Hillsborough, CA 9401 Publication of business advertising in no way implies ARCHIVES, Jim Weisenborne AMICA's endorsement of any commercial operation. 73 Nevada St., Rochester, M148063 However, AMICA reserves the right to refuse any ad that AUDIO-VISUAL, Howie Koff is not in keeping with AMICA's general standards or if 4271 No. First St., #1, San Jose, CA 95134 complaints are received indicating that said business PUBLICATION, Dorothy Bromage does not serve the best interests of the members of P.O. Box 387, La Habra, CA 90633-0387 AMICA according to its goals and bylaws. flMICfllnternationa' AY"'!Il"••"" ~~•••' ••;.'•••'"•••••••, "' """"•••••••••••,.;••; •••••"" "' "'••••• as ~ "y ~..; .,..".;••.......•.....•.•...;"."•.........."..", ".. FROM , Advertisers Please Note ~ THE Effective with the first issue for 1984, the cost of PUBLISHER display ads will be as follows: V4 page $ 25 Dorothy Bromage V2 page $ 50 full page $100 Piano History The new prices will more nearly approximate the actual cost for printing of Bulletin pages. The center pages in this issue of the Bulletin are designed so they can be snapped out and kept as a reprint of "A Thumbnail Pictorial History of the Piano." This appeared in the Musical Courier September, 1950. It is a Bulletin Deadlines contribution from Alf Werolin. An alternate way to re­ November 10 for the December issue. move the pages is to carefully open the staples, take out january 10 for the january/February issue. the double page and then re-staple. (This method rec­ February 10 for the March issue. ommended if you have a "big bite" stapler.) ft ; ••. ",. ,w ; ;. •• • f ,. , """ f"", • ".A ", ,'"",', • .,...". CHAPTER OFFICERS AMICA International News Bulletin Volume 20 Number 7 October/November 1983 FOUNDING CHAPTER NEW JERSEY Pres: Phil McCoy Pres: Edward Freyer CONTENTS Vice Pres: Isadora Koff Vice Pres: Oliver Vitakis AMICA International Treas: Bob Wilcox Sec: Marge Vitakis 223 Sec/Reporter: jack and Dianne Edwards Treas: Lenny Finkel Instruments 224 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Reporter: R. F. Groman People 225 Pres: Roy Shelso IOWA Book Review 226 Vice Pres: Warren and Rosemary Deasy Pres: AI Johnson Sec: Holly and Peggy Hollingsworth Vice Pres: George Apland News from the Chapters 227 - Treas: Les Cordell SeclTreas: Bob Shimp Rolls and Music 238 Reporter: Bill Toeppe Reporter: Jack Niewoehner Technicalities 240 TEXAS BOSTON AREA Pres: Dick Barnes Pres: Barry Kasindorf The Forum 240 Vice Pres: Bob Smith Vice Pres: Charles Hazard SeclTreas: Betty Plonien Sec: Bill Koenigsberg Reporter: Tom Beckett Treas: Philip Konop MIDWEST Reporter: Donald Brown The Cover: From the collection of Emmett Ford, Pres: Edwin Ward NORTHERN LIGHTS a collection of women composers. All but Clara Vice Pres: Ruth Owen Pres: Steve Leppa Schumann were piano roll artists. In order, they Sec: Lawrence and Margaret Frazer Vice Pres: Terry Goepel are Clara Schumann, Mrs. H. H.A. Beach, Teresa Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Sec: Barbara Leppa Carreno, Mana Zucca, Cecile Chaminade, Fanny Reporter: Sue Ricca Treas: Robert & Katheryn Dumas Bloomfield-Zeisler. PHILADELPHIA AREA SIERRA-NEVADA Pres: Bob Rosencrans Pres: Ken Winters Vice Pres: Barbara McCartney Vice Pres: Sonja Lemon Sec: Frank Basil SeclTreas: Audrey Winters Treas: Mac Taylor Reporter: Mel and Karen Locher Reporter: Bill Pilgermayer CHICAGO AREA 1984 Convention SOWNY (SOUTHERN ONTARIO, Pres: Jim Edwards Greater Kansas City Area WESTERN NY) Vice Pres: Carol Dayton and Mabel Zivin •• •• Pres: jim Brewer Sec: Bob and Gloria Taylor June 21-24 Vice Pres: jan Drewniak Treas: Bill and Dee Kavouras Sec: Alice Guhlow Reporter: Wynette Edwards Treas: Jim and Chris Barley HEART OF AMERICA Reporter: Fred Buchwald Pres: Ron Connor ROCKY MOUNTAIN Vice Pres: Tom Hellstein AFFILIATED SOCIETIES Pres: jere De Backer Sec: Leonard Railsback The Player Piano Group (England) Vice Pres: Bill Arthur Treas: Margaret Taylor The North West Player Piano Sec: Rae Burdette Reporter: Craig Brougher Association (England) Treas: Art Tarr Netherlands Mechanical Organ Reporter: Deane and Patty Fehrman SOUTHEAST AREA: . Society - KDV Pres: John O'Loughlin Australian Collectors of Mechanical Vice Pres: David Van Koevering Musical Instruments Treas: David Bair Dutch Pianola Association Sec/Reporter: David Burke Society of Friends of Mechanical Musical Instruments (Germany) <> 223 <> News from England I nstruJJlents Christmas at the Pianola by Denis Hall Welte Pipe Organ in Scotty's Castle This is the title of The Player Piano Group's concert at the Purcell Room in London on Friday 9th December by Emmett M. Ford 1983. NCR (National Custom Recording, Inc.) has issued The Group has been promoting concerts about once an LP recording entitled "Rex Koury Plays the Famous a year since 1974 using both reproducing pianos and Scotty's Castle Organ.;' The instrument recorded is the Pianolas. We have been very lucky right since our first Welte-Mignon player pipe organ. concert in having members who have been happy to provide first class pianos of the three major reproducing Parker Brothers Department Store in Los Angeles systems: Gerald Stonehill, a modem Duo-Art 'Robot' had three Welte organs for display but refused to sell one which plays the Purcell Room's Steinway concertgrand, to Albert M. Johnson for installation in Scotty's Castle. and gives splendid performances, and Norman Evans, a This was in 192 7, and Johnson authorized H. J. Nuttall to wonderful Steinway red Welte grand and a breathtaking make a trip back east to purchase a Welte organ. A new Russian Estonia concert grand into which he has lO-rank model was build by Welte using as a model their built an Arnpico 'A' action. For foot-operated Pianola organ in the Philadelphia studio. Four stops were added performances, very much an English specialty, in our and percussions as needed to convert it into a 3-manual first concert, Frits Lang provided and played his 7'4" theatre unit. Steck Pianola grand, and after that we have used 65/88 The organ went west by train January, 1928 arriving note Pianola push-ups. at Bonnie Clare, Nevada just fifteen miles east of Scot­ Our concerts are presented by musical people who ty's Castle. The railroad ended in Bonnie Clare and the are well-known in London, and in some cases inter­ nationally. This year Jeremy Siepmann introduces a programme of Duo-Art and Pianola solo and duo per­ formances. The Duo-Art piano will be a Steinway model 'B' pedal electric grand which doubles as a reproducing piano and a Pianola.