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THE AMICA NEWS BULLETIN

Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors'Association, a non-profit club devoted to the restoration, distribu­tion and enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated papermusic rolls.

Contributions: All subjects of interest to readers of the bulletinare encouraged and invited by the publisher. All articles must bereceived by the 10th of the preceding month. Every attempt will bemade to publish all articles of general interest to AMICA membersat the earliest possible time and at the discretion of the publisher.

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PRESIDENTBob "Rosencrans36 Hampden Rd.Upper Darby, PA 19082

VICE PRESIDENTRichard Drewniak191 Capen Blvd.Amherst, NY 14226

SECRETARYIsadora Koff2141 Deodara Dr.los Altos, CA 94022

BULLETINTom Beckett6817 CliffbrookDallas, TX 75240

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY(New memberships andmailing problems)

Anita Nickels JohnsonP. O. Box 666Grand June tion, CO 81501

TREASURERJack & Mary Riffle5050 Eastside Calpella Rd.Ukiah, CA 95482

BOARD REPRESENTATIVESN. Cal.: Frank LoobS. Cal.: Dick RiggTexas: Carole BeckettPhil.: Bob TaylorMidwest: Bill EicherSOWNY: Stan AldridgeRky. Mt.: Toni HartNew Jer.: Jeffrey MorganIowa: Alvin Johnson

COMMITTEESTechnical

Mel Luchett;3449 Mauricia Ave.Santa Clara. CA 95051

Honorary MembersAlf. E. Werolin2230 Oa~dale Rd.Hillsborough. CA 94010

NO. CALIFORNIAPres.: Howard Koff ____Vice Pres.: Phil McCoySec.: David FrymanTreas.: Bob WilcoxReporter: Stuart Hunter

SO. CALIFORNIAPres.: Francis CherneyVice Pres.: Mary LilienSec.: Greg BehnkeTreas.: Roy ShelsoReporter: Bill Toeppe

TEXASPres.: Haden VandiverVice Pres.: Bill FlyntSec./Treas.: Charlie JohnsonReporter: Dick Barnes

MIDWESTPres.: Bennet leedyVice Pres.: Jim PrendergastSec.: Jim WeisenborneTreas: Alvin WulfekuhlReporter: Molly Yeckley

PHILADELPHIA AREAPres.: Mike NaddeoVice Pres.: John BerrySec.: Dick PriceTreas.: Claire LambertReporter: Allen Ford

SOWNY (So. Ontario, West NYIPres.: Chuck HannenVice Pres.: Jeff DeppSec.: Mike WalterTreas.: Gerry SchmidtReporter: Jim Brewer -.-'

ROCKY MOUNTAINPres.: Robert MooreSec.: Sharon PaetzoldTreas.: Carl PaetzoldReporter: Jere DeBaker

NEW JERSEYPres.: Peter BrownVice Pres.: Richard DearbornSec.: Jeffrey MorganTreas.: William DeanReporter: Francis J. Mayer

IOWAPres.: Dale SnyderVice Pres.: Stan PetersSec./Treas.: Alvin JohnsonReporter: Richard Parker

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AMICA BULLETINS, BOUND ISSUES: 1971,1972, 1973 - bound sets at $15.00 each set.1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 at $18.00 each set.PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE ANDHANDLING. Spiral bound to lay flat. Sendorders to: Mary Lilien, 4260 Olympiad Drive,los Angeles, CA 90043.

ROLL LEADERS: DUO-ART, Authentic. Fororder sheet, see the April, 1973'!;lulletin. NickJarrett, 3622 - 21 st Street, San 'Francisco, CA94114.

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"They All Laughed When I Sat Down At ThePiano, But When IT Began To Play ..."

This sound and color super-8 movie. producedby AM ICA members, is again available for loanto AMICA members and chapters. For moreinformation write fo Howard Koff, 2141Deodara Drive, Los Altos, CA 94022.

Jnfernafional JlcJ!(JBJl

FROM THE PUBLISHERPRODUCTION SCHEDULE - Advertisers take note: Therewill be no issue of THE AMICA delivered to you forthe month of August. The July information will becombined with convention coverage in an oversizeproduction to be delivered in September.

PRODUCTION PECULIARITIES - After all these years,the Post Office folks have decided they don't likethe Bulletin mailed in plastic bags (regular, 3rdclass mail memberships) because they can't use arubber stamp to indicate corrections when certainof you move and they must supply me with an addresscorrection. I don't fault this argument (I was abit peeved when they sent the whole June Bulletinmailing back to me with instructions to give thema blank label to stamp on the outside of the bag ­this rather than letting them go through after 3years of the same handling and then just giving mea notice to make a change in the future! - this costus an extra week to re-process these things) but itmay take a while to figure the best solution.

It may be that we will have to mail all Bulletinsin the white paper envelopes but this:is prettyexpensive (they can still go at 3rd class rates).Or, we could mail them with no envelope or bag atall. Regular magazines fare pretty well this waybut we have a lot of inserts each year and thisprecludes using this method to mail them. Theway most probable is that we will apply a large,blank, rubber-stampable label to the outside ofthe plastic bag even though it means more workfor the mailing service, ie., Beckett/Newton group.In the meantime, you may receive your Bulletin indifferent process form until we settle this matter.

DONATED MATERIAL FOR THE AMICA: First of all weare in need of a bunch of~ Where have all' thewriters gone? And what happened to chapter reports?It's been pretty slow in the receiving department

lately. AND, please bear in mind that the newcopyright laws are tougher than ever. If you sendme a book or magazine clipping of recent vintage,please include the name of the publisher and theaddress if the material is copyrighted or tell methat you checked and it is safe material. If itisn't, I will have to write the proper parties tosecure permission to reprint and I can't do thisif you merely send me the article by itself withno explanation of its source.

NEW MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORYA special round of thanks and congratulations mustgo to Membership Secretary Anita Nickels Johnson andall who assisted her in the preparation of the finenew April 1978 Membership Directory.

There are lots of new features an. some new abbre­viations that are listed on the last page of thebook. This time personal occupations and businesstelephone numbers are listed if they were suppliedto Anita. You may note a small "stick-on" labelinserted in the directory for three abbreviationsthat were missing. I will give them here on thechance they don't make the trip with your copy:R-1 = Repair own instruments, hobby.R-2 Repair instruments for others, part time.R-3 = Repair instruments full time.

A directory of this magnitude is quite an undertaking.Again, our special thanks for the production!

From the Milwaukee Journal.Contributed by Doug McGee.

Composer Ray Noble leftlegacy of top pop music

Cover story: Cover created from a periodAmpico advertisement from The Tuners'Journal. Contributed by Dick Merchant.

INTERNATIONAL AMICAAMICA FORUMROLLS & MUSICINSTRUMENTSPHILADELPHIAS.O.W.N.Y.NEW JERSEYIOWABIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Rosita RenardTECHNICALITIES

111115118119122123124124

126127

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By Leonard Father1.olI AllIeI.. '11m.. Service

The obits were brief andterse. Some newspapers didnot even bother to run thenews that Ray Noble, 74, haddIed Jut month. Yet lIot aneveDiD& goes by without theperformatce, somewhere Inthe world, of a Ray Noblecomposition.

The death of Noble de­servel more than pasalugeomment.

HII "Cherokee" alonesbould assure him of Immor·taIItY. OrIginally part of anAmerlcln IndIan lulte, ItecquIred a aeparate Identityad Itecame .fuhloaableveIlIcl8 fol"thejazz world.

AI I UlI4 the new. of hisdeatltt '-aea tIkbIg me back

to my teen years - when hewas one of the first musiciansI ever Interviewed - welledup In my memory. We debat·ed then, In a London rehears­al hall, whether jazz or popmusic could ever escape fromthe ballrooms Into the con·certhaIl.

Firm convIctIonNoble stuck firmly to his

convIction that "Tbe fansshould stick to their gramo­phone records, or, for secondchoice, the dance hall.•There's more good genuinejazz mualc performed In theballroom thanwIU !lYer seethe light or d'aY1ll AlbertHIli." My arsument thatDuke ElUnatoD already had,.,fonn~ aue~..ful1y tn

Jnfernafionat JteNJ(8Jt

concert ,at the London Tro­cadero failed to convincehim. '

At the time; Noble was theleader of arecording orches­tl'a drawn from the personnelof the principal West Endhotel bands. He avoided per­sonal appearances, but hissmooth arrangement of Eng­lish show tunes and noveltysongs, often with vocals byAI Bowlly, a 1I1ghly ac­claimed singer from SouthAfrica, attracted attention Inthe States, where he was In­v1tedto form an all-star band;

He opened June 1. 1935, atthe Ralnbow Room atop NewYork City's Rockefeller Celi­ter.

Achieved [am"In this sprawling salon on

the 64th floor, Its enormouswindows affording the, most·spectacular view New York.ers had ever seen, Nobel pro·vlded music by an orchestrathe personnel of Which in­cluded only two fellow im­ports: Bowlly and drummerBill Harty. The rest of theband was not exactly a bunch

Ray Noble

of nonentities. Five memberseventually would gain fa~

as leaders In their own right.Glenn Miller was the lead

trombonist, Cliarlie Splv!lkthe lead trumpete'r, ClaudeThornhill the second pianist"WHbur Schwichtenberg thesecond trorribonist (ih hisbandleadlng years he becameWill Bradley). Bud Freemanthe "hot" tenor saxophotll$(Freeman now lives in Loil·,don), Other members wereJohnny Muenzenberger. sec-,ond sax and clarinet (tooa)'he Is Johnny Mince. still fr~13.I).cing arounl1 New York),and the emInent gultatl~

George van' ,E~. now In J'8'otu'errient In ClIUWrnla.

At iO:30 each night tlre/It.DI1'!Ie8an ~ feiJllar NflC'

netWotk tll'Oad¢a$tS; unInter.ltIpte<1 'by commercials.

As Noble's radio careerexpanded, the US public wasexposed to a foolishly falseImage. On various serles ­with Lanny Ross, Burns andAllen. then for more than adecade on the Edgar Bergenand Charlie McCarthy Show- Noble was written Intothe scriptS, as a funny, dim­witted Englishman.

Here was an artist whohad set high standarda forhimself as an arranger andhad built a reputation liS acreator of durable melol\les;yet to millions of Americanshe was the butt of silly, taste­less stereotyped Jokes.

In later years Noble es­caped from the radio studiosand organized bands for In­persoil dates; but by then thepromise of world renown asa composerIbandleader hadfaded.

He remains with us In afew movies mad,e during thehalcyon years: "Big Broad­cast of 1936," "A Damsel inDistress," "Lake Placld Sere­nade." Musicians still play"Cherokee," but fewer andfewer of them are awate ofthe man who created it.

From the Wall Street Journal.Contributed by~odge, MollyYeckley and Arf Werolin.

As Carousel OrgansBecome 'RMer, So DoCompetent Restorers

* * *Gavin McDonough's Services

Are in Demand to RepairThe Valuable Antiques @

By LIz RoMAN GALLESSStall Reporter 0/ THE WALL STRE&T JOURNAL

EAST BURKE, Vt.-For more than twodecades the ancient carousel organ stood si­lent at Knoebels Groves' amusement park inElysburg, ·Pa. The park had sought vainly to'find someone to repalr the instrument, theoldest and grandest of its three antique car­ousel organs. "One organ house told us to'Junk it. Others looked and walked away,"says Hartman Knoebel. president of thepark.

Enter GaYin McDonough, the 28-year-oldmanager, director and sole employe ofB.A,a. Organ OJ., headquarter~ In this re­mote northeastern Vermont village of ISO.

Mr. McDonough, call~ to repair anotherorgan, spotted tl)e' 1888 German instrumentand suggested he, restore it. It was a jobthat took all Win,ter and Cost $4,000. "Butnow it's the pride, of their fleet," he says.Mr. Knoebel couldn't agree more. "It's, ajewel, a reat classic. And GaVin alone had

the courage to chaflenge It," he says,Mr. McDonough Is one of only a dozen or

so professionals'in the U.S. who, restore car­ousel organs. l:Ie is a young master of a van­ishlng craft. worklng with mechanical musicmachines that h~ven't been made in theU.S. since the 19305. Only about 250 of themremain.

Soaring DemandB~t Mr. McDonough says he can't keep

up with the demand for his services, AndIt's not Just because his craftsmanship Ispainstakingly precise and slow. For collec'tors and amusement parks are scrambliilgto have the baroque instruments,restored asthey rise in value.

carousel organs have soared tenfold invalue wlthln the past 10 years, probablymore than the increase in value of oldbooks, furniture or art, says Harvey Roehl,a trustee of Musical Box Society Interna·tlonal and publisher of books and manualsabout mechanical ,instruments. Almost anycarousel organ In almost any conditionfetChes $7,000 or $8,000, and elaborate oldEuropean instruments command op to$30,000, he says. '

Many amusement parks that have the in·struinents-sorne 100,parks own about ISO ofthem-wouldn't dream of selling them. "It'snostalgia, prestige. and a good advertisinggimmick" for parks, says Robert BJundred.executive secretary of the International As­sociation or' Amusement Parks and Attrac·tions. ,

As' Mr, Knoebel of the Elysburg, Pa.,park puts It: "It isn't easy to, compete withDisney these days. But our organs (give usan edge because) they are the real'things."

Disney Uses TapeWalt Disney Productions, for its part.

uses taped music on carousels at its Ana·heim, calif., and Orlando, Fla., parks (al­though Disney recently acquired several or­gans from a collector for display). But otherpark owners seem to feei about the antiqueinstruments as does Carl Hughes, operatorof Kennywood amusement park in suburbanPittsburgh. Kennywood spends $3,000 a yearto keep its old carousel organ going andavoid switching to taped music. "If youdon't hear the music from the carousel or­gan, the park isn't open. It's the differencebetween a hamburger at McDonald's and at21," the posh restaurant in New York. hesays,

Mr. McDonough's fascination' with the in­struments began when he first saw them asa small cbild in amusement parks near hishome in Massapequa Park, N.Y. He re­searched Uie subject after high'·school grad­uation in 1966, then apprenticed himself fortwo years without pay to Ralph Tussing, anold master who had worked for WurlitzerOJ, "It ",as that or .nothing," Mr. McDon'ough ~y,. "You can't go to schcol to learnthe trade,"

Mr, McDonough set up shop at an amuse·ment p~rk In Bethpage, N.Y., and in 1972Ixlught the name of the defunct B.A.B. Or'gan OJ,. for $SOO to give him recognition, inthe trade. Two years ago he moved the busi­ness to this tiny Vermont village, where helives with his mother and younger brother inan old schoolhouse,. Next to it is his work­shop, ,Its neatness reflecting the precisionand meticulousness be brings to this exact­ing trade,

There,Mr, McDonOUgh, a pleasant, strap­ping man of six feet four, spends long winterdays restoring organs he has brought In withhis Ford pickUp. Three or four of the exoticinstruments. no two of which are qUite alike,will take ,liP his slx-day weeks for an ehtire

winter, "I'm a finicky guy," he explains. "Igo to bed riights wondering what I can do toimprove it." In the summer, he goes on theroad, doing quick repair jobs 8lld tuning.

On a recent Saturday, Mr. McDonoughwas repairing a big 1921 Wurlitzer organfrom Lakewood Park, an amusement parkin Barnesville. Pa. He was working on thebellows, ihe accordion-like device thatpumps air into the pipes. After cuttmg newleather lrom a pattern he had made himself.he glued It to the wooden boards he hadrefinished.

Mr, McDonough had started on the Wur'litzer weeks before, stripping all the partsfrom the big wooden cabinet and then goingto work on each of the 60 tiny woodenvalves, Those are the parts that translatethe cuts in the roll of music into the move­ment of the correct key, Depression of thekey emits air from the bellows into thepipes. which produce the sound, (The or·gans, cranked in the old days. now are pow'ered by electric motors.)

Mr. McDonough had spent two weeks fit·ting and gluing into each valve a circularlea!ber diaphragm, the part that controlsthe amount of air that goes to the pipes andthus determines the different sounds pro­duced, After repairing broken wood and ap'plying a fine sealer to each valve, he had"voiced," or adjusted, the 180 pipeS to makesure each produced the proper sound. Thosethat didn't he cleaned or repaired-if hecould. Sometimes Mr. McDonough finds thewooden pipes in such bad shape that theonly solution is to hand-earve new ones,"There isn't any such thing as calling upand ordering apart," he says. "becausecompanies haven't made them in years."

With work on the keys, pipes and bellowsfinished. Mr. McDonough would tune the or·gan, a job that could take as long as a week.Flnally, he would personally haul it back tothe owner in his pickup. "If a park loses anorgan (in shipping), It can't get another. I'min a risky business," he says.

He has found he can't cut corners. Oncehe tried making valve diaphragms from in·expensive plastic rather than costly 1m·ported leather. But the plastic ones w~ren't

flexible enough to pick up very short 81r 1m·pulses, so the organ didn't play eighth nates.He pulled them all out and started over.

"The customer wouldn't have noticed,but someone would have," Mr. McDonoughexplains: "My reputation Is on the line."

Mr. McDonough believes that reputationfor craftsmanship is the key to his success,But success in his business hardly meansprosperity. A restoration job that takes lromthree weeks to three months corrunands anaverage of $2,800, plus Sl,200 or so for theartwork he farms out. Last year he grossed$18,000, of which he was able to pocket amodest $12,000. He expects the business toat least double over the next five ~e8l'S.

Mr, McDonough's dream is to build car'ousel organs. With their numbers so limited,it's a service he thinks would be In evengreater demand than restoration. Meantime,he has more restoration work than he cando. He is considering taking on an appren­tice,

He sees himself as part craftsman, partpreservationist and part businessman. "Whydo I do it? It's the $64,000 question. It isn't aglory job." Mr. McDonough observes, "andI'll never be a millionaire. But I guess Iwant to preserve what could ,become ex­tinct." And he adds: "When 1 get thosethings playing, that's my reward."

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-./'

PeopleContributed by Alf Werolin.

In Tune WithThe Twenties

By Grover Sales

• Peter Mintun. the pianoman in the elegantbiu adjoining the Huntington Hotel's fashiona­ble L'Etoile.restaurant, is in bis twenties, andof the Twenties. His brushed, parted hair,delicate moustache and pale, waxy featuresevoke memo'ries of silent movie stars - Rich­ard Barthelmess or the young. Lew Ayres. Anantique silver Waterman fountain pen is dis­creetly clipped inside his flawless dinner jacketwith high wing collar and white carnation. Likeeverything about Peter's absorption with theTwenties, the carnation is genuine. His ac­coutrements are not working-hours affecta­tions, the straw hats and gartered sleeveS ofpizza parlor ragtimers, but the natural habitsof a keyboa'rd virtuoso, research scholar andengaging showman displaced in time, im­mersed in the manners, artifacts and music ofGershwin, Ellington, Harold Arlen, Cole Por­ter, Jerome Kern, Fats Waller, and most of all,the all-but-forgotten legacy of miniatur,e"piano pieces" by Bix Beiderbeck'e, DanaSuesse, Rube Bloom, Adam Carroll and ZezConfrey composed 'for an era when the pianowas nearly as common in the American parloras the telephone is today.

Peter's approach to the piano, as with hisdress, handwriting, and exhaustive collectionof sheet music, is rapt and meticulous. Histapering hands slide effortlessly, with no wast­ed motion or Liberace <;\ramatics, articulatingeach note with the precision of Horowitz,imposing respectful silence on L'Etoile new­comers who quickly sense this is no saloon orsingalong pianist. After five years in thisrarefied setting, Peter commands a devotedentourage of celebrities, musicians and nostal­giacs, most of them well over twice his twenty­eight yearl!, although he's pleased to findincreasing numbers of the young sharing hisfascination with Beiderbecke's III a Mist,Suesse's Serenade to a Skyscraper and the1933 score of Roberta.

"It's quite a' change from my Berkeleychildhood, when I played old music for myschool friends, who'thought I was a real weirdo.This chagrin 'lasted ail through high schoolbecause all my classmates were listening to

awful things, like The Monkees, and didn'tunderstand what I was doing. But I always gotalong great with older people."

Peter banters easily with L'Etoile's "olderpeople," granting out-Qf-the-way requests. re­counting anecdotes of legendary piano greats.When requests aren't forthcoming, he intui­tively tailors his repertoire to fit his audience'sage and taste.

"1 have a gimmick when ~mebody fa­mous comes in. During a break, I phone BobGrimes. who has tbe largest collection of sheetmusic in San Francisco: Bob, Mervyn LeRoy's

in the dining room - what movie musicals didhe direct?' "

When LeRoy entered the bar for after­dinner cognac, Peter played "I've Got to Sing aTorch Song," "Shadow Waltz," "Pettin' in thePark" and "Remember My Forgotten Man?"from Gold Diggers of 1933. Thus'tlegan a longfriendship with the seventy-eight year olddirector, who became a VEtoile regular andhosted Peter in his Beverly Hills home.

"When Irene Dunne Came in, still lookinggorgeous and elegant, I played songs from her1935 movie, RQberta, with Astaire and Rogers,

continued

- 113 -

~le continued

one ofthe all-time great scores: 'Smoke Gets InYour Eyes,' 'Yesterdays,' 'The Touch of YourHand,' 'Lovely to Look At,' 'I Won't Dance.'

"Truman Capote asked for Harold Arlentunes because he wrote the libretto for Arlen's1955 musical House of Flowers, with PearlBailey. Hoagy Carmichael was there before Jknew who he was; when the waiter told me. Idid a long Hoagy medley, 'Georgia on MyMind: 'Rockm' Chair,' 'Memphis in June,''Skylark,' and, of course, 'Star Dust.' Then hesat down and played 'I Get Along Without YouVery Well.'

"Lee Radziwill requested Rodgers andHart's 'I've Got Five Dollars.' When JosephCotten came in, I phoned Bob Grimes, whotold me he did a film called 'Song of Septem­ber,' so J played 'September Song' and 'TheThird Man Theme.'

"Tony Bennett and Bill Evans have beenin, but my biggest fan among show people isBobby Short. He always stays at the Hunting·ton and never fails to come in, usually singsalong - we've started to write each other."

Peter maintains a massive correspond­ence with an endangered species of pianists,composers and research specialists who sharehis passion for this overlooked music: "They'redropping like nies." His exchange of mail withpianist-composer Dana Suesse (pronouncedsweese) led to the revival of her concert careerafter years of near obscurity. Suesse enjoyedher heyday in the thirties as the writer of "MySilent Love," "The Night is Young and You'reSo Beautiful," "You Oughta Be In Pictures"and more ambitious concert works like Concer­to in Three Rhythms, which she played in herCarnegie Hall debut in 1932 under PaulWhiteman. When Peter began to write thissemi-forgotten New Yorker, she was intriguedby his exquisite Spencerian penmanship andmarveled at the interest shown in her music byone so young. When he sent her a tape of himplaying her pieces, she was overwhelmed: "Itell you, it was a case of the Doppelganger.Peter's was almost identical to my way ofplaying, including the clinkers. I just couldn'tget over it. And I think he was the catalyst ofmy Carnegie Hall concert last year" (an all­Suesse revival by the American SymphonyOrchestra under Cy Coleman). An adhesivebond formed between Suesse and her avid fan,who visited her yearly in New York to playpiano four hands on her magnificent Steinwayconcert grand. When Suesse and her husbandmoved to the Virgin Islands, she sold the pianoto an ecstatic Peter: "It's a 1915 from Stein­way's best period; most pianists prefer them-tocurrent models. When Dana owned it, it wasplayed by Gershwin, Harold Arlen, OscarLevant, Hoagy Carmichael, Alec Wilder, Ver­non Duke. Vincent Youmans and Cy Coleman.Dana shipped it from New York, and they hada terrible time getting thi!! splendid ,beasthoisted into my third Ooor window with aseventy-foot crane."

"Peter's apprlJlU:h tothe piano is

,apt a"d meticulous."

The gleaming ebony grand dominatesPeter's living room in a fine Victorian housebuilt in 1894 on Pine Street. The walls aregraced with original Abner Dean New Yorkercartoons and autographed photos of yester­year's piano kings. In the corner looms the firstall-electric RCA Victor combination radio­phonograph dating from 1929, in mint condi­tion. Peter loves to show it off, playing PaulWhiteman 78's with steel needles. The sound isastonishingly good. "Why not? RCA designedthis machine to play these records." He just gothis first stereo rig, "a genuine 1958 collector'sitem, all tubes, of course. I don't have tv, neverwatch it." The garage houses a resplendent1938 Buick Special black four-door sedan."I've had it nine years and it's still a goodhighway car. I found very old mechanics towork on it."

The first dial telephone, from 1926,adorns the library, which includes 6500 piecesof piano and sheet music. Peter frets that only4500 are catalogued, cross indexed and filed:"I'm really a librarian at heart." The diningroom sports a superbly veneered wind-up Vic­trola from the early Twenties, in perfect work­ing order.

CRter Mintun was born in 1950, thethird of four chikiren of a Berkeley physician,Herbert Mintun, and a former nurse, Josiefrom Montreal, both fanatical collectors ofFats Waller and Benny Goodman records: "Igrew up hooked on Fats Waller's piano," Petersays.

Like her husband, Josie Mintun is pleasedas punch with Peter: "He started on piano atthree and a half, picking out tunes by ear withone finger, took lessons from a teacher acrossthe street, but hated them, and never workedvery hard. He was still playing by ear at seven- the teacher didn't know this, but I did. Shetold us to get him a more advanced teacher, buthe stopped the lessons entirely and becamecompletely self-taught. He played his firstpublic concert at eight, a Christmas party atAlta Bates Hospital in Berkeley, where hisfather was in residence. Then it was a Shriner'sdinner - 'Twelfth Street Rag' and 'I'm JustWild About Harry.' Throughout high schoolPeter played a round of parties, dances andglee clubs. filling in for the regular pianist foran EI Cerrito production of leRoy Anderson'smusical Goldilocks, playing the entire score byear.

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"When I finished high school I thought,'This is pretty stupid - I'd better learn toread,''' Peter recalls. "Jack Bethards, whogave these salon concerts at the Palace Hotel,was helping me get jobs. Heshowed me how tor-ei and it didn't take much time. Also, mysister Bonnie taught me to read - my wholefamily is very musical. I studied 'pop with afine teacher, Lee Green."

Josie Mintun adds, "After ten months,Lee told us, 'Peter knows as much as I do.' "

Peter started his long-term associationwith L'Etoile at nineteen with a one-nightstand for their New Year's Eve bash of 1969.They asked him back for the 1970 party."Then I moved to Stanford for two years, andL'Etoile couldn't find me. When I came backto San Francisco in 1973, I auditioned forCanIis" who wanted a reference, so I gave themL'Etoile. When Canlis phoned them, ownersHenri Barberis and Claude Rouas gave me abad reference. 'He's not a piano bar or singa­long pianist, hasn't the personality for it, notright for your place at all.' Then Henri andClaude phoned me that night: 'We'll try youout for two weeks.' That was in 1973, and I'mstill there."

Most of Peter's regulars ask for oldermusic, though he sometimes gets disquietingrequests for current rock-pop and disco, acorpus of music he regards with thoroughdisinterest: "One night this drunken party offOlJr kept asking for 'Wichita Lineman,' 'WhiteRabbit,' 'Close to You' and'Oo You Know theWay to San Jose?' When I told them, nicely ofcourse, that I didn't know them, this womansays loudly, 'Let's go someplace else. Thispiano player doesn't know anything.' Theydidn't get the idea that I really didn't want toknow these tunes."

Peter handles patrons with a delicacy.tact and twinkly humor that seem part of theera he admires - part Noel Coward and LeslieHoward. Despite a sure sens,!: of showmanshipand a natural feel for audiences, he's moreconcerned with musical research and memora­bilia than with pushing his career. Rave re­views from Examiner critic Philip F. Elwood("never misses, always in perfect taste, andstyle. and seeming to love every minute of it")and Herb Caen have swelled the ranks ofL'Etoile regulars, but left no impress on recordcompanies. Tired of waiting to be discovered,he produced and recorded his first album lastyear, selling them through mail order andrecord shops that he supplies personally. Hesold 1400 LPs in six months, a surprising figurefor an independent non-vocal album. Sump­tuously recorded, his initial record offers aprime sampling of a typical Mintun set,prompting one critic to exude, "You want todine on champagne and lobster to it," preciselythe response Peter Mintun is seeking as hepursues the music and byways of a time hesuspects to be more tuneful, gracious andhospitable than his own. 0

Apl3O.1978I5on_s..-,_&a--

Ri chard ParkerR.R. #1Oskaloosa, IA 52577

Dear Mr. Parker:

Jlmica Jorum

Mr. Robert ShermanProgram Director WQXR229 W. 43rd St.New York, NY 10036

I just read your letter of inquiry in THE AMICA Bul­letin in/re foot-pumped Duo-Art. (May 1978~ page 74)

Yes, they used the conventional D.A. tracker bar. Thenipples from the four elongated holes on the trebleside were not used, naturally, the hole for the motorstop and the rewind port were not either. I won'tsay they never did equip a foot-pumper with automaticre-roll, but the only ones I ever saw did not haveit.

The ports on each side to read the "snake bites" wereused, same as in the electrics.

You did not say whether you had the spool-box thatgoes with the 88-note stack. If your stack (whichlines up with the piano whippens, as you say) has aone and one eighth inch nipple at each end, we mayassume that it is a divided one. You can check thisout by applying the vacuum cleaner hose to each endin turn. If it is divided then only the pneumaticson that side will collapse. At the same time andoperation you can determine where the division lies.(You might have to dismantle the decks and relocatethe metal divider strip in each deck accordingly.)There is the possibility this stack came from anAeolian Themodist and if the theme primary valve boxis on it to the left of the tracking pneumatics, thisshould work the theme primaries in the expressionbox you already have below the key-bed. If it is notthere, you will need one.

I do not recall whether the foot-powered models Isaw had 88 pneumatics or only 80. However, Duo-Art,as you know, only reads 80 notes cutting off the low­er four in the bass and the upper four in the treble.If your stack has 88, you will either have to comeup with the cut-off pouches for each end or else plugthe nipples from each four mentioned above. Anotherpossibility is to remove the four pneumatics fromeach end and glue a piece of bellows cloth over thehole in the deck where they were. If you do not doone of these three, then the expression perfs in theDuo-Art rolls will sound these end notes on yourpiano. And using QRS rolls, as Durrell Armstrongpoints out, they have not cut rolls that played theseend notes since the early thirties.

In any event, you will have to find yourself a D.A.tracker bar and change out, even if the spool-boxis from the Themodist. If the Aeolian spool-box ispresent on your stack, looks to me like you have agood start, seeing that the tracking ears (hopefully)are there already, but the two items I mentioned youdefinitely need - a D.A. tracker bar and Theme pri­mary valve box. Have fun!

Sincerely yours,Rob~ H. B~¢etl

Dear Mr. Sherman:

I was reading through the May 1978 issue of the AMICABulletin and came upon your letter to Tom Beckett.

Enclosed please find a listing of twelve Duo-Art re­cordings and one AMPICO recording made by your mother,Nadia Reisenberg, during the approximate period from1925 to 1930. I only have one of her recordings inmy personal collection, but I would be more thanpleased to make arrangement for you to hear it. Theroll is #7067 "Juggl ery", an etude artistique byGodard and is quite an excellent recording.

Let me take this opportunity to invite you to themonthly meeting of the New Jersey chapter of AMICAInternational which is being held this Sunday, May7, at 2 pm at the Player Piano Headquarters, 922 N.Main St., Boonton, N.J •••••

Sincerely,TUc.hevtd E. Veevtbo!tn

Vice President - New Jersey ChapterAMICA International

May 11, 1978

Dear Mr. Dearborn:

Thank you so much for your gracious note and thelisting of the catalog - my mother and I were ab­solutely fascinated, and indeed she cannot even re­call making some of those rolls!

It goes without saying that I am very anxious to hearwhatever you can rustle up, and I just might do awhole broadcast on player piano material one of thesedays!

In the meanwhile, again many thanks for your concern.

Sincerely

Bob SheNnanProgram Director, WQXR

May 17, 1978

Dear Mr. Sherman:

1' m very glad the material that I sent you was ofinterest. I wish I could say that I had access toall of your mother's rolls, but unfortunately Idon't.

If and when you decide to do a program on the Repro­ducing piano, I would be more than delighted to be

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Jlmica

a source for both the instruments and the music rolls.One of AMICA's main purposes is to expose the publicto the musical past which was so much a part of theAmerican scene in the late teens and twenties. Theaverage person today has no idea that a player pianoas musically accurate as the Duo-Art or Ampico evenexists.

At the risk of sounding too forward, I would reallylove to have the opportunity to meet and talk withyou and your mother. As a former Duo-Art artist sheis entitled to an honorary membership in AMICA In­ternational. We already have a fairly extensivegroup of former artists on our roster; some of whomhave performed for us at our annual conventions.Even one youngster at the age of 94!

At the very least may I invite you to my home to hearthe recordings of your mother. I'm sure that we canfind a mutually acceptable time in the near futureto get together.

Again, many thanks for your prompt reply to my pre­vious letter.

Sincerely,

Ric.haJr.d E. VeaJr.boltrt

Mr. Tom Beckett, EditorTHE AMICA6817 CliffbrookDallas, Texas 75240

Dear Mr. Beckett:

Couple of days ago, while I was cleaning out my desk,I ran across this old sales slip for $87.50. It waswritten on a receipt from the Lano Automotive Co.and was dated 1963. I COUldn't for the life of mefigure out what I bought in Lano for $87.50 back in'63.

Turned out the clue to the whole mystery was writtenright there in the year, 1963. That's a year I'llnever forget; not so much because it's when I boughtmy second-hand Edsel, but more for the incredibleadventures I had for myself. As a young man I'dbeen around the world twice, seeking my fortune.Since I hadn't found it yet, I decided to go some­where else before I retired. So, I bought me thisreal pretty two-tone Edsel, driven around the blockonly every other Saturday by a 92-year-old grand­mother, a blue suit, in case I was invited to havedinner in the White House, and headed east to Wash­ington, D.C.

It was plenty cold when I left Denver, and Ethel(that's what I named my car) wasn't sure she wantedto start. I should have known right then that I wasin for an unusual trip 'cause the garage was heatedand Ethel had no reason to be so balky.

We finally pulled out about noon. Things didn't

J"rum

just go too well, what with two flat tires, a bro­ken windshield wiper in a blizzard, a stuck gaso­line gauge and a few other minor problems. Well,we ran out of gas at 4 in the morning in a towncalled Lano in the state of Kansas.

That's where the $87.50 came in; I needed a new gasgauge and the automotive store had to send to Detroitfor one 'cause they had never even seen a car likeEthel. TheY'd heard about her though, which calledfor a few tasteless laughs on their part.

Since there was nothing to do but wait, I got me aroom and decided to see if I could maybe find someodd jobs to tide me over for a while and help payoff the $87.50. I think I told you about not find­ing my fortune yet.

The town wasn't too big; maybe five, six thousand,as I recall. But it had some real nice houses andI figured some of the occupants might be well-to-do,you know, and would hire me to fix up a few thingshere and there, seeing as how I'm right handy withthe tools.

Family name of Cooper took to me right off and nextthing I know I'm up to my neck in yellow primrosewallpaper. The family took off for Florida andtold me to paper the little girl's bedroom and theyeven paid me in advance. Because the room was a1ittl e hotter' n I was used to, I opened up the windowa mite. It was quiet and peaceful there, just meand the wallpaper and the paste pot when all atonce I heard a most peculiar sound. It squeaked andsquawked and I finally decided it was some kind ofmusical instrument. When I looked out the windowall I could see was a big old house, trimmed in lotsof white gingerbread, with all the shades pulleddown. I kept trying to hum along but either it orme was out of tune and I finally gave it up.

That squeaking and squawking kept up all afternoonand I determined to find out what it was all about.Around five o'clock the walls were all papered andI let myself out and walked over to the "music"house. It was dark, no name on the mailbox, justa little placque on the door that said, "HistoricalLandmark, 1909."

I rang the bell and knocked but got no answer. Ithought I could still hear that awful music, but Iwasn't sure. It was a pUZZle, all right, but I wascold and hungry and I headed for town where I knewthere was a diner. It wasn't a blue-suit place,though, so I just went in my working clothes. Every­body was friendly there from the waitress on up tothe cashier, who was also the head cook. They didn'tknow much about that old house, but told me therewas something odd about it. They just COUldn't re­member, but old Miss Appleton at the library couldfill me in.

Next day I found me a job cleaning out a garage andsoon as I finished, I rushed down to the library.Well, it was a story worth hearing and that's whyI'm telling it to you.

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Jlmica Jorum 'f~

It seems there was this little girl, Miss Lano,whose dad had always pined to be a musician. Sincehis family couldn't afford lessons he finally justup and became a successful businessman. He decidedhis only child would become the musician he nevercould, so he started her on the violin when she wasonly three years old.

She took lessons from all the best teachers in andaround Lano. (Since he was so rich and owned mostof the town, the council named it after him.) Shepracticed four and five hours a day and when sheoutgrew the Lano teachers, her father got one fromKansas City and paid his transportation back andforth three times a week. By then, the girl'waspracticing seven hours a day.

Finally she got too good even for the Kansas Cityteacher and her father sent her off to Boston.That was his big mistake because there she met andfell in love with a young and handsome carpenter.When her father found out, he made her come righthome. Every day she practiced on her violin, play­ing the saddest music because she was so broken­hearted.

Meanwhile, back in Boston, her carpenter friend gothimself an idea. He'd make a present for his one­true-Iove's father; something that would make himlet his daughter marry the poor-but-enterprisingyoung carpenter. When he wasn't building houses orfurniture or fences, he worked on the present. Itwas truly to be a labor of love and a magnificentgift, worthy of his one-true-Iove's father. Whenhe was all finished, he built a special crate and,with the help from three of his strongest friends,put it in his pick-up truck, ever so gently, andtook off for Lano. He had a heck of a time gettingto see his one-true-Iove because her father insistedthey must stay apart. Every day the carpenter wouldstand outside her home listening to the strains ofsad violin music until Mr. Lano would shoo him away.

Finally one night Mr. Lano had to go to a meetingof his Elk's Club and that was the carpenter'schance. He hired three big guys from the local mov­ing company and together they carried the labor-of­love into his one-true-Iove's home. While Miss Lanopacked her clothes, the carpenter uncrated hismasterpiece and set it up where his future father­in-law could not miss it. He hoped it would takethe place of the old man's daughter because theywere going to elope that night.

When the father arrived home about midnight, hethought he heard his daughter playing her sad music.It was late but he could understand the comfort herviolin must give her since she didn't seem to beable to get over the Boston carpenter. When heopened the door, the music grew louder and he re­alized it was coming from the very room he was in.He flicked on the light and there was the most in­credible thing he had ever seen in his life. Insidea large oak case with a glass front door, was aviolin. Not only that, the violin was being played

by an invisible hand holding a bow and it soundedlike there might even be a piano inside the case.Because of the electric cord attached to the machine,Mr. Lano finally deduced, correctly it would seem,that the machine was being mechanically operated.

So there would be no misunderstanding about what itwas, there was a metal plate attached to the in­strument. It read, "Vi O. Lano, Virtuosa."

"My little girl," cried Mr. Lano, and he sat downand wept. Some say he wept because his daughter hadeloped; some say it was the sad music played bythe carpenter's substitution for Vi, the old man'sdaughter; others contended the old man simply criedout of rage at the nickname he tried to avoid givingto his child Violet.

In time, Mr. Lano came to love his Vi O. Lano Vir­tuosa so much that he had it duplicated severaltimes (adding a second violin now and then) and soldthem to his many friends and business acquaintances.Male chauvinist that he was, of course, he eventual­ly changed the Virtuosa to Virtuoso. Through theyears, too, Vi O. Lano became simply Violano. MissAppleton, the librarian, told me that the originalViolano Virtuosa still stands in the old house inLano, Kansas, designated as a historical landmarkin 1909. I never got to see it though, as my gasguage came and I again headed for Washington, D.C.

If I had time, I'd tell you about all the other ad­ventures we had; Ethel and I. We were a swell pair.Maybe in another letter sometime.

Speaking of a swell pair by the way, Vi. O. Lanolived happily aver after with her carpenter husbandand great-10ve-of-her-life, Beau Weals. She did,however, give up playing the violin for good.

Your Friend,To c.

T. C. Twardell

Editor's note: Mr. Twardell's version does conflictsomewhat the research of such noted authors as Q.David Bowers and others who have studied the originsof these instruments. We received no corroboratingevidence from Miss Apleton so must accept the Twar­dell story with reservations at this time.

- 117 -

~olls and cJ!(usic 'f. ..~

PIANO ROLL REVIEW

BY DAN TUTTLE

88-NOTE ROLLS

"Hawai i an Butterfly" - Another jazz fox trot with theAmerican Hawaiian flavor. Words by George A. Littleand music by Baskette and Stanley written in the keyof Eb. The roll is QRS #187 played by Harold Scottand Jeff Watters. This song can be said to be well­liked from when it first came out as evidenced bythe many piano rolls of this selection that arebadly worn and torn. It took this writer three triesbefore a roll of this song was acquired that wasn'ta complete basket case. This song has a good melodyand pretty words that make it one of the best AmericanHawaiian tunes ever written. The QRS arrangement ismost likely the best available although many otherroll companies did a good job also. If one shouldacquire a good copy of this roll one should notleave it on the player for it may take wing and flyaway.

"Spain" - This is a fox trot that you may feel youhave heard before, yet may not know where. This isdue to a very likable melody and words which werewritten by Kahn and Jones and copyright by MiltonWeil Co. The roll is US #42172 played by Lee Sims.This recording by Mr. Sims is well-arranged and free­flowing which makes it a pleasure to listen to.Many of Lee Sims' arrangements are like this and arevery popular among today's player piano owners.

"Gulf Coast Blues" - Off-shore blues with words andmusic written by Clarence Williams and copyright bythe composer in 1923. The roll is QRS #2303 playedby Clarence Johnson. The sound can be described asgood blues with many jazz riffs and special inven­tions and variations on the melody. This kind ofroll is a good example of the style of blues that waspresent at the development of jazz and dixielandstyles in the 1920s. A very smooth and interestingperformance by Clarence Johnson is not unusual.

"Growin'" - The song is from 1975 written by KennyLoggins and R. Wilkins. The roll is QRS #10-537played by Rudy Martin. It is this writer's opinionthat paper was wasted at QRS on this one. Being agreat fan of the Loggins and Messina group, I findthat the song is good but not great, and doesn'treally merit a piano roll to be made of it. TheColumbia Record Disc of the song by Loggins and Mes­sina is the best way to hear the song. After listen­ing to the QRS roll at the suggested tempo, it ap­pears Rudy Martin drags the poor thing through every~crack and crevice in the piano 'till you want toscream, "What am I listening to?" Many other Logginsand Messina songs could have been delivered on pianorolls much better.

REPRODUCING ROLL REVIEW

BY BOB PERRY

Review of Ampico roll #68083F "Chanson," played bythe composer, Rudolf Friml, recorded in 1927, codedAmpico A. It is also the last selection on the "B"jumbo roll #100265.

This delightful song is so beautifully and delicate­ly played by the composer that the listener is againreminded that Rudolf Friml is not only one of thebest of the light opera composers but indeed a masterof the keyboard with his intricate use of the arpeggioand full keyboard runs which blend the melody andthemes of this charming song with a style of playingnot often heard these days. It is a style much inthe European tradition with brilliant bass often em­ploying broken octaves and the ingenious use of ri­tard in the playing; that slight hesitation betweenimportant passages giving lilt to the music and im­parting to the listener the urge to dance or sing orotherwise participate in the music. This style ofplaying is particularly well suited to romantic salonpiano music. Friml also uses the ascending and de­soending run as a vehicle to introduce the individualnotes of the basic melody, notes which are playedlouder than the myriad of other notes in the run. Ad-ditionally the run is also utilized as a device to '-implement key changes in performing all sorts of dif­ferent variations on the basic melody.

This roll affords the Ampico collector the pleasureof hearing a truly beautiful composer-played roll.In fact, Rudolf Friml never made a bad roll for theAmpico, just too few of them. Friml is the composerof a number of lovely light operas or operettas amongwhich are "The Firefly," "High Jinks," "Katinka,""Rose Narie," and the "Vagabond King." Several ofthese as well as some of Victor Herbert's operettaswere popularized in films usually starring NelsonEddy and Jeannette MacDonald. Although I love themovies I regret that so much of the music was changedfrom the original. This is distressing since themovies are caricatures of the original operas; toadd to this, most people have seen the movies butfew have seen or heard the original operas as theyare rarely performed outside Great Britian todayas the rromantic Operetta is not in current musicalfashion. It is important to hear the lovely Frimlmusic in the original version, played or sung as in­tended and in this instance played as the composerplayed it himself. Ampico owners are indeed fortunateto have the playing of this great composer and artiston the handful of rolls he played for that excellentmedium.

It is documented in two letters to Bill Knorp fromthe late critic and author Dr. Sigmund Spaeth, that"Chanson" was originally written as a piano composi-tion. It was re-arranged at Dr. Spaeth's suggestion 'for duet piano and words were written by Spaeth atthat time. It was called "Chanson D'Amour." Thepiano duet was played by Fairchild and Carroll be-

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~

IT

aotts and c!Kusic-

Jnsfrumenfs=

tween acts at the Chauve Souris and made such a hitthat Dr. Spaeth wrote new words which he called"Chansonette." This version was played by Paul White­man at the same concert which introduced Gershwin's"Rhapsody in Blue" in 1924. The final version becamefamous in the late 1930s when a new lyric was writtenby Wright and Forrest; it was this version entitled"Donkey Serenade" which was sung by Allen Jones inthe movie version of "The Firefly" with Jeanette ~Iac­

Donald. The original operetta "The Firefly" did notcontain the "Chanson."

A record for Victor was made by Jones of this lovelysong in the late 1930s conducted by Nathaniel Shil­kret. Allen Jones' son Jack is doing well todayas a singer.

Friml's piano recordings, in addition to the rollsfor Ampico, include a few Victor and Columbia 78sand an album of his own compositions for Schirmerrecords. This album is a good quality recording andall of the selections, some of which are the rare,lesser known pieces, are introduced by Frimil's son.

An excellent instrumental version of the "Chanson"is on the Victor record 9650-B of the Victor albumC-9 performed by the Victor Salon Orchestra underShilkret.

An earlier performance of the "Chanson" on Ampicowas played by George Dilworth (#6028lK) and was ap­parently dropped from the Ampico catalog after thecomposer-played version was done in the late 1920s.This is a fine recording in its own right. A foxtrot arrangement is also available for Ampico recordedby the Original Piano Trio. It is #202661F which iscalled the "Chanson Dansette" which is probably adirect adaptation of the second version of the song"Chanson D'Amour."

Chronicle music column, as is my habit every day, Ichanced upon an advertisement for one Mason &HamlinAmpico with a price which was obviously a typograph­ical error. I called all morning and finally reachedthe seller at about noon. Since I was the first cal­ler I made a verbal deal and sent a ten percent de­posit to hold the instrument until I could travel toReno to see it. ~

I first heard the piano playing from outside thehouse and although quite loud it still had a superiortone quality not unlike the one I loved in Oakland.I could see the music desk from the window and sinceit was obviously carved I thought I had really founda true treasure. Once inside the house I discoveredthat although the music desk was Hepplewhite withcarving and inlay, that there were a few tiny prob-1ems such as mi ss i ng 1egs, lyre and bench. Therewere legs from another reproducing grand to go withthe piano but they had never been fitted and thepiano was sitting upon three automobile jacks. How­ever, I felt that a piano at this price would enableme to have a complete restoration performed.

The instrument is Mason &Hamlin serial number RT­37989 which was originally finished satin mahoganyin the Hepplewhite art style. It was shipped Decem­ber 27, 1927 from the then Boston plant to the JohnWanamaker store in New York City. It was then soldto a Chicago resident on fashionable Lakeside Drivewhere it remained until its proud owner passed away.The pi ano was stored in the basement between the fur­nace and an outside window for years until the familycleared the house of furniture for disposal. Thepiano then went into other hands and then to a dealerin Washington state who sold it to a Reno music lover.Somewhere between Chicago and Reno the legs were lostas well as the original bench and pedal lyre. Al­though I was told they were lost r suspect they werepretty enough to ornament some other piano which wasin better condition although I know no hard facts onthis matter.

~ ~ ~

Jnsfrumenfs=

During the years, probably when stored in the base­ment, the sounding board cracked severely but thecrown and bearing were perfect. The finish was com­pletely deteriorated and the ivories were ruined.The tension resonator of the Mason &Hamlin reallydoes maintain the crown of the sound board.

I was now the proud owner of a legless, lyreless,monstrosity which had only one saving grace - the factthat the Mason &Hamlin tone was still there. Iwrote Elmer Brooks of Aeolian American to get thehistory and to try to get a picture of how the legsand lyre looked when the piano was first sold. Hewas unable to find pictures, nor did ads in the Bul­letin upturn anything except the picture in the "En-cyclopedia of Automated Musical Instruments" whichis of a Hepplewhite Mason &Hamlin with the Duo-ArtConcertola installed and the Knabe Hepplewhite pianoin "Knabe the Pi ano Beautiful." I pri ced wood car­vers' time and the estimates to duplicate or designa carved and pierced design with inlay to conform tothe music desk would have made a millionaire faint.Hepplewhite incorporates plumes, usually in groups

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BY ROBERT R, PERRY

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN LOUIS XV A~IPI CO

One morning while looking through the San Francisco

I had heard the Luchetti Mason &Hamlin at the Oak­land Museum a few years ago and decided that the M&H was the only Ampico piano to own because of themellow tone.

After having owned both plain case Knabe and slight­ly Sheraton Symphonique pianos, neither of which weretoo exciting, there is now a Mason &Hamlin Louis XVin my living room.

Jnsfrumenfs t'- .• r----I

of three, in a large urn which symbolize the Princeof Wales who became king during the time when GeorgeHepplewhite was making cabinetry in the 1780s. Hep­plewhite even made a set of chairs whose backs hadthe plumes of the Prince of Wales who became GeorgeIV. Sheraton and Adam furniture, although from nearthe same period, have distinct features; a specialone of which, in Hepplewhite, is the use of delicatecarving and inlays of satinwood and other colouredwoods.

Going Hepplewhite was out. I then advertised in theBulletin for standard legs for a Mason &Hamlin whichare, to my eye, the most beautiful double truss legsof any standard case reproducing piano. The V shapedlegs join in a graceful block which hides the largecaster. Alas, I lost the only chance I had when theowner of a gutted Mason &Hamlin refused to part withthe legs simply because of their esthetic beauty. Ihad always loved the Louis XV design pianos, especial­ly the Knabe, with all the carving and the double-legformat of Nick Jarrett's Leviathian Steinway was thebasis of my plagarism.

I could get carved legs for restyling pianos so Iordered six carved Louis XV legs and about a ton ofwooden molding to embellish the case. The moldingwas added to the new Louis XV lyre as well as the caseand new music desk and bench. The legs and benchare hand carved in the acanthus leaf design andscroll work molding was placed to match and carrythe design around the bottom of the case.

The plate is reguilded, the piano restrung, reham-me red with Rinne~ hammers, repinned, and new singlepiece genuine ivory was installed on the keys. Theaction was rebushed and the Ampico has been complete­ly rebuilt. Additionally, I was fortunate to havefound a 1941 "B" drawer wi th subdued switch whi chhas been compatibly installed. Although I still needa few replacement parts for the motor governor in thedrawer, it perfonns quite well.

The piano had exceptionally pleasing tonal quality

and quite a lot of power considering its modest 5'4"size, the smallest and rarest Mason &Hamlin Ampicomade. I believe the RT, 5'4" size was discontinuedafter the Mason &Hamlin plant was relocated fromBoston to East Rochester in 1929. Only a few "B"Ampicos have "Boston" on the harp plate and theseare the old hand-crafted ones.

The Mason &Hamlin is an exceptional piano even todayin that it still is made in a way which no otherpiano is. It contains hand-placed individual alo­quots in the non-singing treble section to resonatewith the singing notes when played. These singlealoquots are tuneable independently as opposed to thealoquots in fixed strips in other concert qualitygrands. The sharps of the Mason &Hamlin are evennow made of genuine ebony wood for the extra weightand less friction and durability that this materialgives. The piano also has the patented tension re­sonator which does hold the crown of the board exact­ly throughout the piano's life. To add to thesefeatures, the piano is not square. The long side ofthe piano angles on the left side more than 90 de­grees so that the back of the piano has larger areaand therefore a larger soundboard than any other makeof the same length.

I was told that the front cover board for the orig­inal A drawer of the piano would never fit the Bdrawer. However, being told it would not work is '-usually all I need to prove that I can do it anyway.We added a half-inch piece of mahogany to the topof the board and blended the line so carefully thatit is undetectable.

The only part of this story that is still distressingis the fact that the original music desk is notbeing used. Perhaps someday it can be used to designsome other poor unfortunate, neglected piano whichis missing only a music desk. As an aside, the ham­mers which were so carefully matched and speciallyordered from Rinner in Germany were as hard as nailsand everyone who first heard the piano when it firstarrived was convinced they would have to be junked.Thanks to the genius of Norman Toutijan, the hammersare just fine and the instrument sounds like a Mason&Hamlin instead of a brass band.

For sheer agony the "do-it-yourself" art case pianoproject is the ultimate. It was a l~bor of love andnow the piano is really like new since so many stepsin restoration were taken that would not normallyneed to be done if the piano had been in fair condi­tion to begin with. This included rebushing the ac­tion which now must be broken in just like a newpiano.

The large AMPICO decal under the name "Mason &Ham­lin" is not presently made therefore the small "TheAmpico" decal was used on the right side of the fall­board as in late "B" Ampico Mason &Hamlins.

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\

The J. & C. FISCHER, a favorite in music­

loving homes since 1840.

31. & ar. IJ1tsrqtt

STYLE No. MOPEL SIZE DESCRIPTION PRICE

!latsqall & .:eubtllThe MARSHALL & WENDELL has delighted

thousands with its exqu isite tone for over

90 years. Sponsored by Chickering.

PRICE LISTof

UPRIGHTS, GRANDS and AMPICOGRANDS in MODERN and

PERIOD DESIGNS

NOTE: All prices quoted are subject to a rwminal chargejor transportation.

.... !lasnu &1!;nmliu iKunbttv....

The MASON & lIAMUN, the world's most The KNABE, chosen as the official piano

costly piano, and the choice of the inner of the Metropolitan Opera Company, after

circle of the musical elect here and abroad. every make of piano had been considered

from the standpoint of humanly sympa·STYLE No. MODEL SIZE DESCRIPTION PRICE thetic tone.A Grand 5'8" Ebonized $1650

A Grand 5'8" Mahogany 1800

A Grand 5'8" Walnut 1900 STYLE No. MODEL SIZE DESCRIPTION PRICE

A Colonial Grand 5'8" Mahogany 1975 J Upright 4'4" Selected Mahogany $ 875A Louia XVI Grand 5'8" Walnut 2075 53 Grand 5'3" Selected Mahogany 1375A Florentine Grand 5'8" Walnut 29SO 53 Grand 5'3" Walnut 1450A Loui. XV Grand 5'8" Walnut 3200

58 Grand 5'8" Selected Mahogany 1475A Sheraton Grand 5'8" Mahogany 3200AA Grand 6'1" Ebonized 1850

58 Grand 5'8" Walnut 1550

AA Grand 6'1" Mahogany 2000 64 Grand 6'4" Selected Mahogany 1650

AA Grand 6'1" Walnut 2100 0 Grand 8'10" EboniZed 2500

BB Grand 6'11" Ebonized 2175 53 LousXV Grand 5'3" Walnut only 17SO

BB Grand 6'11 " Mahogany 2375 53 LouioXVI Grand 5'3" Walnut only 17SO

CC Grand 8'11" Ebonized 3000 58 Loui.XV Grand 5'8" Walnut only 1875

RA Ampico Grand 5'8" Mahogany 31SO 53 GE Ampico Grand 5'3" Selected Mahogany 2595

RA Colonial Ampico Grand 5'8" Mahogany 3475 53 GE Ampico Grand 5'3" Walnut 2670

RA Loui. XVI Ampico Grand 5'8" Walnut 3575 58 GE Ampico Grand 5'8" Selected Mahogany 2795

RA Florentine Ampico Grand 5'8" Walnut 4450 58 GE Ampico Grand 5'8" Walnut 2870RA Loui. XV Ampico Grand 5'8" Walnut 4700 53 GE Loui. XV Ampico Grand 5'3" Walnut only 31SORA Sheraton Ampico Grand 5'8" Mahogany 4700 53 GE Louio XVI Ampico Grand 5'3" Walnut only 31SO

58 GE Louio XV Ampico Grand 5'8" Walnut only 33SO

Ampicos not li.ted above will be built on special order and pricedat $1,800.00 above the prices of corresponding straight piarw•. All pianos in dull fini.h unless otherwise specified.

5 GE Upright Ampico4'2"

B Grand 4'8"

1 Grand 5'

1 Gund ~

1 William & Mary Grand 5'

1 Florentine Grand 5'

1 Louis XVI Grand 5'

1 GE Ampico Grand 5'

1 GE Ampico Grand 5'

I GE Louis XVI Ampico Grand 5'

1 GE William & MaryAmpico Grand 5'

1 GE Florentine Ampico Grand 5'

July 1", 1929

CTCrt(l)Cl..

(l)::J

no::Jrt..,

rn

.."o..,Cl..

CT-<:»

PRICE

$ 650

675

1095

1145

1275

1275

1995

2045

2175

2175

SIZE DESCRIPTION

Upright 4'4" Mahogany

Upright 4'4" Walnut

Grand 5'4" MahQlany

Grand 5'4" Walnut

Grand 5'4" Mahogany

Grand 5'4" Walnut

Ampico Grand 5'4" Mahogany

AmpicoGrand 5'4" Walnut

Ampico Grand 5'4" Mahogany only

Ampico Grand 5'4" Walnut only

MODEL

<!Lqtrktttug

MASON a HAMUN ••. KNABE .•. CHICKERING •.. AMPICOJ. & C. FISCHER and MARSHAll a WENDELL

The CHICKERING has 106 years of back·

ground and a rich musical tradition. Itis America's oldest piano.

385

386300 Conventional

301 Conventional

325 Sheraton

326 Florentine

350 Conventional

351 Conventional

375 Sheraton

376 Florentine

STYLE No.

PRICE

$7SO

595

695

745

745

795

745

1345

1395

1445

1445

1495

Antique Mahogany

Antique Mahogany

Antique Mahogany

Antique Walnut

Antique Mahogany

Antique Walnut

Antique Mahogany

Antique Mahogany

Antique Walnut

Antique Mahogany

Antique Mahogany

Antique Walnut

SIZE DESCRIPTIONMODELSTYLE No.BP Uprighl 4'2" Antique Mahogany $ 375

BP Upright 4'2" Antique Walnut 400

BP Louis XVI Upright 4'2" AntiQUe Mahogany 400

BP Louis XVI Upright 4'2" Antique Walnut 425

BP William & Mary Upright 4'2" Antique Mahogany 400

BP William & Mary Upright 4'2" Antique Walnut 425

II Duncan Phyfe Grand 5'4" Antique Mahogany 995

12 Harpsichord Grand 5' Antique Mahogany 845

14 Grand 5'31j,," Mahogany 875

14 Grand 5'31j,," Walnut 925

14 GE Ampico Grand 5'3 1J/' Mahogany 1695

14 GE Ampico Grand 5'3%" Walnut 1745

&'RiladelpRia .,;:-:

APRIL BRINGS THE PHILADELPHIACHAPTER TO BALTIMORE

BY ALLEN E. FORD

On April 16, the Philadelphia Chapter of ~1ICA

gathered at Dick Price's University Parkway apart­ment in Baltimore. Two concurrent events in thearea, the Walk-a-Thon and the Fair of Johns lIopkinsUniversity, Homewood Campus, made the area livelywith people celebrating Spring.

Advertisements announcing the meeting in the Bal­timore Sun paper attracted a few local player-p!anoolmers.-:5everal of Dick's fellow choir members ofBrown Memorial Presbyterian Church were also in at­tendance.

Dick's lecture has everyone's attention.

Dick has a 1923 Knabe upright Ampico which he re­stored recently and it performs very well as a re­producing piano. This Knabe Ampico did not functionas a reproducing piano during the meeting sinceDick's program dealt with the musical history of88-note roll s.

A very elaborate program hand-out was prepared byDick - these selections were made to demonstratethe development of music as expressed through theplayer piano during its life span. Several selec­tions Dick played by hand accompanying CharlesBlackburn who sang. In particular, Dick and Charlesperformed "Laura" in its original ballad format. Weparticularly enjoyed this since Dick and Charlesare both fine performers. Dick studied at PeabodyInstitute of Music and Oberlin College in Ohio andCharles, who is Development Director of the BaltimoreSymphony, was a member of the Manhattan Light OperaCompany.

After Dick's presentation, Claire Lambert asked whenthe quiz would be given. Bob Taylor played some ofhis rare British Audio Graphic rolls as well as some

Robert Taylor and Jim Spriggs look on as CharlesBlackburn sings to Dick'Price's piano playing.

new rolls from Australia. Snacks were provided bymany who attended and Dick provided an excellentfruit punch. Bob Taylor, our Board Representative,informed the gathering of proposed bylaw changesIvhich the Board had decl ined to present to the N-lICAmembership for a vote. It was the unanimous opinionof the members present that they would not havevoted for said changes. '-

The group then adjourned to the Baltimore StreetCar Museum for enjoyable rides on street cars dat­ing from the 1900s to 1950s. The museum is locatedat the Baltimore terminal of the defunct Ma and Pa(Maryland and Pennsylvania) Railroad. Abundantliterature is on sale at the museum covering thehistory of street cars, (Baltimore, Washington,Philadelphia and San Francisco) rail systems andrailroad systems (B&O, C&O, Pennsy., etc.).

Eventually about 14 of the original 40 attendees re­grouped to have dinner at the Looking Glass Restaurantand, of course, the area we had reserved was decorated

Philadelphia AMICAns on one of many very old streetcars at the museum.

- 122 -

,e. ..~

with photographs of Baltimore street cars. Otherareas were decorated with photographs of the BaltimoreFire, railroads, and a fine collection of B &0china. Dick had the group at his apartment for cof­fee after the fine meal.

SUI~DAY MEETING AT GAUDIERIS I

BY JIM BREWER

Sunday, April 18th, a bright sunny day with just alittle "nip" in the air found SOWNY members at thehome of Dave and Bernie Gaudieri in Rochester forthe first Sunday meeting of the chapter. Approx­imately 30 members were in attendance. Once againthe business meeting was dominated by discissionsof the goings-on at the International Board ~leeting

in Philadelphia attended by members Dave Gaudieri,Rick Dre\~iak, and Stan Aldridge. Plans were alsomapped out by several members planning to attendthe Dayton Convention, resulting in a few car poolsdriving out - a big saving in gas and money.

Dave Gaudieri.

At the adjournment of the business meeting, Berniebegan the set-ups for the eats. Salads, beef bar-b­que and other tasties tempted and delighted ourpalates. In his usual fashion, Jeff Depp kept theChickering Ampico loaded with Fritz Kreisler through­out dinner. It has been a busy winter for everyoneand Dave was no exception. We were sorry he hasn'tbeen able to do much to get the photoplayer going.Next meeting for sure!

The meeting broke up a little earlier than usual as/' almost everyone had to get up early for work ~1onday

morning. Believe me, I know the sound of that BigBen going off at 4:30 A.M. is not something I lookforward to.

DIRECTORY REPORT

BY JIM BREWER

As if hosting the last meeting of the SOWNY Chapterof AMICA wasn't enough, Dave and Bernie Gaudieriagain agreed to open their house for the committeeto arrange and proofread the galley sheets for thenew AMICA membership directory.

Sunday, May 7th was "0" Day. The "0" stands fordirectory. Arriving right on time at 2:00 p.m, Iwas greeted by tables and counters loaded with stateand country names all in alphabetical order. Themain membership file was all arranged alphabetical­ly but we had to arrange this by state and countryto proofread the galley sheets. Ann Leicht was thecaller while Dave, Bernie, Karl and Alice Guthlow,Dick Leicht and I placed the cards in their respec­tive piles. Bernie and I had control from New Mex­ico to the United Kingdom which was spread over the

Jeff Depp and Hugh Johnston.

- 123 -

We got through sorting and just started on a quickbreak when Chuck and Carol Hannen arrived. Now camethe tiring part. Breaking up into teams of two,one person would be a reader of the file cards andthe other would be a checker to make certain the in­formation was correct on the galley sheets. Wewere just about finished when the hunger pangs setin. However, it wasn't long before we were all en­joying a formal sit-down dinner complete with wineand salad. At 98¢ a head for lettuce, it has beenout of my budget for some time and this was reallya treat. This terrific dinner was topped off bydesert and expresso coffee made from freshly groundbeans.

It is

-

MAY MEETING - NJ CHAPTERBY RICHARD DEARBORN

arrives, take the time to read through it.not as dull as it might seem.

There was a brief meeting of the officers of thechapter to determine how many meetings there shouldbe throughout the year. There have been a lot ofcomplaints about having monthly meetings and the ex­ecutive session attempted to come ,up with some ideasas to the number of meetings to be held. We hope tobe able to arrive at a final decision at our nextmeeting, June 4.

On Sunday, May 7, the New Jersey chapter of AMICAheld its meeting at the Player Piano Headquarters inBoonton, New Jersey. The meeting was well attendedand host Carl Thomsen provided the chapter with amost enjoyable afternoon.

The highlight of the meeting was the playing of theSeeburg Model "G" nicke-lodeon that is currently beingmade at the Player Piano Headquarters. They havetaken a \!\,urlitzer piano and built the complete See­berg instrumentation above it; each part being amost careful and faithful reproduction of the orig­inal part.

hopepinchedPennsyl­of South

kitchen table and the various counters.Bernie's feet have recovered; her toes gotmore than once when I lunged to put down avania card while she was standing in frontCarolina.

BY RICHARD W. PARKER

IOWA CHAPTER - VERSE SIX"WAY DOWN YONDER IN ACORNFIELD"

Where is Farmersburg you ask? Right where it soundslike it would be. To steal a phrase from our secre­tary, board rep. and general slave, Alvin Johnson,it is about 2000 miles east of San Francisco, 1000miles west of New York and right in the middle of acornfield. On Memorial Day weekend it was also thegathering place for 19 loyal Amicans from many pointsup to 250 miles away.

Nestled, as they say, in the middle of some of themost beautiful country in Iowa, if not the wholeUnited States, Al 's country home is a great place tovisit and would be a greater place to live if youcould arrange it - especially in the fall when thecolored leaves around the little river town of McGre­gor turn it into a camper's dream world. While it

- 124 -

I wonder how many people really take the time toread through the directory? There were so many dif­ferent types of instruments listed in all parts ofthe world. Our favorite was to check all the dif­ferent occupations listed. So when your directory

Tearing ourselves away from the table, we got every­thing finished up. We also came up with some in­teresting trivia. All the file cards measured 9~

inches, with 52 members being represented in one halfinch. This is close to 1000 members. We figuredan average of 3-4 instruments per card plus the phonenumbers, zip codes, and what have you all ads up toa lot of reading and talking. We were all tongue­tied and eye-strained by the time we finished but itwas worth it. As in any undertaking of this size,some mistakes are bound to occur. However, if therewas any discrepancy between the galley sheet andfile card, the file card was taken as the ~aster.

So some mistakes, if you go strictly by the filecards, are correct. Perhaps this will result in alittle more care in following the directions onfiling, printing, or typing legibly.

:

is not my privilege to invite you to AI's for a visit,the pages of his guest book are nearing capacity,suggesting that he doesn't turn anyone away from hisdoor.

made short, but professional work of the businessmeeting, stopping only long enough to. trade quipswith some of our "livewires" and sparse Goldambransenaddicts.

Following the movies, we made our way into the housefor refreshments and whaXever musical entertainmentmight await us. No, no one got lost on the way.Even the thundershowers had stopped. AI, I don'tknow who you have an understanding with when it comesto weather control, but if he (or she) is as good atfinding unrestored Steinway Duo-Arts --- What? Oh,I have to see Molly Yeckley for that!

..-----'

The business meeting was followed by movies of theDallas, San Francisco and Buffalo conventions in­cluding the guest artists' appearances at thoseevents. It really was a pleasure watching the likesof Eubie Blake, Ursula Hollinshead, Flora Mora, RuthBingaman Smith and Robert Armbruster perform withoutbenefit of perforated rolls. (True, it was via aperforated roll of another kind). We would like toexpress our thanks to Dave Gaudieri who loaned us hisprivate sound film collection for this meeting.

What more could you ask of a place called Farmersburgexcept maybe the food on your table and the non-syn­thetic clothes on your back? You maybe expected acomparison concert between a Steinway Duo-Art and aMason & Hamlin Ampico? Greedy devils aren't you?!

It was a rainy day in suburban Farmersburg Sunday.This was probably fortunate because the businessmeeting was held in AI's un-airconditioned backyardworkshop and the weather had been hot and humid upto that time. (Remember the cool, refreshing snowsof just a few weeks back?). President Dale Snyder

The Steinway Duo-Art during a rest.

Some of us had time earlier in the day to visjt near­by "Nontauk," ex-governor Larrabee's mansion, nowmuseum, with its at least seven foot Mason ~ Hamlingrand piano, Steinway upright, and large Pall iard

-/ cylinder music box among the other antiques.

Al reloads the Mason & Hamlin while Jack Niewoehner,Brian Kosek and Ron Olsen are absorbed in the Stein­way.

The. Mason & Hamlin Ampico.

Refreshments of Iowa ham sandwiches, cookies, punchand coffee were made and served by AI's mother who,though somewhat crippled by arthritis, was makingsure everyone came away from the music long enoughto get some nourishment. She is the sort of ladywho - well, if I were sell ing apple pies, hers isthe picture I would want on the box.

At this point Al introduced us to the "Dueling Pianos",the comparison concert you were so eager for. In theleft corner, a 6'5" Steinway Duo-Art playing "NewWorld Symphony" in the first round. In the oppositecorner, a 5,~r Mason & Hamlin Ampico returning witha volley of fox trots and dinner music selections.And, in the center ring, 19 judges trying to decidewhich was the winner, the singing strings of theSteinway or the never-to-be-outspoken bass of theMason & Hamlin. There was NO loser this time. Itwas an al I afternoon bout between two of the finestsounding pianos I hope to hear in the near future.

- 125 -

Watching Eubie at work.

ROSITA RENARD

BY EMMETT M, FORD

Liszt pupil, Martin Krause. One of her classmateswas Edwin Fischer. When Claudio Arrau carne to studywith Krause, he and the Renard family became friends,Claudio was seven years younger than Rosita who tookthe young Claudio by the hand for his auditionwhich resulted in the young boy being accepted byKrause. By the time Rosita's study was completed in1914, she had won the Diploma of Honor, a Mendelssohnscholarship, and the coveted Liszt prize.

World War I prevented her Berlin debut but she gavea few private recitals. Returning to Chile, success­ful concerts were given in Santiago by the youngpianist. She was invited to teach at the D.K.L.Conservatory of music which later became the EastmanSchool of Music in Rochester. When she returned toNew York almost penniless, philanthropic music loverssuch as Sam Franko, Dr. Sulzberger, Mrs. W•• Guggen­heim, Stephen Jonas, Ernest Urchs, and others spon­sored a recital at Aeolian Hall where she receivedthe praise of critics and the public. Another con­cert in Aeolian Hall was given - an all Liszt programwhere the twenty-two year old pianist included the"Don Juan Fantasy," the "B Minor Sonata," and someof the difficult "Transcendental Etudes." The au­dience and critics were overwhelmed at her brauvura,technique and prodgious virtuosity_ Charles Ellis,manager of Paderewski, Racmanonoff and Kreisler,signed her to a two-year contract. She gave fortyconcerts in various cities, appearing as soloist withorchestras. In 1921 she appeared as soloist with theNew York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stranskyin the Brahms' "0 Minor Concerto."

In 1921 she left the United States to live in Berlin,the musical capital of the world but now in chaos asa result of the turbulent government. Miss Renardtaught in Berlin from 1921 to 1925 and gave some con­certs and toured Germany and Austria. At this timeshe gained an unusual reputation for her famous per­formances of the Strauss-Schulz-Evler "Blue Danube"(Duo-Art #60060). Unable to establish a career inEurope, she returned to the United States and gavesome joint recitals with the soprano, GeraldineFarrar. Two-piano concerts were performed with hersister, Blanca, who was a renowned pianist and ateacher at the Auburn University in Alabama. A singlesolo recital at Aeolian Hall did not bring the ac­claim of the one ten years before. In 1927 a CarnegieHall concert was given followed by tours in theUnited States, Canada, Mexico, and South America.

Critics felt her playing, with its sparkle, energy,dash, brauvura and thrilling masculine sweep, close­ly resembled Teresa Carreno's playing. Max Smithstated, "it seemed the mantle of the recently deceased'greatest pianist' would now descend on young Rosita."

Bob Shimp, Dunkerton, IA. (Don't askME where it is! - But I'll find it).

August 13

December 10 Martin Hubbard, Alkader, IA. (Atleast IT is on the map!).

Next chances in this area: (both are in the abovearea of Iowa)

JJioarapRical~llefcRe3

Now at the end of Chapter Six, all I can say is thatthose of you who are not active members are missing90% of the fun of being an AMICAn.

Rosita Renard, pianist, teacher, Duo-Art and phono­graph recording artist, was born in Santiago, Chile,February 8, 1894. Her father was a building contrac­tor. From early childhood she was surrounded with amusical atmosphere and her musical ability showedearly. At the age of four self-study began and bythe age of eight she had a regular instructor.

And they call Des Moines the "Surprising Place!"Let's hear it for FARMERSBURG!

Her study continued with enrollment at the Conser­vatorio Nacional de Musica at Santiago. At the ageof fourteen she was soloist with the Chilean SymphonyOrchestra, playing the Grieg concerto. The youngpianist's performance was so impressive the ChileanGovernment gave her a scholarship to study at theStern Conservatory in Berlin. For five years herstudy in piano was with the celebrated pedagogue and

Returning to Germany, she gave concerts at varioustimes and while there married an Austrian businessmanand musician, Otto Stern in 1938.

She found the strain of concert life, as did Joseffyand Godowsky, too much to bear and gave up her ca­reer,returning to Chile and helping organize the pianodepartment of the Santiago Conservatory, becoming a

JJio9rapRical ~llefcRe8

faculty member. Though no longer g~v~ng concerts,she played for friends in her home and maintainedher repertoire, giving attention to the works ofBach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, Mendels­sohn, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel and Godowsky's transcip­tions of Viennese waltzes. Her favorite composer wasMozart.

In 1945 she performed Mozart concertos with orches­tras under· the direction of the conductor, ErichKleiber in tours throughout Latin America. Her ca­reer became a success after each concert and she be­came known as a Mozart specialist. Mozart cycleswere performed in large cities. Her return to theUnited States for a concert in Carnegie RaIL, January19, 1949 resulted i~ praise from the critics andenthused music lovers.* This concert was the firstafter a twenty-one year absence. A concert tour ofthe country was planned.

She returned to her home in Santiago to prepare forthe tours in the United States and Europe when shebecame ill. The symptoms baffled the doctors but itwas later discovered to be encephalitis. She wasbeyond medical treatment and her health declined intoan soporific state before her.friends and students.Her death was in the Santa Maria Clinic in Santiago,May 24, 1949. At her bedside were her husband Ottoand two famous Chilean pianists, Claudio Arrau andArmando Plancinos.

*A recording of this Carnegie Hall concert was madeand the two-LP set was issued by the Society of theFriends of Music, Bogata, Columbia, as a tribute tothe memory of the pianist. ~his 2-LP recording wasissued in 1950 but was not available during thistime until the release by DESMAR on IPA 120/121.

ROSITA RENARD

~(f' ~ecRnicalifie8

The Christy Grand Action !lLuestionsBy Herbert F. Antunes, Member N. A. of P. T., Chicago

From The Tuners' Journal,January,~ Contributedby Dick Merchant.

em Y inability to handle the typewriterJ IL is the chief cause for the delay in

answering the questionnaire on thegrand piano action submitted by Mr. 1. S.Christy, of Revere, Missouri.

I presume some of these answers will bequestioned. Nevertheless, feeling that theopen discussion is the desired result, I begto submit the following answers to the read­ers of The JOURN AL and shall welcome anycriticisms or corrections that may seemnecessary.

Ques/um 1. Why should the repetitiolllever be regulated to hold the hammer bull(barrel) slightly abot'e the eud of the jockwileu at rest!'

Answer. To permit the jaCk to return toits proper position under the barrel withoutcatching and resting against it when thekey is released: Also to enable one to lineup the hammers evenly when adjusting atcapstan screw for blow-distance.

Questioll 2. h~ what part of the ha»l-

- 127 -

1I1~r travel is the repetitioll lever checked ill

risillg, and why!'

Answer. Almost at the point of the let­off, which is one-eighth of an inch. Themethod of making the drop adjustment isrir~t to adjust the let-off and then adjustthe drop at the drop screw loc.1ted in thehammer shank flange, so that after the jackis tripped the hammer drops one-sixteenthof an inch from the highest point of travel.The reason for this adjustment is to trans­fer the weight of the hammer from the

4'ecRnicalifies

Frank Kirchenstiner400 Kirsch LaneNorth Huntingdon, PA 15642412 823 3919

James &Dianne Gleeson2071 Carthage Rd.Tucker, GA 30084404 934 1874referred by John Bagley

Robert &Nancy Giles2924 East Ave.Rochester, NY 14610716 381 4158

John &Mary Helen Lill2360 N.W. 121st. St.Oklahoma City, OK 73120405 751 3476ref. by Stan Whitehurst

TB

. \nswer. \Vhen the first note is struck,the repetition lever is raised, carrying thehammer with it. When the forward end of­the lever comes into contact with the dropscrew the upward motion of the lever isstopped. At this point the jack engages theharrel and carries the hammer still fartherupward until the hammer is one-eighth ofan inch from the string. 1\t this point thl'jack is tripped, but the momentum of thl'hammer carries it to the string. The ham­mer then rebounds and forces the repetitionlever down with it until caught by the back­('heck and is held there as long as fullpressure is on the key.

When the key is released just slightlythe pressure at the backcheck also is re­leased and the repetition lever raises thehammer, allowing the jack to slip backunder the barrel, ready for the secondstroke.

When the soft blolV is delivered at t 11<'key the force of the rebound of the ham­mer forces the repetition lever down, asbefore, but because thc finger is immcdi­ately removed from the key the variousparts are forced into playing- position.

NOTE: Underlinings in text wereplaved in the original magazineby a previous owner and not re­moved on the perchance text wouldbe lost.

NEW MEMBERS

Answer. It is more necessary to checkthe repetition lever at the point of the dropscrew because that is a direct adjustment.The hammer is really checked at the lowestpoint of the repetition lever position by thebackcheck. The lever hook is only an auxili­ary adjustment.

Questi071 8. Is it necessary that the finalclearGlICe of the jack from the hammerbutt should occur 1I'hen the hammer isnearcr the strings than at which the repeti­tiol1 le,'er is checked? If so, why?

Answer. Yes, because the repetition leveris adjusted so that the top of the jack isslig-htly below the level of the lever, and thejack must engage the barrel before the let­lIf f occurs.

QIlestioll 9. On a strong sharp stacca.fotOile, H'hat absorbs the shock of the forciblerebound of the hammer on the repetitionle~'er, etc.?

Answer. The jack, and possibly the hook.

Question 10. On a strollgl)' accented butsustained tone, what helps to absorb theforcible rebouild of the hammer on therepetition spring! Does this shock ab­sorber aid in preventing the hammer fromslipping past the backcheck?

Answer. The repetition lever hook. Yes.because it limits the distance the hammercan drop.

Question 11. Why should the jack notbe allowed to return to rest past the middleof the hant~tler butt!

Answer. To eliminate the dangers of agrinding touch, causing an unpleasant feelat the key.

Question 12. What is the complete per­formance of the repetition lever and itsawriliaries from the beginning to the finishof a repeated tone (the sallie tone struektwire) without allowing the liey to rise1II0re than is lIecessary for a soft staccatorepeat after which, of course, the fillgerillstantly leaves the key! The first notestrongly accented and sustained (held),the sefOnd 1I0te soft and very short.

lever to the jack, just before the jack is~ped. ~

Question 3. H ow strong should therepetition lever spring be, and why!

Answer. Strong enough not only to sup­port the weight of the hammer but toraise the hammer so as to allow the jackto slip back to its proper position for asecond blow, as soon as the pressure of thebackcheck is released from the hammerheel; or, in other words, as soon as the keyis released. The adjustment of thesesprings should be as follows: beginning inthe bass the springs should be adjusted soas to raise the hammer slowly. The ten­sion of the springs should gradually be in­creased as one works towards the treble.thereby gradually increasing the speed ofthe rise of the hammers.

Care must be taken lest the springs betoo stiff, causing a decided "kick" of thehammer, which causes a disagreeable feelat the striking point of the keys.

Question 4. What is the purpose ofthe repetition lever hook and how is itl'egltlatcd to sen'e this purpose!

Answer. The repetition lever hook limitsthe down movement of the repetition leverat jts forward end. The hook should headjusted so that it is three-sixteenths toone-fourth of an inch above the top of thefelt directly under the hook. It is seldomnecessary to make this adjustment on theoutside.

Question 5. Whe'l at rest, the hammerstem being a full one-eighth of an inchabove its cushion (why!), ~uhat purpose isserved by the Cltshion!

Answer. The hammer stem is placed one­eighth of an inch above the cushion: first,to prevent the possibility of lost motion;~ secondly, to insure positive contact oftbe ore etifion lever with the barrel for wm no or e and not theja~pports the weight of the ammer.

The cushion is to prevent any "noises"or "clicks" caused by the hammer stemstriking against any hard material whenthe hammer drops to a rest position. Thereis a certain amount of "give" .to the entireaction because of the felts, or cushions.causing the hammer to drop, because of itsweight, below the regulated level. Thecushion also limits the distance below thisre~lated point which the hammer may fall,thereby relieving the repetition lever ofany unnecessary strain.

Question 6. May the functiolls of thele~'er hooks and these Cltshions be comparedin any way?

Answer. Yes! The lever hook limits thedownward movement of the lever (at itsforward end), and the cushion limits thedistance the hammer will fall. (See answerto Question 5.)

Question 7. Is it necessary to checkti,e rise of the repetition lever whell thehammer is nearer to the strings than thatat ~(rhich it is caught by the backchcck? Ifso, ~(}hy!

Dr. Stanley &Kay RhineBox 3943Albuquerque, NM 87110505 266 1685

- 128 -

William &Betty Morrison 1928 Gulbransen upr plyr.Lewis, NY 12950518 873 6753

Rick C. Butt50 Prince Arthur Ave. Apt. 1407Toronto, OntarioCanada M5R 1B5416 961 0014 referred by Dale

Laurence &Marilyn Reichert1280 Gordon Ar.Lyndhurst, OH 44124216 449 1455

JoAnn Condry 1932 Stroud 5'6" DA.Eckhart, MD 21528301 OV9 9756 referred by Jim Weisenborne

1927 Weber 5'8" DA.

1928 Symphonique 5' Amp A;1927 Baldwin upr Welte Lic;misc orchestrions

by Jim Weisenborne & Ray siou

Mills VV single; 1912 Wur­litzer IX; Haines upr pumpplr; 1890 Wilcox &Whiteplr org 44-note.

referred by Frank Adams

Robert &Katherine Barbaro 1923 Weber DA upr.10th &Clayton Ave.Clayton, NJ 08312 referred by Robert Taylor609 694 2855

Ed &Sharon Bishop20932 N.E. 77thRedmond, WA 98052206 883 9570

Arthur Hietala22260 Green Hill Rd. Apt.58Farmington Hills, MI 48024313 474 0198

Charles E. Tidwell898 Grand Ave.Abilene, TX 79605915 673 6763 referred

Lorraine Burdette &Carol Musser4663 Greylock St.Boulder, CO 80301 1924 Chickering upr Amp.303 444 5426

1916 Karn uprplr Otto Higel;Heintzman uprmetalnola.

F. Rowe

1923 Wegman upr plr.

Bradbury upr plr Pratt­Read •

1927 Kreiter upr plr.

1977 Aeolian upr plr.Bernadine F. Smith215 E, Amber WayHanford, CA 93230209 584 5209

Michael &Grace Stasiak120 Elmwood St.St. Louis, MO 63111314 353 1808

Guy D. Brown. 840 Montauk Ave.

New London, CT 06320203 442 4217

John &Mary Zeliznak165 Williams Dr.Patterson. NJ 07424201 256 8492 referred

1930 Whittier upr pumpplr.

by Carl Thomsen

Dr. James &Nancy Smith927 Fifth Ave.New York, NY 10021212 879 5900

1926 Wurlitzer bnd org;Mills VV.

1923 Haines 5'4" Amp A;1922 Knabe upr Amp.

1922 Aeolian 5' 1"DA; 1923Hammond Straube ply nick.cabinet.

1921 Lyric Recordo 4'8";1928 English Steck uprDA pump; 1924 Maynard uprSchultz plr.

referred by Bennet Leedy

Aerotone upr plr Simplex.

Kromer Jr 1899 DeKliest bnd org;custom Seeburg G from Les­ter piano, Conried uprplr, misc plrs.

Wm Henry &Ruth53 Louella Ct.Wayne, PA 19087215 387 0172

Rock Newton2823 Bayshore Ave.Ventura, CA 93003

Thomas &Martha McClurgP.O. box 333Clifton Forge, VA 24422703 862 5659

Robert &Regina Leedy4618 Hagar Shore Rd.Coloma, MI 49038616 468 5370

Sal H. Smith4 Aida Ct.Lodi, NJ 07644--- 779 5437

1932 Steinway DA OR withfloating tracker bar.

1929 Wurlitzer 105; Romonanick. repo.

1926 Chickering 5'4" Amp;1920 Marshall &Wendell uprmarque Amp pump; 1915 Beck­er upr plr Amphion; 1913FoRadle upr plr; 1915 Story&Clark upr plr.

Bill Rylett 1919 Weber upr DA; 19294 Elimatta Rd. Foster upr Amp pedal; 1925Carnegie 3163 Zemker &Schultes upr Re-Victoria, Australia cordo ped/elec.578 7712 referred by John Semmons

Fred &Dolly Thonebe 1926 Kroeger upr plr.14 Rosewood Dr.Madison, NJ 07940201 377 8409 referred by Richard Dearborn

Joseph &Lillian Dufine11 Bonnie Briar Rd.White Plains, NY 10607914 948 1432 referred by Dale Rowe

Jon &Barbara Abbottc/o Nickel Music Co5960 ParamusClarkston, MI 48016313 625 1233

Charles R Poulton, II7638 Praver Ct.Jacksonville, FL 32217904 733 0626

Gary &Carol Thompson 1923 Star~ Remington mod.361 Manistique upr plr.Detroit, MI 48215313 824 7225 referred by Robert Foster

/ Carl S. Lambie 1917 Haines Amp; Euphonia2709 Center Valley Rd. Cable Recordo pump/elec;Rt 7, Appleton, WI 54911 1921 cable upr plr; 1942414 733 4288 Brewster 61-note piano w/

referred by custom A roll; misc mb &Jim Weisenborne & Ray Siou misc phono.

FREE LISTS: All types rolls, cylinder records & machines,discs, cobs, sheet music, catalogs & literature.Mechanical music and much more. Our 21styear .. : VI & SI'S ANTIQUES, 8970 Main St.,Clarence, NY 14031.

Charles M. Stief American Welte upright player piano,nearly restored, in good condition but not playing.Includes 20 Welte rolls. $2,000. (713) 522-3125.

WANTED: Ampico roll 57667-M, "The Submerged Cathe­dral," Debussy, played by Arthur Rubinstein; Duo-Artroll 56576, "Nola," Arndt, played by Felix Arndt;state condition, original or re-cut, and price. TonyPalmer, 800 Chestnut Drive, Arlington, TX 76012. Ph.(817) 275-6586.

FOR SALE: Duo-Art bottom mechanism for upright model593, 192~ complete from hand controls to expressionunit and all components, pump motor mounts - no motor.Also a 16" pump for grand. Highest reasonable bids.Call after 6 p.m. (707) 762-4156

FOR SALE: Steinway Duo-Art model XR #180457 repro­ducer mint restored condition - hand rubbed satinwalnut case $9,400. Chickering Ampico model "A"serial #146366, 46" upright reproducer - good originalfinish - professionally restored mechanism, $3,800.00.Fischer 5'3" Ampico model "A". Exquisite Louis XV,hand-painted art case - ornate and very unusual. Un­restored, $7,800. Also 5'8" Weber Duo-Art, 5'3" WelteLicensee, H.C. Bay grand with Recordo mechanism and10 upright players - unrestored. H.F. Stubbe &Son,33 Erland Rd., Stony Brook, NY 11790. (516) 751­5074. Established 1898.

FOR SALE: Aeolian Duo-Art grand 5'1", serial 52170.Case original but good. Duo-Art restored, excellentreproduction. Also Wurlitzer style S coin piano.Unfortunately stripped glass missing. Serial 37613.Prices negotiable. Ian Mavor, 18 Pine Street, Ingle­side, Ontario, Canada. (613) 537-2367.

RCA Automatic Orthophonic Victor, immaculate, playsand changes beautifully. Carved front, walnut, goldplated mechanism. Complete with record storage al­bums and instructions. Also library index book.Diamond needle for 78s. Bargain $1500. Craig BrougherMusical Antiques, Cleveland, MO 64734. (816) 331-0100.

FOR SALE: Wilcox and White Co. Angelus upright playerSINo. 16151, unrestored. Asking $500.00. Ken Meyer,(703) 371-9311.

MUSIC BOXES! Player Pianos! Nickelodeons! Phono­graphs! World's largest selection; Ship anywhere.Catalog $3. Next 6 issues $15. Also have clocks,slot machines, cash registers, mechanical antiques.Visit us Wed. thru Sat. American InternationalGalleries; l802-H Kettering; Irvine, CA 92714.Telephone (714) 754-1777.

FOR SALE: "Mills Double Violano." Western Electrichorse race nickelodeon, Nelsen Wiggins w/5 instru~

ments, Seeburg K w/violin pipes, many others andplayers. Pictures $3@. Stafford, Box 96, Fishkill,NY 12524. Phone (914) 897-5592.

FOR SALE: Vacuum gauges, Marshalltown Brand, 2~"

face, 0 to 30 inch H20 with snubbing orifice and5/32" nipple. New, calibrated, guaranteed. $9.00postpaid in U.S.; W.E. Flynt, 1722 Iroquois Drive,Garland, TX 75043.

Old 88-note spool frames WANTED - complete Standardactions confirmed - all others considered. Will payhandsomely. 740 Janopaul Lane, Modesto, CA. KenCaulkins or phone 526-1973.

BUYING: AMPICO DUO-ART, WELTE & OTHER TYPE OFROLLS. DESCRIBE AND PRICE.ALTMAN, 8970 Main St. Clarence, NY 14031.

R.A.M. Piano Co. announces it's

lAlI

$4,800.00

A line orcheslrion. made in the true VICTORIAN STYLE employing GOLD anodized partsas a final louch! This magnificent instrument not only contains plano and a 24 note GLOCK·ENSPIEl but has a BASS DRUM and SNARE DRUM to accentuate the beat, a TAM·DOURINE that adds a sleighbell charm to Christmas. a TRIANGLE and CYMBAL, perfect 'ormarches. an aulomatlc MANDOLIN RAil 10 add that "honky-tonk" reeling, a soft pedal toexpress feeling and sensiHvity, and a 2St POLY COIN OP to '1t~lp pay tor itself I We haveadded 2 hand made STAINED GLASS panels, and BEVELED glass ovals to show ott Its nlckleplaled Glockenspiel bars with GOLD anodiZed pneumatics. The spool frame is art cast inSOLID BRASS and takes an "0" roll which has 10 tunes on each roll specially perforated forall Inslruments including coin op and automatic rewind! Perfect for a commercial establish·ment! and great fun at home since It can be played by hand as well as automaticl Volume andTempo Controls are standard.

The antique planas we use are REBUilT with reshaped hammers, tuned to A~490, newkeys, refinished and the action regulated. All pianos are from 50·75 years old, making our or·chestrion truly a COLLECTORS ITEM already! Walnut, Oak, Mahogany finish and Ornatecases available.

We give a full 90 day GUARANTEE offerIng free replacement of any faulty parts! Servicecontracts are available for commercial use. We have a complete line of ORCHESTRIONS from$2,40010 $11,000. We are now the nation's largest Qrcheslrion factory and perhaps thewarldsl

We now have 16 dealerships In the U.S. and canada. Quantity orders handled with 60 dayslead time. Applications are still being accepted far new dealerships, please Inquire bytelephone.

R.A.M. piano is located In the heart of the Beaullful San Joaquin Valley, 90 miles from SanFrancisco and 40 miles from the Molher Lode! Gold Is our heritage! A visit to our lactorypromises 10 be a pleasant one. so plan your vacation 10 California, the Golden State. Or, sim­ply place orders by calling (209) 526-1973. Write for our large Color CATALOGUE $3.50 orBlack and White S2.00 to:

R.A.M. PIANO CO .• 740 JanopaulLn., Modesto. Calif. 95351

Mechanical

WEBER AEOLIAN DUO-ART 5'10" GRAND(SERIAL #76943)

WITH 182 DUO-ART ROLLSOriginally from Hudson River mansion.

Superbly restored with excellent tone.

African mahogany hand-rubbed case.

All mechanical and case restoration workdone by professionals.

87 long play and 95 standard size rolls,many very rare, some Audiographic.

Have photo and data. $6,100.

Sell ing out my instrument collection.

G. H. ALLEN

50 N. Ma inS t­

Medford, N. J. 08055

Phone 609-654-0548

PLAYER PIANO OWNERS -

RE-CUT YOUR STANDARD POPULAR ROLLS

$20.00 PER TITLEADDITIONAL COPIES $4.00 EACH

NO MINIMUM ORDER OR QUANTITY

That's right! Now you may order just~ re-cut ofyour favorite popular standard roll (20-30 feet). Don'tpay for unwanted copies. Frayed edges are no problemfor us. We use a full qual ity, I int free, 3 pt. dry waxedpaper for our re-cuts. All old rolls are returned alongyour new re-cuts - packaged in new boxes for your pro­tection and storage. Be certain to include any specialinstructions for multiple copies. Allow 6-8 weeks fordelivery. No reproducing rolls at this time, please.

YOU MUST BE SATISFIED!!Clip and return with order

CRAIG'S PIANO SHOPPE 925 SOUTHOVERTOLEDO. OHIO 43612 (419) 478-4711

Name Phone l--)---Complete Address _

Total # Rolls to be Re-Gut_x $20.00 = $ _

Total Additional Copies_x $ 4.00= $. _

Postage & Handl ing $ $3.00

TOTAL (Check or Money Order MUSTaccompany your order) $. _

SEND YOUR ROLLS INSURED AND SPECIAL4TH CLASS SOUND RECORDING RATE.

o/IfUdl/-A~FINEST IN GRAND REBUILDING

Complete Piano Serviceand Player Work

.Reproducer Grands .Nickelodeans

.Player Pianos .Pipe Organs

WE'VE MOVED!!Formerly at:9015 W. 80th

Overland Park, Ks.

C. R. BROUGhERWiTh

MillER PiPE ORGAN COMpANyCleveland, Missouri

(816) 331-0100

Serving all of Kansas Cityand the Midwest

Home Servicing And Tuning By Appointment

fior the pro ..Tuned and untuned percussions

for use in all automal'ic instruments

Single and duplex spoolframes

for A,G,and 0 rolls and all

wurlitzer scales

Custom fabrication in wood and

metal of one or a thousand parts

Piano and orqan supplies and

hardware

-~box-1094-~-=- --:---,

lIE! I lubbocl\ t,exes.~~~~~~_-7940~­

Systems, Inc.

P. O. BOX 3194, SEATTLE

~o~wzoJ:a.

--<X)m

Catalogs,Service

Phonograph and RecordLiterature

Piano, Player Piano,Roll Bulletins and Cat­alogs, etc., Plus otheroriginal Literature.

•Player Pianos, Organs,Nickelodeons, etc. ForSale

•A Final Revised List ofOriginal Ampico RollsFor Sale.

•

Early RadioBrochures,Manuals, etc.

•

ALL ORIGINALITEMS

AMR - Has PreparedSeveral Lists.

Send For The List orLists of Your Choice

Co.ROLLWe stili have a few AMR Welterolls and AMR 88 note rollsWE ALSO HAVE the 1978Cataloq of AMR Publications

MUSIC

"'-."Wow, babe-I've always had such lousy luck on blinddates-you're the flrat one thats·""er. oeen a piano roll collector'"

AMICA BULLETIN

Tom BeckettPublisher

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION

6817 Cl i ffbrook Da1las, Texas 75240

DATED MATERIAL

RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED