The AMICANews Bulletin of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association

"The Reflection of Genius"

March 1982

Volume 19 Number 2

CHAPTER OFFICERS

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FOUNDING CHAPTERPres.: Phil McCoy \.../Vice Pres.: Isadora KoffSec.: Jack & Dianne EdwardsTreas.: Bob WilcoxReporter: Jim Ponder

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAPres.: Roy ShelsoVice Pres.: Warren'" Rosemary DeasySec.: Olive JonesTreas.: Les CordellReporter: Bill Toeppe

TEXASPres.: Richard TonnesenVice Pres.: Bill FlyntSec./Treas.: Betty PlonienReporter: Carole Beckett

MIUWE:STPres.: Jim ,WeisenborneVice Pres.: Ed JoswickSec.: Tim NeedlerTreas.: Alvin WulfekuhlReporter: Ahti Petaja

PHILADELPHIA AREAPres.: Bob RosencransVice Pres.: Barbara McCartneySec.: Debbie WertTreas.: Mac TaylorReporter: David Charrier

S.O.W.N.Y. (SOUTHERN ONTARIO,WESTERN NY)

Pres.: Mike WalterVice Pres.: Jan DrewniakSec.: Holly WalterTreas.: Carl GuhlowReporter: Jim Brewer

ROCKY MOUNTAINPres.: Larry KerecmanVice Pres.: Roy GorishSec.: Rae BurdetteTreas.: Art TarrReporter: Jere DeBacker

NEW JERSEYPres.: Ed FreyerVice Pres.: Frank ThompsonSec./Reporter: Richard GromanTreas.: Bill Dean

IOWAPres.: John ParkerVice Pres.: Bob ShimpSec./Treas.: Mary Lou ShimpReporter: Lee Zimmerline

BOSTON AREAPres.: Charles HazardVice Pres.: Barry KasindorfSec.: AI GrecoTreas.: Philip KonopReporter: Donald Brown

NORTHERN LIGHTSPres.: Gene SkardaVice Pres.: Steve LeppaSec.lReporter: Dorothy OldsTreas.: Ron Olsen

SIERRA-NEVADAPres.: Sonja LemonVice Pres.: Tim Taorminasec./Treas.: Audrey WintersReporter: Mel and Karen Locher

CHICAGO AREAPres.: Bob TaylorVice Pres.: Mike Ehartsec./Reporter: Mike SchwimmerTreas.: Fred Schwimmer

HEART OF AMERICAPres.: Galen BirdVice Pres.: Larry Palmquistsec./Treas.: Ron BoppReporter: Paul Morgenroth

$70.0035.0035.0017.50

ADVERTISING

DOROTHY BROMAGE, PublisherP.O. Box 387La Habra, CA 90&31213/&97-1545

1982 Convention'* Bethlehem, Pennsylvania '*July 1-3

THE AMICA NEWS BULLETIN

AMICA MEMBERSHIP RATES:

Continuing Members: $20 Annual DuesOverseas Members: $26 DuesNew Members, add $5 processing fee(Write to Membership Secretary, address atleft)

Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors'Association, a non-profit club devoted to the restoration,distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments usingperforated paper music rolls.AMICA was founded in San Francisco in 19&3.

Classi~ied: 10ft per word, $1.50 minimum.• All copy must reach the publisher by the 10th of the

preceding month. Payment must accompany order.Make checks payable to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL.

• Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreigncountries must be drawn on a U.S. bank.

Contributions: All subjects of interest to readers of theBulletin are encouraged and invited by the publisher. Allarticles must be received by the 10th of the precedingmonth. Every attempt will be made to publish all articles ofgel1eral interest to AMICA members at the earliest possibletime and at the discretion of the publisher.

Change of Address: If you move, send the new address andphone number to the Membership Secretary, Bobby Clark.

Display advertisingFull page 7Y2"x10"One-half page horizontal 7W'x4%"One-half page vertical 3%"xl0"One-fourth page vertical 3%" x 4'4"

• Each photograph or half-tone $5.00

• We recommend display advertisers supply camera­ready copy. C~y that is oversized or undersizedwill be changed to correct size at your cost. We canprepare your advertisement from your suggestedlayout at cost.

• All copy must reach the publisher by the 10th ofthe preceding month.

• Payment must accompany order. Typesetting, layoutor size alteration charges will be billed separately.Make checks payable to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL.

• Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreigncountries must be drawn on a U.S. bank.

• All ads will appear on the last pages of the Bulletinat the discretion of the publisher.

Publication of business advertising in no way implies AMI­CA's endorsement of any commercial operation. However,AMICA reserves the right to refuse any ad that is not inkeeping with AMICA's general standards or if complaints arereceived indicating that said business does not serve thebest interests of the members of AMICA according to itsgoals and bylaws.

COMMITTEESTechnical

Mel Luchetti3449 Mauricia Ave.Santa Clara, CA 95051

Honorary MembersAlf E. Werolin2230 Oakdale Rd.Hillsborough, CA 9401

ArchivesJim Weisenborne73 Nevada St.Rochester, Ml 480&3

AMICAGoalsCarole Beckett&817 CliffbrookDallas, TX 75240

Audio-VisualHowie Koff4271 No. First st., #1San Jose, CA 95134

AFFILIATED SOCIETIESThe Player Piano GroupThe North West Player Piano

AssociationNetherlands Mechanical Organ

Society - KDVAustralian Collectors of Mechanical

Musical Instruments

INTERNATIONALOFFICERS

PRESIDENTRobert M. Taylor132& Spruce st. #3004Philadelphia, PA 19107

VICE PRESIDENTTerry Smythe&19 Niagara st.Winnipeg, ManitobaCanada R3N OV9

SECRETARYJim Weisenborne73 Nevada St.Rochester, Ml 480&3

PUBLISHERDorothy BromageP.O. Box 387La Habra, CA 90&31

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY(New memberships andmailing problems)Bobby ClarkP.O. Box 172Columbia, SC 29202

TREASURERMike & Liz Barnhart919 Lantern Glow TrailDayton, OH 45431

BOARD REPRESENTATIVESFounding Chapter: Howie KoffSo. Cal.: Dick RiggTexas: Wade NewtonMidwest: Bill EicherPhila. Area: Len WertS.O.W.N.Y.: Jeff DeppRocky Mtn.: Dick KroeckelNew Jersey: Bill BaabIowa: Alvin JohnsonBoston Area: Sanford LibmanNo. Lights: Trudy MaierSierra-Nevada: Robert MooreChicago Area: Jerry BiasellaHeart of America: Paul Morgenroth

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FROMTHEPUBLISHER

- Dorothy Bromage

Take Your Leader to Me

I've had a number of comments about the cover ofthe January/February AMICA News Bulletin - the glasspiano. Doug McGee also found a picture of this piano ina book titled Influences in Twentieth-Century Design.

Doug McGee tells me it was not he who contributedthe insert in the December issue, "Louella Gets HerDuo-Art." If the person who sent it will contact me, Iwill make "Sure the credit goes where it belongs. (Somuch for my fabulous memory.)

It would really be nice to have a special leader tofeature on the cover of a Bulletin. The litho man whodoes the pictures for the Bulletin can make a negativefrom a leader without removing it from the roll. Do youhave something unusual or particularly ornate? I cer­tainly would like to see it for possible use on the cover.

AMICA International News BulletinVolume 19 Number 2 March 1982

CONTENT'S

AMICA International 38News from the Chapters 40People . . . . 42Rolls and Music 46Instruments . 47Technicalities 51Forum . . 52

Original Bulletin articles, or material for reprintthat is of significant historical quality and interest,are encouraged and will be rewarded in the formof AMICA membership dues discounts. (Chapterreports and Forum inquiries are excluded.\

The Cover: Genius Immortal is the title of a publica­tion by The Wilcox and White Company of Meriden,Connecticut. In it the Artrio-Angelus is described atlength, together with a history of the pianoforte andplayer piano. A feature of the booklet is "The Reflec­tion of Genius." Terry Smythe contributed this fromhis collection.

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An Invitation: Malcolm Cole lives in Surrey, England.He is the Membership Secretary for the Player PianoGroup. In a recent letter he said, "If during the year you,or any other fellow AMICAns, are coming to Englandyou would be most welcome to call me up and I willintroduce you to our committee of the Player PianoGroup and perhaps arrange some piano visits." Thankyou, Malcolm. I'm taking the next plane.

Technicalities I: Requests have been received for thecompilation, by Mel Luchetti, of Technicalities I, cover­ing the years 1969-71. This volume is being reprinted,and you may order from Jim Weisenborne, 73 NevadaSt., Rochester, Michigan 48063. Please note the cost,which is now $12.50.

Correction: On page 248 in the December, 1981 AMICANews Bulletin, some figures were given relative toproduction of Duo-Art pianos from the years 1913 to1931. Molly Yeckley wishes it to be known that there isan error in what was printed. The correct figures are10,000 Steinway pianos built. Of these, 7500 weregrands and 2500 were uprights. I'm sure that alertAMICAns have already detected that the article on theOrchestra Hall program was a bit awry. Fixed now.

Southeastern Group Meeting,Jan. 16-17, 1982

by fohn O'Loughlin

An initial meeting was held at the home of John0'Loughlin, Leesburg, Fla. Returns on the invitationwere fairly good; 18 responded with their financial in­tention (checks were returned to the senders). Ten fam­ily memberships attended one time or another. The onlyorganizational action was to pick an area for our nextmeeting in May. We picked the area with the highestconcentration of members - it was also the area of leastattendance - so as to get them off their benches. Nextmeeting will be in the Tampa, St. Petersburg area. Wehave an excellent program lined up and we'll be callingon you people in the area to allow us to see some of yourgoodies.

We want to thank Madame Editor for her assistancewith the notice. It must have been good; we had peoplefrom Miami to Castalia, Ohio (Molly Yeckley). I thinkMolly was most concerned about how you get 4 Grandsin a Doublewide.

AMICA IntemationalSpecial Requests for Meulbership

Directoryby Bobby Clark

When the 1982 Membership Directory is published,the copy will be generated by the computer system thatwe now have set up. Members saw on their renewals theinformation that we had on them in the system whenthe renewals were printed. We are now in the process ofcorrecting and updating members' files - no easy task.How do I spell relief? ROLAIDS! Send me a few packs.

Several members have made special requests fortheir listing in the 1982 Directory. However, it is dif­ficult to keep up with all these requests when we aretrying to get everyone renewed and updated. Therefore,please write with any special requests that you mighthave - even if you have already made note of yourwishes. It's not fun to keep up with almost 1400 mem­bers and their collections.

Please do not ask for exceptions unless absolutelynecessary. All that is really required of you is your nameand complete address so that we can mail the Bulletin toyou. However, occupation, telephone numbers, collec­tion, etc., does appear in most files. This information ismade available to other members through the directory,but has little other use to AMICA and is not -madeavailable to anyone other than members.

The bottom line is: If you do not wish to have phonenumbers, collection, occupation or anything such asthis published, there is no particular reason to have it inyour file at all.

Several members have noted on their renewals thatthey wished to have their addresses deleted from thedirectory. Does this mean they do not want to appear inthe directory. Does this mean they do not want to appearin the directory at all? Or, does it mean they want toappear with city and state, but no street address? Iflunked the mind reading course" in college, so do notexpect me to read your minds. Please help! BESPECIFIC.

Pre-Convention Invitation

For those attending the AMICA Convention inBethlehem who may be coming to the area somewhatearly, two special musical events are being made availa­ble at no cost. AMICA President Bob Taylor has ob­tained a supply of tickets to the Philadelphia OrchestraSummer Concerts for Monday, June 28 and Tuesday,June 29 for all who would like to attend. The concertsare held in a covered amphitheater in Fairmount Park inPhiladelphia, and AMICAns will have reserved seating.

The programs for that week are to be conducted byMaxim Shostakovich. The concert Monday, June 28,will consist entirely of works composed by his fatherDmitri Shostakovich: Festive Overture, Piano ConcertoNo.2, and Symphony No.5. The Soloist for the PianoConcerto will be Dmitri Shostakovich, grand-son of thecomposer. Tuesday evening, June 29, will be an all sym-

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phonic program consisting of Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite,and Tchaikowsky's Symphony No. 5 and Romeo andJuliette Fantasy Overture.

In order that the proper number of tickets may be "­obtained, please advise Bob by May 15. His address andtelephone number follow:

Robert M. Taylor1326 Spruce St. #3004Philadelphia, Pa. 19107(215) 735-2662

Computer Reportby Bobby Clark

As everyone knows from the Renewal Forms youreceived and the mailing labels now on your Bulletins,we are on the computer. Thank goodness.

There is still much to be done to correct and refinethe information contained on the system, but we areworking on it. The 1982 Membership Directory will begenerated from these computer files and we will try tohave them as current and correct as possible. I have twomajor requests for your benefit.

(1) Please check your mailing label and notify me ifthere is anything wrong with your name and address.There are some limitations as far as space in certainfields (last name, first name, city, etc.). We have alsochosen a form in which labels are to be printed thatmight not suit everyone, but generally fits our needs "­quite well. We will do what we can to accommodateyou. In most cases no initial will appear when there is ahusband and wife - only the first names (Frank andNorma Desmond).

(2) Although no specific date has been set, we willprobably cut off about the first of April to start compil­ing the 1982 Membership Directory. It will be necessaryfor a number of reasons that you notify me of addresschanges, phone numbers, collection additions or dele­tions, etc. to keep your file current if you want it toappear in the directory. It is also very important thataddress changes reach us as early as possible for mailingBulletins. The Post Office will not, in most cases, for­ward 3rd Class Mail. It is returned to us and returnpostage must be paid as well as additional postage toremail it once we have your correct address. It becomesrather costly.

I personally hope that you will like the new look andservice that our computer system will give us. Mem­bers, Valerie Anderson and Will Wild, have worked un-told hours on this project and if we had had to pay forthis time, we could not have afforded it. They have alsoarranged for us to use the computer at the SouthCarolina State Department of Education rather than theUniversity of South Carolina computer on which westarted. This not only gives us on-line capability, butmuch greater convenience. I can never thank Valerie \..,and Will enough.

Let us know what you think about the computer andwhat you've seen thus far. We'd like to hear from you.Thanks.

AMICAAUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS ASS'N.

9TH INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONHOSTED BY THE NEW JERSEY CHAPTER

IN HISTORIC BETHLEHEM, PENN.

1982 CONVENTION SCHEDULE

2:00 PM8:00 PM

9:00 AM-l PM10:00 AM

1:00 PM2:00 PM6:30 PM7:30 PM9:00 PM

10:00 PM

7:00 AM7:30AM8:30 AM

4:30 PM6:30 PM7:30 PM8:30 PM9:45 PM

8:00 AM9:00 AM

1:00 PM2:00 PM2:30 PM6:30 PM7:30 PM9:00 PM

9:00 AM-2 PM10:00 AM12:30 PM-4:30 PM

Wednesday, June 30Board Meeting, Lehigh Valley Suite - SouthCommittee Meetings, various locations, as announced.

Thursday, July 1Check-In, LobbyCommittee Reports, to the Board, LVSSLunch, Continental RoomWalking Tours, of the Historical, and Moravian districts.Cocktail Hour, Cash-bar.Dinner, Continental RoomConcert, BallroomChampagne Reception, Candlelight Room

Friday, July 2Mart set-up, for evening opening (It will then be locked.)Breakfast, BallroomBusses load in front of Hotel. 1 to Flemington (Ed Freyers);the others to Jim Thorpe.Busses load, at Jim Thorpe, for return to Bethlehem.Cocktail Hour, Cash-bar.Dinner, Continental RoomConcert, BallromMart Opens, Candlelight Room

Saturday, July 3Breikfast, BallroomWorkshop & Technical Sessions: Northampton Room;Lehigh Valley Suite-South; Lehigh Valley Suite-East;& 10:00 AM BallroomLunch, Continental RoomOutside Band Organ Concert, Zinzendorff PlatzMart reopens, Candlelight Room. - Closes at 5Cocktails, Ballroom, Cash-bar.Banquet, Ballroom*Concert, Ballroom*Extra tickets may be purchased Thursday at the Registration.

Sunday, July 4Hunt's Brunch, Continental Room.Annual Business Meeting, BallroomOpen houses, as announced.

...~'.News from the Chapters

S.O.W.N.Y.

The S.O.W.N.Y. Christmas Partyby Janet Drewniak

The annual S.O.W.N.Y. Christmas Bash took placeon Saturday December 19, at the home of FredBuchwald. His Tonawanda, New York home, still beingremodeled, sported a number of improvements sinceour last visit. The most impressive work was, of course,the very beautiful stained glass window that Fred de­signed, assembled and installed shortly before thegathering. The window, in shades of amber, gold andwhite put the finishing touch to the very involved rede­sign and rebuilding of the side entrance.

When the large number of members and guests ar­rived a brief meeting was called to order. An election washeld and the results are:

PRESIDENT: Mike WalterVICE PRESIDENT: Janet DrewniakSECRETARY: Holly WalterTREASURER: Carl GuhlowREPORTER: Jim BrewerBOARD REP.: Jeff Depp

The meeting was over in short order leaving time forthe gilt exchange and the "bring a dish to pass" buffet.The gift exchange began as a roll exchange; however Inoticed more bottles of wine than rolls!

A good time was had by all. We parted thanking Fredfor his hospitality and looking forward to meeting againnext year.

HEART OF AMERICA

Heart of America goes Whole Hog withEats and Plans

by Paul Morgenroth

Our Christmas meeting took place at the home ofGalen and Linda Bird, Dec. 6, 1981, in Kansas City,Missouri. This fun time started at 5:00 a.m. for Galenwho roasted a whole pig over a pit in his back yard andwe marveled at his skill (he is a D.V.M.) as he carved upthe delicious finished product that afternoon. As for the

And here's the whole hog!

Singing carols along with a Seeburg "Ln.

whole hog plans, I refer to a decision we made to host the1984 AMICA Annual Meeting in our area. A committeeis at work on this subject and will present more informa­tion at the 1982 Bethlehem meeting. Still another bigprogram is planned for June 5, 1982 when Heart ofAmerica will put on an Organ Rally in Ft. Scott, Kansas.We expect a good turn out of organs for this event whichwill conclude with a banquet and a special businessmeeting.

During our business meeting an election of officerstook place for 1982 which resulted in a re-run of '81officers: Pres. - Galen Bird, Vice Pres. - Larry Palmquist,Sec-Treas. - Ron Bopp, and Reporter-Rep. - Paul Morgen­roth. Members were saddened to learn of the passing of

The Birds with part of their beautiful collection.

Galen, Linda and Nipper Bird with recently restored NorthTonawanda 146 Band Organ.

Katie Hellstein rides 01' Paint at our swap-or-sell table.

Soda makers extraordinaire.

The whole gang that ate the whole hog.

Floyd Taylor, a greatly admired gentlemen who was anexpert organ rebuilder in our area. Floyd's wife, Mar­garet, was voted to receive Heart of America's first hon­orary membership. We surely miss Floyd as will manymembers throughout the country.

At the close of the meeting, Ron Bopp presented aSlide-Sound Show, which he created, "Organs and OrganRallies". Ron does an amazing job at this type of thingand we feel fortunate to have a bonus item like thismade by one of our own members. Our meetings arescheduled through Christmas of 1982 and all of ourbusiness is well in hand. With that, we moved to thelighter side of the program as 46 members and guestsexchanged musical Christmas gifs, ate a wonderful porkdinner, played all the Birds' instruments and sang carolsto Nickelodeon Christmas tunes. As a special treat, inaddition to all the wonderful hospitality and good eatsprovided by Galen and Linda, we were served a genuinechocolate soda prepared by the Bird and Bopp childrenwho worked behind an authentic old time soda fountainwhich has been appropriately installed in the recreationroom of their lovely home. It was indeed a thoroughlydelightful time for all, the weather was even on our side.Makes us anxious for he next Heart of America get-to­together as each occasion seems to grow greater.

Heart of America Chapter wishes AMICAns ev­erywhere a Happy New Year!

People

ANew AMICAn

We are very new members of AMICA (effective1/1/82) and our son joined us in the holiday season (12/27/81). He has already joined us in the playing of his dad'splayer piano. He is named after the super hero of ragtime- Scott Joplin. Our son's name is Scott Thomas Purvis.Not only are we new members but his grandparentsfrom Glastonbury, Connecticut are also new members, .Barbara and Eric Batty. So our little fellow is certainlygoing to know about player pianos.

We just thought you might like to use this little storyin your magazine and are enclosing a picture just in case.

Nigel and Cheryl PurvisR.R.#3Orillia, Ontario

I interviewed Al Werolin by mail so that allcould become better acquainted with a personwho accepted a chairmanship - for HonoraryMembers - and fulfills it honorably!

Dorothy Bromage

A Letter Fronl Al

The privilege of serving as Chairman of AMICA'sHonorary Membership Committee is both challengingand very interesting. Along with other members of thiscommittee I find it a challenge to search for and findindividuals who, years ago, contributed so much to theenjoyment of our mutual avocation. Many of these per­sons "disappeared" from public view as their illustriouscareers came to a close. It is also fascinating to learn

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more about these contributors and their current ac­tivities. These wonderful people have provided a legacyof enjoyment and nostalgia for all of us in AMICA, and itis a real pleasure to honor them.

You ask: "What was my introduction to automaticmusical instruments?" Well, I was born at home to thetune of a player piano my father was playing - whilemother was busy! You see, my father was then in thebusiness of making pianos and players. And I meanmaking them from the ground up. He started in thepiano industry in Boston actually making the cases forChickering grand pianos, and went on to build pianoaction parts and assemble the entire instrument, includ­ing stringing and regulating. He invented many parts,devices and techniques in his early years of piano mak­ing in this country. This work in turn led to an interestin mechanically operated pianos, hence we always hadone or more players -later, reproducers - in our homein New York. I suppose he was pedaling away his ten­sions while I was being born.

So I grew up with pianos, players and other instru­ments all around me. At one time my father took on aside occupation - that of owning and operating a pianoand other musical instrument sales and repair estab- /­lishment. How well I remember taking piano lessons "'­and practicing on various instruments he had in hisstore. Like most kids at that time I hated the drudgery ofpracticing and little did I appreciate the opportunity

afforded me. One of the used instruments I rememberplaying belonged to one of our country's presidents. Itwas a beautiful ivory colored grand with carved angelheads peering out all around it, highlighted with goldstriping. The angels were always smiling, even when Imade faces at them.

About this time my dad was made head of the NewYork manufacturing division of the American PianoCompany. Charles Stoddard had invented the prototypeof a mechanism which could recreate the pianodynamics and the artist's expression by pneumaticmeans, which was later to become the Ampico Re­enacting Piano. (Stoddard had previously been as­sociated with a pneumatic mail tube company in Bostonand invented many of their air-operated devices. I amtold that he did not like the "jangling" music producedby a player piano, so in 1910 he quit his job and concen­trated on developing an instrument which would morefaithfully reproduce music as played by a competentprofessional pianist.)

Stoddard's device was bought by the American PianoCo. in 1911 or '12, and he was employed as head of theplayer piano department in New York. The early Am­pico was a huge success and went through considerableimprovement between 1910 and 1920, at the end ofwhich period the Model A Ampico was perfected byStoddard. Sales were increasing and the decision wasmade to apply mass production methods to the manu­facture of parts for the instrument. My father was giventhe job of engineering and redesigning some of the Am­pico parts so that they could be manufactured efficientlyand at a lower cost. Working with Stoddard and with thefactories in Syracuse and East Rochester, he got theModel A Ampico into large scale production.

Naturally, during all this time we had a couple ofAmpicos at home, so I learned early on how to operatethem - and even worse, how to use the playing of theAmpico to fool my mother into thinking I was practic­ing the piano! At least I think I fooled her.

When I completed my high school education I didnot wish to attend college and talked my dad into ar­ranging for me to work in one of the manufacturingdepartments of the Ampico Corporation. For about twoand one-half years I was an apprentice to installers of theAmpico mechanism in a wide variety of pianos, for I wasplaced in what was then called the "Service Division."This unit of the company installed reproducingmechanisms in customers' pianos, and it was herewhere so many non-American Piano Company pianoswere converted into Ampicos. The Division also main­tained a customer service department which visitedhomes of Ampico owners on a regular basis to regulatetheir instruments. For a while I worked in this depart­ment in New York City.

Another responsibility of the Service Division was toconduct training schools around the country to instructpiano tuners and technicians in how to service Am­picos. There were two men who conducted such courses-lasting about a month of evening sessions - and for ashort period I assisted them in these programs. As aresult I was pretty well exposed to the intricacies ofAmpico construction and service.

This has been a long answer to the question of how Iwas introduced into our field of interest. Perhaps youmay be curious about what changed my career from onein manufacturing and service of Ampicos to that of amanagement consultant.

While working for the Ampico Corporation I becameinterested in a type of work I later learned was calledindustrial engineering. This work involved devisinglayouts of departments to improve work flow; develop­ing procedures to provide better control of productionand inventories of parts, and the like. I reasoned thatmore formal education in this area would permit me toreturn to the Ampico Corporation - which was then atits peak of success - and perhaps advance into a man­agement position. I aspired to become an executive inthe automatic musical instrument business. This wasin 1928, and we know what happened in '29. Neverthe­less I completed my college education, but by the time Igraduated in '32 the Ampico Corporation had gone intobankruptcy!

Fortunately my engineering training, plus graduatework in business administration, helped me pursueother opportunities. After a few years working as anengineer and teaching in college I joined a managementconsulting firm, and made that my career. My parentsand I were very disappointed at what had happened tosuch a promising enterprise as the Ampico Corporation,and temporarily lost our consuming interest in pianosand automatic musical instruments.

But one frequently returns to his early love, and soafter Marjorie and I married we purchased a piano andlater bought our present Mason and Hamlin Ampico Ainstrument. Marjorie, incidentally, was raised with anA.B. Chase Duo-Art in her home, so she too had an earlylove affair with an automatic musical instrument.

One of the Ampico executives I met while with thecompany was AMICA Honorary Member Fred Rydeen,who was their Sales Vice President. Our friendship con­tinued over the years so when Marjorie and I decided toget an Ampico, I asked Fred to find one. Only a MasonHamlin grand, with a Model A mechanism would do, soit took awhile, but with his help we succeeded. Afterhaving the mechanism fully restored I told him proudlyone day that probably we were the only people in the SanFrancisco Bay Area with such an instrument. Helaughed and took us to an early meeting of the FoundingChapter of AMICA.

As I recall, the meeting was at Sally and Dale Law­rence's home. What a wonderful beginning that was offellowship with hundreds of great people with similarinterests. That was our introduction to AMICA.

Marjorie and I share our enjoyment of this avocation,along with other interests. We search for original Am­pico rolls as we travel around this country andelsewhere, and have managed to build a representativecollection of classical rolls. Then we enjoy listening tothese selections while we dine, or work around ourhome. We even entertain our part-time cleaning peoplewhile they work, which I think speeds up and improvestheir performance.

Another hobby we enjoy is taking color slides duringour travels to foreign countries and putting together

shows which combine travelogue, historical perspec­tive and illustrations of the economic activities of eachcountry. Many outside organizations have asked us to"show and tell" their members and we have enjoyeddoing so. If these shows take place at our home wesometimes play introductory and background music onour Ampico.

As far as other collections are concerned, Marjoriecollected porcelain bird figures and early Americanglass, and at one time I collected small bisque militaryfigurines, but we are not actively pursuing these in­terests any longer.

Recently I acquired a desk-top micro-computer andhave enjoyed learning to program it for a variety of homeand business purposes. One such program is a catalog ofour roll collection. Most of us collectors have troublelocating rolls when they are requested. Keeping anotebook record of one's collection helps to some extentbut one is limited in how rolls should be indexed so as tolocate them quickly no matter how they are described.Now, on my TRS-80 computer I can quickly determineif we have a requested selection among our 1200+ col­lection no matter how it is described, and immediatelyfind it in one of the seven different locations in ourhouse. The computer program indexes by roll number,or title, or composer, or recording artist, or by location.Ask for a roll by any of these categories and immediatelymy computer tells me if we have it and where it islocated.

I guess what we have done in pursuing other hobbiesis to combine or integrate them with one another. Welike to hunt for antiques so we look for rolls; we showslides and lecture about our travels so· we provide anAmpico music accompaniment to add interest; I like toplay with my micro-computer so I use it to help melocate rolls; we enjoy singing so we have "sing-along"groups vocalize with the Ampico. Marjorie even hadRachmaninoff play the Star Spangled Banner to accom­pany singing members of her DAR Chapter.

Marjorie and I both played the piano at one time ­and even played duets! But with such wonderful musicas we hear on the Ampico I am afraid we no longerpractice.

In addition to our reproducing piano we also have an1880 Mason and Hamlin foot pedal organ. It originallybelonged to Marjorie's great-aunt in upstate New Yorkand as a little girl Marjorie played on it. For many yearsthe organ was "lost." But a few years ago Marjorie startedto ascertain what had happened to the instrument sinceher great-aunt's death. It had passed through severalowners' hands and eventually Marjorie located it storedin a bam in a small village in northeastern New York.We obtained it and now have it in California where I amengaged in restoring it.

o What other talents do I have? I'm a great golfer (witha high handicap!) and a superb domino player (proVided Ihave a good partner!). Until recently, and for over 20years, I sang baritone in a 60-man chorus on the SanFrancisco peninsula, which raised money for charitableorganizations.

- 44 -

Marjorie and I were born in New York state - Mar­jorie in upstate New York and I in Brooklyn. We movedto California in 1945 and have lived in Hillsborough eversince. We have lived for brief periods abroad while I wasworking for foreign clients, including Sao Paulo, Brazil;Taipei, Taiwan; Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in acouple of places in Europe. No matter where we roamwe still feel the S.F. Bay Area is the best place to live.

I mentioned earlier that when my plans to make acareer in management with the Ampico Corporationcame to an abrupt end, I entered the management con­sulting field. Except for a five-year stint as chief execu­tive officer of a manufacturing company I have spentforty years as a principal with two nationally knownconsulting firms - McKinsey & Company, and Caseand Company - in New York and San Francisco. Thiswork has exposed me to many different types ofbusinesses, government agencies, and non-profit or­ganizations in which I have counseled owners andexecutives on a variety of management aspects of theiroperations. It has been a rewarding and fascinating oc­cupation in which I am gradually trying to do less andless - so as to enjoy other interests.

I really don't have many frustrations except possiblythe one of locating former contributors to our mutualavocation. There were so many persons who in one wayor another made it possible for us to enjoy automaticmusical instruments, especially those who made re­cordings. Sadly, some have passed away but there mustbe many who are still around on whom AMICA wouldlike to confer Honorary Membership. But how to findthem? Some AMICAns have been very helpful inproviding leads or in proposing candidates for thishonor. It would surely be appreciated if more of ourmembers could offer suggestions on how to locate suchpeople.

Finally, you (Dorothy Bromage) asked about any sig­nificant happenings which might be of interest. Therehave been many. A few which may be of interest toAMICAns go back to my short period working for theAmpico Corporation. When I became "expert" in reg­ulating the reproducing mechanism I was occasionallysent out to assist performers who used the Ampico intheir stage presentations. I recall setting up and operat­ing the Ampico for Sigmund Spaeth who was called the"tune detective." He made the point in his commentsthat there was nothing new in the popular music com­posed in the 20's era. Everything, he said, was copiedfrom classical compositions. The popular song at thetime was "Yes, We Have No Bananas" which, he said,was simply a version of The Bohemian Girl (Balfe), andthe only original thing in that song was the three notesof the word "Bananas."

Branson deCou was a travel lecturer and used theAmpico to fill in quiet moments of his movies. I set upand operated his Ampico, and recall that he lulled peo­ple into "oohs and aahs" by playing Debussy's Clair deLune played by Olga Samaroff as he closed his talk.

The duo pianists Phil Ohman and Victor Arden puton quite a promotional show using two Ampicos onstage. They would start off by playing together, and at

Bob. Taylor "loads" an automatic grand plano. a more elaborateversion of the player piano.

Making music, automatically• Before TV there were jukeboxes, and before jukeboxes therewere nickelodeons, player pianos, and other automated ins­truments to serenade Saturday-night revelers in saloons andmusic halls throughout America. The saloons and music halls aregone, but the old instruments continue to entertain, thanks tosuch enthusiasts as Bob Taylor of Arlington Heights.

Taylor, a 42-year-Old airline pilot, is president of the Chicagochapter of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors Associa­tion (AMICA>, which numbers 1,200 nationally, 40 of them in theChicago area. Members restore and collect instruments thatrange from orchestrions and player pianos to automatic harmoni­cas, saxophones, accordions, and violins. Taylor owns fiveautomatic pianos he has helped restore, and he's glad to presentconcerts for those with a serious interest in the instrument.Automatic pianos, which were manufactured before the Depres­sion, are more expensive versions of the player piano, with theirmotorized roll mechanisms carefully concealed from view.

For more information about AMICA, call Bob Taylor at 255-~~. /

Contributed by Tim Needler.October 11. 1981

The Chicago Tribune.

some point in the second number I would turn on (offstage) one of the Ampicos. Soon one of the team wouldrise and leave the stage while his Ampico played alongwith the remaining pianist. This combination went onfor a while for a few numbers, and finally, when Iswitched on the other Ampico, both men left the stageand the.two Ampicos played a fox trot medley together.

Many do not know that in the early days of reproduc­ing pianos there were sections of this country that onlyhad DC electricity. Some Ampicos, therefore, had to beequipped with special DC motors. On the sales promo­tional tours I described, it was necessary for me to carrya spare electric motor and make a change when anothertype of current was the only power available.

As you can see I developed my interest in automaticmusical instruments at an early age, and find it just asentertaining and satisfying today. I only wish that peo­ple like Charles Stoddard and my dad could have lived tosee what pleasure AMICAns get as a result of their workand perseverance.

Sincerely,Alf Werolin

Al Werolin, right, in his role as Chairman of the HonoraryMember Committee, listening with Honorary Member JuliusBurger and wife Rose as Julius plays via a rolf.

ELLY NEY, famous as an intepreter of the Beethovenworks for the piano is a native of Bonn, Germany,where, almost in the shadow of the great University,Beethoven was born.

- Emmett M. Ford

Emmett Ford received a program of a recital by DavidJohnson in Carnegie Hall. September 29, 1980. Mr.fohnson received his Masters degree in Music from theManhattan School of Music and was a student ofAMICA Honorary Member, Isabelle Yalkovsky Byman.He has given recitals on the West Coast.

- 45-

Isabelle Yalkovsky Byman

During a holiday visit to California, HonoraryMember Isabelle Yalkovsky Byman passed away. Theannouncement of the memorial service for her is below.

A Memorial Servicefor

Isabelle Yalkovsky Byman(December 24.1906 - December 27.1981)

will be heldSunday afternoon, 3 P.M.

atHubbard Hall

Manhattan School of Music122nd Street & Broadway

New York, N.Y.

An Isabelle Byman Memorial Fund is being createdat the Manhattan School of Music

- 46-

Rolls and Music

Piano Roll Reviewby leff Wood

!So .~

f •• GOI To S;n~ ATQI't;h SOll~

f v.,r.....C .. lr_.,il. ......

• ...... ,f1~~.• ~

... '~ •• ~.~ ..II ..

VINTAGE ROLLS:

MEL-O-DEE Word Roll #47680: HELLO MONTREAL,Fox-Trot (Warren); Played by Armand Sartorius; @1928Irving Berlin, Inc. Here's a shot of lOO-proofProhibition-era nostalgia, as a sampling of the wordswill testify: "There'll be no more or-ange phos-phates!You can bet your In-ger-soll,! Good-bye Broad-way,!Hel-lo Mon-tre-al.! That old tin pail! That old tin pail!Was nev-er meant to car-ry gin-ger ale.! There'll be pho­to-graphs of brew-'ries! All a-round my bed-room wall,! .Good-bye Broad-way,! Hel-Io Mon-tre-al." And so on.The musical arrangement is catchy and well laid-out,though a bit behind the times, resembling somethingfrom the previous decade. And like Montreal itself, thewords are bilingual: English on the left and French onthe right.

QRS WORD ROLL #1446: AIN'T WE GOT FUN, FoxTrot; Words by Gus Kahn and Raymond B. Egan; Musicby Richard A. Whiting, Played by Pete Wendling;@1921 Jerome H. Remick eV Co. Sometimes I swear thatthere are three Pete Wendlings: one of American PianoCompany fame, another to be found on QRS rolls ofWorld War I vintage, and a third who made rolls for QRSduring the twenties. Luckily, all produced excellentrolls, of which this is one. Though the label doesn't sayso, the roll features a sort of xylophone chorus, in whichthe chords are broken up in a manner reminiscent of"4X" style orchestrion rolls. I've heard several Wendlingrolls from this period that do this, and the effect isthoroughly enjoyable even on piano alone. By the way,on this original version "the rich get rich and the poorget children" - not necessarily "poorer" as they dotoday, owing to objections that were once raised.QRS!IMPERIAL Roll #6476!09118: MICKEY MOUSE'SBIRTHDAY PARTY, Fox Trot (Tobias-Rothberg­Meyer); Played by Rudolph O. Erlebach; @1936 IrvingBerlin, Inc. This is one of the most delightful children'ssongs ever to appear on a roll, and although I do miss thesound of Donald Duck getting carried away with him-

self as he does on Wayne King's Victor recording of thesame piece, you really couldn't ask for a neater or moreimaginative arrangement. Ramsi, here's one to reissue!CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SELECTIONS:

Two "Fats" Waller discoveries from QRS: AFTERYOU'VE GONE (#561) and WHEN MY BABY SMILESAT ME (#1041). When these two arrangemnts were firstissued - the former in June of 1936 and the latter proba­bly sometime in the early forties - the rolls werelabeled, "Played by 'Fats' Waller". However, thecurrently-manufactured rolls of these identical ar­rangements (except that #561 has been shortenedslightly) give credit to the real artist, J. Lawrence Cook.Unfortunately, neither roll appears in the "Jazz Person­ality Series" listing of the QRS catalog - but if you likeWaller's style of playing, both belong on your "musthave' list. Try also #2731: You're Nobody's SweetheartNow, one of the "swingin'est" rolls Cook ever made.Incidentally, all of these relatively low roll numberswere originally assigned to earlier versions of the sametunes, but those would fall into the "Vintage Rolls"category.PLAY-RITE Roll #301: AFRICAN ECHOES (Ferrante etJTeicher); Played by Bill Flynt. This bit of musicalesoterica would seem to have somewhat limited initialappeal- yet, it has a way of "growing" on you to thepoint where you just may want to take your player pianoon a safari! It's rolls like this that make the player pianoa significant and versatile entertainment medJum andnot merely a party novelty.

That Special Roll

"I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier"David Pollock .

P.O. Box 124Castle-on-Hudson, NY 12033

"This Heart of Mine"(is doing very well ...)

Richmond WilliamsonP.O. Box 370Danville, VA 24541

Ampico #206201Played by Ferde Grofe)

Gary Lacher1821 SE HazelPortland, OR 97214

- 47 -

Instruments

The Ibach Pianoby Emmett M. Ford

The Ibach grand piano had the Welte reproducingmechanism installed using the red paper roll prevalentin the European fine pianos. The roll placement wasabove the keyboard as for the Duo-Art.

Johannes Adolf Ibach attended the BeyenburgMonastery for his early education and when finished hestudied piano and organ building with well-knownmakers in Germany to return home fully educated inthe art of piano and organ manufacture. He remodeledthe organ at Beyenburg and his workmanship was sogood it brought him renown as a master of that craft.Later he left organ building, turning his attention to themaking of pianos - a long and strong interest.

The Napoleonic wars had brought a recession affect­ing all businesses. Ibach's piano manufacture pro­gressed, but at the expense of his health. At the age of 59he turned his work over to his son, Carl Rudolf Ibach,who managed the business. (From 1862 the firm wasknown as C. Rudolf & Richard Ibach to distinguish itfrom a business founded by another son, Gustav J.).

Beginning in 1925 the Ibach house rose in fame andyoung Ibach traveled to France and Spain to attend fairsand expositions, displaying his pianos and enteringthem into competition with other makes. He won manyhonors. His health was affected by his dedication, effortsand ambition, and he died April 25, 1863. His son,twenty-year-old Rudolf, became responsible for thebusiness and changed the firm name to Rudolf IbachSohn. A branch was established at Cologne.

Young Rudolf began an aggressive campaign andwith a strong character, a genius in many ways withartistic inclinations and desires, developed a successfulcommercial business to meet the demands for Ibachpianos. He began to travel and contact the importantmusicians and composers. His magnetic personalitydrew people to him and even the ill-tempered Wagnerrespected Rudolf. Wagner dedicated a life-size photo­graph to him with the inscription, "Seinemfreundlichen Tongehilfen Rudolf Ibach dankbarlichsRichard Wagner, 1882." Many great pianists such asLiszt and Sauer played and endorsed the Ibach piano.Rudolf received medals for his excellent pianos and be­came purveyor to the Prussian court.

His artistic nature made him want to give his pianoartistic exteriors and he searched for masters for thedecorative art. In 1883 and also in 1891 he conducted acampaign for competitive designs for piano cases inartistic decoration. Winners received cash prizes. Lead­ing German architects began to participate in the com­petition of designs. This started a trend for other pianomanufacturers to become interested in case designs.

His younger brother, Walter, began to travelthroughout the world to study piano making methods.Later he came to the U.S. and worked in the GeorgeSteck factory for several years. He studied felt andhammer making in the factory at Dolgeville. In timeWalter returned to Barmen to assist his brother. Rudolfdied July 31, 1892 and the business was managed by hisson, Richard, with the guidance of the uncle, Walter.Every two years the company of the Cologne branchheld a competition at the Cologne Conservatory giving agrand piano to the winning pianist. Elly Ney, a piano rollartist, was one of the winners.

6'6" Ibach Red Welte grand pictured above and right.

Fort Scott Organ Rallyby Ron Bopp

The Heart of America Chapter wishes to remind allAMICAns of our first annual organ rally to be held atFort Scott, Kansas on June 5, 1982. Anyone wishing toparticipate and bring/show their band organ, fair organ,street organ, calliope or other such instruments shouldcontact Ron Bopp for details. Arrangements have beenmade with local motels and the historic restored 1842Fort provides a pleasing background, as well as, a perfectsight to display antique organs.

Mark this on your calendar and plan to participate inthis early summer organ rally. For details contact RonBopp, Rt. #6, Box 676, Joplin, Missouri 64801. 1­417-782-1199.

Contributed by Frank Adams.

Dick and Jane Go to New Yorkby Dick Price

Scratch the Jane. Recently I took a pleasure trip toNew York City to see some shows. Which I did. How­ever, the real reason I'm writing this is to share with youthe wonderful experience I had with the 9' concert grand1930's Knabe ampico B restored by Marion Frazier ofNew York City.

It was quite by accident that I found out about it; Iwas reading the New York magazine of January 11th onthe train and this article caught my eye (see enclosure).

Sunday 10 January found me sitting with friends inthe New Ballroom on West 28th St. Unfortunately, therotten acoustics of the "Ballroom" (which is no ballroombut the first floor of a house, turned into a cabaret)necessitate the piano's being miked which means thatunless you are sitting on top of it, you're not hearing apiano but an electronic facsimile. That, however, is myonly caveat. Otherwise, all was perfection. MarionFrazier's rebuilding of the piano is faultless. And be­cause of that, I strongly urge you to hear it for your­selves; it is a fascinating instrument.

The following Thursday I had the delightful oppor­tunity to visit Marion Frazier in his atelier (an atelier isthe workshop of an artist and is the only word I can useto describe Marion's digs). Members of the PhiladelphiaArea Chapter may remember visiting his 12th floor lofton E. 12th St. in the Village several years ago. The reasonI mention my visit is to let you know that his marvelous1916-1919 Welte player organ is playmg its Welte organrolls to perfection - no small accomplishment! But themost important piece of information concerning it isthat E. M. Skinner built it. What was Skinner doinginside a Welte tradename? Perhaps, as Marion pointedout, the German-based firm during W.W.I. could notfulfill its obligation and subcontracted with the then­sine qua non of organ builders, Ernest M. Skinner, tocomplete the contract.

Whatever the reason, the console uses Skinnerrocker tablets (exactly like the unison coupler rockertablets on our 1930 IV/47 here in Baltimore at BrownMemorial Presbyterian Church, Park Avenuel. Less ob­viously, Skinner's harp design and fine workmanshipare apparent in the organ's interior. For those who areinterested the following two books are indispensable:The Modern Organ by Ernest M. Skinner (1917) repub­lished by The Organ Literature Foundation, Braintree,MA 92184 ($17) &. The Composition of the Organ byErnest M. Skinner and Richmond H. Skinner [his son]]n.d. ca. 1950?] published by Melvin J. Light, 2414 GrantDrive, Ann Arbor, MI ($35).

. Did you know that Skinner built his first pipe organfactory from the royalties of the Themodist, which heinvented? There's a lot of pipe organ t~chnology inside aplayer piano - a practically virgin field of research!

Sorry there was no Jane to enjoy the trip with Dick toNew York - perhaps next time. But it certainly is good

to know that the only known factory-built concertgrand Ampico B is now playing (there were some Am­pico A's of that size, I think). I know that the gutted shellof one is still in the Baltimore Scottish Rite Temple­it's all that remains of the player organ Sigmund Rom­berg gave to the temple. And it's fascinating to thinkthat Skinner's shop did the Welte that Marion has souniquely restored.

JANUARY 11. 19821NEW YORK

MusicfPeter G. Davis

THE FER!!: S!GHT 0F " C:;P.'\.1\:D PIA,,>;a

playing itself-keys depressed yet un­touched by human fingers-has longbeen a favorite horror-movie image.How was it done? A visit to the ~ew

Ballroom. at 253 West 28th Street. willreveal all. Ever ready to provide theunusual in musical entertainment. the\:ew Ballroom has just installed a Knabereproducing piano outfitted with anAmpico B System. originally con­structed in the 1930s and rebuilt withloving care by \1arion Frazier.

Back in its heyday. before the Depres­sion made these incredibly complex andexpensive pneumatic contraptions ob­solete. the reproducing piano even ap­peared with live symphony orchestras.In order to re-create a bif of that at­mosphere. the Ampico's opening con­cert featured the Solisti \:ew York con­ducted by Ransom Wilson accompany­ing Mischa Levitzki in the first move·ment of Saint-Saens's Concerto l\io. 2.Levitzki. who died in 194 I. played withthe same silken beauty of tone and suavetechnique that old-time piano buffsswear were his trademarks. Controversyover the instrument's abiFty tc represenWtall the subtleties of a pianist's touch.phrasing. and dynamics will no doubt berekindled. and anyone may join in thefray every Sunday during brunch at the\:ew Ballroom from noon to 4. when theAmpico B will be put through its paces.\:0 other concert hall in town is present­ing Paderewski. Hofmann. Godowskv.Gershwin. Busoni. and Ravel-in per­son. _

- 49 -

Rachmaninoff Plays Coast-to-Coast onTV

by Herb Stockinger

A "spirited" rendition of a Chopin compositionplayed by Sergei Rachmaninoff was recently heard oncoast-to-coast television. The famous pianist performedfor diners who packed the New Ballroom Restaurant inNew York City. Although unable to be present in per­son, the style and fingering was unmistakably that ofSergei at the keyboard.

As was his custom, he played a Knabe grand piano onthe stage of the New Ballroom. His "presence" was madepossible through the miracle of the Ampico reproducingpiano. The CBS evening news devoted a sizeable seg­ment at the end of its 6:00 p.m. program to this event onJanuary 16th.

Bob Schieffer interviewed the restaurant manager aswell as Marion Frasier who rebuilt the Ampico Knabe.Mr. Frasier hosted members of the M.B.S. 1980 conven­tion at his loft studio in N.Y.C. where he has a magnifi­cent roll-playing Welte pipe organ.

\.

Laugh not, when you sit at this pianodays, a jazz audience.

Yet Jelly Roll Morton reocorded one Ampico roll, aperformance of his ownThe Pea ria. White noveltypianists - Roy Bargy,zez Confrey, Lee Sims,among others - faredfar better.

Sunday, said Kraman.the Knabe makes its solodebut at the Ballroom duroing afternoon brunch. ·..It'llplay every hour on thehour for about 35 minutes,starting at noon. Thenwe'll give the people abreather for the rest of thehour. They'll need it."

Monday night shouldbe yet more exciting.Flutist Ransom Wilsonand his 30-piece orches·tra, Solisti New York. willperform, among otherworks, a Salnt·Saenspiano concerto with thelate Mischa Levitski, whodied in 1941, as soloist.

That should be followedby a Chopin Scherzo. thistime with Raclunaninoff atthe keyboard.

That's just a beginning.said Kraman.' As begin·nings go, it's a dandy.

systems. One eXplanationsuggests that since thereproducing pianos tendedto be large and costly, theywere bought mostly by thewell·l.<Klo - not, in those

one of these perform·ances. it startles me allover again."

Few jazz artists, unhap­pily, cut rolls for Ampicoand the other sophisticated .

Post Photo by [Amore 08\'15

Larry K',aman Iitl In at the Knabe, with the ghastly fingers of Paderelkl,Rachmaninoff, Landowlka, Gershwin, you name It, at hi. command.

"I'm no stranger to allthis," said Larry Kraman,associate to Greg Daw·son, the New Ballroom'senergetic supervisor."Yet every time I hear

this particular Knabe isequipped with an Ampico­B reproducing system.

Simply put. a pianoreproducing system playspiano rolls. In a broadsense, the Knabe is a kindof glorified player piano,playing rolls cut in theearly days of this centuryby masters now long dead.

But the resemblance'ends there. By the mid·193Os, the. craft of .repro·ducing keyboard musicon punched paper rollshad attained an awesomerefinement and precision.

Gone was the monoto­nous regularity of thebasic player piano. Suchsystems as Ampico, Duo·Art, and the' GermanWelte·Mignon had per·fected methods of giVingpiano-roll performancesvariations in touch,tempo. dynamics, andtexture.

Call it a methbd of reocording that uses not elec·tronlc microphones andamplification. but thegrand piano - or organ ­itself. Add a first-qualityconcert instnunent, andthe result can defy belief.

By RICHARD M.SUDHALTER

"I LOVE a piano." IrvIngBerlln wrote in a belovedsong of long ago. "I love tohear somebody play."

And how true - espe·cially if that somebodyhappens to be Sergei Rach·martinoff. Ignace Pader·ewski, Gieseking. Grieg,Ravel. Wanda Landowska,George Gershwin, or anyof dozens of other key·board greats, past and pre­sent.

Many of them will beperforming this weekend,right here in Manhattan.Performing live. Not on arecord and not on film, buton a sensitive, deeply reso·nant. 8-foot. 9'h ·inch Knabeconcert·grand piano.

'This magnificent instru·ment commands centerstage at the New Ball·room. the restaurant andcabaret opened last monthat 253 W. 28th St. On Sun·day and Monday many ofthe inunortals listed abovewill play in all their splen·dor for listeners of the '80s.

What's the gimmick? Nogimmick - except that

. NEW YORK POST, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1981

Contributed by Oliver Vitakis, who said,"Thought you might find this article worth reprint­

ing in the Bulletin. The membership might be in­terested in learning that the New Ballroom and itsKnabe were a feature on the C.B.S. network the ev.eningofSaturday, January 16,1982. Charles Osgood, ofC.B.S.News, did the reporting and did a fine job covering thestory."

TechnicalitiesTempo Trouble

by Harold Hodgkins

Anyone who has worked on player pianos is nodoubt aware that finding the source of a problem can beboth time consuming and exasperating. A complete res­toration, where each component is systematically re­newed and assembled, can be much less frustrating thantrying to pinpoint the sou;rce of some defect that hasdeveloped in a piano that has been operating for sometime.

While the purpose of this article is to discuss oneproblem and its solution, it is not restrictive, and maysuggest steps in locating trouble spots in other playermechanisms.

'The piano involved was a foot pumper equipped withvacuum operated cut-off valves (for rewind) between thelower exhauster unit and the stack. It also had a vacuumoperated rewind by-pass valve in the tempo-governorunit to supply vacuum to the air motor during rewind.

B

Although the piano was playing, two functionscaused concern. There was very little, if any, control ofthe tempo, and it played rather weakly. Careful testingof the stack found no leaks, and the valves, etc. were allin good condition. The lower exhauster unit alsoshowed no discernible leaks.

Examination of the diagram shows that tube C,which comes from the rewind/play switch supplies at­mospheric air to the pouches in AI, A2, and Bwhen it isopened for rewind. That is, the pouches in AI and A2 areraised, closing these valves to the stack, while at thesame time the pouch in Bis raised to open by-pass valveD for fast operation of the air motor. During testing itwas found that when the nipples at (i), (H, and lk) wereindividually sealed off, (in reality performing the samefunction as setting the rewind/play switch at play withtube C connecting the three units At, A2, and Bl thetempo valve operated, but the vacuum was cut off fromthe stack. This indicated that the tempo-governor unitwas not at fault, and that the problem was in the stackcut-off valve boxes.

.(j~-r--__'"

p,..... F,./.I1I$1~r ~

To stack

192 8

Examination showed that the gaskets on the coversof At, and A2 were allowing just enough air to cypherinto tube C at the nipples to partially counteract theeffect of the bleeds, and allow the pouches to lift to openvalve D thus letting unregulated air to bypass the temposlide valve, and also let the pouches in the stack cut-offboxes partially close those valves.

Replacement of the culprit gaskets both restored thestack to good operating vacuum, and returned thetempo control slide valve to proper function.

As indicated earlier, the main reason for this littlereport was not merely to show the solution for the oneproblem indicated, but to point out the necessity to seekout interrelated causes arid effects when trouble­shooting player piano mechanisms.

Another Opinion on Insulationby Robert W Taylor

The article by A. Petaja is quite wrong. Any use ofrubber tubing as insulation can be dangerous. Contraryto the article it is not a "superior electrical insulation"but just the opposite. Almost all tube supplied throughPlayer Piano Co. & Schaff Piano Supply conducts elec­tricity very well. A warning and correction are in order.

The Forum

To Our jJatrons:

The Philharmonic AuditoriumMakes the Following AnnounCC1nents:

(Po.' ill a Conapreaow Place That You ,1Iay Be Reminded0/ The Date.)

February 6th - Evening, 8 :30.....Margaret HamiltonP:WIlS{

Prices SOc to $2.00

February 8th - Aftemoon, 3:OO_...Philharmonic OrchestraSchubert Strauss Program.Pricn 25c 10 '1.00.Buy 1.lIOa tickets at a redaction.

February 9th - Evening, 8:30__ ---Marvine MaazelRussiaa Pi.anist in Recital.Prices SOc to '2.00.

February 12th - Evening, 8:30.. .Philharmonic OrchestraSolout - Floreace AustralWagnerian Programme.Prices SOc 10 $2.50.Buy seallOn lickets at a redaction.

February 13th - Aftemoon, 2:30._._Philharmonic OrchestraRepeat Thunday Programme.

February 19th - Evening, 8:30__Vladimir HorowitzPianut in Recital.Prices SOc to $2.50.

February 22d - Aftemoon, 3 :OO..•.•.•••Philharmonic Orche8traSolout-Leo Podol.ky, Pianut.

Ma tin&e _ Prices 25c to S1.00..

February 26th - Evening 8:30 _Philharmonic Orche8traSolout - lose hurM.Spanish Pianist '-./Prices SOc to $2.50.

February 27th - Aftemoon, 2:30__.Philharmonic OrchestraRepeat Thursday Programme.

February 28th-Morning, 10 :30.....Bartlett·FrankelString Quartet

Children only.Admission 10c.

March 5th - Evening, 8:30_.__.__Brabm8 Quartet RecitalPrices SOc to $2.00.

March 3th - Afternoon, 3 :Oo.__••_.Philharmonic OrchelltraWUllner Programme.Prices 25c to n.on.

March 12th - Evening, 8:30.._. .Philharmonic OrchestraSolout - Gregor Piatiagorsky'Cellu'Prices SOc to $2.50.

March 13th - Aftemoon, 2:30.. Philharmonic Orche8traRepeat Thursday Programme.

March 22ud - Aftemoon, 3 :OO.••_.__Philharmonic Orche8traSoloUl' - Lillian Steubec, Pian.".Prices 25c to U.OO.

March 23rd - Evening, 8:30_. Bemard OckoViolinist ia RecitulPrices SOc to $2.00.

March 26th - Evening, 8:30..__.--Philbarmonic Orchestra '--'"Solou,: Albert Spalding, ViouoillPrices SOc to $2.50

Can You Believe It?

From her childhood Mrs. June Davison of Burbank,California, collected concert programs, article, an­nouncements, etc., in connection with musical ac­tivities. Recently she came across the following an­nouncement of the schedule of events in 1928. She hassent it to AMICA Honorary Member Dr. Leo Podolsky- as his associate and also because his name is giventhere. She recalls that children could pay 10 cents toattend a concert and there was a discount offered tothose buying a concert series.

March 14th - Moming, 10 :30.....Bartlett·FrankelString Quartet

Children only.Admiuion 10c.

New Members

,..

Dennis &. Carole Moore: P.O. Box 221, Cedar Crest, NM87008 Home: 505-281-1861, Bus.: 505-296-0551. Referred byDorothy Bromage. 1934 Marshall & Wendell Ampico B LouisXVI; 1917 Steinway Upr. Welte Original.

Richard &. Bonita Gurevich: 859 Elm Street, Winnipeg, Man­itoba R3M 3N9 Home: 204-452-7009, Bus.: 204-775-8591. Re­ferred by Terry Smythe. 1926 Estey 5' 4" Welte Orig. Floren­tine; 1909 Steinway Themodist.

Lillian &. John Ficek: 194 Old Mill Road, Winnipeg, ManitobaR3J 3G9 Home: 204-837-6995. Referred by Terry Smythe.1927 Mason & Risch Upr Ampico.

James H. Fleissner: 4130 Main Avenue #3, Ashtabula, OH44004 Home: 216-998-3672, Bus.: 216-969-1555. Referred byQ.R.S. 1932 Marshall & Wendell 5' Ampico B.

Richard &. Mary Ellen Walling: 2283 Middleton Road, Hud­son, OH 44236 Home: 216-653-6385, Bus.: 216-621-2956. Re­ferred by AKRON BEACON JOURNAL. 1934 Symphonic 5'6"Ampico B.

Raymond K. &. Mary Armstrong: 7515 Freedom Blvd. #10,Aptos, CA 95003 Home: 408-688-0913, Bus.: Same. Referredby Q.R.S. 1925 Weber Upr Pianola.

Joe &. Lucy Page: 1696 Milton Road, Napa, CA 94558, Home:707-252-2843. 1924 Autopiano Upr Ph.

Richard D. Bennett: 1431 Jeffrey Place, Escondido, CA 92027Home: 714-745-1172. Referred by Dorothy Bromage.

Plan now to be here for your 1982 Convention!July 1-2-3, 1982.

Annie S. Kemerer i\.1useumBethlehem, Pa.

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Classified

FOR SALE

OFFERING selected items from my collection: Regina SublimaCorona round-front "parlor model" music box; model illustrated atlower left of page 200 of "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musicallnstru­ments," - Style S37. Quartered oak case. Beautifully and correctlyrefinished. Mechanisms completely restored by Dwight Porter. Looksand sounds like new, a real "gem" $14,500.00, including a changer fullof discs; Regina Sublima Corona Style 38 automatic disc changersimilar to that illustrated on page 200 of the "Encyclopedia" but withiron legs. Coin-operated for use in apenny arcade. The only one I haveever seen. Case in excellent original condition, mahogany. Interiorrestored by Dwight Porter and like new. Includes changer full of discs.'A very choice item! $12,500.00;Aeolian Orchestrelle, Model Y, oak case as shown at upper right ofpage 779 of the "Encyclopedia." Uses 58-note rolls. Exterior case innearly "mint" original golden oak finish. Interior restored before Ibought it. Sounds super! $9,500.00;Aeolian Orchestrelle Style F. Uses 116-note and 58-note rolls inter­changeably. This was the largest regular production model, to my

. knowledge. Illustrated at center left, page 779 of "Encyclopedia."Mahogany case superbly refinished. Interior completely restored byRon Cappel in California (at a cost of substantially over $10,000; Idemanded perfection). With matching bench and large library of rolls.This identical instrument is pictured on pages 182, 394, and 395 of"Treasures of Mechanical Music." $22,500.00;Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. Piano-type console with twin trackerbars for 88-note rolls. Two keyboards. Five ranks of pipes plus drums,xylophone, bells, and sound effects. Originally installed in a Fresno(California) theatre. Will need complete restoration, but potentiallynice. A rarity, for most Wuriitzer theatre organs, regardless of size, didnot have pianos or rolls players. $10,000.00;Robert-Morton Style 39 photoplayer. Console has two rollmechanisms for 88 note rolls. Pipes, xylophone, bells, drums, percus­sion effects, etc. Separate oak chest and cabinet contains most items.Rebuilt a few years ago. Write;Seeburg Style L orchestrion, same instru.ment pictured on page 176 of"Treasures of Mechanical Music." Superbly refinished oak case withbeautiful art glass illuminated from behind. Interior restored by RonCappel. $39,500.00;Polyphon 24% inch automatic disc changer as shown on the right sideof page 159 of the "Encyclopedia." Refinished walnut case. Interiorperfectly restored by Dwight Porter. Very large and very impressive.Condition just like new. $22,500.00;Regina 27 inch disc changer. The identical instrument photographedon page 204 of the "Encyclopedia." Refinished and restored by DwightPorter. Like new! The nicest I have ever seen. $16,500.00.Can also supply the follOWing autographed books, postpaid:"Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments," over 1,000 pages,hard-bound $37;"Treasures of Mechanical Music," by Reblitz & Bowers, over 600 pages,hard-bound, crammed with photographs! $35.Dave Bowers, Box 1224, Wolfeboro, N.H. 03894; Tel. (603) 569-5095.

FOR SALE: Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte parts. Call Bob Streicher717-559-7403 any time during weekends.

FOR SALE: 13-rank mechanical action pipe organ. Two 61-notekeyboards, 32-note pedal board. Around 65 years old. Excellent resto­rable condition. Will sell as is for $15,000 or will restore and install it foraround $35,000. Brian Falk, 260 Northstar Lane, Minneapolis, MN55014. (612) 786-9498.

COMPLETELY restored and refinished wavy walnut Baldwin upright.New strings, hammers, butts, damper levers, key tops, pedal springs.All new parts in player except hardware. Foot pump and electric. Was$5800 in our store. Store now closed. Price: $3,000. Alan Gibbons, 459N. Milwaukee, Wheeling IL 60090. (312) 541-5852.

MONTHLY ROLL AUCTIONS. Reproducing, 88's plus our own re­cuts. Free lists. Mike & Fred Schwimmer, 241-A Harbor, Glencoe, IL.60022.

MOLLER pipe organ player with 40 rolls, $500. Dave Junchen, 280 E.Del Mar #311, Pasadena, CA 91101.

PLAY·RITE, QRS and Klavier rolls: 35% discount for small minimumquantities. Catalogs 25~ each for postage. For price list write VintagePiano Workshop, 208 Dartmouth Dr., NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.

UP TO 1/3 OFF! QRS Rolls. Factory shipped. 50¢ for catalog. Price listsfree. Write: Baleys, 310 Grandview, Kalamazoo, M149001.

FOR SALE: Welte Style 1 Cottage Orchestrion, Welte (Steinway) up- '-./right cabinet piano, 3/40 Aeolian residence pipe organ (Opus 1345),10roll Aeolian duo-art concertola (Rosewood case), Wurlitzer "R" organrolls. Sold as is where is. San Diego Pipe Organ Co., 4610 Santa FeStreet, San Diego, CA 92109. (714) 270-5082.

FOR SALE: "Seeburg H", "Peerless Arcadian" playing the Peerless "0"roll 14%" Wide, Regina Hexaphone. Stafford 914-897-5592.

FOR SALE: National 8-tune ferris-wheel Nickelodeon. Plays perfect.Light oak. Refinished. Mechanically in fine condition. Also many rollsfor it. Reasonable price. Send SASE for further details. Ralph E. Jensen,10352 Mallison Ave., South Gate, CA 90280.

CHICKERING 5'8" Grand with Ampico"A Model" player. Queen Annstyle legs, beautiful walnut satin finish on piano and bench. Restoredin 1972 with new hammers and dampers, completely re-strung, newivories and all new air hoses. Circa 1925. This piano looks showroomnew and performs as well. $12,500 Firm. Harry S. Lance (904) 237-1736.

VERY NICE Franklin Ampico Upright. Mdhogany case (fine, no dentsor chips) with good professionally done ivory finish. Pneumatic resto­ration approx. 5 yrs. Expresses well. $4500 or best offer. Picture andtape available. Dorothy Bromage (213) 697-1545.

ROLL AUCTION: Mostly original classical Duo-Art; some signed;some combined to form program rolls; some Ampico. Send for FreeList. Robert Cohen, 100 Dean Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201.

FOR SALE: Buy one or the lot, 3 player Grands, 2 player organs,upright Ampico, 4 upright players, Wellershaus Band Organ, SeeburgB; All in good restorable condition, all in air conditioned storage. Callfor prices. 305-269-1605. Don Page, 3593 Thai Rd., Titusville, FL., 32780.

FOR SALE: Ampico valve cover shims for adjusting valves - .003",.005", .010",100 of each for $10. Also, die-cut 1/16" original type corkgaskets: Ampico "8" valve block $12 per 100; "B" deck to chest $9 per100; "/\' valve block (Early design - holes top and bottom or latedesign - holes diagonally opposed, please specify) $12 per 100.George Baker, 2828 Drake Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.

WANTED

5'8", OR LARGER, Grand missing player/reproducing mechanism anddrawer. Stack for Reproduco, complete or parts. Duo-Art or Weltepipe organ player or parts. Would consider complete unrestored or­gan. All items any condition. Please send description and price. TerryBarnes, 4600 E. Pawnee, Wichita, Kan. 67218 (316) 682-8001.

WANTED: Steinway Duo-Art Model "OR" in modest art case. RalphSchack, 30205 Avd. De Calma, Rancho Palos Verdes, Ca. 90274. 213/377-7739.

WANTED: Jewish, Polish, Hungarian, Bohemian, Greek, Scandina­vian, LIVELY DANCE ROLLS only. Give condition and price wanted.Edythe S. Jensen, 10352 Mallison Ave., South Gate, Calif. 90280.

BUSINESS management and investment for a new player system I havedesigned to replace the stack in old players or to install in new pianoswith modified cases. It is based on a proven older system, and has thepotential to be expanded into a universal reproducing system. CallAlan Gibbons at (312) 541-5852 for my background and complete prod­uct information.

VIDEOCASSETTESVHS or Beta 2

1. Buffalo/Texas Convention2. Dayton Convention3. Pasadena Convention4. Philadelphia Convention

*5. San Francisco Convention*6. They All Laughed ...

7. rnterview with Dr. Mana-Lucca8. A Potpourri of Performances9. Covering Pneumatics

10. Recovering Organ Regulators

* Also available on Super 8, rental only.

For rental or purchase information write to:

Howie Koff4271 North First Street #1San Jose, CA 95134

_~~AMICA~~--n,~-

CHANGE OF ADDRESSPlease notify Membership Secretary asearly as possible.

Bobby ClarkP.O. Box 172Columbia, SC 29202

AMICA TECHNICALITIES BOOKS:Volume I (1969-1971), $12.50 postpaidVolume II (1972-1974), $7.50 postpaidVolume III (1975-1977), $8.50 postpaidVolume IV (1978-1980), $6.50 postpaidReprints of interesting technical articleswhich have appeared in the AMICA Bulle­tin, arranged and indexed into appropriatecategories. Send orders to: Jim Weisen­borne, 73 Nevada Street, Rochester, MI48063.

AMICA ITEMSFOR SALE

ROLL LEADERS: DUO-ART, AMPICO andWELTE. Excellent replicas. For order infor­mation, see mailing cover of March 1982Bulletin. Send orders to Terry Smythe, 619Niagara Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada R3N OV9, (204) 489-3808.

AMICA BULLETINS, BOUND ISSUES:1971,1972,1973 - bound sets at $15.00 eachset. 1974, 1975, 1976-, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 at$18.00 each set. PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGEAND HANDLING. Spiral bound to lay flat.Send orders to Mary Lilien, 4260 OlympiadDrive, Los Angeles, CA 90043.

AMICA STATIONERY: $3.50 (letter size),$3.20 (note size), including mailingcharges. Fine quality stationery with ornateAMICA borders. Each packet contains 25letter's and matching envelopes. Send or­ders to: Dorothy Bromage, P.O. Box 387, LaHabra, CA 90631.

PLEASE MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TOAMICA INTERNATIONAL

~I••••• ~ •••• ~

............. , omnimedia "~I productions'~~8~

TECHNICAL DATA SERIES

1. Covering Pneumatics2. Recovering Organ Regulators

VHS or BETA 2 ••• $39.95 each

To order send check or money order to:

OMNIMEDIAP.O. Box 1266Mountain View, CA 94042

California residents please add sales tax. All orders are l

shipped postpaid. Special videocassette formats areavailable on request.

~~

Digital Music Incorporatedand

Automatic Melodies Corporation

For Spring of 1982 we are listing just a few of our saleitems. Please write for price list or call (518) 732-4333.

Knabe Ampico BKnabe Ampico A - Louis XVITwo Steck Duo-ArtsMarshall and Wendell baby grand Ampico ASteinway XR, playingSteinway AR, excellentSteinway Upright Red Roll Welte PianonSteinway XR, Spanish art case, incompleteCable-Nelson Upright PlayerMills Violano Virtuoso with wall boxesAeolian Grand Player OrganAssorted NickelodeonsNorth Tonawanda-de Kleist 41 key barrel organHupfeld Phonoliszt Violina "B" unrestoredFour Popper orchestrionsThree Losche orchestrionsChickering Ampico A

Digital Music IncorporatedAutomatic Melodies Corporation

P.O. Box IIICastleton-on-Hudson, N.Y. 12033

(518) 732-4333

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Send for free catalogs today

David T. Dupree2392A Mira SolVista, California 92083Phone 714-727-5534

We stock all the player piano rolls in the QRSand Play-Rite catalogs and can usuallyship rolls within one day.

Selling player piano rolls by mail isour only business.

Quantity discounts always available.

Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte rollsavailable in QRS and Play-Rite.

_. ~

BROADMOORE AUTOMATIC IlNSTRUMENT RESTORATIONS %

Restoration of orchestrions and reproducing pianos . ~our specialty. ~

n.Finest materials used.

"Each part is treated as the most importantpart in the machine."

We are authorities on authenticity.

Prices of restoration vary according to the grade of mwork you select - from "Excellent" to "Perfect." ~

No trade secrets - we will gladly discuss procedures Ithoroughly with any customer.

14 years experience -references proudly given upon request. K!

Laurence Broadmoore, Owner1709 "COO First St.San Fernando, CA 91340~C

PLAY-RITEQRS

213/365·6231

" X52:"c2~

Dealer Inquires Invited (415) 570·5565

PImRITEMUSIC ROLLS INC.2121 S. EL CAMINO REAL. SAN MATEO. CA 94403 -:=_- :; 0

,<....... HOME OF THE GOLDEN ROLL" .-.--;.:";- . -

Write for FREE Catalog & Dealer Nearest You.

AND GET

Remember - Buy ALL your piano rolls fromPlay-Rite and get the Best!

• POPULAR TITLESUNA VAILABLE ELSEWHERE

• MORE MUSIC FORYOUR MONEY

.AUTHENTIC SOUNDINGARRANGEMENTS

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PIANO ROLLSFROM PLAY-RITE