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FRONT ROW (L-R): Mel Septon, Kathy Stone, Richard VanMetre, Margaret Bisberg, Dan Stotte,Allen Dreyfuss, Val Saari, Kay Overfield, Liz Barnhart, Kathryn Dumas, Shirley Nix,Jackie Dupon, Carol Veome, Margery Sanford, Charlene Torer, Jan Ham
ROW 2 (L-R): Leroy Schumacher, Betty Schumacher, Bill Blair, Jean Hurley, Marilyn Juckett,Ern Fisk, Janet Tallent, Christy Counterman, Donna Counterman, Donna Estry,Anita Johnson, Mary Pollock, Joan Haughawout, Mary Ellen Connor, Florie Hirsch,Dawn Pumphrey, Fran Willyard, Selmer Nielsen, Earl Scheelar
ROW 3 (L-R): Bill Baab, Paul Dietz, Dorothy Olds, Hedy Dietz, Bob Hill, Paddy Austin,Betty Golmanavich, Sherri Neff, Cindy Eiland, Galen Bird, Linda Bird, Judy Chisnell,Bill Pumphrey, Raymond Palmer, Maury Willyard, Norb Torer
ROW 4 (L-R): Robert Dumas, Mike Barnhart, Brian Meeder, Harold Ball, Miriam Hanscom,Beverly Ball, Jody Trittipo, Lyn Mercy, Jerry Golmanavich, Weslay Neff, Dennis Eiland,Hal Estry, John Washburn, Barbara Washburn, Elsa Pekarek, Joe Pekarek, Betty Canada,Marilyn Udell, Alice Scheelar, Rochelle Mercer
Row 5 (L-R): John Ham, Richard Reutlinger, Bill Dean, Don Ellison, Jay Albert, Alvin Wulfekuhl,Judy Wulfekuhl, George Cunningham, Peter Tallent, John Mercy, Sharyn Cunningham,Howard Wyman, Cliff Juckett, Beverly Brabb, Tony Austin, Jeff Brabb, Dick Leis,Julian Dyer, Dottie McMenamy, Mike Walter, Dixie Leis, Ralph Saari, Holly Walter, Roy Beltz,Mike Boyd, Frank Nix, Steve Rattle, Dick Merchant, Mary Merchant, Bob Taylor, Joe Orens,Rollie Chisnell, Dave Reichert, Ron Conner, Ervin Canada, Terry Haughawout,Howard Sanford, Norb Overfield, Herb Mercer.
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Entire contents © 2001 AMICA International 121
VOLUME 38, Number 3 May/June 2001
FEATURESLen Luscombe — 1282001 Australian Convention — 131Australian Composers & Pianists — 135Fifty-Three Years of Collecting — 138Presentation to AMICA Conference — 142Convention Photos — 144Bringing Percy Grainger to Life — 154Beethoven’s Hearing Loss — 156Music Definitions — 157
DEPARTMENTSAMICA International — 122
President’s Message — 123From the Publisher’s Desk — 123Calendar of Events — 124Letters — 124People - J. Lawerence Cook Part 2 — 158People - Leo Ornstein — 168Chapter News — 170Classified Ads — 178
Front & Back Cover: Australian Convention Attendees Photo
Inside Front: Ad from Old Time Melodies, CA. 1925
Inside Back Cover: Ad from Old Time Melodies, CA. 1925
THE AMICA BULLETINAUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION
Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distributionand enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls and perforated music books. AMICA was founded in San Francisco, California in 1963.
ROBIN PRATT, PUBLISHER, 630 EAST MONROE ST., SANDUSKY, OH 44870-3708 -- Phone 419-626-1903, e-mail: [email protected] the AMICA Web page at: http://www.amica.org
Associate Editor: Mr. Larry Givens Contributing Editor: Mr. Emmett M. Ford
AMICA BULLETINDisplay and Classified AdsArticles for PublicationLetters to the PublisherChapter News
UPCOMING PUBLICATIONDEADLINESThe ads and articles must be receivedby the Publisher on the 1st of theOdd number months:
January JulyMarch SeptemberMay November
Bulletins will be mailed on the 1st weekof the even months.
Robin Pratt, Publisher630 East Monroe StreetSandusky, Ohio 44870-3708Phone: 419-626-1903e-mail: [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
New Memberships . . . . . . . . . . $37.00
Renewals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $37.00
Address changes and corrections
Directory information updates
Additional copies ofMember Directory . . . . $25.00
Single copies of back issues($6.00 per issue - basedupon availability)
William Chapman (Bill)2150 Hastings CourtSanta Rosa, CA 95405-8377707-570-2258e-mail: [email protected]
To ensure timely delivery of yourBULLETIN, please allow 6-weeksadvance notice of address changes.
AMICA Publications reserves the right to accept, reject, or edit any and all submitted articles and advertising.
122
AMICA INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL OFFICERSPRESIDENT Dan C. Brown
N. 4828 Monroe StreetSpokane, WA 99205-5354
509-325-2626e-mail: [email protected]
PAST PRESIDENT Linda Bird3300 Robinson Pike
Grandview, MO 64030-2275Phone/Fax 816-767-8246
e-mail: OGM [email protected] PRESIDENT Mike Walter
65 Running Brook Dr.,Lancaster, NY 14086-3314
716-656-9583e-mail: [email protected]
SECRETARY Judith Chisnell3945 Mission, Box 145, Rosebush, MI 48878-9718
517-433-2992e-mail: [email protected]
TREASURER Wesley Neff128 Church Hill Drive, Findlay, Ohio 45840
Registered agent for legal matters 419-423-4827e-mail: [email protected]
PUBLISHER Robin Pratt630 E. Monroe Street, Sandusky, Ohio 44870-3708
419-626-1903e-mail: [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY William Chapman (Bill)2150 Hastings Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95405-8377
707-570-2258e-mail: [email protected]
— COMMITTEES —
AMICA ARCHIVES Stuart Grigg20982 Bridge St., Southfield, MI 48034 - Fax: (248) 356-5636
AMICA MEMORIAL FUND Judy Chisnell3945 Mission, Box 145, Rosebush, MI 48878-9718 517-433-2992
AUDIO-VISUAL & TECHNICAL Harold Malakinian2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098
CONVENTION COORDINATOR Frank Nix6030 Oakdale Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91367 818-884-6849
HONORARY MEMBERS Jay Albert904-A West Victoria Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-4745
(805) 966-9602 - e-mail: [email protected]
PUBLICATIONS Robin Pratt630 E. Monroe St., Sandusky, OH 44870-3708
WEB MASTER Meta Brown400 East Randolph Street, Apt. 3117, Chicago, IL 60601
312-946-8417 — fax 312-946-8419
BOSTON AREAPres. Ken VolkVice Pres: Dorothy BromageSec: Ginger ChristiansenTreas: Karl EllisonReporter: Don BrownBoard Rep: Sandy Libman
CHICAGO AREAPres: Richard VanMetre - (847) 402-5391Vice Pres: George WilderSec: Curt CliffordTreas: Joe PekarekReporter: Kathy Stone SeptonBoard Rep: Marty Persky
FOUNDING CHAPTERPres: Bing Gibbs - (408) 253-1866Vice Pres: Mark PopeSec: Lyle Merithew & Sandy SwirskyTreas: Richard ReutlingerReporter: Tom McWayBoard Rep: Richard Reutlinger
GATEWAY CHAPTERPres: Yousuf Wilson (636) 665-5187Vice Pres: Tom NovakSec,/Treas: Jane NovakReporter: Mary WilsonBoard Rep: Gary Craig
HEART OF AMERICAPres: Ron Bopp - (918) 786-4988Vice Pres: Tom McAuleySec/Treas: Robbie TubbsReporter: Joyce BriteBoard Rep: Ron Connor
LADY LIBERTYPres./Reporter: Bill Maguire
(516) 261-6799Vice Pres: Keith BiggerSec: Richard KarlssonTreas: Walter KehoeBoard Reps: Marvin & Dianne Polan
MIDWEST (OH, MI, IN, KY)Pres: Judy ChisnellVice Pres: Stuart GriggSec: Judy WulfekuhlTreas: Alvin WulfekuhlReporter: Christy CountermanBoard Rep: Liz Barnhart
NORTHERN LIGHTSPres: Dave KemmerVice Pres: Jerrilyn Boehland -
(612) 780-5699Sec: Jason E. Beyer - (507) 454-3124Treas: Terry GoepelReporters: Paul & Barbara WatkinsBoard Rep: Dorothy Olds
PACIFIC CAN-AMPres: Kurt Morrison - (253) 952-4725Vice Pres: Don McLaughlinSec: Halie DodrillTreas: Bev SporeReporter: Carl Kehret Board Rep: Carl Dodrill
SIERRA NEVADAPres: John Motto-Ros - (209) 267-9252Vice Pres: Sonja LemonSec/Treas: Doug & Vicki MahrReporter: Nadine Motto-RosBoard Rep: John Motto-Ros
SOWNY (Southern Ontario,Western New York)
Pres: Anne Lemon - (905) 295-4228Vice Pres: Mike HamannSec/Mem. Sec: John & Diane ThompsonTreas: Holly WalterPhotographer: Garry LemonReporter: Frank WarbisBoard Rep: Mike Walter
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAPres: James WestcottSec./Reporter. Shirley NixTreas: Ken HodgeBoard Rep: Frank Nix
TEXASPres: Jerry Bacon - (214) 328-9369Vice Pres: Tony Palmer (817) 261-1334Sec./Treas: Janet TonnesenBoard Rep: Dick MerchantBulletin Reporter: Bryan CatherNewsletter Editor: Bryan Cather
SOUTHERN SKIESPres: Debra Legg - (727) 734-3353Vice Pres: Bill ShriveSec: Howard Wyman (813) 689-6876Treas: Dee Kavouras (352) 527-9390Reporter: Dick & Dixie LeisBoard Rep: Debra Legg
CHAPTER OFFICERS
AFFILIATED SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONSAUSTRALIAN COLLECTORSOF MECHANICAL MUSICALINSTRUMENTS19 Waipori StreetSt. Ives NSW 2075, Australia
DUTCH PIANOLA ASSOC.Nederlandse Pianola VerenigingEikendreef 245342 HR Oss,Netherlands
PIANOLA INSTITUTEClair Cavanagh, Secretary43 Great Percy St., London WC1X 9RAEngland
INTERNATIONAL PIANOARCHIVES AT MARYLANDPerforming Arts Library, Hornbake 3210University of MarylandCollege Park, MD 20742
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETYINTERNATIONALP. O. Box 297Marietta, OH 45750
NETHERLANDS MECHANICALORGAN SOCIETY - KDVA. T. MeijerWilgenstraat 24NL-4462 VS Goes, Netherlands
NORTHWEST PLAYER PIANOASSOCIATIONEverson Whittle, Secretary11 Smiths Road, Darcy Lever,Bolton BL3 2PP, Gt. Manchester, EnglandHome Phone: 01204 529939Business Phone: 01772 208003
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONDivision of Musical HistoryWashington, D.C. 20560
PLAYER PIANO GROUPJulian Dyer, Bulletin Editor5 Richmond Rise, Workingham,Berkshire RG41 3XH, United KingdomPhone: 0118 977 1057Email: [email protected]
SOCIETY FOR SELF-PLAYINGMUSICAL INSTRUMENTSGesellschaft für Selbstspielende Musikinstrumente (GSM) E.V.Ralf SmolneEmmastr. 56D-45130 Essen, GermanyPhone: **49-201-784927Fax:. **49-201-7266240Email: [email protected]
INT. VINTAGE PHONO & MECH.MUSIC SOCIETYC.G. Nijsen, Secretaire General19 Mackaylaan5631 NM EindhovenNetherlands
123
Hi All,
From what I have heard, everyone had a great time in Australia. Warm hospitality and thrilling views everywherethey looked.
I think we owe a big hand of thanks to Liz Barnhart. Liz isstepping down as Convention Coordinator after many years oforganizing our annual meetings. THANKS! Good job, Liz!Frank Nix will be taking over the reins as Coordinator and I amsure with Liz’s support and our help he will do a fine job too.
I have a question. How many of you have gotten at leastONE person to join AMICA since you’ve been a member? If
AMICA is to continue to grow, it is imperative that we get newmembers. We stay pretty stable membership numbers-wise, butthe membership is constantly changing through normal attrition, with new members coming in, some members dying,some not renewing, selling their instruments, or just not interested. It is really up to us as members to get off our duffsand recruit! If you wake up one day and say, “Gee . . . WHA’ HAPPUNED? I really used to like that AMICABulletin. It used to be really nice. I don’t git it.” It is reallyimportant that we do this!
Why not make it a point of signing up at least ONE member this summer! You can do it. I have all of these beautiful AMICA Brochures sitting here and no one calls orwrites to take the poor little guys home. It is very tragic. Getoff your Brochures and pass them out! And I don’t want to hearthat tired old saw, “Well they wouldn’t join, they don’t evenhave a piano.” Well, ya know what? Some of our membersDON’T have instruments! So what? Want to keep looking atthe same old tired faces or do you want to see some new buttssticking out from under those Ampeecos pictured in the ChapterReports? I thought so.
This is your mission . . . if you choose to accept it!
Have a nice day!
Robin
Warm weather greetings! I was sorry to hear that TerrySmythe had decided to step down as webmaster of the AMICA site,but pleased to find that Meta Brown, who had been working withTerry to maintain the site, was willing to take over the duties. Sheis in the process of setting up her home computer and Terry hasagreed to stay on through the transition, so there shouldn’t be any interruption. Thanks to Terry for many years of service to AMICAand welcome, Meta. She and I have discussed several ideas for thewebsite, so please let us know if you have any suggestions. I hopethat all chapters can have links to the site and that all chapter activities get listed in plenty of time to be useful to members everywhere. Hopefully, we can improve the visibility of the site tosearch engines so that when the words “player piano” are entered,the AMICA site is found.
Wes Neff jumped into the Treasurer job with lots of enthusiasm and attention to details. I have been impressed by histhoroughness and skill. I remain hopeful that a summer board meeting can be arranged to conduct the AMICA business for the
year. Six weeks advance publication of the agenda is required, so a mid-July date looks feasible. I am not aware of any major conflicts with other major chapter activities or other organizations during that time. If your chapters will be having a meeting soon,please discuss any possible items to be submitted for the agenda. Officers and committee members should also rough out theirexpected expenses to help develop the budget and record any AMICA-owned equipment or programs. I have been discussing Ohioas a possible choice for the meeting, as a relatively central location. As soon as I have details, they will be sent to chapter board representatives, officers, and committee heads. This is something new for us (actually old if members go back that far with AMICA)and I am anxious to get the business items handled for the year.
Kudos to Karl Ellison for the J. Lawrence Cook biography. It is a wealth of information and I’m anxious for the next installment.
Amicably,
Dan Brown
President’s Message
J. Lawrence Cook has appeared on various television programs that include “I’ve Got A Secret,” “To Tell the Truth,” “You Askedfor It,” “The Garry Moore Show,” “Tonight” and “The CBS Six O’clock News.”
I’m interested in finding these video clips to make them available to researchers of the mechanical music industry.
A search on the internet has found bulletin boards for these programs and I’ve posted my request in hopes that someone mightrespond with a lead. I’m sure the networks have these in their archives, but I’ve been unable to identify any sort of retrieval service -probably because of copyright issues.
If anyone has any information on obtaining such video clips, please contact me - I’m in the AMICA Directory. Surely someoneout there has some information or film on this topic?
Karl Ellison
Salem, MA
124
AMICA
Memorial Fund DonationsPlease think of AMICA as a place to
remember your friends and family with a dona-tion to the AMICA Memorial Fund.
Send to:
Judith Chisnell3945 Mission, Box 145Rosebush, Michigan [email protected]
September 1-2, 2001Pacific CAN-AM Chapter
Band Organ RallyConvention Center, Ocean Shores, Washington
Contact Norm or Sally Gibson360-289-7960
So. Calif. ChapterJune 3 - meeting in Hesperia home of Richard and Beverly Ingram
June 30 - Organ Rally in Sierra Madre in park.July 1 - Organ Rally in Descanso Gardens in La Canada, Calif.
Gateway ChapterOctober 19- 20, 2001 - Small Organ Rally - City Museum, St.Louis, MO.
CALENDAR OF EVENTSCHAPTER MEETINGS
June 1-2, 2001 Monkey Organ Rally - Kalamazoo, MI (Bob Cantine)
July 19-21, 2001Monkey Organ Rally - Wabash, IN (Frank Rider)
~
June 26-30, 2002 AMICA Convention, Springdale, Arkansas
Heart of America ChapterAugust 17-18, 2001 Band Organ Rally, Eureka Springs, AR
Fall, 2001 - Branson, MODecember 1-2, 2001 - Linda and Gerold Koehler
Christmas meeting, Joplin, MO.(Indoor plumbing assured)
June, 2002September, 2002 - Billie & Bill Pohl will host a
Band Organ Rally in Branson, MODecember, 2002 - Barbara and Doug Cusick will host the
Christmas meeting. Leawood, KS.
Pacific CAN-AM Chapterinvites AMICAns to its
BAND ORGAN RALLYSept. 1-2, 2001
(Labor Day Weekend)
in scenic Ocean Shores, Washington
Information: Norm or Sally Gibson, 125 Taholah St. SE,Ocean Shores, WA 98569-9549E-mail: [email protected]
Letters…
125
Letters…
Dear AMICA
To let you know that we believe Liz Barnhart, John and Jan Ham, and the other organizers and helpers for the 2001 AMICAConvention in Australia and extensions did an outstanding job.
Everything went smoothly, we had a delightful time, learned a lot, and met many lovely people. This was our first AMICA-onlyConvention and a really superb experience. We hope to return to Australia some day.
We’d especially like to commend Liz Barnhart for her diligent efforts over a number of years, which resulted in this successfulconference.
Sincerely,
Hal and Donna Estry
Ypsilanti, MI
Response to January/February 2001 Bulletin
IVPMMS Letter to AMICA and AMICA Board Members
In the new millennium the technical advances in computers, communication, data storage, and music generation will predominatethe consciousness of society. The sophisticated new generations will have little comprehension or interest with the mechanical worldof the past. The fascination of the new generations may well be in vintage CD players and electronic keyboards. The membership oforganizations concerned with mechanical music is growing smaller and the average age growing older. The future years of existenceof mechanical music societies may indeed be numbered. A proposition for the formation of an internet website based InternationalForum of Mechanical Music Organizations (IFMMO) was presented to the AMICA Board at the Sacramento Convention. The purpose of the IFMMO Website is to coordinate cooperative efforts within the limited resources of the individual societies to betterinform the public and increase interest in mechanical music. The AMICA Board unanimously endorsed the IFMMO Website concept.There are currently representatives from 16 individual mechanical music societies engaged in determining the feasibility, purpose andgoals, and organizational structure of the proposed IFMMO. With no obligation on the part of IVPMMS it’s intermediary would bewelcomed to take part in the IFMMO discussions. Perhaps the IVPMMS could suggest alternative approaches or at least help preventthe IFMMO from becoming just another all-embracing world organization.
Michael Barnhart
AMICA Representative for IFMMO
FROM THE HEIDRICK AG HISTORY CENTER NEWSLETTER, SPRING 2001
Antique Automatic Musical Instruments Exhibit April-May
Antique automatic musical instruments will be on loan from the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors Association (AMICA) and exhibited in the Ag History Center in April and May.
Visitors will enjoy not only the wonderful music from these instruments but the exquisite cabinetry that houses them. AMICAmembers will demonstrate the instruments and show Center docents who to operate them for the pleasure of our visitors.
All of the instruments in the special exhibit were designed for commercial use and are activated by coins. In the case of onepiano combination, which was manufactured in the U.S. but exported to Mexico, the coins needed are centavos.
AMICA Sierra Nevada Chapter President John Motto-Ros says we won’t have to worry about the need for nickels because theinstruments also have switches to activate them. John says he especially hopes that children will have the opportunity to learn aboutentertainment before the advent of radio and television.
126
NEWS RELEASE - Automatic Musical Instruments Exhibited
Info on the Sierra Nevada Chapter’s project to expose automatic musical instruments to the public.
Nadine and John Motto-Ros
Visitors to the Heidrick Ag History Center in Woodland, CA will be treated to the wonder of automated music and the exquisitecabinetry that houses it, beginning April 4. Five antique automatic instruments will be exhibited through the end of May.
The instruments include an Encore automatic banjo manufactured about 1900 in New York. A very novel instrument to watch, itplays a five-tune endless roll. Also included are the 1926 Link piano-xylophone combination; a 1927 Seeburg E coin-op piano; and a1923 Seeburg Special with piano, xylophone, bass drum, snare drum, tympani beaters, cymbal, castanets, triangle, tambourine, andChinese wood block.
The instruments were all used commercially in such places as skating rinks and ballrooms. One provided entertainment in aMexican cantina.
The 1925 Empress Electric was manufactured in Chicago but modified for export to Mexico. The coin slot only accepts 5 centavo pieces.
“It plays 10 great Mexican tunes,” said John Motto-Ros, president of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors Assn. (AMICA). The special exhibition at the Ag History Center is made possible by AMICA, a nonprofit educational organization with worldwide membership.
The Heidrick Ag History Center is a nonprofit museum exhibiting the world’s largest collection of antique tractors, trucks andfarm machinery. The museum, located at 1962 Hays Lane, Woodland, is open 7 days a week: Monday-Friday 10-5; Saturday 10-6;and Sunday 10-4. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors (62 and older), $4 for children (6-14). For information and tours, call530-666-9700.
Lots of wonderful stuff to see and hear. - Australian ConventionI have been asked to forward the attached lyrics to you for placement in the bulletin. It was sung on stage at Melba Hall at the
University of Melbourne. The words are sung to the tune of “Little Man, You’ve Had A Busy Day.” The words were composed byyours truly and inspired by Valerie Saari.
Best wished,
Mike Walter
You’ve gone to Yearing Station
See Puffing Billy too
Can’t you hear that whistle loudly sigh
Better go to sleep now
AMICAns you’ve had a busy die
The sanctuary’s fine there
At Healesville Todie
Kangaroos and K’walas everywhere
Better go to sleep now
AMICAns you’ve had a busy die
Percy Grainger’s seen us
And Melba’s Hall’s quite fun
The pumper contest’s on tonight
The Opal Demo’s over
The trip home’s not begun
More things to see and hear
All right!!!!!!!!!!!!
You’ve gone to Jirrahlinga
Seen Wallabies quite cute
Seen carrousels and geysers on the Wye
Better go to sleep now
AMICAns you’ve had a busy die
AMICAns You’ve Had Busy Die
127
April 2001 Newsletter
PRESIDENT’S NOTESFrom all accounts the AMICA Convention in Melbourne was a great success.
Glenda and I certainly enjoyed the welcome dinner in Sydney and the visit to Craig Robson’s Service City Museum the followingday. Many thanks to Ian Savins, Craig Robson, Louise Hunt and Cliff Bingham for making the Sydney end of the convention so enjoyable.
For those of you who know Harold Ball from Melbourne, you may not be aware Harold suffered a stroke during the convention.However, I am pleased to report that Harold is now well again. Our best wishes to him and hope he makes a complete recovery.
I would like to encourage members to join AMICA and consider attending future conventions, the next one will be in Arkansas.Glenda, myself and Timothy hope to be able to attend the 2002 Convention.
New members - I would like to welcome Ryan Smith from Runcorn Qld. and Martin Symmons from Wyong NSW. Hope tomeet you both in the near future. Maybe we might see Martin at our next meeting.
Next Meeting - Our next meeting will be at the home of Chris Neave and John Burton, 34 Park Avenue, Ashfield commencing at8 pm Saturday 28 April. Phone 02 9798 7632. Please do not miss this meeting. Chris and John have some wonderful mechanicalmusical instruments for our enjoyment.
Bulletin articles - Yet another plea. If you have any articles or news items that you think may be of interest to members, pleasesend them to our Editors. As you are aware, the Bulletin is our Group’s lifeline and if you cease to contribute, then there is a goodchance the Bulletin may have to be reduced in size due to a lack of interesting material.
Regards,
John Steain
AMICA Convention Melbourne 2001 - Sidney InterludeBy Ian Savins
At the end of the AMICA Melbourne Convention, 95 AMICAns came to Sydney for a visit. They arrived on Sunday 25 Februaryand after checking into their hotel, those that were interested, i.e. those who felt up to it considering the heat and humidity, were takenon a walking tour of the city. John and Glenda Steain, Chris Neave, John Burton and myself accompanied the AMICAns. We tookour guide duties very serious, providing comment and pointing out places of interest. We also did our best to answer all of their questions.
In the evening a welcome dinner was held in the hotel restaurant on the 25th floor. The food, while the choice was limited, wasexcellent. The view from the bridge to Woolloomooloo was spectacular and did not fail to impress. Fourteen ACMMI members alsoattended the dinner to greet the AMICAns and in some cases to renew old friendships.
On Monday half the group had a free day for sightseeing or visiting friends. The other half were taken on a conducted morningtour to Mastertouch in Petersham and to Craig Robson’s Service City Museum in Alexandria for lunch and an afternoon visit. Thisprocess was reversed on Tuesday.
At Mastertouch our host Barclay Wright gave a talk on the history of roll making in Australia. This was followed by a tour of thebox-making factory and a demonstration of the roll perforating machinery. Greg Crease gave a fascinating account of the rollrecording process.
Lunch was served upon arrival at the Service City Museum which was followed by Craig demonstrating his collection of streetorgans, carousel and antiques. The highlight for most was the performance of the Taj Mahal with its beautiful sound and its flashinglighting effects. It has to be seen to be believed. Craig kindly invited members of ACMMI to join the AMICAns on either Monday orTuesday. Many gratefully accepted the invitation.
On Wednesday the AMICAns started their journey home via New Zealand.
As organizer of the Sydney visit, I would like to thank Barclay Wright and Craig Robson for their generosity in making theirpremises available to our visitors. Also, my thanks to the staff members of both establishments who cared so well for the visitors.Finally, I would like to thank all those ACMMI members who assisted me in making the AMICA visit to Sydney a great success.
LEN LUSCOMBE
128
Most Australian player piano owners and roll collectorsknow the name Len Luscombe for whenever they
pedal a Broadway piano roll, chances are Luscombe’s namegraces the box label as the pianist and arranger. Broadway rollswere manufactured in Melbourne by Luscombe for more than30 years until his untimely death in 1957. Today, with thereborn interest and enthusiasm in player pianos, Luscombe’ssuperb recordings are being re-discovered. It’s also time for usto re-discover the man.
The birth of Lennard Earl Max Luscombe was registered ashaving taken place in East Melbourne, Victoria on August 19th,1894. The only child of Max, a German immigrant watchmakerand “teacher of the violin” and Elsie, a music teacher born inDaylesford, Victoria. Birth registration was not time criticalback then and Len may have been born in 1893. Regardless ofthe actual year, baby Lennard seemed destined for a musicalcareer.
As Percy Grainger and Ernest Hutchison had been beforehim, Luscombe developed quickly as another Melbourne childprodigy at the pianoforte. Residing in suburban Fitzroy andbilled as the “smallest pianist in the world”, Elsie & Max paraded their son in a number of keyboard performances aroundMelbourne. Taught by his mother from an early age, Luscombelater polished his pianistic skills while in the USA with lessonsfrom Theodore Moses Tobani (1855-1933), best rememberedtoday for the sentimental piece “Hearts and Flowers”.
Whereas his Melbourne predecessors created outstandingoverseas careers in classical piano, the young Luscomberebelled against his parents’ insistence on following a similarpath. The boys love of popular dance music had him leadinghis own dance orchestra at the tender age of sixteen years.
In the early days of the 20th century the boom in pre-recorded home entertainment was making importantinroads. No longer were the few musically talented familymembers required to perform upon request. Now with just afew turns of a handle, or the use of father’s feet to pedal, thegramophone and player piano created instant music everyonecould enjoy. Recordings of the latest ragtime tunes, foxtrots,operatic arias and sentimental ballads were now only as faraway as the local music store.
As a teenage prodigy, Luscombe’s interest in the playerpiano became quite obsessive. With pocketknife in hand, hereputedly sat at his mother’s kitchen table and hand cut a number of rolls copied from gramophone records and sheetmusic. Happily one of these rolls still exists today, his owncomposition from 1916 titled “Valse Impromptu”. Little did
Luscombe know thatthis laborious taskwould become thefoundation for hisforthcoming career.
In 1917, Luscombesailed to the USA, withaspirations of a futurein popular music. Hisduration is unknown,but this first visit certainly whet hisappetite in the potentialavailable to a visitorwith considerable musical talent. Reportsexist of Luscombe performing and conducting in NewYork City, so his contacts must havebeen impressive.
On a return trip to the states in 1919, Luscombe was keento find out much more about player piano recording techniques,as “hand played” rolls had recently made their appearance ontothe market. A pianist’s performance on roll now had a lifelikequality, which hand punched and cut piano rolls could neverachieve.
What Luscombe actually encountered must have been disheartening, as things were not the same as they were in 1917.An abundance of popular music pianists all trying to secureemployment, and a “closed shop” arrangement for music rollartists at the time made it impossible for the young Australian toacquire work. These were the days when “doughboys” werereturning from the battlefields of the Great War and unemployment, not only for musicians, was the order of theday. The post war recession also made things economically difficult.
Somehow Luscombe became acquainted with the Connorfamily, who were well established in the manufacture of “Connorized” music rolls. Lessons from Tobani and a friendship formed with pianist Roy Bargy were also positivehappenings. Bargy went on to be pianist for the famous PaulWhiteman orchestra and a giant in popular music circles.
It is also unclear how long Luscombe remained in the USAon this second trip, but meeting the Connor family and seeing
LEN LUSCOMBE
AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER PIANO ROLL
PIANIST AND ARRANGER
Len Luscombe
By Steve Rattle
129
firsthand the popularity of the player piano surely provided theimpetus for the career which lay ahead. A decision was madethere and then (and probably had been brewing in his mindsince 1917) for a return to Australia to establish his own rollcutting business in Melbourne.
Luscombe sank his life savings into the purchase of thenecessary equipment and machinery for roll production (and ared Buick roadster which he also fell in love with) but unfortunately his savings were not enough. Upon arrival of theequipment, the outstanding costs and shipping charges werepaid for by Luscombe’s mother, who reportedly had to mortgage the family home. So by 1921, the Anglo-AmericanPlayer Roll Company was born with factory located on the firstfloor of the Solway Buildings at 112 Johnston Street, Fitzroyand the registered office in the London Stores building inBourke Street, Melbourne.
From the beginning Luscombe’s product was first rate.Starting life as the “Monarch” and “Regal” labels, the brandname was later changed to “Broadway” which remained for thenext thirty plus years, with some label production overlap. It isunclear when actual production commenced (as early as 1920has been suggested) but certainly rolls were available for saleby 1922. Although production was relatively low and mainly atwo-person operation, Broadway rolls found an eager market inthe heyday of the player piano. The clock symbol idea used onthe roll labels came from a clock face on Broadway that hadimpressed Luscombe while he was in New York City.
Not only was Luscombe concentrating on his newly founded business, his services were also in demand as pianistand conductor for concert performances and silent movieaccompaniment, making him one of Melbourne’s leading musical figures. Luscombe conducted the Melbourne MajesticTheatre orchestra for many years and the 1928 program fromthe Melbourne Town Hall performance of Chaplin’s silent classic, “The Circus”, features Luscombe conducting the UnitedArtists’ Concert Orchestra.
In 1924 a Mr. Charles Urquhart joined the company. Bornin 1908 and one of eleven children, he remained the right handman at Anglo-American until Luscombe’s death, eventuallyinheriting the company. The two men established a close working and personal relationship and have been described asbeing “as close as brothers”. Urquhart’s position was in rollmanufacture, production and packaging, whilst a Mr. Bladekept the perforators (roll cutting machinery) and stencilingmachine (prints the words onto a song roll) in operation, withone or two casual women called upon as required.
Anglo-American also cut rolls for the Myer Emporium, alarge Melbourne department store under its inhouse label,“Dahlmont”. Myers tried to renegue on its supply contract(probably due to poor depression sales) but Luscombe wiselyheld the firm to its contract. The depression years and particularly the period 1932 to 1935 were lean indeed - Anglo-American was losing, on average, seven pounds a week.
“Broadway” recordings, editing and arrangements werealways Luscombe’s sole responsibility and many overseas masters were imported to fill out the catalogue of rolls. Thelegendary Fats Waller can be heard on Broadway in a few
issues, along with other American luminaries such as J. Lawrence Cook, Frank La Forge and Max Kortlander, toname but a few. Luscombe also used the pseudonyms DanRawlings, Earl Lester and Art Kaplin to make his roster ofrecording artists appear larger to an unsuspecting public. A few compositions also flowed from Luscombe’s pen with “ValseBeryl”, “Warragul” march and “Zethus” overture being themost successful.
In an interview with Charles Urquhart in 1989, Urquhartrecalled Luscombe’s playing as being perfect, sounding exactlythe same as his rolls. His ability to arrange a tune for roll production was, he felt, unsurpassed. Playback and editing wasmade on player pianos at the factory and also on one at the Luscombe residence. Production runs were generally up to1000 per issue, with the best paper for manufacture comingfrom Germany.
Main opposition for Broadway within Australia came fromthe Sydney based company “Mastertouch” owned by George H.Horton. The two rivals “stayed their distance” with Luscombepredominant in selling in the south of the continent, and Hortondominating the north. Urquhart also recalled that sheet musicwas obtained immediately when a new song was released, forroll creation. When music was not available, such as “BlueBird of Happiness”, the words and music were taken directlyfrom a radio!
Mr. Frank McCoan recalls the factory in 1952 being located in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, on the south westcorner of Johnston and Brunswick Streets. Anglo-Americanwas still located on the first floor when Frank worked downstairs for Solway Clothing until 1954. Occasionally hearing the sound of a piano playing in the distance, one dayFrank asked his manager what the company upstairs did, andwas told it was the piano roll factory. “Oh, I’d be interested tosee how they make those” enquired Frank. “You cannot” camethe reply, “It’s a secret and no-one is allowed up there”. “I probably said hello to people arriving or departing whoworked there, but during those three years they kept very muchto themselves,” recalls Frank.
Late in his life, Luscombe married Eugenie (known asGene) with a son and daughter resulting. It is unknown if thechildren were fathered by Luscombe or were from Gene’s previous marriage. Gene Luscombe described her husband in1988 thus: “He really was the nicest man, to everybody. Hehad many friends and entertained a lot in his own home inKew.” Rumour had persisted for many years that Luscombewas intensely shy and did most of his recording in the evening.“I would not say Len was a shy man, reserved yes, but a gentleman with a whimsical sense of humour,” recalled Gene.
Sometime in 1957 Luscombe was diagnosed as havinglung cancer. Although one lung was removed, Luscombe neverfully recovered and died three months later on the 8th ofDecember, 1957. Predeceasing his mother by two months, (hisfather having died in 1914), Luscombe was cremated and hisashes now reside at the Springvale Crematorium in Melbourne.
Charles Urquhart continued the manufacture of rolls fromexisting masters for a short time, but without new recordingsthe firm simply could not survive. Television had been released
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in Australia in 1956 and was making serious inroads into homeentertainment. The player piano was becoming passé. It’s perhaps hard to imagine today, but many families were tradingin their player pianos as part payment on a new television set.
Urquhart sold his inherited business in 1958 to George H.Horton’s son, and the old man is rumoured to have “hit theroof” when he found out. Business must surely have also beentough at Mastertouch. The Broadway equipment and masterswere subsequently packed and shipped to Sydney. Uponarrival, the more popular tune masters were kept, but due tospace limitations, the culling process began. Why would theyever want to recut these old forgotten tunes from the 20’s and30’s ? Consequently, many masters were destroyed - a sad signof the times. The new wave “chrome and plastic” decade hadcertainly arrived, with it’s rock and roll music on vinyl recordings taking the place of piano rolls.
None the less, one perforator has survived and is still inoperation at Mastertouch, who have also released a few of Luscombe’s surviving performances as part of the Mastertouchcatalogue.
So, Luscombe’s talent lives on for new generations toenjoy, with his sparkling arrangements and performances of thepopular music of yesterday. His rolls are eagerly sought afterby collectors as his pianistic ability rarely disappoints any contemporary listener.
Selfishly, we are today grateful that Luscombe was unableto carve a career for himself in the USA all those years ago.His creation of Broadway music rolls has instead left a lastinglegacy in the musical heritage of Melbourne and Australia.
Thanks are extended to the following people who providedvaluable information in the compilation of this biography :
Rick Alabaster, Allan Davis, Bill Denham, Doug Drummond, Frank McCoan, Ian McDonald, John Semmens,Doug Turnbull and Frank van Straten.
Steve RattleMelbourne July, 2000
Springvale crematorium plaques :
TREASURED MEMORIES OF
LEN LUSCOMBE
8TH DECEMBER, 1957
HUSBAND OF GENE
MUSICIAN LOVED BY ALL
MAX LUSCOMBE
23RD APRIL 1914
FOND HUSBAND OF ELSIE
LOVING FATHER OF LEN
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
ELSIE LUSCOMBE
6TH FEBRUARY 1958
MOTHER OF LEN
“AT REST”
Luscombe’s home -
48 High Street, Kew (1947)
Solway Clothing Company -
108A Johnston Street, Fitzroy (1947)
Len -
Birth (#22549) East Melbourne registered 1894, died (#15569)Richmond 1957 age 63
Father -
Max born Berlin 1866, died 1914. Arrived Australia 1886 - sonof a German Army officer. His Father ?, Mother - Anne
Died 1914 aged 48 Fitzroy North ( #5450)
Mother -
Elsie Drake, (#2131) born Daylesford Victoria 1868.
Her Father - David Drake, Mother Annie Alexander.
Died in 1958 age 86 (#01574 ) at Malvern, Vic.
Parents married in 1892 (#4944)
Presbyterian Church, Sydney Road, Brunswick on 7th September, 1892
Elsie address at time of marriage - 726 Sydney Road,Brunswick.
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2001 CONVENTION
THE 2001 CONVENTION IN
AUSTRALIA
& NEW ZEALAND
It seemed so long to wait when John and Jan Ham stood upat The St. Louis in ‘96 and said they would be willing to chair aConvention in Australia if enough AMICAns were willing togo. A show of hands at that time did, indeed, show enoughenthusiasm to send the Hams back to Australia with the task ofplanning our second international convention for the year 2001.
Time has flown by, and on February 18th our group “invaded” the lovely city of Melbourne, Australia. Our hotel,The Hilton on the Park, was located, as the name implied, rightacross the street from a Park. This made it very convenient tospend Sunday relaxing from the flight if jet lag set in.
We needed to rest up on Sunday, because Monday found ushaving a welcome breakfast in the Hotel at 7:30, and then off tothe coaches for a trip to “Puffing Billy”, the antique narrowgauge Steam Train built in 1900.
The train pulled us on a scenic trip up the mountain, and itwas a beautiful day for a train ride. Some of the AMICAnsjoined the local tradition of sitting on the side rail and hangingtheir feet over the side.
Lunch for the day was provided at the Yering Station Winery. It was a lovely ride to the Winery, and once there, wewere introduced to an Australian custom...Alternative service.Now what that means is, there are two meals served, and theyare put on the tables alternatively. If you prefer the meal youdidn’t get, you have to hope someone at the table feels the sameway and you can trade! It made for some interesting bartering...especially when the desserts arrived.
We made a short stop at the Healesville Sanctuary on theway back, and some of us saw a platypus for the first time,along with koala and kangaroo.
After that, it was back to the Hotel for dinner on your own,or an early evening for some...Jet lag yet again!
Tuesday we had Breakfast at the hotel again, and then offto the coaches for a trip to Melba Hall.
This year the workshop venue was different than usual,since Steve Rattle came up with the concept of each presenterdemonstrating once only, but one after the other in the hall, sothere was no need to miss any of them.
Denis Condon started off the morning with his presentation“My 53 years collecting piano rolls”, followed by PeterPhillips, “Electronic piano roll performances”, Frank Van Straten gave a talk on “Dame Nellie Melba”, Ian Dodds told usabout “Vintage recordings live again on CD”, Graham Codeentertained us with “Australian Pianists”. While all this was
going on, Jan Ham led the “Cross Stitch” class in another room.(I have to mention that the cross stitch sampler this year wasjust terrific, with some of the animals unique to Australia and amap of Australia.)
After lunch in the Hall, a short walk next door led us to thePercy Grainger Museum. The Grainger Museum was a treat,and presented a real insight into the man. (AMICAns knowPercy Grainger from the piano rolls he cut.) We were fortunateto hear his own Weber Duo-Art piano, and to see his collectionof pianos, his own designed clothes, and just a world of interesting things.
Then it was back to the Hotel for most of us, althoughthose who were entering the pumper contest were able to stay atthe Hall and practice.
Evening brought us the Welcome Dinner, which was reallylovely. It was another Alternate Service dinner, with Chickenor Beef. Both entrees were super, and dessert was a Pavlovawith fresh fruit and vanilla bean scented cream...Yummy! Cof-fee was served with homemade chocolates.
After dinner we were treated to silent movies of old-townMelbourne through time. It was very enjoyable, and very muchin keeping with the convention.
One thing I should mention is that the Ham’s had arrangedthe seating so that every table had an Aussie or two sitting atit...a very hospitable way for us to meet new friends or renewold friendships. We were privileged at our table to have Frankand Dora Freedman, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Wednesday we traveled to see two of Melbourne’s old theaters, the 1929 “Regent” and the Victorian era “Princess”.The “Princess” even has its own ghost, and Frank Van Stratenwas there to tell us about Federici, an opera tenor who died inthe theater during a performance, and who has been hauntingthe place ever since. After the theater tour, some of us went tosee an opal cutting and polishing demonstration in the city.
The afternoon was free to spend as we saw fit, and theattendees scattered in all directions, all looking for that specialplace. Many just sat around the park for a while before going.
John and Jan had arranged a very special dinner for us thatevening, and none of us knew what was in store for us until weboarded the decorative and lighted tram car across the streetfrom the Hotel, where we were served a fabulous dinner whilethe tram traveled around the city. We needed their entire fleet ofthree trams to feed all of the AMICAns. This was a real highlight of the trip, with very formal waiters attending to ourevery need. Who could have expected such luxury on a
By Shirley Nix
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tramcar? The food and wine was excellent, and when we gotback to the hotel about 11:00 p.m. we were ready for a goodnight’s rest.
I must mention, however, that many of us spent a lot oftime in the evenings at the park, where the possums held courtand entertained us. These possums are not at all like what wehave back home, where they tend to be rather funny-lookingcreatures with a long rat-like tail. The possums in Australia andNew Zealand are furry, cute, and have furry tails. They lookcute, but are apparently a real nuisance since they have no natural enemies in either country, and so they do what animalsdo, and their population is booming. This is extremely hard onthe natural habitat, and in New Zealand they are decimating theforests. Even in the park they have become a problem to thetrees and shrubs. (New Zealand’s only natural mammal is asmall bat...everything else has been brought in one way oranother, and when you have a country with four flightless birdsit isn’t a good idea to have animals brought in which feed onbird’s eggs and small animals.)
Anyway, I digress, but I should mention the huge batswhich also live in the park, and which flew out every night. Itwas a very live area at night.
On Thursday we were again treated to breakfast and thenon to the coaches for a trip to see the collections of Frank andDora Freedman and Harold and Beverly Ball. I should mentionthat we were told again and again that “We don’t have the bigcollections over here” prior to arrival, but for my part, I sawsome of the finest music boxes I had seen anywhere, and somereally great orchestrions and pianos, too. I think we all need torealize that “big” isn’t (or shouldn’t be) the criteria for a collection.
Frank and Dora have amassed a lovely collection over theyears, and we all enjoyed it immensely. From monkey organsand pianos to music boxes, their instruments played well, andwere a pleasure to behold. Frank told us many stories of howhe obtained some of the instruments, and what had gone intorestoration.
They have a lovely home, and a beautiful yard, too. Whilewe were outside a plane began skywriting above us, and whenit got as far as “Marry me An” our own Anita Johnson got quiteexcited, feeling she must have picked up an admirer somewhere along the way, but unfortunately when it was finished, itwas Ana, not Anita. (Unless the pilot couldn’t spell, of course,in which case it is a case of lost love forever)
Harold and Beverly have wonderful reproducing pianos,and lots of great music. They also have a player grand, whichhas great sound, and Julian Dyer kept many of us entertainedwith this instrument. Harold and Beverly also have a lovelyhome and beautiful garden. Of course, the men congregated inthe workshop out back. The hospitality shown by both of thesefamilies was fantastic, and certainly much appreciated. We allowe them a vote of thanks.
Friday was a big day for most of us, with a trip to the Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Park, to be met by staff membersin front, each with an animal in their arms. This was started byTehree Gordon as a sort of half-way house for injured animals,and has been kept going mainly by donations and the pet
boarding facility on the premises. It is a fabulous place to visit,and the work they do there is just amazing. On arrival we weregreeted with an Aussie morning tea of Billy Tea and Damper.
Then Tehree gave us all the photo ops we could ever wantfor pictures of ourselves with koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, birds,wombats, and other native animals. A couple of us even got tohold a baby kangaroo, all wrapped in a substitute pouch. Hewas the cutest little thing. I would have loved to bring himhome, but I think U.S. Customs would have frowned upon that.
Another real treat was the Aboriginal man who played hisdidgeredoo. That is something to see and hear, and he was superat it. He could make so many sounds, and boy, were the videocameras going full blast.
Lunch was furnished at the Wildlife Park. We had a greatbarbecue, and then it was back to the coaches and on to thehotel. The coaches took us at 7 p.m. back to Melba Hall for thePumper contest. Wine and cheese were served, and we weretreated to the usual variety of music for the contest, with somereally good rolls.
Contestants were Julian Dyer (who was not eligible to win,but did a demonstration), Valerie Saari, Selmer Nielsen, JohnPhillips, Mike Walter, and Ray Palmer.
The Piano used was a 1928 Beale Player Piano...an Australian Player Piano. It was a lovely, strong piano. It waslent for the contest by the parents of Steve Rattle, which was avery kind gesture. This year the winner was Mike Walter.“Footsie”, however, was missing and will be delivered to Mikelater. (The trip from England was just too long for Julian tobring it along.) After the pumper contest there was a tribute toLen Luscombe. This was a super program, both entertainingand educational.
Saturday we rose early, had breakfast, and were off to theorgan rally in Geelong. Lunch was supplied at “Smorey’s”Restaurant right on the end of the pier with great harbor views,an all-you-can-eat affair, and boy, can AMICAns eat!!!!!
After lunch we wandered the shores of Geelong listening tothe organs and admiring the scenery. It is a beautiful beacharea. There were some really super organs, including a DutchStreet Organ that was hand-cranked, and it was fun to see a lotof our people up there cranking away. (Not to say anyone inour group was cranky, of course!) John and Jan had their Calliope there, complete with American and Australian flags!!!Some of the music, too, had a distinct American flavor. I thinkwe need to make them honorary Yanks! They sure earned it!!!!
Most of us managed to squeeze in a ride on the Carousel,which is an Armitage-Herschell portable steam-driven carouselc.1892. This was purchased only in 1996 and completelyrestored to its former glory. Add to that a replica 1898 GavioliBand organ, and what more can you want????
Strolling along the park, we admired the Bollards, whichare painted wooden structures all along the path...104 of themin all. They are carved and painted to represent everythingfrom fishermen, the tin man, policemen, Scotsman, bathingbeauties, and many other representations of the area populationof yore. They are really fascinating, and each one I saw had arabbit on it somewhere. If the organs weren’t there to distractus we could have just spent the day inspecting the art of theBollards. Time flew by and we had to leave.
Back on the coaches again and off to Ballarat where John
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Semmens, the fourth member of the small Convention Committee, was waiting to greet us at Peter Warburton’s lovelyold home, built in the late 1800’s, and enjoyed his Orchestrellesand organs. The Orchestrelles sounded great, and the home wasreally fun to see. More good Aussie hospitality, and muchthanks to Peter!
We set off to the center of Ballarat to see the oldest carillonin Australia, dating from 1869. We gathered around and heldour breaths waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and...Seems thecarillon was not going to work today! All was not lost, sincewe walked a couple of blocks back to Her Majesty’s Theater,which is Australia’s oldest gold rush era theater. It is a lovelytheater, and after a brief tour and some music on the impressiveCompton theater organ, it was off across the street for dinner atthe lovely Craig’s Royal Hotel.
Then it was on board the coaches again for a trip to “Bloodon the Southern Cross”. This is a hard show to explain if youdidn’t see it for yourself. It is a light and sound show unfoldingacross a large area of an outdoor Museum, and surrounds theaudience with this historical chapter in Australian history.
The story is about a battle on December 3 in 1854 whensoldiers and police charged the stockade and the sleeping goldminers. It was a brief and bloody battle, the first time on Australian soil that men had fought and died together undertheir own flag - the flag of the Southern Cross. Clever use ofsound and lighting effects puts you right on the scene, and itwas a fascinating evening.
The Farewell breakfast was held Sunday in the Ballroom ofthe hotel, and it was a fitting end to the convention. Jan hadbeen given a large teddy bear to give away, and they had decided that the first one to register would get “Ben” (yes, hecame pre-named!). Well, since the first to register was ShirleyNix...I had the fun of carrying this teddy bear with me all overNew Zealand...in and out of planes, buses, hotels. I sure gottired of hearing that I was going to have to buy an extra planeticket for him...even the airline people gave me that line, but allis well...he’s home and resting on my bed.
It’s hard to find words to thank John and Jan and the Committee for all the work and time they put in on this Convention to make it the huge success that it was. They usedthe whole five years I’m sure, and it just couldn’t have been better! Thanks, too, to Steve Rattle who was the “right-handman” during all the events, acting as announcer, emcee, andtaking care of the Technical Talk music. We can’t forget tothank Ian Savins, who was tour guide, bus captain, and who, Ibelieve, handled a lot of the Sydney arrangements.
From there, we were on to Sydney by plane and to TheBoulevard Hotel. Sydney is the home of the Craig Robson collection, and what a fantastic collection that is! As weentered the museum the first thing most of us saw was theDutch Street Organ, “The Clock”. It is a marvelous organ,hand-cranked, and again our people had a chance to show theircranking skill, or lack of same as the case might be.
As you passed the organ and went in further, around thecorner was the breathtaking sight of the Taj Mahal...I can’t findwords to describe this wonderful Mortier organ. It literallystopped most of us in our tracks, and when it played everyone
just sat down and admired the music and the light show. Whata gorgeous, fantastic instrument.
Other things in the museum were a double Violano, a robotband, an Arburo orchestrion, a couple of other Dutch StreetOrgans, several really nice orchestions, a lovely reproducingpiano, a carousel, and so much more. Everywhere you lookedyou found a treasure.
Craig had a barbecue lunch for us, with lots of food, verydelicious, and then a dessert bar. It was just a wonderful way tospend a day, and we felt we really didn’t want to leave, but timehas a way of flying by.
Our spare time in Sydney was spent cruising the harbor,visiting the Opera House, walking around the lovely town andparks, shopping, shopping, and doing the things that tourists doin a town like Sydney, which is simply made for tourists.
Thanks also to Denis Condon, who held an unofficial openhouse for those who wanted to go. His collection of piano rollsis mind-boggling. He played any kind of music you wanted tohear, on whatever system you wanted to hear it on. It was agreat evening...so much so that Frank and I went twice!
From Sydney, we flew to Wellington, New Zealand, wherewe boarded the coaches and on to the Hotel.
In the early evening we rode to the hilltop home of Michaeland Gillian Woolf. The bus ride up the mountain road was thethrill ride we needed to keep the adrenaline flowing. We didmake it, and were greeted by Michael and Gillian and treated toa wonderful barbecue dinner. Michael started collecting aboutforty years ago, and has a home that overlooks Wellington Harbour, which is a spectacular view. We watched the sun godown, the moon rise and the lights come up...what a way toenjoy dinner.
The collection includes cylinder and disc music boxes,phonographs, records, pianos, organs...you get the idea...theemphases is on fun! The home is lovely, and the hospitality justnever ended. It was a perfect way to end the day.
The next morning we were on our way again, this time toRotorua. The trip took us north along the Kapiti Coast, theninland to travel through rolling hill country.
We stopped for lunch and then we continued across thecentral Plateau. Further north we followed the shores of beautiful Lake Taupo before passing the Wairakei GeothermalArea. We did stop en route at the Huka Falls, which was lovely.Some of the group checked in at the hotel, and the second buswent directly to the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute and ThermalReserve for an evening cultural experience. We took the tour ofthe model village site and then on to the Thermal Reserve to seethe boiling mud pools and geysers.
After that, we had to choose a chief from each group toanswer a traditional Maori challenge and welcome. Mel Septon, Jay Albert and Maury Willyard acted as our chiefs, andwe all held our breaths as they decided whether to pick up theoffered stick (good thing), or kick it aside (not a good thing).Luckily, they decided to act like good AMICAns and accept thewelcome rather than act on the challenge.
Then we were ushered into the Maori meeting place andwere treated to a Maori show depicting the mythical beginning
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of time. This was really an interesting and entertaining show,and when it was over the Maoris (in full costume, of course,)were available for us to visit with, take pictures of, and to joinin for pictures. They were really quite fierce looking, evencompared to AMICAns, and the pictures we took will be treasured.
An authentic Maori hangi (dinner) followed. Food iscooked in an underground steam pit, lifted from the pit andserved. It was delicious, with wild pork, lamb, seafood, vegetables, and all the extras. By the time we finished eating,most of us were dragging from a long day, and were glad to goback to the Hotel to rest up for the trip tomorrow.
Our next visit was at the home of Jonathan White inWhakatane. This was a real treat, even in the rain. Jonathanhas a large property, and a garden that is amazing. He put it allin himself, including a stand of native trees.
His collection, housed in his studio among his wonderfulart work, is all in peak condition, and includes some greatmusic boxes, both cylinder and disc, a Violano, a Coinola X, aLink, Seeburg G, a wonderful reproducing piano, and variousassorted other things. What a joy to visit! Jonathan is a wonderful host, and we all enjoyed our visit, which was tooshort, of course. We could, again, have spent days just listeningto the piano and other instruments. Everything sounded sogreat!
Lunch was at the museum of Leslie Watchorn’s. Leslie hasnever seen an old car or truck he didn’t like, and it became hisarea of collecting until he finally had to open a museum. Whata treat to wander among the old vehicles to our heart’s content,and then to be served lunch at picnic-type tables set up for us.Each table was served so it was totally self-sufficient, and thefood was just super. It made the service fast and efficient, too.(I do have to mention how strange it seemed to see old American cars, like a ‘57 Chevy, with the steering wheel on theright side...well, actually the wrong side to us.) We wandered,as we are apt to do, into the house and admired the reproducingpiano and another good collection of rolls.
Next morning we again boarded the coaches and went tothe ferry across Waitemata Harbour to Waiheke Island(arranged for us by Rod Cornelius), where we were transferredby coach to Lloyd and Joan Whittaker’s place. The Whittaker’shave a museum of old musical instruments, some automatic,most not. They have a lot of talent between them, and put onquite a show. They are open to the public, and I’m sure theyentertain a lot of school kids. We all enjoyed the show, andbought up all the videos he had in the American format.
Then we set off for lunch and a tour of the island, all againarranged by Rod Cornelius. After that, it was back to the ferry,the coaches, and on to the hotel. In Aukland the Hotel was theSky City, and it was complete with a casino. I don’t know ifany of our group found time to visit said casino or not. Most ofus were too busy trying to cram as much sightseeing in as wehad time for.
The next day we traveled on to Rod Cornelius’ home inDevonport. Again, the house is wonderful, and the view, particularly from the upstairs balcony, is just magnificent. I
don’t know how these people get anything done...I’d be sittingoutside all the time looking at the scenery at nearly every homewe visited.
Rod has a huge collection of 78 rpm recordings of Opera...Imean a huge collection! He could play anything you wanted tohear. Along with that, he has a marvelous collection of musicboxes, phonographs, a Violano, and various miscellany as anygood collector would!
Rod’s wife, Helen, sings in a Sweet Adeline group, thefemale equivalent of a barber shop quartet, and she and three ofher friends sang and entertained us while we ate lunch. What alovely, full sound four voices can make when they are allmatched properly. Again, there was a lot of talent there, and wewere sorry when they decided they were done. The hospitalityshown by all these people was just overwhelming. We reallycan’t thank any of them enough.
With that, the planned part of the trip ended, and the nextday most of the attendees boarded the coaches for the airportand the trip home.
This was a wonderful convention, with so many memoriesthat can’t have been made any other way. I just have to thankJohn and Jan and their hard-working committee again for volunteering their expertise. They gave us a convention that noone will ever forget who attended...So many things we wouldn’t(or couldn’t) have done on our own!
Now, I have to mention that I didn’t realize I was going todo the write-up until well into the Convention, and my notes areon tiny slips of paper, on the back of information papers, and onwhatever I managed to find to write on. If I forgot anyone, orgot something wrong, please overlook it. The main thing I triedto impart was the great fun and companionship we experienced,and the great planning which went into this trip, making it sofantastic.
The timing was perfect, too, since the dollar was so strongand the trip turned out to be quite inexpensive. When the tripwas first planned, there were not going to be many meals furnished, but it turned out that we got breakfast nearly everyday, lunch and dinner more days than not, all thanks again toJohn and Jan Ham and the super committee members.
We were given a carved koala as the table favor, but theHams had scavenged around and managed to come up withmore “goodies” for the group...a koala screen saver, koala calendar, little clip on koalas...all this on top of the piano roll.The piano roll this year was made by The Mastertouch PianoRoll Company, where we visited for a fascinating tour. It is avery good roll, with “Happy Days Are Here Again”, “Shepherd’s Hey”, “Waltzing Matilda”, “Let’s Take a Trip toMelbourne”, and “I Still Call Australia Home”. This roll willbring back memories for a long time.
There were seventeen first-time convention attendees thisyear...what a great first convention!!!! Of course, thanks aredue also to Liz Barnhart for all her work making it all happen.Liz is stepping down from her job as Convention Co-coordinator, and will be missed. We owe her a lot for thegreat job she has done the last 16 years.
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AUSTRALIANAUSTRALIAN
COMPOSERS & PIANISTS
My family have been involved with music in Australia forfive generations. My research companion in today’s talk isJohn Semmens. He and I have both been members of AMICAfor over a quarter of a century. We enjoy AMICA immensely.John has attended conventions overseas, but I with family commitments, have not had the opportunity YET. I am gratefulto AMICAns throughout the world for their contributions to mymusical enjoyment.
John and I both have a keen interest in the collection ofreproducing pianos and their rolls. Here, as in the UnitedStates, the three main systems of reproducing piano that weremarketed were the Welte Mignon, the Duo-Art and the Ampico.It’s interesting to note that in Australia all the Welte systemswere sold, the Red Welte, the Green Welte and Welte Licensee.Of course other reproducing systems were sold - ArtrioAngelus, Triphonola, Phillips Duca, etc. but in small numbers.
As a child, similar to many Australians, I knew of PercyGrainger through his composition “Country Gardens” but Iknew little about other Australians. A relative, Percy Code, hadconducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with PercyGrainger in his Free Music experiments. Through roll recordings, I was surprised and most interested to learn of theexistence of a number of Australians who were in their time,international celebrities and who are now all but forgotten,except by AMICANs of course.
PERCY GRAINGER
Percy Grainger was born on 8th July, 1882, at the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, here in Victoria. His father,John H. Grainger, was a well-known architect whose designsincluded the Princes Bridge in Melbourne.
He made his first concert tour when he was twelve. Soonafterwards he went to Germany with his mother to further histraining as a pianist and composer. Between 1901 and 1914,Percy and his mother lived in London where his talents flourished.
He made his first solo appearance with an orchestra at Bathin February 1902, playing Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.
Grainger’s extensive British folk music settings are lovingly and reverently dedicated to the memory of EdvardGrieg with whom he enjoyed a close friendship in the last year of the Norwegian composer’s life. They had first met (at Grieg’s request) in May, 1906.
When America entered World War I, Grainger, enlisted inthe U.S. Army - as a bandsman.
In 1928 he married Ella Strom, Swedish poet and painter,the wedding festivities being planned to include a concert in theHollywood Bowl to which twenty thousand guests were invited.
Grainger’s healthy outlook on life sang through most of hiscompositions. In addition to his orchestral, choral, and pianoworks, his creative output included chamber music, songs, anda vastly ambitious work for orchestra, entitled “The Warriors”.
To remain healthy was almost a fetish with him and when,in 1934, he brought his wife to Australia, they arrived by sailingvessel. He revelled in outdoor sports and walking.
He was most comfortable when wearing old clothes. Hewould sometimes arrive at the concert hall, fresh from a hikingjaunt, his rucksack on his back, change into evening dress,come on to the platform and begin his recital with a work by hisbeloved Bach.
Much of Percy Grainger’s music is based on folk songsfrom other lands but in “Colonial Song”, Grainger made particular note at the start of this composition stating that:
“This piece is truly my own. No traditional tunes of anykind are made use of in this piece, in which I have wished toexpress feelings aroused by thoughts of the scenery and peopleof my native land, Australia, and also to voice a certain kind ofemotion that seems to me not untypical of native-born colonialsin general.”
Grainger wrote this piece during a walk between Victoriaand South Australia - it speaks of the vastness of lonely plainswith perhaps an odd camp fire emitting blue smoke curling intothe sky.
Grainger played this piano version of Colonial Song in1924. It was a piece which he believed typified Australian lifeas compositions by Stephen Foster had done for the Americanscene.
In paying tribute to Percy Grainger, it is relevant to note thecomments of Harold Schonberg Music Critic for the New YorkTimes who said of him:
“He was one of the keyboard originals - a pianist whoforged his own style and expressed it with amazing skill, personality and vigour, a healthy, forthright musical mindwhose interpretations never sounded forced and who brought abracing, breezy and quite wonderful out-of-doors quality to thecontinuity of piano playing. Here now is the lonely poignant“Colonial Song”.
ERNEST HUTCHESON
Ernest Hutcheson was born in Melbourne on 20th July,1871. Considered a child prodigy at five, this pianist, composer, teacher, and author was for so long prominentlyidentified with music in America, that it might be overlookedthat he was born in Melbourne and was Australian.
He was a clear logical player with a classic style and had
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genius for the details of the piano. He played without passionbut it was said, that few pianists had equal finish, erudition andmusical integrity.
He arrived in America in 1900, and accepted the positionas head of the piano department at the Peabody Conservatoriumin Baltimore. He held that appointment until 1912, when he relinquished it to another Australian, George F. Boyle.
Hutcheson’s New York debut was in 1915. He appeared invarious parts of the United States, both in solo recitals and withorchestras, and in 1915 caused something of a sensation byplaying all the concertos of Tchaikovsky, Liszt, and MacDowellin one evening. In the early 1930’s he gave a series of fifty halfhour radio broadcasts across America introducing a vast audience to the delights of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven andBrahms.
From 1924 to 1937 he was Dean of the Julliard MusicalFoundation, New York, and its President from 1937-1945.
He is responsible for two important literary works -“TheElements of Piano Technique” and “The Literature of thePiano”.
As a teacher his pupils included: Abram Chasis, GeorgeGershwin, Olga Samaroff and Paul Wells.
He died in New York on the 9th February, 1951.
Hear now his scintillating, crisp, but soft performance of“The Caprice” by Scarlatti.
WILLIAM MURDOCH
William Murdoch was born at the Victorian gold miningcity of Bendigo, in 1888. It is similar to Ballarat where AMICAn’s will be visiting. He was educated at the MelbourneUniversity, and went to London at the age of seventeen, havingbeen awarded the Clarke Scholarship to the Royal College ofMusic. There, in 1909, he won both the Challen and HopkinsonGold Medals and made his London debut in 1910.
He was a wonderful chamber music pianist. In May, 1919,Murdoch took part in the first performance of Elgar’s PianoQuintet. He taught at the Royal Academy of Music in Londonfrom 1930 to 1936. Many of his chamber music performanceshave been re-released on C.D.
Murdoch composed a number of songs and piano piecesand published transcriptions from the works of Bach, Handeland Vivaldi. He was the author of two books: one titled“Brahms” in 1933 and the other “Chopin - his life”, in 1934.
During his career he travelled extensively, he was thesoloist in the first orchestral concert broadcast over radio, bythe Australian Broadcasting Commission.
He died at Surrey, England, on September 9th 1942.
Considered a master interpreter of the impressionist composers, we now hear him play “The Wind in the Plain”from the Debussy Preludes Book 1. Sadly this roll was recorded in Britain at the “end” of production, and it was notreleased to the general public.
UNA BOURNE
Una Mabel Bourne, pianist and composer, was born in New South Wales, in October 1882. The family moved to Melbourne when Una was a child. An infant prodigy, she wasplaying the piano at the age of 4.
In 1889, she attracted considerable interest and enthusiasmfor her playing at a concert for the Australian soprano, AmyCastles. In 1905, she made her first European tour, and becamethe associate artist for tours by Dame Nellie Melba in 1907,1909 and 1912. During 1914, Una Bourne played for QueenMary at a special command performance at Buckingham Palaceand gave concerts throughout England.
Throughout World War I, she remained in England, givingmany concerts for the wounded and taking part in fund raising concerts organised by the Red Cross. In 1915, shebegan making recordings for the Gramophone Co. (His Master’s Voice).
During the 1920’s and up to 1941, she played throughoutAmerica and England and was a pioneer broadcaster. Togetherwith Ernest Hutcheson, she selected Australians to take advantage of a special scholarship offered to Australian pianistsby the Julliard School of Music in New York.
During World War II, Una Bourne continued her work forthe wounded, and fund raising for the Red Cross, in Australiathis time.
In addition to a repertoire which included Mozart, Bachand Beethoven, she enjoyed acclaim for her playing of Palmgren, Scriabin and other moderns.
Una Bourne lived much of her later life in South Yarra, aMelbourne suburb. She had great musical intellect and integrity, coupled with magnificent technique. It was said sheplayed with her mind, her brain and her heart, as well as her fingers.
In 1942, she established a master school of piano playing atthe Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She was a friend ofour family. When she died in 1974 at the age of 93, the bulk ofher estate was left to the Australian Red Cross.
A favourite recording for me is her Duo-Art roll of theBrahms Waltzes, Op.39, recorded during her tour of the UnitedStates in 1924 - enjoy it!
JESSIE MASSON
In June 1915, Jessie Masson, an Australian pianist, fromMelbourne, recorded Duo-Art roll No. 6553, Traumerei(Revery) Op.15, No.7, by Robert Schumann.
Catherine Jessie Masson, was born in 1884 in Hawthorn, asuburb of Melbourne. Her parents would have been among theearliest to settle in Australia.
The Duo Art catalogue of 1915, reported “Suffice it to saythat the present roll is interpreted by a well known Australianpianist, who here has voiced a fine degree of expressive sentiment, bringing to hearing the complete charm of thisappealing, lovely writing.”
Welte Mignon (Licensee) enthusiasts will note that
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Madalah Masson recorded roll No. Y6559 Vesperale Op.40,No.2, by Cyril Scott. The artists listed were one and the same.
The Australian Musical News in February, 1924, tells us“Madalah Masson, or to give her the name by which her Melbourne friends know her better, Jessie Masson (now Mrs.Hartpence), has developed into a real citizen of the world.”
Listen now with me to that 1915 Duo-Art performance ofTraumeri.
EMSE DAWSON
I should at this time, mention Emse Dawson - an Ampicoroll artist and editor.
Emmasears Dawson was born in Queensland. After gaining a degree in music she went to the United States, whereshe lived with her aunt.
One of the main reasons for her coming to the U.S. was toseek treatment for a chronic back problem. She sought helpfrom the Christian Science people, and it worked.
Emse Dawson worked as an editor for Ampico from 1925,to the early 1930’s. She is responsible for two lovely populararrangements for Ampico and also the “Chimes” roll for theModel B Ampico. A Duo-Art roll of “Hold Your Man”, playedby Emse Dawson, was released in 1933, but try as I might, Icould not locate a copy.
A fascinating interview with Emse Dawson, occurs in thebook, “The Ampico Reproducing Piano”. It’s well worth reading.
Emse Dawson died in 1977. She was an Honorary memberof AMICA.
Arthur Benjamin
Born in Sydney, on 18 September, 1893, Arthur Benjaminwas a pianist, conductor, teacher, and composer. Initially hewas taught piano by his mother, and he began organ lessons atthe age of nine.
Benjamin was swept along into the upheaval and tragedyof the Great War. He served initially in the infantry, later in theRoyal Flying Corps, was captured and became a prisoner ofwar.
After the war, Benjamin returned to Australia and becameProfessor of Piano at the Sydney State Conservatory. He heldthis position from 1919 to 1921. He went back to England in1921, as a Professor of Piano at the Royal College of Music.
He spent the years from 1940 to 1946, in Canada as Conductor of the C.B.C.Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. In1950, to celebrate his 50th year in music, he was commissionedby the ABC to compose a piano concerto, which he also personally performed in Sydney.
As a teacher, Benjamin was very highly regarded. As acomposer, he was somewhat underrated in Australia, being better known in England, Canada and the USA. The success ofhis compositions overseas allowed him to devote much of hislater life to writing music.
Although returning to Australia only briefly once he had
left, he always maintained links with his home country and didmuch to promote Australian composers abroad, including theorganisation of Australia House concerts in London.
He also wrote a symphony; a major choral work, pianoconcertos, suites, orchestral pieces, songs, and much filmmusic. But his most popular piece of music was “JamaicanRumba” (1938), which was so successful that it tended toobscure his more substantial works. It was written for twopianos.
Let’s conclude our roll section with the wonderful,“Jamaican Rumba”.
George F. Boyle
How can a manwho performed inhundreds of cities;who conductedorchestras and cho-ruses across threecontinents; who hadfifty works in printby the time he wasthirty-eight, many ofthem performed byoutstanding soloists and orchestras; who taught at three of theUnited States major music schools over a thirty year career -how can that man be completely forgotten fifty years later?
Welte Mignon pianist, George Frederick Boyle was born inSydney, Australia, June 29, 1886, of professional musicians, hisfather a choir master and organist in Sydney, and his mother apiano teacher. From the age of 14, he made short concert toursthroughout Australia, and New Zealand.
In 1904, Paderewski played in Sydney. Paderewski withMark Hambourg, advised Boyle to go to Berlin in 1905 andstudy with Busoni. This proved to be a wise choice.
Busoni’s playing certainly must have had a tremendousinfluence on Boyle, for Boyle belonged to the “old school” ofpiano playing - a type of big playing, not percussive but veryorchestral and containing a wealth of coloration. Boyle introduced Debussy to American audiences.
Fellow Australian, Ernest Hutcheson resigned as head ofthe piano department at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory.Busoni recommended Boyle as a suitable replacement. Boyleremained at Peabody until 1922.
In 1926, he taught at the Julliard School of Music andremained there until 1940. He died on June 20, 1948, nine daysbefore his sixty-second birthday.
His best known large work is the concerto for Piano andOrchestra, which was written in Baltimore soon after he arrivedin America.
His other works include the Symphonic Fantasie, SlumberSong and Aubade, a Sonata for Cello, suite for two pianos andabout one hundred various piano pieces. His choral worksinclude two Cantatas about fifty songs.
Speaking of American critics, he had this to say, “If they
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liked me they would write, “Last night, George Boyle, American composer...”, and if they didn’t, “Last night, GeorgeBoyle, young Australian pianist...”. His press notices show thatthey usually like him.
The Philadelphia record summed it all up:
“He occupied an exceptionally brilliant position in American musical life. As a composer of striking individuality,he achieved an international reputation; as a pianist, he wasunquestionably one of the most interesting of his period; and asa teacher, he gathered about him a group of students and admirers whose enthusiasm recalls the vivid stories of the followers of Liszt. His power of expression was positivegenius.”
Boyle expressed his surprise at the similarity betweenAmerica and Australia, stating “in no countries have I found thesame ideals upheld, the same buoyancy of spirit and friendlyattitude as I have in America and Australia.”
He wrote three large works for the piano: The Piano concerto of 1911, the Sonata in 1915, and the Ballade of 1921.
His Ballade is technically difficult and was dedicated to thegreat piano technician Leopold Godowsky. The most prominent feature of the Ballade is its use of Lyric Melodies inright-hand octaves filled in with chord tones while the left handsweeps over the bass in arpeggios and scalewise passages in themanner of Rachmaninoff.
As a special treat, Timothy Young, who has recentlyreturned to Australia from Italy, will play the Ballade. Timothyis hopeful of gaining opportunities to play in the United Statesand England. Perhaps, some of you in the audience can helphim achieve his ambitions.
Please welcome a wonderful young Australian pianist,Timothy Young.
WILLIAM F.G. STEELE
The Aeolian Company had offices throughout Australia -here in Melbourne, and in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
The Managing Director in Australia, was W.F.G. Steele,who was born in London in 1879 and came to Australia as asmall boy.
W.F.G. Steele was recognised as a fine organist and pianist.He recorded one Duo-Art Pipe organ roll and one Duo-ArtPiano roll. I believe these recordings were made during busi-ness trips to the head office of the Aeolian Company in theUnited States.
In 1930, whilst conducting the Choir at Scots Church in thecentre of Melbourne, he collapsed onto the organist and died.He was 51.
Photographs of the four Aeolian showrooms appear in thebeautiful May 1923 reprint of “The Aeolian” distributed tomembers of AMICA in 1999. A photograph of senior staff atthat time includes W.F.G. Steele who was in 1923, the AssistantGeneral Manager.
Here then, is his only Duo-Art piano roll, “Noel”, by theEnglish composer, H. Balfour Gardiner.
ORDER OF ARTISTS IN GRAHAME’S TALK
Percy Grainger - “Colonial Song”
W.F.G. Steele - “Noel”
William Murdoch - “The Wind in the Plain”
Una Bourne - “Brahms Waltzes”
Jessie Masson - “Traumeri”
Ernest Hutcheson - “Caprice”
(Arthur Benjamin - “Jamaican Rumba”) - Depending on time.
George F. Boyle - “Ballade”, hand played by Timothy Young.
COLLECTINGFIFTY-THREE YEARS OF
COLLECTING
There’s always been a player piano in my life. I’m suremany of you could say the same. I was born in 1933. My parents had a Beale player piano from the very start of theirmarriage. They’d bought the player in the mid twenties whenplayers were all the rage. By the time I was around it was theDepression years, and Australia, like the rest of the world, wasin dire straights. But fortunately, my father had a good job inthe fire brigade [and in fact I lived in fire stations for the firsttwenty years of my life] so he was able to buy collections of second hand rolls from private ads in the newspaper. Apparently, some player owners thought that the few dollarsthat they could get for the rolls was better than trying to sell thepiano on a depressed market. Dad would often arrive home withtwenty or thirty rolls.
As early as I could remember the roll cabinet in our livingroom housed a really haphazard collection of items. You’d findfirst movement of the Waldstein sonata next to My Blue Heaven, Mozart’s Magic Flute Overture beside An Old Fashioned Waltz Medley. And there was Don’t Bring Lulu nextto Easter Hymns. And so it went on - I could spend the next halfhour talking about what was in that cabinet. There were about ahundred and fifty rolls, which, at the time, I thought was thebiggest collection in the world. [It’s a good thing I couldn’t seeinto the future!]
They were mainly Mastertouch rolls with a few QRS andBroadway here and there. There were some 88 note Aeolianrolls that looked sombre and, to my baby ears, sounded that
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way. Maybe some of you will remember the dark blue ‘StoryRoll’ labels on QRS. We had Valse Parisienne played by thecomposer, so even before I could read I could pick that one outby its deep blue colour.
And even before I could reach the pedals, because of myinterest in the collection, I developed a wide appreciation of allsorts of piano music - Chopin, Walter Donaldson, Stravinsky,Harry Warren, Verdi, Romberg - an endless list. It gave mequite an affinity with the Gulbransen ‘Easy to play’ baby!
We were a musical household. After dinner, I would bedoing my school exercises and mum would be doing the washing up and Dad would play a few rolls. He might put onthe Kashmiri Song, mum would throw the tea towel over hershoulder, virtually march into the living room, clasp her handsin the traditional manner, and render forth in a pleasing contralto voice. And Dad wasn’t bad with the pedals and thelevers either.
Then there were sing-songs round the player - often onSunday nights - neighbours and friends would join in - dancemusic, the latest songs. And this was great training for people tosing confidently for the rest of their lives. Over the years I’vereally come to understand that when a person says ‘I can’t sing’what they’re really saying is ‘I can’t sing well enough for people to want to listen to me sing’. And my later work trainingschool music teachers confirms this. A student who sang confidently would often come from a household where therewas a player.
No matter how one’s taste develops in respect of musicthose pieces heard many times in early childhood have a specialmemory, which has little to do with musical quality and a lot todo with personal recall of the past. That Valse Parisienne forexample may generally be regarded these days as an out ofdate, fairly dull piece of salon music but for me it holds a spe-cial evocation of my early family life. I often play the Milton Delcamp roll on the Ampico.
Now, in all of this time, nobody in the family had ever seena reproducing roll. You would think that with all of this buyingof roll collections there would be the odd Duo-Art or Ampicoroll, but not at all! And I think that demonstrates just howunusual such rolls were in Australia.
But all of this was interrupted in 1948 when I was fifteen.My father was diagnosed as having a heart condition and thedoctor said ‘Don’t pump the player piano’ These days of course,he’d say ‘pump the player’. So Dad looked around for an electric player. A few years before, at the beginning of the war,a piano tuner had told my father that the best player ever madewas called The Ampico. By an amazing coincidence the SydneyMorning Herald’s classifieds carried an advertisement that veryweek for a “Beale grand electric player” even though it wouldbe eight years before another reproducer of any sort was advertised in those same columns.] The player was bought, andeven though it was playing poorly, our tuner said that he couldservice it. Well, not only did it have eighty Ampico rolls with it,it turned out to be a B Ampico.
Actually, I was more interested in the Beale piano than Iwas in the player mechanism because at that time I was an
enthusiastic budding pianist and I’d been learning the piano forfive years. This Beale grand at six foot six was a beautifulpiano. Beale cases were legendary and their ‘All iron’ tuningsystem held world patents. The company folded in the 1960sand the name Beale persists in an Asian piano. That’s anotherstory.
Now, in 1948, nobody, but nobody was interested in playerpianos, let alone reproducing pianos. Beale’s factory was quiteclose to where I lived at that time so I called them up and theysent me the 1929 Service Manual. Since Beale player pianoshad Amphion actions in them, having grown up with thoseunique unit valves and the like, I was on the way to knowinghow it all worked. I was schooled by our tuner in pneumaticcovering. The materials available fifty-two years ago wereghastly. Tosh was full of holes, rubber tubing was ready to perish the instant it was pushed onto a nipple, felt was of theworst quality and leather in the form of split skin was availableat a frightening price only from organ builders. So, a fifteenyear old school boy, was about to become obsessed with themost sophisticated pneumatic devices ever developed. The 1929Service Manual is a model of its kind and years ahead of itstime in its layout and assistance. I don’t think I would have survived without it.
Hence, here I was with eighty Ampico rolls and this pianoneeding a rebuild. By calling on second hand piano dealers Isoon augmented the roll collection - noting at the time that therewere Duo-Art rolls sitting quietly on the back shelves. Remember, I was a school boy at this time and the pocketmoney did not go very far. I soon found William Braid White’s“Piano Playing Mechanisms” in the State Library and bravelytook the Ampico to pieces.
Meanwhile, I found ‘Carnegie and Sons’ piano merchantsin the city [Sydney] who were, previously, agents for the American Piano Company and they still had their roll librarywith hundreds of Ampico rolls. This library was eventually tobecome the basis of my collection. I was assured by the womanwho ran the library [when she wasn’t being a typist] that therewere other borrowers even though I did not encounter one forsome time. The library allowed the client to hire twenty rolls ata time and to change them as often as he or she liked. As aresult I became thoroughly conversant with the Ampico catalogue. Also housed separately from the library was a roomfull of rolls for sale. As I look back now on what was there Irealise what a gold mine it was - there were seven or eightcopies of some B rolls, most with the seals intact, dance rollsgalore and all at very cheap prices. My pocket money boughtmany amazing rolls but of course, I had to leave many desirables behind that, as a schoolboy, I couldn’t afford.
By chance after about a year in the library for the first time,I met another borrower. He was a friendly man, a lawyer wholived some distance out of town and he invited me to hear hisMarshall & Wendell grand. His piano turned out to be a welladjusted model A, and hearing A rolls that I knew well on the Bsystem, I was astonished at the richness of the reproduction ofthe A system. All of the Godowsky rolls, for instance, nowcame to life. I had long realised that when gems from the Acatalogue had been converted to the B system that the codingwas considerably altered. [The library included a number of
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Jumbo rolls - of which I seemed to be the only borrower. All ofthe Jumbo rolls that were originally from A rolls had alteredexpression coding]. Because of the huge numbers of A rolls inthe catalogue I was determined to eventually own an A modelpiano. When the library closed in the late 1950s I had alreadybought a great deal that I wanted from it and, to my great goodfortune the sales manager, who by this time knew me well, hadkindly put aside much Ampico literature that was about to bethrown out, to give to me. This included an almost complete runof the Ampico magazine from 1921 to 1931 - a treasure indeed!Blue prints, all sorts of Ampico advertising and loads of playerparts. Posters, catalogues and service manuals. Precious material, which I treasure to this day. One curious item was abox of hundreds of printed up Ampico labels, as well as dozensof blank ones, all looking if they had just been printed.
I began training as a school music teacher in the early1950s and, as you can guess, my thoughts were turning to TheDuo-Art. It had been 8 years since my father had bought theBeale Ampico. I was starting to have more than pocket moneyat this stage and when another reproducer was advertised forsale, I bought it at once. It was a Steck pedal electric uprightModel 37P. It needed a rebuild and it had three Duo-Art rollswith it [and about two hundred 88 note rolls], and, by goingaround to second hand piano dealers where I had seen DA rollsas I was buying Ampico rolls years before, by the end of thefirst week I had more than 700 DA rolls including a beautifulcollection of over a hundred British Audiographic rolls. [As Isaid earlier, nobody was interested in them - they cost me mostly 5 to 10 cents each.] I had a motor bike in those days andI packed the rolls into a hessian bag and brought them home onthe back of the bike - making trip after trip. On one of these forays into finding rolls I well remember going to one shopwhere I had seen DA rolls at least five years before, there theywere, about fifty of them still on the shelf. I asked the price andthe dealer said: ‘Those damn things! The customers bring themback saying that they don’t work properly on their players andthey want their sixpence back - you can have them if they’reany good to you!’
As you can imagine, in the intervening years I’ve owned anumber of players. You’ll find in the AMICA Directory a list ofthe ten items I have now. The following is a list of those additional pianos that I’ve had but which are no longer in mycollection.
Beale-Ampico grand B
Beale-Ampico upright
Weber Duo-Art upright US [the 37P one]
Steck Duo-Art grand [which I bought to acquire the 1000 DArolls and literature that went with it
Steck Duo-Art grand of late design
Weber Duo-Art grand [now in the Grainger Museum]
Behning Welte-Licensee grand
In 1962 I spent the year in London under the Commonwealth Teacher Exchange Scheme, where I made somelife long friends through player piano contacts. Just before Iwent to London I put an advertisement in the British magazine‘The Gramophone’ trying to contact other collectors. Frank
Holland and Gerald Stonehill replied and this resulted in a massive swap of duplicates with Gerald of one hundred and fifteen DA rolls. What a great time I had picking my 115 rollsfrom Gerald’s amazing DA collection! John Farmer’s excellentAmpico players and his fine roll collection were an inspirationat that time too.
Coming back to Australia I travelled through USA meetingLarry Givens, Ken Caswell and others. All this before AMICAbegan. It was 1963 when interest started to kindle in San Francisco. Bill Knorp and Richard Reutlinger were avid collectors then, they offered the sort of friendship which can berenewed at anytime. All through the delights of mechanicalmusic.
For more than twenty years I have been presenting reproducing piano recitals six times a year in the living room ofmy house. There is always a theme for these evenings - it maybe a particular pianist, a composer, a theme of some sort [water,country, periods of music and so on]. We usually get betweentwenty to forty listeners. Some have been coming for all thoseyears. I will continue to present them as long as the interestlasts.
I am often asked which system I prefer. This question canbe answered from different points of view. For many years Iwas an Ampico man mainly because the elusive DA system wasnot giving up its secrets and the really soft playing for which itis famous amongst collectors was hard to achieve. Then, arti-cles in The AMICA Bulletin and serious discussion with othersled to me spending sometimes up to two hours on each stackvalve in setting the clearance of DA valves to 0.8 of a mm withan accuracy of plus or minus .05mm all set with a top classdepth gauge. Then ironing out the lost motion in the levers that transfer the dynamic information from the accordion pneumatics to the knife valve so that the ‘play’ and ‘not-play’chords in the test roll register correctly. How many of you havewatched a Duo-Art in performance with the power “one” accordion doing nothing more than taking up the slack in power“eight”? If these problems are dealt with then the Duo-Art issurely hard to beat. Add to this its superior roll catalogue andmuch joy and delight is ahead for the keen Duo-Art owner.There can be no doubt that it achieves the most remarkablepianissimos. I wanted to hear so many of the outstanding DArolls on a fine piano so I spent two years designing and buildinga DA vorsetzer so as to be able to hear DA performances on abig new piano. One of the healthy results of this project wasthat I rescued from oblivion the DA mechanism out of a Steckgrand - a mechanism that would have been sent to the rubbishtip. Harold Ball and Peter Phillips were exceedingly helpful inthis project. It all showed such promise that I bought a new C7Yamaha grand to use with it. The results may be heard on discsthat make up ‘The Condon Collection’. Back to the question asto which system I prefer, since, thanks to the DA vorsetzer, Iwas hearing top reproduction from DA rolls.
Enter the Welte-Mignon! In 1964 one of the lads I wasteaching mentioned that he had seen a ‘sort of piano playingrobot’ in Katoomba [in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.]On investigation this turned out to be a red Welte vorsetzer vintage 1906 - surely one of the oldest Welte players! After ayear or so the owner died and his widow sold the machine to
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me. There were 12 rolls with it. As we were loading it onto atruck the widow said that she was sure that there had been morerolls for it. If I wanted to look in the old shed in the garden Imight find some. Altogether there were 192 red rolls all in finecondition and surprisingly all of them were cut in USA - mostlyon that wonderful grey, heavy stock paper. How a German builtWelte came to have a collection of rolls cut in America will, Isuspect, always remain an unanswered question. It had beenlooked after but certainly needed a rebuild. Welte players withthe three leaved pump are a curse to restore. The sides of thecase have the channels that carry the vacuum to all parts of themachine and the shellac used 95 years ago to seal these channels no longer does so. I had to fill these channels with redlead, let them soak for a few hours and pour the remaining paintout thus sealing the wood. A hell of a job! [As it turns out, allGerman built Weltes have this problem one way or another andit must be dealt with]. It may account for the fact that very fewof these players today give satisfactory results. Despite the factthat they have the largest striker pneumatics of any reproducerthey give poor fortissimos if these leaks have not been attended to.
This is how I found the Welte players. The Steinway keyless player [1913] was found in the town of Orange in thewest of New South Wales. The Behning licensee grand [1925]was in Brisbane in Queensland. [I no longer have this player].The Steinway upright red player [1922] in Fitzroy Falls NSW.The green vorsetzer [1925] in the United Kingdom in Wales.This green/Licensee machine must be my favourite player sinceit is the one I use most. It has that unique mechanism that giveszero pressure at the tracker bar throughout the performance -this eliminates the need for any sort of tracking device, it nevermistracks.
Of course, much of this is being in the right place at theright time. On my first night in London Gerald Stonehillshowed me a mint copy of the 1927 Welte catalogue - a rarepublication indeed. I had never seen a Welte catalogue then andI was astonished at what was once available. The very next dayI happened upon the Steinway showrooms and asked the youngshop assistant if Steinway-Welte players ever featured as tradeins. He said that it was their policy to avoid them. “But” hesaid, “There is a book on my desk which I was going to throwout”. Yes, it was the 1927 catalogue, which he gave me. Beginners luck!
The right place at the right time also featured while I wasin London that year [1962] when the last agents for the Ampicoin Europe, the Marshall Piano Company, finally closed itsdoors. Again, all sorts of Ampico literature surfaced and I wasable to complete a number of sets of rolls from the last gasp oftheir roll library. While in Vienna that year I visited theBösendorfer factory. They offered me the complete works of anA Ampico grand, which had never been unpacked to beinstalled in a piano. Sadly, at the time to was too difficult toorganise the purchase of this rare item. [It might be still there!]
Despite my continued interest in all of this I have neverseen a Duca player that worked nor a Hupfeld reproducer thatplayed as it should [including my own!]. My Roenisch upright Hupfeld player carries the legend on the fall board“Animatic-Phonoliszt”. The fifty or so rolls that came with it
were labelled either “Triphonola” or “Animatic T”. Thereseems to be no difference between these two. It is a fine pianoand it has some unusual features. The unit stack valves, on atwo-shelf stack, are double valves and they are made of bake-lite. The expression mechanism is a simple version of the onesillustrated in the Hupfeld service manuals. It has no hand con-trols of any sort and it was originally coin operated. An unusualmachine. This was found in Kangaroo Ground, a suburb ofMelbourne. Sadly, with hours of restoration, it has never playedas I think it should. I’m still trying!
But, now, I have to confess, that five years ago I bought aYamaha C7 grand piano with the Disklavier Mark II. It hasgiven me as much pleasure as I have had from the pneumaticinstruments in more than fifty years. Thanks to the four vorsetzers [green Welte, red Welte, Duo-Art (designed and builtby me) and Ampico (also designed by me)] I am in the processof transferring my whole roll collection onto disc. A giganticundertaking since there are some 8000 rolls in the collection.
As I have said elsewhere, if my players play as well as didthose that played for the pianists who recorded the rolls, then,that is as near as we can expect to get to the artist’s rendition allthose years ago.
Lastly, remember this, the original purchasers of thesebeautiful and captivating machines enjoyed unique experienceswhich started when Edwin Welte thought up that most originalof ideas - Can I develop and market successfully a machinewhich will play like a person, not just any old pianist but a particular one, so that the playing can be recognised by expertsand enthusiasts?
He did it!
Yes, for a while I was interested in other automatic players- I owned a Solo Orchestrelle in 1955, which I bought, withthree hundred Aeolian grand and pipe organ rolls, for Twentypounds - about one hundred dollars. After some deep thought Irealised that there was as much work in this one instrument asthere was in all of my reproducing pianos. It now is the jewel ina friend’s collection in Brisbane and it is playing very wellindeed.
Any questions?
Do I favour a particular reproducing piano? When playingas they did when they were new, they all ‘delivered the goods’.If I had to own but one reproducer it would be the WelteMignon because of the extraordinary number of rolls, whichwere available for it. Even so, the Ampico has a splendid arrayof dance rolls. The Duo-Art? Find one that works properly andyou have a treasure indeed!
How very fortunate we are to be able to hear piano musiceighty years on exactly as it was originally heard by the delighted owners of these fascinating and beautiful instruments.Lucky us!
DENIS CONDON
February 2001
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When Thomas Edison made his first ‘talking machine’ inNew Jersey, USA in 1877 even he did not foresee the future ofthe device. The work that was being carried on in other parts ofthe world suggests that even had Edison not ‘invented’ his‘phonograph’, another would have been developed along thesame lines soon after. Many devises began to appear in Europein the 1880s, not the least of which was the flat disc machineusing a lateral cut method (opposed to Edison’s vertical cutprocess - or ‘hill and dale’) developed by Berliner, in Germany.The fact that Edison got to it first may have even have causedsome delay in the development of commercial sound recordingbecause he was almost paranoid about patenting his productsand ensuring that he retained control. Because he did not initially take the invention too seriously he really did not domuch work on its commercial potential for a decade or more.
The drive mechanisms for the various machines were notproperly addressed for several decades and the speed variationscaused quite a bit of confusion. It is sufficient to say that themechanisms were many and varied, ranging from reliableclockwork motors to the ‘newer’ electrical devices that were, attimes, clumsy and difficult to operate, many requiring large andcumbersome batteries.
Today, I am here to talk about the audio developments ofthe recording processes that have culminated in the digital system that we use today to listen to sound and to show something of the way the sound we hear can be manipulated.Sound, like vision, is a matter of perception. We are all different and see and hear things in our own ways, within thelimitations imposed on us by our own senses.
All recordings, whether lateral or vertical cut, were produced acoustically until the mid-1920s. The development ofthe audio amplification tube meant that the electrical productionof sound for home use and in cinemas became a reality at thattime, and within a couple of years movies were ‘talking’ and allcommercial recordings were being cut electronically. The nextdecade saw rapid development in the sound industry. With bothfilm soundtracks and the commercial sales of discs as the driving force, the next decade saw many improvements in themethods of recording, the standardisation of the recordingspeed, and noticeable improvements in the overall sound quali-ty due to better microphones and recording techniques.
In the early 1930s the lack of sales of recordings during theyears of the Great Depression brought about many changes inthe recording industry. Certainly not the least of which was theformation of Electrical and Musical Industries (E.M.I.) Ltd.which was an amalgamation of many of the well-known
recording labels in the UK and Australia, including two of thelargest, HMV and Columbia.
The Second World War meant that, although it was harderto find artists to make recordings, the development of the actualprocess went ahead rapidly. Tape and wire recordings werebeing used and the Long Playing (LP) record was commerciallyavailable from the late 1940s. ‘Microgroove’ recordings, both at45 and 33 1/3 R.P.M. became the standard until the early 1980sand the 78 had all but disappeared by 1960.
One of the major contributing factors in the developmentof digital audio recordings was the effort being made toadvance video technology in the 1960s and 1970s. Technicianswere looking at the best ways to produce and store videoimages and sound. Videotape was used extensively (and still istoday, although it too is coming to the end of its time with therecent development of DVD-recordable devices). A digitalprocess of permanently putting video and audio onto a ‘laserdisc’ was developed in the late 1970s and this was probably thebiggest contributing factor in the development of the CompactAudio Disc that we know today.
It is interesting to note that the original forms of sound‘software’ have two things in common with today’s compactdisc. Both are round and both have holes in the middle toenable them to spin so that the ‘recording’ can be accessed.Interestingly, we have only recently began to develop ways ofplaying back music using non-revolving media using a form ofdigital compression, which still has some limitations. I am talking about the ubiquitous MP3 files that are constantly beingtouted as the next generation from CDs. Sound purists knowthat we still have a way to go before ‘compressed’ files willreplace non-compressed digital audio.
The work I have been doing for the last four years or soinvolves taking the analogue sound from older recordings andtransferring them to CD. While I make every effort when I dothis to reduce as much surface noise as possible, I do not try to‘add’ anything to the finished product. I certainly do not addreverberation, which I do acknowledge can improve the soundof a poorly produced ‘flat’ studio recording. But this is a matterof personal taste and once put into the finished product it cannotbe removed. These days, people who like this sound can purchase amplifiers that have the ability to do this to their individual needs anyway.
Many others have been restoring older recordings for manyyears but until recently only very expensive and sophisticatedsoftware was available to remove the extraneous noises. ManyCDs were issued with very raw transfers of the originals and at
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the other end of the scale many were overdone, using far toomuch 'equalisation' to achieve an 'acceptable' result.
The reality is that the noise cannot be completely removed.'.
.' What I attempt to do is reduce it within a certain decibel andcycle range so that the ear thinks that it has been taken awaywithout substantially affecting the actual sound of the originalrecording. This is important to note, because the surface noiseon 78s, particularly the very noisy British pressings from thelate 1920s onwards, mixes with the actual sound and anyreduction at any level also takes away something fromsomewhere else. The challenge is to minimise this and 'trick'the listener into ignoring as much as possible the remainingextraneous noise.
So, how is it done? First, let's look generally at the way adigital recording is made. When recorded into a computer as a'.wav' file, the wave line is not continuous, but made up ofmillions of samples (44100 per second for CD quality). It is thenature of these samples that allows the software to analyse andalter the sound with much more accuracy and effectiveness thanwas ever possible using an analogue sound recording.
So to get to this stage, the original recording is thoroughlycleaned and then recorded directly into the computer, using avery stable and constant speed turntable. Speed variations onearlier recordings can be adjusted digitally in the computer.
The digital format of the recording allows me tomanipulate it in many ways, not just the speed. I can balancethe 'highs and lows', which could be surprisingly variableconsidering the restricted sound range of the originalrecordings. Every now and then I hear a recording that amazesme with its clarity and tone. I take my hat off to the soundengineers who, in most cases, were working with only onestrategically placed microphone. Of course, it helps when therecording I am using is a good original pressing that has beencarefully stored and played over the years.
The recordings are 'cleaned-up' using a process of allowingthe software to 'remember' the surface noise at the beginning ofeach recording and then adjusting the software settings toremove enough of the 'noise' so that the recorded sound is notprejudiced. Before this is done I usually run a 'click and pop'eliminator that removes, or at least, helps to reduce thesharpness of the background noise. This is one of the mostcritical parts of the process as an incorrect adjustment canremove some of the sounds in recordings that have the sudden
decibel peaks and troughs that the software looks for. Thesesounds can include a growling trumpet sound (common in earlydance band and jazz recordings) and the male baritone voice(also common in many early dance band recordings).
There are many possible variations to the settings necessaryto remove the surface noise and it can sometimes take a greatdeal of trial and enor to get it right.
After the recording has been 'de-popped' and the surfacenoise has been reduced, I use a filter to exclude the frequenciesabove a certain level depending on the quality of the originalrecording. There is some trial and error here also, but the'cycle' range of 78 recordings is generally very poor and isprobably the reason why they sound so 'warm' to the analoguesound purists.
1 have mentioned several times how important the qualityof the original recording is to the whole process. The better theoriginal recording, the better the result of the restoration workwill be. Sometimes, because of the rarity of a particularrecording, I have no choice but to work with a copy that hasbeen well used. If I am very lucky I sometimes get to choosethe best copy to work with. Some of the best pressings in theworld came from Australia in the 1930s when EMI used alaminated process to press their recordings. The 'silent' surfaceColumbia recordings of the late 1920s were also very good andthe 'Victor' pressing from the USA of the late 1920s and early1930s were very good but, unfortunately, did not wear well. Atthe other end of the scale there were many cheaper recordsmade by companies allover the world that used poor qualitymaterials that are extremely difficult to work with. But eventhey can be 'cleaned' up to sound better than the original.
I have had some purists say to me that they would prefer tohear an 'untouched' original recording. I am a collector alsoand while I understand this viewpoint I cannot agree that weshould suffer the technology of the past· when we can usetoday's teclmology to enhance our listening enjoyment. Thatsaid, I do believe that we should never allow the originalsources of this material to be lost to future generations. Whatwe can do today may be very basic compared to what thetechnicians of the future may be able to do, and we should doeverything we can to ensure that the original sources remainavailable for them to work with.
Ian Dodds
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2001
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PHOTOGRAPHS & CAPTIONS
BY: SHIRLEY NIX
MIKE BARNHART
Top Left - Mike Walterthe VP wins the
pumper competition!
The host with the most.
The winning performance, the judges hard at work.
Taking a bow
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Percy GraingerMuseum
John Washburn at Healesville
Sharyn Cunningham and Liz Barnhart
Galen and Linda Bird, Judy and RollieChisnell, Selmer Nielsen
Maori man with digiri doo
Shirley Nix at Jirrahlinga
Mike and Liz Barnhart with friend
Mike and Liz Barnhart
Koala at Jirrahlinga
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Harold and Beverly Ball
Peter and Janet Tallent
John Mercy, Liz and MikeBarnhart, Lyn Mercy
Elsa and Joe Pekarek
Liz Barnhart with John and Jan Ham
Five Past Presidents - Bob Taylor, RonConnor, Mel Septon, Maury Willyard,Linda Bird
Michael Woolf’s backyard in WellingtonRoad hazard
Wellington, New Zealand - Michael Woolf with Carol Veome
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Don Ellison with Dora and Frank Freedman
Denis Condon and Peter Warburton
Denis Condon at Peter Warburton’s
Jonathan White, Whakatane
Paderewski’s piano at Whitakers Museum, Waiheke Island
Lloyd Whitaker entertaining, Waiheke Island
Joan Whitaker presenting program on Waiheke Island Museum
Howard Sanford at Rod Cornelius,Auckland
AMICA member, Alan Brehaut at home in Timaru, New Zealand, South Island
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Mel Septon
Master Touch PianoRoll Factory, Sydney
Craig Robson’s organ, Sydney
Rod Cornelius’ Edisons, AucklandAlan Brehaut’s musical collection
Master Touch, Sydney
AMICA members Alan and Lorna Brehaut,Timaru, New Zealand, South Island
John Mercy, Paddy Austin,Tony Austin, Lyn Mercy
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Peach Melba - our dessert served in Ballarat and named for Dame Nellie Melba, as was
Melba Hall. Yummy!
Tehree Gordon, founder of Jirrahzinga Park,with Herb and Rochelle Mercer.
And the winner is - Mike Walter
Beverly and Jeff Brabb One set of Bollards in Geelong. These are the life saving team.
Jan and John Ham with “Ben”, thebear presented to the first to register
for the Convention - Shirley Nix.
Australian road signs.
John Ham has an encounter with an echidna.
Shirley and Frank Nix at the Maori show -
who looks the fiercest?
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Terry Haughawout, Joan Haughawout, Mary Pollock andLeroy Schumacher at Yering Station Winery.
Rod Cornelius - it’s music to his ears.
Helen Cornelius (left) and her singing group entertain as we eat lunch.
Jonathan White in front of his piano and wonderful artwork.
Earl Scheelarshows he can
digiri-doo!
Shirley Nix holdsan orphan babykangaroo.
Craig Robsontelling us aboutthe Taj Mahal.
Selmer Nielsen petting a wombat.
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Brian Meeder and Jay Albert admire the koala’s hat.
Train station in Melbourne.
One of the lovely, uncrowded beaches. One of many New Zealand volcanos (dormant!)
This bus had no bathroom, so it makes lots of stops!
The Majesty’s Theatre - a wonderful old theatre.
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Tree lined path in park next to Melbourne Hotel.
Sydney skyline with ferry in foreground.
The view from the balcony of Rod and Helen Cronelius.
This koala has a “proper” Ausie hat.
The bridge in Sydney Harbor. If you look closely you can spot people on the top - you can take a hike up there -
with safety lines.
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First-time convention attendees: front row (l-r) Leroy Schumacher,Betty Schumacher, Dennis Eiland, Cindy Eiland, Marilyn Udell,
Kay Overfield, Jerry Golmanavich, Carol Veome, RaymondPalmer; back row (r-l) Norm Overfield, Mike Boyd, Ern Fisk, Betty
Golmanavich, John Phillips, Jackie Dupon, Dave Reichert
The Ham’s calliope, complete withAustralian and American flags
The small village in the park at Melbourne.
John and Barbara Washburnat the tram car dinner
George Cunningham, Sharyn Cunningham, Jan Ham, FrankNix, Shirley Nix, John Ham “Under the AMICA Banner”
The organ at the carousel in Ballarat.
One of the ponds in the Gardens in Melbourne.
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We’re in a factory in Knoxfield, in Melbourne’s outer-eastern suburbs. The weather is very warm.
Yet it isn’t hard to close the eyes and imagine we are somewhere near a Norwegian fiord: it is early morning, and aswan or something similarly majestic is taking off and risingabove a broad expanse of water into the Scandinavian dawn.
For the music of Edvard Grieg is playing in the background. Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite played by Percy Grainger.This is appropriate, as we are talking about Grainger. Andthat’s Percy’s piano, in pieces, on the factory floor nearby.
It’s a 1932 American-made Weber reproducing piano,known to its custodians at the Grainger Museum as a Duo-Art.Think of it as a sophisticated pianola: an electric roll-drivenpiano able to reproduce not only the notes but also how hardthey were originally played.
There’s something odd about this piano. Look at the blackkeys, says Rick Alabaster, whose factory this is. Every blackkey has a tiny hole drilled through it. This seems like an awfuldesecration of an expensive instrument: Grainger bought thisone second-hand, yet its value (around £700) was still morethan three times the price of a new Morris automobile.
But Grainger was more than a player or collector of musical instruments. He was an inventor, a tinkerer. The blackkeys had holes so they could be attached, with wires, to othermusic-makers and played simultaneously. It’s precisely the sortof idea that appeals to the 130 members of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors Association, 108 of them fromoverseas, who have been holding their annual convention inMelbourne this week.
On Tuesday, delegates got together in Melba Hall at theUniversity of Melbourne to hear presentation on subjects ranging from Dame Nellie Melba to “My 53 Years Collecting
Piano Rolls”. Also on the schedule was a visit to the GraingerMuseum, next door, where Percy’s reproducing piano was backin place after its visit to Rick Alabaster’s factory in Knoxfield.
Alabaster likens the work to a 50,000-kilometre service ona car. The Weber piano is an elderly piece of machinery withmany thousands of moving parts. Over time, some don’t moveas freely as before. So Alabaster took the piano apart and put ittogether again, paying particular attention to the hammers,which had become soft and worn.
By early Monday afternoon, after hundreds of workinghours, Alabaster took a moment out to have a cuppa while thepiano played itself in the background.
Alabaster is a specialist in the restoration and repair ofautomatic musical instruments, most of them very old. In histime, Alabaster, 48, has played many parts. He took a hotel-management course; worked as an accountant; then as aninvestigator for Corporate Affairs. But for the past 10 years hehas concentrated on automatic instruments - everything frommusic boxes to huge mechanical organs. He has managed toturn a hobby into a business.
His factory is a musical treasure trove. Down the front,under a protective cover, is the pipe organ from the magnificentcarousel at Luna Park, St. Kilda, which is itself being restored in a separate project. The organ, a rare French Limonaire“Orchestrophone” model, dates from around 1910. Alabasterhas a recording of a similar organ in action. He presses somebuttons and the factory is filled with fairground sounds.
“One old fellow heard this and said we’d transported himall the way back to his eighth birthday,” he says. “He’d had hisbirthday party at the park and could remember this same tunebeing played.”
BRINGINGPERCYGRAINGERTO LIFERick Alabaster has been restoringthe late, great Australian musician’s piano. And once that’s done, his reward is having Grainger play for him. Alan Attwood reports.
From The Age, February 22, 2001, Melbourne
155
It might even have been the scuffing feet of this chap andhis friends, long ago, who damaged the elaborate façade ofLuna Park’s organ. Nothing that can’t be fixed, however, withappropriate amounts of time and care.
But funding is still being sought for the organ restoration.Until money is raised, the Limonaire remains a pending project,literally under wraps.
Elsewhere in his factory - which has on its walls, amongother things, a calendar from a welding supplies company and aposter advertising the Grainger Lecture (“Grainger and America”) from 1999 - Alabaster has a 1925 coin-operated contraption combining a player piano and a machine-operatedviolin; and, in a corridor along from his office, something that looks like an overweight piano. It is an Italian instrumentfrom 1895.
“Effectively a jukebox,” says Alabaster, rummaging for thecoin he needs to operate it after the mechanism has been woundup. There is a choice of 10 tunes. Alabaster selects one, startsit up, then exposes the workings. A huge roller, like the mechanism in a music box, plays the piano keys. And there areadded extras: a tambourine; a cymbal; a triangle. It is a low-tech machine - the technology was obsolete by World War I- but it works. Even more amazingly, says Alabaster, “it survived”.
How an instrument like this got to Melbourne is a mystery.It could be a family heirloom, brought into the country longago.
Alabaster rescues some things from tips: people toss outgrandpa’s old piano, the one that played paper rolls, withoutappreciating its value. Apart from imports, there was - beforethe advent of TV, which crippled it - a thriving local industry inplayer pianos and mechanical organs. They were entertainmentmachines in an era long before CDs or DVDs; music-makersfor people who couldn’t play music themselves.
Alabaster, who grew up in Melbourne, became entrancedby music machines when he was 15 “and first saw the mightyWurlitzer at the Dendy in Brighton - this theatre organ comingup through the stage”. He joined the theatre-organ maintenance
committee. Tinkeringbecame a hobby, thena full-time job.
He likes the idea ofcreating things ratherthan destroying them.He has learnt to beadaptable. A perenni-al problem is findingreplacement parts.His solution has beento make things himself. Which iswhy he vanishes intohis office and thenreappears brandishingsamples of kangarooleather. It is, he says,
the strongest leather in the world. “Go ahead,” he says, offeringa thin piece, “try to tear it.”
Can’t be done. Which is why it is perfect for the manufacture, say, of a leather valve used in a pipe organ.
This improvisational streak makes Alabaster a spiritualcousin to Percy Grainger, one of whose instruments incorporated a “Kangaroo Pouch Method of Synchronising andPlaying Eight Oscillators”.
Grainger, who died in 1961, was a pianist, composer andinstrumental visionary who constantly sought new ways ofmaking music. One of his theories, propounded in 1938 whenhe was working in the area of “free music” - music liberatedfrom scales and scores - was that music might be best playedwithout a musician.
“Free music demands a non-human performance,”Grainger wrote. “Like most true music, it is an emotional, not acerebral, product and should pass direct from the imagination ofthe composer to the ear of the listener by way of delicately controlled musical machines. Too long has music been subjectto the limitations of the human hand, and subject to the interfering interpretations of a middle man: the performer.”
This seems a bit rich coming from a man who first madehis mark as a performer. One English account from 1970describes him thus: “When Percy Grainger first came to England in the early years of the century, everyone fell for him:corn-colored hair, bright blue eyes bursting with vitality,immensely enthusiastic and a staggering pianist. Where had he,an Australian born in a suburb of Melbourne in July 1882, everlearnt to play the piano to such perfection?”
But as Grainger’s musical ideas developed, conventionalinstruments could not satisfy his individual needs. Especiallywhen it came to his free music.
“It seems absurd to me,” he wrote, “to live in an age of flying and yet not be able to execute tonal glides and curves -just as absurd as it would be to have to paint a portrait in littlesquares (as in the case of a mosaic) and not be able to use everytype of curved lines.”
No existing machine could reproduce the music Graingerfound in nature or heard in his head. Harnessing contraptionsto a Duo-Art piano wasn’t quite the answer, either. So, whileliving in New York in the 1940s, Grainger tried to constructmachines of his own design, using everyday items such as golfballs, vacuum cleaners, roller skates and balloons. One unitincorporated a clothesline.
It all sounds eccentric, but Alabaster says that whatGrainger was striving for was not dissimilar to what Mr. Moogachieved with his music synthesizer many years later.
Brian Allison, curator of the Grainger Museum, also seesthem as “fitting into the Australian make-do tradition”. Allisonsays there was a strong link between Grainger’s Duo-Art pianoand his free-music machines. Cutting his own rolls to play thepiano led Grainger to regard piano rolls as a replacement for amusician. His machines, examples of which are on display at the museum incorporate paper rolls as the governing mechanism.
CD Jacket - GRAINGEREarly Recordings by the Pianist
The Condon CollectionRare Recordings
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But even Grainger himself, seldom averse to self-promotion, seldom gave public demonstrations of hismachines. They remained works in progress.
Alabaster says he once heard the Grainger machines inaction. It sounded - well, it’s an acquired taste. And he’s neverhad a chance to tinker with one. But his work on Grainger’sreproducing piano was largely a labor of love. He says it isimpossible to work on such an instrument without being awareof its history. Especially when there are those intriguing holesin the black keys . . .
He spends his time working on obsolete instruments - “I’ma dinosaur in terms of what I’m doing” - and yet . . . the music
lives. Also the musicians. A reproducing piano recordedGeorge Gershwin playing his own Rhapsody In Blue, the onlyrecordings of Grieg himself playing the piano were also madeon such an instrument. Similar technology was used to preserve Grainger playing recordings that have since beentransferred to CD format.
As Grainger tinkles away in the background in his Knoxfield factory, I ask Alabaster if he has a holy grail: oneinstrument he covets. He nominates a Hupfeld “Phonoliszt Violina” - a combined reproducing piano and violin. German.Very complex. It would be, he says, “a swine of thing to workon”. But he’d love to try.
BEETHOVENBEETHOVEN’S HEARING LOSS
It is a well-known fact that Beethoven had a severe bilateral hearing loss, so it is amazing that despite his
handicap, he was able to create phenomenal orchestrationswithout hearing all the nuances of his compositions. We knowthat if he were alive today, his hearing could have beenrestored.
How is it that despite his poor hearing he was able to compose such beautiful music? To understand this, let me firstgive you a brief review of how the ear works and you will seehow Beethoven overcame his problem.
When we speak to each other we send out sound waveswhich reach the auditory portion of the brain in two ways, byair conduction and bone conduction.
With air conduction (the most effective route) the soundwaves strike the eardrum which is tissue paper thin and the sizeof a trim index fingernail. These sound waves then traverse anair space (the middle ear) to reach the inner ear (cochlea) wherethe auditory nerves (hair cells) float in fluid. It is the motion ofthese hair cells that sends electrical impulses to the brain whereit is perceived as sound. There is a mechanical bridge of threetiny bones in the middle ear that connects the eardrum to theinner ear that holds the hearing nerves. These are the tiniestbones in the body (size of a grain of rice) which never changein size after birth. The hammer (malleus) is attached to theinner surface of the eardrum. The middle bone shaped like ananvil (incus) is then connected to the stirrup shaped bone(stapes) that fits into the oval shaped window, which is theentrance to the inner ear (the cochlea). It is the motion of thischain of bones that transmits sound to the auditory nerves.
To determine which part of the ear is responsible for thehearing loss we must decide whether there is a mechanicalblock preventing sound transmission to the nerve or if the nerveitself is damaged. When the problem is in the auditory nerve,nothing can be done at the present time although in the future,
present day research hopefully will be productive. Anythingthat prevents sound from reaching the eardrum (wax or cerumen) will cause a hearing loss.
Fluid in the middle ear, surrounding the tiny bones, willdampen their vibration and sound transmission. Normally theair pressure outside the eardrum and behind it in the middle earare equal because air gets up the eustachian tube which is in theback of the nose. Anything that blocks this tube, adenoids inchildren, a bad cold, or on descent on an airplane will cause theair that is behind the eardrum to be reabsorbed into the tissuethat lines the middle ear creating a vacuum that draws fluidfrom the lining membranes. It is like plasma and when thisfluid surrounds the tiny bones, it limits the transmission ofsound to the inner ear. This is reversible. Other middle earproblems, infections or a loss of continuity of the three boneswill produce a hearing loss, but since these types of loss aremechanical and when the auditory nerve is working, they alsoare reversible.
Now that brings us to Beethoven. He had a hearing lossthat was genetic or hereditary in nature, the type that severalmembers of a family may have. He had no history of ear infections. So despite an advanced hearing loss, how was heable to hear the nuances of all the music he composed? Yes, heprobably was able to hear his compositions in his head, justreading it, but he was actually able to hear it when playing thepiano. He had otosclerosis, where the loss is due to bony locking or fixation of the inner most middle ear bone (thestapes). He had a normal eardrum, but the sound was blockedfrom reaching the auditory nerves which were working.
How can we assume this? Remember I told you that soundreaches the auditory nerves by air conduction via the ear canaland also by bone conduction as sound strikes the skull. He hadpoor air conduction because the stapes was locked, but he stillhad bone conduction. This is something you can try yourself.
By Alan Austin Scheer, M.D.Thanks to Dianne Polan
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Hold a vibrating tuning fork against your teeth and you willhear it quite well. Then have someone put their fingers in bothof your ears to occlude the canals and you will hear the forkmuch louder.
Normally when you hear like this, thru your teeth, some ofthe sound waves will exit from the middle ear via the ear canal,but if they can’t exit, either because of the finger occlusion orbecause the ossicular chain is frozen when the stapes is locked(otosclerosis), the sound waves double back to the auditorynerve and you will hear quite loudly. We do a tuning fork test(the Rinne test) which will tell us quickly whether we are dealing with a conductive (middle ear) loss or a nerve loss. Anormal hearing person will hear a 512 tuning fork much, muchlouder when it is held next to the ear than when it is held behindthe ear pressed against the mastoid process. This is called apositive Rinne test. When the problem is in the middle ear(locking of the stapes, like Beethoven had), the tuning fork isheard less via the ear canal (because the ossicules are frozenand loud when held against the mastoid bone). This is called anegative Rinne test. Middle ear problems will give a negativeRinne test.
Beethoven could hear well thru his teeth when he held adrum stick between them with the distal end resting on thepiano above the keys. This is the way he actually heard whencomposing or playing the piano. The music stayed in his headso that after a while, his brain replayed his music without asound.
So from all this we know Beethoven had otosclerosis andwith the new techniques and the operating microscope, if hewere living today, his hearing could have been restored with thestapedectomy operation which takes 20-30 minutes and is 97%predictable. In this procedure the eardrum is elevated, thelocked stapes removed, and a Teflon stainless steel prosthesis isconnected to the middle bone (the incus) with the Teflon portion in the inner ear so that sound waves will set the
cochlear fluid in motion, thus activating the hearing nerves.T h eprosthesis is generally 4.75 mm in length, tiny when you realizethere are 25 millimeters to an inch.
However, if Beethoven was born after 1960, it is unlikelythat he would have had this type of hearing loss. This isbecause otosclerosis (stapes fixation) is now almost a thing ofthe past.
Remember, I mentioned that otosclerosis was a genetic disease. This is true, but the otosclerotic gene has to be activated before the stapes locks in place with bony cement.We now know that the measles virus which remains in the bodylong after a child has the measles is necessary to activate theotosclerotic gene, but now measles rarely occurs since all children get the measles vaccine which was given starting in thesixties. So no measles, no hearing loss from otosclerosis.
Over the many years that I did this surgery, I was able torestore hearing to over 20,000 people - some with special talents like Beethoven, others in ordinary types of work. Formost people the restoration changed their lives and their personalities since a hearing loss often makes a person insecure,so he withdraws from conversation, with others ensuing economic and family effects.
Two special people came to mind as I write this article. Awell-known concert pianist, 35 years ago, had a hearing losslike Beethoven and he gave up his concert career. His name isMichael Fields and he went on to become a gourmet cook andteacher and wrote many highly regarded cooking books. After Irestored his hearing, he stayed in his newly chosen field.Another man I recall, the father of a friend of mine was a Judgeon the Supreme Court in Israel. When he was told that therewas no help for him, he resigned from the court. When hecame to the U.S. to visit his daughter, I told him he had otoscle-rosis. When his hearing was restored he took his seat back onthe bench. I felt as fulfilled as he did.
p-piano - the neighbors have complainedf-forte - the neighbors are out
ff-fortissimo - forget about the neighborspp-pianissimo - the neighbors and the police are at the door
Obbligato - being forced to practiceRit/Rall - coming to the part you haven’t practiced
Con Moto - yeah baby, I have a carAllegro - a little car
Metronome - short, city musician who can fit into a Honda Civic
Lento - the days leading up to EastoLargo - beer brewed in Germany or the Florida Keys
Piu Animato - clean out the cat’s litter box or it goesInterval - time to meet the other players at the bar
Perfect Interval - when the drinks are on the houseCantabile - singing while drunk
Con Spirito - drunk againChords - things organists play with one finger
Dischords - things that organists play with two fingersSuspended Chords - things to lynch the vocalist
Subdominant - “I can’t play unless I’ve asked my wife.”
Syncopation - bowl condition brought on by an overdose of jazz
Quaver - the feeling brought on when you haven’t practiced
Key Signatures - silly things put in music to frighten you (ignore them and they will go away - along with your audience)
Time Signatures - things for drummers to ignoreColla Voce - this shirt is so tight I can’t sing
Professional - anyone who can’t hold down a steady jobFlats - English apartments
A tempo de café - ah, coffee time!Improvisation - what you do when the music falls down
Fugue - clever stuffPrelude - warm-up before the clever stuff
Acciaccatura/Appoggiatura - insects
Opus - exclamation made when the dog pees on the new rug
Virtuoso - a person who can work wonders with easy-play music
Melody - an ancient now extinct art in songwriting
M U S I C D E F I N I T I O N S
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JACOB LINCOLN COOK -MY FATHER
(continued)
SNOW HILL
Geraldine and I (joined by Lucille when she was oldenough) walked two and a half miles every day from HappyHollow into town to attend CPS, the colored public school. Itwas never clear to me whether CPS actually stood for“Columbia Public School” or for “Colored Public School.”
In 1911, the superintendent of the Columbia publicschools required Professor Johnson, our principal, to collect afee of one dollar a month for children attending CPS wholived outside the city limits in places like Happy Hollow.
Grandpa could not afford to keep three of us in CPS withthis added expense, so he decided to send me to a free schoolin Happy Hollow even though its academic reputation waspoor. Once again, Aunt Gertie came to my rescue.
Aunt Gertie wrote to her brother, my Uncle Charles, who(like Uncle Herman, the mason) had graduated from TuskegeeInstitute in Alabama. Uncle Charles had learned the tailoringtrade there and was teaching at Snow Hill Institute in Alabama. He was also the school’s bandmaster.16 Aunt Gertieand Uncle Charles arranged for me to go to Snow Hill as aboarding student, working my way through. In addition to following the academic curriculum, I was to work for theschool and also learn the tailoring trade. I would have theopportunity to learn an instrument and play it in the schoolband.
By the time I arrived at Snow Hill the school year hadbegun, and Uncle Charles’s tailoring class was filled. I had tochoose a different trade to learn and I selected carpentry.
Uncle Charles told me the band needed a second clarinetist and gave me an instrument and a self-instructionbook. With the help of the first clarinetist it was not too manymonths before I qualified to attend rehearsals, and in time toplay in the band. I felt inspired once to write a little piece forsolo clarinet, the beginning of my creative efforts in music, atthe age of twelve.
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OFTHE EARLY YEARS
PART 2 OF 2
1911 - 1919
J . LAWRENCE COOK
“JLC at the step recording piano at Aeolian in New York City - earlyJune 1968”
Transcribed from his comments taped in 1972Edited and annotated by his sonJean Lawrence Cook M.D.© 2000 Dr. J. Lawrence Cook.Reproduced with permission
Note: Mike Meddings of Staffordshire UK, who produced a series of Jelly Roll Morton roll transcriptions in the 1970-80’s, was recently contacted by J. Lawrence Cook’sson Dr. Jean Lawrence Cook, M.D. (retired). Dr. Cook was impressed by Mike’s comprehensive website showcasinghis father and other music luminaries (found athttp://www.doctorjazz.freeserve.co.uk), and asked Mike to phone him at his residence in France. After a long conversation, Dr. Cook told Mike about his eldest niece, Dr.Lisa Fagg, who also lives in England and that he should contact her also. After doing so Mike was invited to visit Lisaand her husband Steve, for a Saturday lunch and get-together.
In the meantime, Mike was offered Dr. Jean Cook’s reminiscences of his father in document format, transcribedfrom tape-recorded comments by his father. Mike was alsoshown private family photos never before seen by the public - some of which will be reproduced in this serial.While some parts of this biography are quite similar to theground-breaking JLC biography published in the 1973AMICA bulletins, the Billings’ only had the audio tapes towrite the transcription - with incorrect phonetic spellings andgeographical assumptions. Dr. Cook has embellished theseearly transcriptions with corrections, facts and references toback up this article. Dr. Cook happily gives his permission forAMICA to print this work. - Karl Ellison
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Traveling to Snow Hill, Alabama, from Columbia, Tennessee
The train to Snow Hill originated in Chicago, and wecalled it a “double-header” because it was pulled by two hugesteam engines in tandem. When the train arrived in Evans-ville, Indiana, the conductor came through pointing at theNegroes saying, “you go back there...you go back there.”F r o mEvansville the train, now observing southern Jim-Crow law,went to Nashville, and it is there I was put on for the trip toSnow Hill, Alabama.17 On the way we stopped at Birmingham,Montgomery, and Anniston. The train actually passed theAnniston station, stopped, and then backed into it. The nextstop was Selma, thirty miles from the stop at the village ofSnow Hill.
An oxcart from Snow Hill Institute met each of the twotrains that stopped at the village of Snow Hill, Alabama, daily.That is how I was transported with my trunk to the school,about five miles from the train station.
The Village of Snow Hill, Alabama
The center of the town had two general stores, which soldeverything the local residents needed. The post office was in astore across the street from the railroad station. I well remember a cotton gin which I liked to watch operate whenever I was in the town. I can still remember the piled upbales of cotton.
The Sheriff was the law to Snow Hill’s few hundred residents. Snow Hill Institute, five miles away, was actuallylarger in area than the village.
Getting Along Financially at Snow Hill
No one in my family was affluent. Uncle Herman inChicago and Uncle Lamar in Pittsburgh would send me a littlemoney when they could, and so would my dear sister Amelia,who was only 17 years old when I began at Snow Hill. Ameliaand I kept in touch by mail regularly, and she always found adime to wrap in tissue paper and slip into the envelope. I don’tremember that she ever failed. I kept her up to date on suchimportant things as how much I weighed. I will never forgethow proud I was to write her that I had reached 100 pounds.
Each month, after my work had earned enough money tocover tuition, I could draw scrip, which was negotiable at thecampus commissary.
Businesses and charitable organizations used to send theschool barrels and boxes of clothing and shoes. A studentcould submit a request for these items to the treasurer’s office.Unfortunately the clothing we got this way, especially theshoes, seldom fit.
Living Conditions at Snow Hill
We had no doctors and no hospital facilities, but we didhave a graduate of Tuskegee Institute who had first aid training and some rudimentary diagnostic skills. He wore auniform similar to the one male students wore, and we calledhim “Major.” The nearest physician (white) was ten miles
away.
Mealtime at Snow Hill
The meals at Snow Hill certainly left something to bedesired, and they were badly served. The kitchen personnelfilled our individual plates as they rang the bell to summon us.Hearing it, we quickly organized ourselves into a formationand marched to the dormitory dining hall, boys in one group,girls in another. By the time we arrived, our plates of foodwere cold.
Breakfast was usually a slice of congealed grits, a blob ofsolidified gravy and a piece of cornbread. The other mealswere equally appetizing.
There were chickens around, and one of the places theywould lay their eggs was under the carpentry shop. The shopbuilding was on pillars, leaving a crawl space, which thechickens liked to use. We carpentry apprentices would hear ahen cackle, announcing a new egg, and scramble among thepillars to find her. We had two ways of cooking the eggs. Inwarm weather we would use the glue warmer as a double boiler, and in cold weather we used the pot-bellied stovewhich heated the shop. Our method was to wrap the egg inwater-soaked newspaper and place it in the receptacle for thehot falling embers.
Saturday night was bean night for the male boarding students. Whoever had money would buy dried beans andsugar from the commissary. We would soak the beans, thencook them with the sugar and proceed to have a feast. If weate too much, as we often did, we would run around the dormitory building to settle the beans.
Oxcarts
I learned to drive an oxcart. The ox wore a heavy woodenyoke on its neck, with a line attached to one side of it. The oxwas stroked gently with the line to get him moving, and a tugbackward would stop him. To make him turn right you calledout “gee” and to make him turn left you called “haw.”
My First Year at Snow Hill (1911-1912)
During the school year at Snow Hill I met my first centenarian. He claimed to be 104 years old. He may havebeen born in Africa, though I do not recall his making thatclear. He did teach us to mimic some spoken phrases and asong, which he said were African. If he was born in Americaand was as old as he said, he had lived the first 58 years of hislife as a slave. A real tragedy. And if he had been carried off toAmerican slavery from Africa, that may have been even moredifficult to bear than growing up never having experiencedfreedom.
My First Summer Vacation at Snow Hill (1912)
Grandpa could not afford to send me a train ticket tocome home to Columbia for my first summer vacation, so Iworked in the carpentry shop all summer. Among otherchores, I was called upon to use my new carpentry skills tomake a coffin for the child of destitute parents. I was proud ofmy work when I finished it. In my spare time I would borrow
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keys to the band instrument room. By the end of the summer Ihad tried out all the different instruments, including thedrums. I did miss the violin lessons Uncle Charles gave meduring the school year.
My Second Year at Snow Hill (1912-1913)
(Ed. Note: There are no comments about this school year,or about returning to Columbia for summer vacation).
My Third Year at Snow Hill (1913-1914)During this year we had two concerts which I remember
very well: one was a song recital by the great Patty Brown andthe other a violin concert by the grandson of Frederick Douglass.
Home Again from Snow Hill (Summer 1914)It was almost dark when I arrived in Columbia on the
L&N train from Snow Hill, via Selma and Mobile.18 Therewere no Negro hacks waiting at the Columbia station, so Iapproached the white driver of a one-seat buggy. He told methat he would take me if there were no white people whowanted a drive into town. Fortunately for me there were noneand he agreed to take me to Happy Hollow for a quarter.
There was a light here and there on the road we took, butwhen I got out of the buggy and turned up the path to ourhouse, the darkness was complete. There was no answer to myknock on our front door, so I knocked on the Peppers’ door.Again no answer. Deciding that Grandpa must have gone tosee Miss Mary and that Lucille and Geraldine must be theretoo, I walked more than two miles to Miss Mary’s home, nearmy old school CPS, and sure enough they were there.
To this day I do not know whether Miss Mary and Grandpa were already secretly married. After the letter fromMiss Mary to “my dear husband” which Mrs. Alexander,Geraldine, Lucille and I had seen (without Grandpa’s knowledge) what was I to think? Why did it have to be asecret? I just do not know. (Editor’s note: Job ChildsLawrence died 11 July 1919. His death certificate was signed“Mary Lawrence, wife.”
Mrs. Alexander’s DeathI was at Snow Hill when Mrs. Alexander died. Grandpa
wrote to me about it, so I was not surprised at her absencewhen I returned to Happy Hollow.
Grandpa wrote that one evening when he returned homelate from the canning factory, he ate dinner and lay down torest. He was drifting off to sleep when he heard Mrs. Alexander call out “Lawrence! I’m dying.” Grandpa hurriedinto her room, but she was already gone.
Thinking about Mrs. Alexander, and death and dying, Ihad trouble sleeping. I stared out of the window into the night,and I realized I was happy to be back home.
I Lose My BangsWe had a pleasant surprise the next day, in the form of a
visit from Aunt Gertie. She quickly made it clear that she didnot approve of my new hairstyle. Following a Snow Hill fad,my hair was brushed forward and clipped in front to make
bangs. Aunt Gertie wasted little time cutting my hair short andremoving the bangs.
I Use My Newly-Learned Carpentry SkillsLooking around on my first day home I noticed that the
wooden steps to the porch had rotted badly, and that the coopin which we kept young chicks was falling over. I told Grandpa that if he could buy the lumber for the chicken coopand the steps I could repair them. Grandpa bought the lumber,and in a few days I had finished the job. Grandpa was veryproud of me and my carpentry skill.
Summer Experiences (1914)On my second day home from Snow Hill, I asked
permission to visit Robert Brown, who had been a classmateat CPS. When I reached his house, I found that Robert’sfather, Josiah, was dying. He had been operated on by a localphysician, a white man who was very kind to all of hispatients of either race. Unfortunately I believe his competencedid not match his kindness. Not long after Robert’s fatherdied, it became clear that the doctor was mentally ill. Heended up as a demented street performer in front of the postoffice.
Like me, Robert was interested in music, and he had persuaded his parents to arrange piano lessons for him. Helearned quickly and soon became able to play the hymns inour little church, on the same old reed organ that Grandmaused to play. Inspired by Robert, I worked hard at the piano allsummer until I was able to match his hymn-playing.
A Chance to Enroll at Haines InstituteReverend Collier, who had replaced Grandpa as pastor of
Mt. Tabor, arranged for my friend Robert Brown to go to aboarding school in Augusta, Georgia. This was a schoolfounded by Lucy C. Laney, the great Negro educator. It wascalled Haines Normal and Industrial Institute.19 Despite theword “industrial,” the emphasis was actually on academics.The grades offered began with kindergarten and went throughthe equivalent of two years of college. I wanted Reverend Collier to arrange for me to go to Haines as well. I had alwayscraved an academic education, but my success as a repairer ofstairs and constructor of chicken coops made Grandpa think
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that manual training might be the preferred route for me. Iworked hard to change his mind, and finally I did.
My Arrival at Haines (Fall 1914)
The train ride to Haines in Augusta, Georgia, was longerthan the trip to Alabama and Snow Hill. In Augusta, a fairlylarge southern city, our trunks were not delivered to the schoolby oxcart but by a horse-drawn railway express truck.
I arrived with the clarinet, which I had been able to procure, with Uncle Charles’s help, from the band at SnowHill. I was thrilled on arriving at Haines. Robert showed mearound and introduced me to students and teachers. The boyswere dressed in military uniforms and the girls wore whiteblouses and blue skirts. There was military training and a military hierarchy among the students. I progressed to corporal, then sergeant, and finally became official bugler formy company.
Grandpa had made arrangements to pay five dollars amonth in cash toward my tuition. I would earn the remainder,and my room and board, by cleaning the classrooms and thechapel in McGregor Hall. On Saturdays all the boys, includingme, used rakes and brooms to scour the campus grounds. Inexchange for the additional chore of looking after the musicconservatory building, I had the privilege of taking pianolessons. The three members of the music department werevery helpful to me.
After classes, and after cleaning the classrooms, thechapel, and the small conservatory, I spent every free momentpracticing on one of the pianos.
Life at Haines Normal and Industrial Institute
How much better meals were at Haines than they hadbeen at Snow Hill! Mrs. Kendrick, an excellent cook, managed the kitchen. There were two dining rooms; the tableshad white table cloths and were neatly set. Instead of arrivingat the table to find each plate already served, with food thathad turned cold, hot serving dishes were brought to the table.A teacher or an older student sat at the head of each table tohelp serve and to keep order. When a serving dish becameempty it could be replenished on request.
If we got hungry between meals we had a variety ofresources. Some students received boxes of food from homeby railway express. This was usually divided among friends inthe same dormitory. Or if we had the money we could buycandy or snacks from one of the four nearby stores. A favoritesnack was something we called sog. This was a five-cent loafof bread, the smaller size, split down the middle and soakedwith five cents’ worth of molasses or condensed milk. Delicious!
Unlike Snow Hill, we had modern plumbing. The girlswere the lucky ones, since they had running hot water andcentral heating in their dormitory. The boys’ dormitories, therewere two of them, were converted frame houses located offcampus. There was one tub, in the larger of the two houses,which had to serve all of the male students. We heated bathwater on one of the coal-burning stoves. The real problemwas, who’s next for the tub? Somehow we handled the
situation without too much difficulty.
Life at Haines
I usually had pocket money, received from Uncle Herman, Grandpa, Uncle Lamar or my sister Amelia. Furthermore, I was able to earn a little change by taking pictures of students with the second-hand box camera forwhich I had paid one dollar in Columbia. The picture moneywas spent as I wanted, but the money orders from Grandpaand my uncles went toward paying the five-dollar monthlycash part of my tuition. I was always in arrears.
Vacation in the Summer of 1915
At the end of the 1914-1915 school year I returned toColumbia for the summer. I was glad to be home. Grandpawas working at the Columbia Canning Company. I returned tocleaning the bank and offices for Grandpa. Realizing that Iwasn’t earning any money for myself Grandpa got me a job atthe canning factory, working in the shipping department forthree dollars a week. His wages were nine dollars a week.Grandpa and I rode to work together on the back of our thinhorse, Harry. We would hitch him to a post in the factory yardand feed him and give him water during the working day. Weworked from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, but only until 1pm onSaturday...payday!
Grandpa’s job was to supervise the preparation and cooking of tomatoes or sweet potatoes, depending on the season. The tomatoes were washed, then steamed until theskins loosened and could be removed by a team of Negrowomen who earned five cents for each bucketful peeled. Theactual canning was done mechanically, after which Grandpatook over and lowered the racks of cans into steam vats to besterilized. A similar procedure was used for canning sweetpotatoes, with Grandpa overseeing the whole operation.Grandpa always looked forward to the sweet potato season,because it usually required overtime work, and he could earnsome extra money.
After just a few weeks of work in the canning factory, Igot a job as a porter at a variety store with better pay, four dollars a week. We were four porters, and the head porterearned seven dollars a week. We worked ten hours on weekdays, five and a half hours on Saturday, and ten hoursevery fourth Sunday. Even while holding this job still I tookcare of the office cleaning for Grandpa in the evening aftersupper.
Our large garden provided all the vegetables that wecould use. We always had plenty of chickens, for meat and foregg-production. We bought other meat from the one butchershop in Happy Hollow, who was conveniently open on Sun-day morning when I went to get the Sunday Nashville Banner.Grandpa would give me the meat order, telling me, “Son,don’t forget to remind him that you are Job Lawrence’s grandson so you will get a better cut.”
1915-1916 School Year at Haines Institute
After allowing for my train fare, there was not much leftof my summer savings for buying clothes. I was lucky though,
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and found two suits on sale, one for seven dollars and one forfive. Grandpa had accepted that I should follow an academictrack at Haines, but only after some persuasion on my part. Atthe end of this vacation, pleased that I was doing well atHaines, he took me himself to Mr. Wolf’s clothing store andgot me all the other things I needed. He even bought me anumbrella.
Those were days when knickerbockers and caps werepopular with teenagers. I saw a gray checkered cap with along bill that I could not resist, and I had just enough moneyleft to buy it. When Robert Brown saw it, he asked his parentsfor one just like it. We happily returned to Haines together,caps and all. I was assigned to the “small” dormitory in aroom with three other students. They were my friend RobertBrown from Columbia, Robert Pearson, and Fletcher Green,whom we called “Fess.”
During the summer, someone had donated a broken-downkeyboard player (Pianola) to the school’s music department.Wow! I could touch this any time I wanted. I could not repairit, however, because I had neither the tools, the parts or theknow-how.
One day I picked up a copy of a now-defunct magazinecalled “Etude” which was read in those days by music teachers and performers alike. Thumbing through its pages,my eyes fell upon an advertisement for a machine used to perforate rolls by hand that invited the reader to “make yourown piano rolls.” I tore out the page and saved it for so longthat it began to turn yellow. My ambition was to purchase oneof these hand-perforators one day and use it to make rolls of
my compositions. Iplanned to submit the rolls
to publishers along with my manuscripts.
The great Miss Lucy Laney, founder of Haines Institute,was dedicated to the advancement of her people through education. She was among those Negroes who disagreed withBooker T. Washington’s view that since we were “destined” inthis country to do manual labor our skills should be developed
along those lines. Miss Laney continued to require the students to decline Latin nouns and conjugate Latin verbs, andalgebra and the classics were stressed.
Every morning right after breakfast, both the boys andgirls did drill exercises. On a signal we marched into chapelfor a brief service. There was singing, prayer, and then a shorttalk by Miss Laney.
My First Trip North (Summer 1916)
Many of the students at Haines, and even some teachers,took summer jobs in the North. Northern companies, farmsand resort hotels often recruited summer help from Negroschools in the South.
Although the United States was not yet a belligerent inWorld War I, defense industries in the North opened workopportunities for us that had never before been available toNegroes. This was the period when Negroes began to migratein great numbers to northern cities, and it is the year I crossedthe Mason-Dixon Line for the first time, to take a summer jobas bellboy at Mt. Everett Inn in South Egremont, Massachusetts. The town had about a thousand residents, anda shopping center consisting of one general store and a drugstore.
I had some trouble at the start of my trip, because localWhites resented so many of “their niggers” going up North.The police held our train at the station for at least two hourswhile they searched every part of it for Professor Tutt, ourmath teacher who had organized this particular summer exodus. They didn’t find him, and I personally suspect he washiding in the coal bin.
When we arrived in Washington, DC it was a new andpleasant experience to change trains and be told that we couldsit anywhere we wanted, and even eat in the dining car. I hadbrought food with me, but still I went and had a bowl of soup,just for the thrill of it. When we arrived at Pennsylvania Station in New York City I was so excited that I got temporarily separated from Earl Adams, my traveling companion and the person who had arranged the job for me.He had also made reservations for a room on Seventh Avenuebetween West 135th and 136th Streets. It was in the apartmentof a lady named Mrs. Spearman. He had stayed there the previous summer when he brought another student for thebellboy job I was to take this year. That young man did notlike the job, so this year it was offered to me. Our two nights’lodging and food expenses in New York were paid in advanceby the owner of the inn in South Egremont.
In the New York City of those days, the area in whichNegroes could rent apartments was limited, extending northfrom 125th Street to 140th Street, bordered on the east byThird Avenue and on the west by Eighth Avenue. We had noother options for housing outside this “nigger heaven” (as wesometimes called it) so the rents were grossly inflated.
We arrived in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, nearesttown to the hamlet of South Egremont, around 8 o’clock inthe morning and had breakfast there. We reached South Egre-mont on an aging trolley car, which made the round trip from
“Young ‘Lucy Craft Laney’ –Educator”
“Lucy Laney in later years”
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Great Barrington once an hour.
Life at Mt. Everett Inn
Aside from Earl Adams, there were two other cooks onthe staff, which also included a farmer who raised corn, lettuce, string beans, tomatoes and other vegetables for thekitchen. There were two maids and two waitresses. The maidswere Swedish Protestants and the waitresses were IrishCatholics, and once in a while there would be a little religiouswar between them. Usually only verbal weapons were used,but sometimes bandages were needed.
To complete the personnel there were two Negroes whotook care of the laundry, a man and a woman. The man was anartist at ironing men’s white shirts with their stiff collars, andhe always worked in a Chinese laundry when the season wasover for the inn.
Like many such establishments at the time, Mt. EverettInn’s brochure declared ‘No Hebrews Allowed.” The notionthat a Negro would even dare ask for accommodations nevercrossed the minds of the proprietors, or for that matter did itever cross mine.
The inn bought meat from a wagon, which came by threetimes a week. The vendor had a handbell, which he rang atfrequent intervals as be drove his horse-drawn vehicle downthe country roads. We kept our own fowl and laying hens, andthere were enough hunters around to supply us with game.
The food at Mt. Everett Inn was excellent. We ate thesame food the guests were served and sometimes the boss’swife even joined us. Her husband was in the real estate business, so she did most of the supervision of the inn.
We had an icehouse where blocks of ice, cut from a nearby lake in the winter, were stored. It kept well, and wehad some left over at the end of the summer.
Although this was during prohibition, there was always asupply of liquor, beer and wine on hand to be purchased underthe table. It was all kept hidden in the boss’s private office,next door to the bellboy’s little room. Only the boss, his wifeand I had access to the office, so only we three could sell thebeverages. There was an inspector who came around fromtime to time, and after he had been given a drink he wouldalways give us a clean slate.
A Memorable Encounter
The inn was small and I was the only bellhop. I had abuzzer in the office, my station when I was on duty, and onein my room next door. Once when I was off duty the buzzerrang in my room. I forget why the guests, two women, called.It was only after they had left the inn that I found out that theywere Helen Keller and her companion. I hadn’t even knownwho Helen Keller was, or that the pleasant woman I servedwas deaf and blind, until they had left the inn.
A Slave For the Fourth of July
A local minister, who also doubled as the fire chief of thevillage, was the organizer of the annual Fourth of July parade.The summer I was there he made the mistake of asking my
friend, Earl Adams (who happened to be very dark-skinned) totake part, dressed to represent a slave driving a horsedrawnwagon at the head of the parade. Earl was indignant. The minister could not understand why!
World War Patriotism
We were not yet in the war, but everywhere there wereexpressions of patriotism in posters, speeches, newspapers,magazines, sermons and songs. One popular song, however,expressed isolationist sentiment and was titled “I didn’t raisemy son to be a soldier.” After we entered the war the lyricswere changed and the title became “I didn’t raise my Ford tobe a jitney.”
My first composition effort had been for solo clarinet. Mysecond was worked out on a piano in the modest ballroom ofMt. Everett Inn. In the spirit of the time it was a patriotic songtitled “You’d better hang up your flag!” I paid for a smallprinting of the manuscript, and by the time the war ended Ihad sold almost all of them.
Back to Haines from South Egremont
Earl Adams and I started the trip together, but I stopped inNew York City while he went on to a town in New Jersey tovisit a girlfriend. I wanted to do some shopping in New Yorkand once again experience the thrill of walking the streets ofthe big city. At that time I had no idea whether I would everreturn to it. I was able to get a room again at Mrs. Spearman’sapartment, but I had to share it with a man who workednights. There was only one small bed in the room. We had our separate bedding, he used the bed during the day and I tookover at night. After exploring the city, I was off on my returntrip to Augusta, Georgia. There was no segregation from NewYork City, but on arriving in Washington, DC it was the dutyof the conductors to inspect each car to make sure there wasno northern Negro who made the mistake of sitting in one ofthe “white” cars. Being a southerner, I was accustomed to thestandard system of segregated travel in the cars available tous, right behind the smoky, coal-burning engine, and I did nothave to be warned to move.
Finally I arrived back at Haines. It was good to be back atschool, and it was satisfying to tell about my stay up north,with appropriate exaggerations.
The War Touches Haines Institute
On 6 April 1917 the United States entered the war againstGermany. Our chemistry teacher volunteered for service in theArmy and he eventually rose to be a captain. This was possible only because he was so fair-skinned that he could“pass” in a white unit.
Our English teacher volunteered for the speeded-up officers’ training program. He too was fair enough to “pass”.We students had benefited from this, since he was able to usethe Augusta Public Library from which Negroes were barredand could borrow books for us to use. I remember that once hebrought a book to show us which was entitled “The Negro, ABeast.” The author had filled this thick red book with Biblicalquotations, taken out of context of course, to prove his point.
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Our physics teacher was drafted and he died in Europe.One young teacher, Johnny Walker, was sent overseas justdays after he was married. He was killed and I well rememberthe sad group of students and teachers who met the train carrying his coffin, to accompany it to the Dugas Funeral Parlor.
From Augusta To Chicago
Early in 1917 I wrote to ask my Uncle Herman and hiswife, living in Chicago, about the possibility of boarding andlodging with them during the summer, in order to earn moneyfor the next school year. Their home was at 6223 LoomisBoulevard, in an area newly opened to Negro tenants andhomebuyers. They offered me a room rent-free for the summer.
Grandpa, now in waning health, could not afford to giveme the fare from Augusta, Georgia to Chicago. Consequently,when the other boarding students left the campus, I was one ofthe few who remained behind, and I had to find a way tofinance my trip to Chicago.
I was permitted to stay in one of the dormitories, but howwas I to eat? Mrs. Kendrick, our excellent cook, had closedthe kitchen and left on her vacation. The kindergarten teacherhad a father who owned a horse drawn moving wagon so Iwent to his home in the hope of getting a job as a movinghelper. He had no need for an additional helper, but he madesome inquiries for me and was successful in getting me a jobas a carpenter’s helper on a construction site. I discoveredvery quickly that I was expected to be more a “water boy”than a carpenter’s helper, and I could not swallow the racistattitudes of my supervisors. I did not return to that job afterthe first day, and instead went up and down Augusta’s mainstreet in search of a job as bellboy, waiter or dishwasher, butwithout success. The next day, near the railroad station, Inoticed a sign in the window of a little hotel. It read: “WaiterWanted!!”
Waiter Wanted!!
I went in and talked with the black headwaiter. I got thejob, and he briefed me on the technique of playing “nigger” tothe satisfaction of the guests (all white, of course), who weremainly traveling businessmen.
Next morning, with the beautiful thought of going toChicago in my mind, I came to work at the little hotel. I swallowed the insulting and derogatory remarks made by thecustomers about Negroes for several days. I needed themoney, after all.
But one morning a group of white businessmen came infor breakfast, and sat at one of my tables. They ordered cornflakes. I went to the pantry and called out the order, butthe kitchen was out of brand-name Cornflakes and gave mePost Toasties instead. While I was serving these three guests,putting on my subservient attitude, one of them barked at me:“Nigger, can’t you read? We ordered Corn Flakes, not PostToasties.” I knew better than to show my reaction to thisremark openly, risking anything from a beating to a lynching.I went straight to the head waiter and said in a loud voice:
“I’ve been insulted by these ‘crackers’. Get somebody else towait on them.” I meant for the “crackers” at my table to overhear me. The headwaiter survived a near heart attack andtold me that if I wanted to keep my job I had to remember Iwas in the South. I said “yes sir” and decided to “play nigger”just long enough to earn train fare to Columbia, Tennessee. Ithought that once there I might be able to borrow enoughmoney from the bank I had cleaned for Grandpa to continueon to Chicago.
I went to Union Railway Station in Augusta to find outthe exact fare to Columbia. The clerk finally told me the fare,after trying to discourage me from going north. I quit my jobas a waiter as soon as I had earned enough to get to Columbiawith a few dollars to spare. Once there, I was successful inborrowing the balance of my fare to Chicago from the bank.
At Uncle Herman’s home I bought and prepared my ownfood during the week, but I had Sunday dinner with the family. I also had access to their piano for practice, and couldcome and go as I pleased. I shall always remember their hospitality.
Jobs in Chicago
My first job was as a car washer on the midnight shift in agarage. I was fired on the third night. I think my co-workersbelieved I did not fit in (they were right), and they gave a badreport about me.
My second job was unloading cars at the InternationalHarvester Company. At the same time, I held another jobworking a few hours in the evening as a waiter.
I tried for a better job in a large drugstore as a photographer’s helper and was refused because of my color.
Registering for the Draft
After we entered the war, the age to register for the draftwas lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. So, on 14 July1917 when I became eighteen, I registered in Chicago.Although I was intent upon returning to Haines to completem yeducation, I had the specter of being inducted lurking in thebackground. Furthermore, my Uncle Herman told me hethought the possibility of being called up was great enough sothat it would be a waste of time and money to go back toHaines and he suggested that I try to enter the Student ArmyTraining Corps at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.This program would avoid my being drafted, allow me to continue school, and prepare me to be a non-commissionedofficer when I was eventually put on active duty.
Student Army Training Corps
I applied for admission to Fisk, making it clear that Iwanted to qualify for the SATC in the hope that I could continue my education in uniform and delay being called foractive service. My application was accepted, and I left Chicago headed for Nashville instead of Augusta.
Fisk University and the SATC
I arrived in Nashville in the evening and spent my first
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night there at the colored YMCA. Next day I found my way tothe University, but I was unable to register until the followingmorning. SATC candidates were not given space in the regulardormitory, and there was no room for me in the Army quarters. I did spend the night there, however, sleeping on thefloor with blankets given me by the recruits.
At registration the following morning, all went smoothlyand I was assigned to classes. When I arrived at the place tobe sworn into the Army, the commanding officer told me thathe had just received a telegram from Washington informinghim that the colored quota for the SATC was filled. Now Ifound myself out of school and out of the Army too. The nextthing to do was to try to return to Haines in Augusta, Georgia.I had just enough money to go to my home in Columbia, staythere a few nights, and return to Haines with the financial helpof Grandpa.
My Final Years at Haines 1917-1919
During the academic year 1917-1918 I periodicallyreceived notices from the draft board in Chicago inviting meto show up for induction into the Army. I replied that I couldnot report unless they provided for my transportation, since Idid not have enough money for the train fare. I did this onadvice from the draft board in Augusta. I received no replyfrom Chicago, but I did receive official postcards, warning methat I risked imprisonment if I did not report to them. Myreplies were always the same; “send me a ticket and I will bethere.” Each time I received a card, I would go to the localdraft board in Augusta, and their advice would always be thesame, “Tell those folks up North to send you a ticket.”
Before my final school year began in 1918, a group of us,moved by patriotic fer-vor, went to the localArmy recruiting head-quarters on an impulseand volunteered! Wewere sent to Atlantawhere we were put up ina cheap boarding houseused to sleep Negrorecruits before induc-tion. We were providedwith meal tickets enti-tling us to eat at a near-by Negro restaurant. Eventuallywe were supposed to besent to an Army camp not farfrom Atlanta. Each daywhen we reported
to headquarters for instructions, we would be sent back to our temporary quarters for another night. Finally one morning wewere told why our processing had been delayed. Washington had notified the officer in charge that the coloredvolunteer quota for this section of the country had been filled,but he was trying to get us taken anyway. He was not success-ful (fortunately), so we were sent back to Augusta, where I
found a new girl student on the campus named Edith LouiseBascomb.
I continued to receive terse and threatening notices fromthe draft board in Chicago. When I took the last notice to thedraft board in Augusta, in the late fall of 1918, the man incharge said “Don’t those folks up North know the war is aboutto end and draft boards all over the country are shuttingdown?” He added, “Just ignore that notice and forget about it.Don’t even bother to write them.”
By this time Edith and I had gotten to know each otherwell. Her parents lived in Birmingham, Alabama. Her father,like mine, was a Presbyterian minister. She had been born inNew Market, Tennessee, in fact, where he pastored briefly.Edith and I were married in 1922.
REFERENCES AND NOTES
[Acronyms used in this series]
TCHS - Tennessee County History SeriesUPD58 - United Presbyterian Directory 1958EUJLC - Eulogy for Jacob Lincoln Cook
WWPM - Who’s Who in Presbyterian MissionsHFUPC - History of First United Presbyterian Church,
Athens, TNHJLCS - History of J. L. Cook High School, Athens, TN
BIGSLL - Balm in Gilead by Sara Lawrence LightfootHHLORIG - Herman H. Lawrence, “Origins of the
Lawrence Family”PCUSADH - Presbyterian Church USA Department
of History
FootNotes16. From BIGSLL (Page 117) “Charles [Lawrence II] had
learned to play the horn from his father. Charles, Sr., a handsome,light-skinned man who was a ‘great trumpeter.’ The first time hismother, Letitia Harris, noticed Charles Lawrence, Sr., he was at aschool party, playing the trumpet. After dinner, Charles, who was theschool’s bandmaster, entertained everyone with a wonderful assortment of show tunes, Negro spirituals, and jazz and classicalselections. This restrained and dignified young man came alive in hismusic. He could make the horn do anything, from smooth syrupyblues to baroque intricacy. The guests were appreciative - especiallythe woman from Boston who had come south to teach English and‘domestic sciences’ to the country children. Charles, who had been atSnow Hill for only a year, teaching music (he also played the violin)and tailoring and coaching athletics, noticed the attractive northernteacher and they soon began a proper courtship. By the end of theschool term, Charles and Letitia were married. A couple of monthslater they left the South and traveled back to Boston to find work andstart a family. For Charles, Boston was a strange and forbiddingplace, for Letitia, it was home.”
17. He would have been about 12 years old at this time. Theoriginal tape does not suggest that an adult accompanied him on thetrain ride from Nashville, Tennessee to Snow Hill, Alabama.
18. Note that in describing the first trip to Snow Hill he boardsthe train in Nashville. On this trip from Snow Hill he apparently tookthe train(s) all the way from Snow Hill, Alabama to Columbia, Tennessee. At this time he would be about 15 years old.
19. PCUSDAH about Haines Institute: Founded in Augusta,
“Edith Louise Bascomb”
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Georgia in 1886 by Lucy Craft Laney, daughter of the ReverendDavid Laney, co-organizer of the Presbytery of Knox in 1867. Hehad been ordained a Presbyterian minister by the Hopewell Presbytery of the Southern Church but withdrew later and wasreceived by the Old School Assembly of the Presbyterian Church,USA, in 1868. During the slave period, Lucy’s mother, Louise,belonged to the Campbell family. When she married she was permitted to live with her family in their own home.
Lucy was taught to read and write by Miss Campbell, her master’s sister, who chose her books and in 1869 made it possible forher to enroll at Atlanta University at the age of fifteen. Lucy was oneof the four students comprising the first graduating class of AtlantaUniversity in 1873. Her teaching career began in a public elementaryschool in Savannah, Georgia, where she rose to the principalship ofthat school. When her health began to fail, she went back to Augustahoping that the climate would be more suitable. When she grewstronger, however, she returned to her work in Savannah, but notuntil she had promised the Reverend W. J. White, pastor of the Harmony Baptist Church, that she would return to begin a school forNegro youth. In the meantime, Dr. Richard H. Allen, who knew herparents and who at that time was corresponding secretary of theBoard of Missions for Freedmen, convinced her of the need for a daynursery for the daughters of black working mothers. Miss Laneyliked the proposal, and moved back to Augusta at the end of theschool term in Savannah. On 6 January 1886, she rented the lectureroom in the basement of the Christ Presbyterian Church on Cummings and Telfair Streets and began a small school. She hadenvisioned a school for girls only but on that first rainy morning,three girls and two boys came to the school and Miss Laney enrolledthem all.
Within two months her quarters were overflowing. She went toJ. F. Davidson, an attorney who owned a large, vacant, two-storybuilding on Calhoun Street and asked to rent the building. He wasastonished and told her that the pupils would not go to school in itsince it was reputed to be a haunted house. Miss Laney insisted andthe lawyer replied, “Alright, I’ll let you have it to use; all you have todo is pay the taxes. But I tell you, they will not follow you in it.”Miss Laney converted the building into a home and dormitory and
turned an old barn on the lot intoschoolrooms. By means of ropesand pulleys the separate com-partments could be convertedinto an assembly room for devo-tional exercises and concerts.Seventy-five pupils enrolled thefirst year, and by the end of thesecond 234 had enrolled. MissLaney supplemented her person-al savings with donations and paid the teacherswho came to help her after thefirst one or two years.
The school was clearly growing,and Miss Laney was persuadedto appeal to the General Assembly in behalf of theschool. The General Assemblyconvened in Minneapolis that
spring of 1886. Despite the fact that she only had daycoach fare one way, she went to Minneapolis. Exhausted from the harrowing trip by way of a JimCrow coach and spiritually hurt by the jealousy encountered over thepossible influence her speech might wield at the expense of otherphases of the work, she fell asleep in the Assembly Hall. Aroused byhearing her name called, she stood and, in sincere and simple elo-quence, addressed the Assembly in the interest of “my people,” ask-ing only for return trip fare back to Augusta. This was the extent offinancial aid which she gained from the experience.
Some of the commissioners were in favor of aiding the school inAugusta, but the men in charge of the freedmen’s schools objectedand the available money went to the general program. The Board ofMissions for Freedmen did, however, pledge its moral support andcommissioned Miss Laney without pay.
Miss Laney’s trip to the General Assembly, though discouraging at first, began to bear fruit in 1889. She made staunchfriends while in Minneapolis. One of these friends was Mrs. F. E. H.Haines of Detroit, Michigan, secretary of the Women’s ExecutiveCommittee of Home Missions. Her influence was a strong factor infavor of the school, and the Board of Missions took the school underits care in 1889. In addition, tourists staying at the Bon Air Hotel inAugusta were told about the school, and a Mrs. Marshall visited MissLaney and gave money to purchase a site for the school. Later herdaughter gave $10,000 to erect Marshall Hall on the lot betweenPhilip and Robert streets facing Gwinett Street. Marshall was a four-story, brick structure with classrooms on the first floor, andgirls’ dormitory facilities on the upper floors. The school was namedthe Haines Industrial Academy in memory of Mrs. F. E. H. Haines.
The school’s growth was phenomenal. By 1901 it had an enrollment of 5l2 pupils under the instruction of a staff of fourteen.When McGregor Hall was erected in 1906, the enrollment hadreached 703.
During the long struggle to get the school properly housed, theacademic program was not neglected. The word “industrial” in thename was misleading, since the school was, at all times, typicallyacademic or classical.
In the Fall of 1913 when JLC entered Haines it was a thrivinginstitution offering kindergarten through college preparatory coursesand a “normal course” for teacher training. In May of 1932, the General Council of the General Assembly classified Haines as a dayschool since 409of its 446 pupilswere day stu-dents. With fewexceptions, thedeadline for clos-ing all day
schools was setfor 1 June 1933.An arrangement
“Dr. Lisa A. Fagg - J. L. C.’sGranddaughter
“Little Lisaand Grandpa
J.L.C.”
“Index Plate belongingto J. L. Cook”
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“The top of J.L.C.’s Letterhead”
“Courtesy of Bill Edwards.”
“Courtesy ofProf. AlanWallace”
“Courtesy ofProf. AlanWallace”
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PEOPLEPEOPLE
ADDING TO THE LEGACY
First Chapter of new book focuses on 108-year-old musician
Leo Ornstein held a book in his hands and chuckled withsatisfaction, “Heh, heh, heh.”
He is all of Chapter One in the scholarly “Making MusicModern: New York in the 1920s.”
Today, Ornstein lives quietly in a Green Bay nursing home.Eighty-five years ago, he lived on the fast track as an avant-garde pianist and composer. He was big.
“Ornstein was the single most important figure on theAmerican modern-music scene in the 1910s,” write Carol Ojain her new book. It’s published by Oxford University Press andcosts $39.95.
A music professor at the College of William and Mary, Ojaspecializes in American music of the early 20th century.
Oja devotes 14 pages to one part of Ornstein’s career. Sheleaves off with him in the 1920s. Ornstein composed until hewas 97. That was 11 years ago.
“The fact that he’s still floating around is quite extraordinary,” said his daughter, Edith Valentine.
Indeed. Ornstein is one of the oldest people on the planet.
You won’t find him talking about longevity. He’s moreinterested in music. He’s inspired by his music getting anotherburst of interest.
“I gave a set of concerts at the Bandbox Theatre whichabsolutely shook the nation because of what I was introducing,”he said recently.
“I don’t recall what made me think of giving a set of concerts using only 20th century composers. I introduced thesecomposers to the present-day generation, the generation in theirown day. People were used to their set form of Bach,Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin.”
Instead, he played works by such composers as ArnoldSchoenberg, Alexander Scriabin, Maurice Ravel . . . and LeoOrnstein.
“I didn’t live too much of an intellectual life,” he said. “Iwas concerned with playing piano. The people around me wereabsolutely dumbfounded that this young pianist - thought I haddeveloped a following of admirers - suddenly gave this set ofconcerts of music by contemporaries. I chose the right people.”
Oja says as much in her book. And more. “Ornstein hadthe ability to shock but also to convert,” she says. “He provedthat an American - and an immigrant no less - could attractinternational attention as an innovative composer. He opened
ORNSTEIN AT A GLANCE• Born: Dec. 2, 1892, Kremenchug, Ukraine
• Prodigy: At age 7, entered the Imperial Conservatoryof Music in St. Petersburg, Russia
• Emigrated: Family fled the persecution of Jews, arriving in the United States in 1907
• Finished school: Institute of Musical Art, which became The Juilliard School
• American debut; New York City’s New Amsterdam Theatre, March 5, 1911
• Recorded: On rolls for grand piano - under a lifetime contract - with 10 played in the 1980s at an event hosted by St. Norbert College
• Archived: Yale University Music Library reports its collection includes 175 Ornstein titles and “several sealed boxes not to be opened in Ornstein’s lifetime.”
• Last major work: “Piano Sonata No. 8,” completed while residing in De Pere
By Warren Gerds, Press-GazetteThanks to Doug McGee
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the door to experimentation and the use of unorthodox materials. And he showed that modernism could be successfully marketed through clever packaging.”
Oja also analyzes Ornstein’s musical traits and his view ofcomposing. She closely examines Ornstein’s belief that hecomposed by instinct.
Oja knew Ornstein was alive when she was writing thebook. She did not interview him about the long ago, partlybecause the book is about a lot of other people, too.
“It’s a pretty mysterious period in American music,” Ojasaid by phone. “Especially for that reason, he really stands outbecause it’s a murky time when it’s unclear - partly because ofWorld War I - historically what of real interest was going onhere. And suddenly this guy just pops on the scene playing thisnew, iconoclastic music.”
Ornstein’s daughter read him the chapter, though in parts.His concentration level is not what it once was, she said.
However, after he saw the book during a photo shoot, Ornstein found new energy to talk about matters in the book.
Shown a photo of himself at a piano in 1915, he said, “It’sscary to look at yourself when you were a young man.”
Ornstein was dashing. He mesmerized audiences.
Oja refers to accounts of how Ornstein would appear onstage in “a sort of cowed, hang-dog manner,” then launch “abewildering and diabolical degree of energy” into a performance.
“You must have been a holy terror back then,” says his son,Sevaro Ornstein, in a recent letter from California.
“New York saw and heard everything first,” Leo Ornsteinrecalled. “I don’t know why I would play a set of concerts andplay only contemporary composers. That projected me into thepublic eye.”
By the 1920s, Ornstein withdrew from the concert scene toteach and concentrate more on composing.
“It was purely by instinct that I began to write the music Idid,” Ornstein said.
He wrote volumes. A recital December 2 at Columbia University in New York City included his “Suicide in an Airplane” (written in 1913), “Impressions of the Thames”(1913) and “A Morning in the Woods” (1971).
A few days before that, Ornstein’s “Piano Sonata No. 7”and other works of his were performed in Boston. (“PianoSonata No. 8” of 1990 was his final substantial work).
Another book, about American mavericks, is due to have achapter on Ornstein. A biography is in the works by MichaelBroyles of Penn State University. Oja and Broyles are jointlyupdating the Ornstein entry in “The New Grove Dictionary ofMusic and Musicians.”
In her book, Oja makes a passing reference to pioneeringjazz saxophonist John Coltrane having studied at the OrnsteinSchool of Music in Philadelphia.
“Isn’t that amazing?” she said.
A natural assumption is Ornstein influenced Coltrane -“Especially with all of Leo’s talk about instinct and sort of justspilling out the music on the spot,” Oja said. “Coltrane wasthat sort of psychedelic, music-coming-up-from-the-tips-of-your-toes figure as well.
“With both, there’s clearly a very learned, intellectual com-ponent to it. In some ways, it’s sort of a myth. But there’s also alot of reality to it as well...
“One of the great things about American music is there areall these wonderful links that seem unlikely on the surface, andyet unlikely links are what American cultures is all about. It’sanother strand of that.”
Oja’s book also contains a photograph of Ornstein amongstudents at the Institute of Musical Art - before it became TheJuilliard School, a leading center of American culture today.One of the other students pictured is Pauline Mallet-Prevost,who became his wife.
“I was an impecunious (penniless) young pianist trying tomake a living and met a very beautiful, rich young woman,”Ornstein recalled. “She lived in the most exclusive part of NewYork called Park Avenue, and I lived on the lower East Side -the cheapest part of town.
Ornstein remembers some details of their meeting.
“It seems my wife made the first move,” he said. “Shecalled me up.”
He was invited to her family’s estate of more than 5,000acres in the White Mountains for “a couple of weeks as a breakfrom the intolerable August heat in New York City,” he said.
“We found ourselves holding hands. I met a few youngwomen, but when I met Pauline and Pauline met me, we justfell dead in love.
“God has been good to me. He gave me Pauline. For 67years we were married. I learned how to disregard our wealthaltogether. I let nothing interfere in our life at all. It was a verypsychologically interesting time, both for my wife and for me.”
They were married in 1915.
Pauline Ornstein labored as copiest for her husband,putting the music that came into his head into final form onpaper.
In 1982, not long before her death, she commented wrylyon their situation: “I know all the different things you have toknow about music theoretically. I know a thousand times morethan he does. But I can’t do what he does. Makes me mad.”
Visit the AMICA Web page
at:http://www.amica.org
170
NewsFrom
The Chapters
The first meeting of the Chicago Chapter for 2001 was astrategy-planning meeting to discuss ways to publicizeAMICA and our chapter in the Chicago area. The meetingwas held at the Milk Pail Restaurant in East Dundee, Illinoiswhere members could partake in a scrumptious all-you-can-eat buffet, listen to the West End Jazz Band, shop in theFrench Country Market Store and tour the historic 1870’sfarm house. The Milk Pail provided us with a private diningroom where we held our business meeting, undisturbed.
It has become apparent that the membership of both theNational and of our local chapter is dwindling. A lively dis-cussion was held regarding ways to bring our existence to thepublic’s attention. Suggestions included running an occasion-al ad in various newspapers and hobby magazines as well asmaking a CD-ROM highlighting our activities that could besent out to interested parties. Several committees wereformed to explore the feasibility of each idea. A report will begiven at our next meeting.
Our calendar for the rest of the year includes a meeting atthe Blind Boone Festival in Columbia, Missouri in June aswell as meetings in August, October and December.
CHICAGO CHAPTERReporter: Kathy Stone
President: Richard VanMetre (847) 402-5391
Mel Septon with Jim and Sherrie Krughoff
The West End Jazz Band including chapter member John Otto on clarinet
Marty and Sandy Persky (standing) with Robert and Pat Liesendahl
Marty Plys (with new daughter Dearborn), George Wilder, Curt Clifford, and Joe and Elsa Pekarek
171
The Midwest Chapter welcomed spring at our first meet-ing of the year on March 17-18. Host Shawn Fox invited usto his brand new home in Delaware, Ohio, where we gatheredfor refreshments while waiting for everyone to arrive. Thehouse was accented by period lighting fixtures and antiques tomake the new place an appropriate home for his 1932 WeberDuo-Art Grand and the 1919 Grinnell Brothers upright amongother musical items.
Saturday afternoon we drove to the quaint little town ofSunbury, home of many antique shops, to Mark and MarilynRitchie’s piano rebuilding shop. There were several instruments in various stages of restoration, Mark showedsome of his tricks of the trade and Marilyn was in charge ofredoing the keys. Across the yard was their beautiful housewhich featured a 1918 Chickering Ampico grand in the livingroom.
For dinner we journeyed to downtown Delaware, a historic and quaint university town. There we met at Bun’sRestaurant, founded in 1864. We had a St. Patrick’s Day feasttopped off with desserts from their own bakery, accompaniedby Graeter’s ice cream shipped in from Cincinnati.
Shawn’s house is not far from downtown, and we spentthe evening there. The pianos and the 1880s Victoria parlororgan got quite a workout. He has quite a collection of rolls,so there were lots of songs to choose from!
Sunday morning we went to the Upper Arlington home ofVince and Sue Ricca, who provided a wonderful buffetbrunch. The highlight of Vince’s shop was a unique hand-painted 1927 Chickering Ampico. He showed us“before” restoration photos to illustrate the difference in thefloral case as we were able to see the finished work in person.Of course, it was restored to play beautifully as well. Thebusiness meeting was held after brunch, with Liz Barnhartgiving her final report as Convention Coordinator after 16years of hard work for AMICA. She pointed out that we had28 people from our area in attendance for the Australia convention - it seemed almost like a chapter meeting! Afterthe meeting, we adjourned to the driveway for the ever-popular roll sale hosted by Mark and Charmaine Haas.
Next it was on to the home of Norm Dolder and BillGriffin, built in 1895. This historic house near downtownColumbus is in an area called Victorian Village, and is surrounded by great turn of the century homes. There weremany cylinder music boxes to play as well as the Polyphonand other disc machines. And the clock collection was justamazing!
The afternoon ended with a short drive to Dave Graber’shouse, just full of every kind of automatic musical instrument,
MIDWEST CHAPTERReporter: Christy Counterman
President: Judith Chisnell
including a 1916 Seeburg nickelodeon, an elaborately carvedAeolian Orchestrelle, a 1915 Violano Virtuoso, numerouscylinder phonographs and more musical machines in everyroom. Dave is also quite good at restoring the machines. Wewere impressed by his workmanship in recreating missingparts from photographs - the result was virtually indistin-guishable from the original.
Many thanks go to our many gracious hosts for a fineweekend. Our next meeting will be held in Stratford, Ontario,Canada in May.
Dave Graber’s 1908 Aeolian Orchestrelle has an elaborately carvedmahogany case and is pumped by Brad McClincy.
Liz Barnhart discovers the wiring to plug in Dave’s Cecilian piano with a Stickley case - featuring hammered copper trim
and newel post lamps.
Dave Graber shows the automatic record changer of his VictorOrthophonic phonograph from 1927. Watching are
Vince Ricca and Jim Althouse.
172
Dave Graber’s home is filled with great music machines.
Sherri Neff, Liz Barnhart and Margaret Frazer point out chaptermembers in the Australia group picture.
Liz Barnhart and Roland andJudy Chisnell are ready for dinner at Bun’s Restaurant.
Lawrence Frazerinspects the newlyrestored 1927 ChickeringAmpico - originally handpainted in Boston.
Liz Barnhart reports on theAustralia convention withJudy Wulfekuhl taking minutes
Hal Malakinian shows offhis find at Mark and
Charmaine Haas’ “mini-mart” on Sunday.
Marilyn and Mark Ritchie explaintheir piano restoration business.
Betty Malakinian and Margaret Frazer talk shop at the Ritchie’s.
173
Denny Eiland consults his audience for the next selection on Shawn Fox’s 1919 Grinnell Bros. Themodist Metrostyle upright.
Alvin Wulfekuhl plays a selection on Shawn’s 1932 Weber Duo-Art grand.
Shawn Fox greetsSherri Neff at his new
home.
Shawn Fox, Jon Perry (restorer of this Mason-Hamlin Ampico), Robin Pratt and Bill Griffin.
Christy Countermantests out Shawn’s 1870
Estey Parlor ReedOrgan, newly restored
by Robin Pratt.
One of the disk music boxesform Norm Dolder’s
collection.
Mom June Fox with son Shawn poses with a complete
collection of Heisey Aristrocratcandlesticks.
Don Dunifon and Vince Ricca discussrestorations.
174
April 21, 2001 found the chapter at the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in St. Louis Park, Minnesota(www.pavekmusuem.org) for a tour of one of the finest collections of antique radio, television, and broadcast equipment in the world.
Included in the collection is the only working example onpublic display of an original RCA Theremin (an early electronic musical instrument), a Vitaphone recording latheused for the “Jazz Singer,” a working 1912 rotary spark-gaptransmitter, a 1940 AEG Magnetafon tape recorder used byBing Crosby (with an original program recorded on papertape!), and hundreds of other classic or historic record players, radios, and televisions.
Director Steve Raymer of the museum hosted our groupassisted by chapter friend Karl Eilers who helps support theschool education activities. Karl impressed all by his rendition of a recognizable “Moon River” on the difficult-to-play Theremin.
A guest of Paul Watkins, David Doner, showed us hisfather’s (Mel Doner) scrapbook of early efforts to preserveTheater Organ nationally, which culminated in the formationof an organization now known as the American Theatre OrganSociety. We noted that there is extensive crossover of members in this and related organizations.
After our tour, we reconvened at nearby Nora’s Restaurant for a late lunch and business meeting.
NORTHERN LIGHTS CHAPTERReporter: Tim Wheat
President: Dave Kemmer
David Kemmer with Howdy Doody display.
Karl Eilers, Donald Jones, David Doner and Paul Watkins inspectthe “Jazz Singer” Vitaphone sound recording lathe.
Curator Steve Raymer demonstrating 1912 rotary spark gap transmitter.
Karl Eilersplaying the RCATheremin.
Steve Raymer tuning1938 Zenith Robot
console radio receiver.
175
SIERRA-NEVADA CHAPTERReporter: Nadine Motto-Ros
President: John Motto-Ros (209) 267-9252
Marilyn Matson inspecting Victor record changer.
Steve Raymer demonstrating 1940 AEG Magnetafon recorder usedby Bing Crosby.
The Prez sez “let’s do something different,” so on Sunday, February 25, our chapter was off for a guided tour of the Heidrick Ag History Center in Woodland, California.The Ag History Center introduces visitors to the marvels of agriculture along with commercial trucking in the Hays antique Truck Museum - two spacious museums at onelocation.
The cornerstones of these exhibits are the Fred C. Heidrick Antique Ag Collection, the world’s largest and mostunique collection of antique agricultural equipment, and the
Hays Antique Truck Museum, also recognized as the largestof its kind in the world. Although we were fortunate to haveinformative guides for both sections of the Museum, comput-er interactive displays complemented the enjoyment of ourvisit.
After our tour, the group gathered at Ludy’s BBQ in oldtown Woodland for a delightful lunch. In keeping with Woodland’s agricultural heritage, this restaurant is decoratedwith agricultural memorabilia.
In the near future, the Sierra-Nevada Chapter plans tohave several automatic musical instruments on display at the
Our group prior to touring AG History Center
Vickie and Doug Mahr at the Golden Age of the Motor Truck display
Sonja Lemon at the 1915 Russell Steam Traction Engine Tractor
176
Waiting for lunch at Ludy’s
Lori Deal seated in the 1924 Rumely Oil Pull Tractor
There was food galore, and everyone enjoyed themselvesall afternoon.
At 3:00 our President James Westcott called the meetingto order, and we started off with a round of applause for Bettyand Ervin for hosting the meeting and treating us so well.
Jim had everyone introduce themselves, which was a niceidea - it only takes a few minutes to go around the group andeveryone just tells their name and where they are from.
We have picked up some new members lately, and it’s anice way for us to get to know them and vice-versa.
Our next meeting will be June 3rd at the home ofRichard and Beverly Ingram in Hesperia, and Richard invited us to bring our favorite Duo-Art Rolls or 88-note rollsso we could have a “Play and Tell” session. Richard is alsoplanning a workshop on roll repair. Sounds like fun, and weare looking forward to that.
In the rest of the year, Jim is working on August andOctober. He has plans for both months, but since plans arenot yet firm, we’ll publish them later.
Frank Nix gave a schedule of the upcoming organ rallies: May 5th MBSI is having a monkey organ rally inRedlands, and on June 30 AMICA will have the usual organrally in Sierra Madre . . . then on July 1st we will be fortunateenough to have an organ rally in Descanso Gardens, whichshould be a wonderful event.
Descanso Gardens is a lovely area, with, of course, gardens that are well-known in the Southern California area.It is the former home of a successful businessman, Manchester Boddy.
He purchased the land in 1937 and in 1938 built a 22-room mansion above an oak woodland. He obtained moreland over the years, and had as many as 600,000 (yes, that’s aright number) camellias at the site.
Today camellias are still a large part of the gardens, butazaleas, lilacs, roses, and all types of annuals and perennialsare also part of the gardens.
He sold the Gardens to the County of Los Angeles in1953, and in time a non-profit organization was formed topreserve the gardens.
It’s a lovely place to visit, and should lend itself well tothe music of the organs. They are quite happy to have uscome, and we are happy to play there.
After that, Shirley Nix gave a condensed report on theAustralia-New Zealand Convention.
A plea was made for people to consider being officersnext year, since both our President and Vice-President will beretiring.
Jim has come up with a new idea for the meetings . . . hecalls it his “P-3” plan - for People, Places, and Projects. Theidea being that each meeting anyone with a project can tellabout it, and ideas and solutions can be shared.
Jim started by telling about his newest project, where hebought a collection of LP records of band organs and is converting them to CD’s.
Frank Nix told about his newest project, too, which is aGulbranson Pumper Piano. He also knows of another one
SOUTH CALIFORNIA CHAPTERReporter: Shirley Nix
President: James Westcott
April 22 found the Southern California AMICAns wending their way to San Bernardino to the lovely, beautifullydecorated home of Ervin and Betty Canada for a meeting.
The Canada home is always a joy to visit, and is filledwith lots of goodies, such as an Ampico “A” Knabe, a Seeburg “A” with bells, a Western Electric Selectra “B”, aChicago Band Box, a Delika Monkey Organ, a Wurlitzer 125Band Organ, and a marvelous assortment of clocks and musicboxes.
There was a mart table set up on the patio, and variousitems found new homes - you know how that goes - oneman’s junk being another man’s treasure - only thing is, thereisn’t any such thing as junk here - just items that aren’t quiteas much a treasure as they used to be, or that just need toomuch work!
177
TEXAS CHAPTERReporter: Jerry F. Bacon
President: Jerry Bacon (214) 328-9369
available very cheap, and said if anyone was interested to contact him.
This sounds like it should be a good part of our futuremeetings.
Frank, who is taking over as Convention Chairman, gavea rundown on future conventions.
With no further business, Robin Biggins moved toadjourn, with a second by Shirley Nix. The meeting wasadjourned, and wewere free to wanderback into the house to enjoy theinstruments.
The lovely home of Ervin and Betty Canada.
New member Marianne Choy and Carol Fine
Our hostsErvin and
Betty Canadain front of
their Reginachanger.
Jean Hurley, Bill Blair,Rachelle Mercerand Robin Biggins
March 31st found many of the Texas Chapter making ourway to Paradise. Texas that is. After gray weather for monthswe had a picture book day with blue skies all day, what awelcome change. About 23 of us met at the Roma’s Italianrestaurant in Decatur, Texas for lunch. Then we headed toParadise, Texas to the home of Joe and Barbara Uher. Theyhave a very charming house on a small acreage in the countrywhich is pleasant after the hustle and bustle of the big city.Barbara had a table set up with all sorts of goodies to top offour lunch.
Music abounds with a Hamilton Pumper, a 15 1/2” Regina table music box; a Molinari monkey organ completewith monkey; a small table reed organ that plays with discs;and my favorite Custom-made Band Organ built by Joe himself from plans he obtained from AMICA. This organ isthe finest I have ever heard with everything in tune-in voiceand all drums working. This is modeled on the 105. The rollthat was playing when we came was one we used to have atSix Flags when I worked there many years ago.
As I said earlier we had about 23 people at this meetingwhich is our second for the year with four more planned. Wehad the usual business meeting with one guest who has sincejoined up with us both National and Local. Our guest wasRichard Thurston who is a piano tech. Welcome Aboard!
Our next meeting will be at the Broadway Baptist Churchin Fort Worth, Texas to view and see the 196 rank Casavantorgan which is the largest in the state of Texas. This meetingwill be on April 29. Various members of our chapter will betraveling to Florida in May to view the Milhouse Collection.Then on June 2nd we will have a meeting at the home of ourcrazy president to see his latest addition: a 1917 Fotoplayer.His house has what is called in real estate circles as OldeWorld Charm. Ha, Ha!
L to R: Suzanne and John McCall, Elaine and Sal Mele
Wade Newton and Joe Uher with Joe's replicaWurlitzer 105 Military Band Organ.
Myth No. 52The concept of using a cooking thermometer whenpreparing a turkey simply does not register withpeople from the Ozarks. They will be the first to pointout that the bird couldn't possibly have a fever,he's already dead.Springdale, Arkansas 2002
Jerry Bacon, MolinariMonkey Organ
Myth No. 39All the five-star restuarants in the Ozarks end with thewords all you can eat.Springdale, Arkansas 2002
0.-. ,
~,
f~11ii"~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~"_1 - /
William Baab, William DeanBethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
Many thanks to all the wonderfulmembers and friends in Australiaand New Zealand for perfecting
such a wonderful and memorable2001 Convention!
178
TheSTEINWAY
DUO-ART
IPI~f(~§IIO~
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179
ADVERTISING GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT
ALL ADVERTISING IN THE AMICA BULLETINAll advertising should be directed to:
Robin Pratt630 East Monroe StreetSandusky, Ohio 44870-3708Phone (419) 626-1903 e-mail: [email protected]
Ad copy must contain text directly related to the product/servicebeing offered. Extraneous text will be deleted at the Publisher’sdiscretion. All advertising must be accompanied by payment inU.S. funds. No telephone ads or written ads without payment willbe accepted. This policy was established by a unanimous vote ofthe AMICA Board at the 1991 Board Meeting and reaffirmed atthe 1992 meeting. AMICA reserves the right to edit or toreject any ad deemed inappropriate or not in keeping withAMICA’s objectives.
The BULLETIN accepts advertising without endorsement,implied or otherwise, of the products or services being offered.Publication of business advertising in no way implies AMICA’sendorsement of any commercial operation.
AMICA PUBLICATIONS RESERVES THE RIGHT TOACCEPT, REJECT, OR EDIT ANY AND ALL SUBMIT-TED ARTICLES AND ADVERTISING.
All items for publication must be submitted directly to thePublisher for consideration.
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: $.20 per word, $5.00 minimumfor AMICA members. Non-members may advertise double themember rates ($10.00 minimum). Because of the low cost ofadvertising, we are unable to provide proof copies or “tear sheets”.
DISPLAY ADVERTISINGFull Page — 71/2 " x 10" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150.00Half Page — 71/2 " x 43/4" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 80.00Quarter Page —35/8 " x 43/4" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 45.00Business Card — 31/2 " x 2" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 30.00
Non-member rates are double for all advertising. Special 6 for 5 Ad Offer - Place any ad, with no changes, for afull year (6 issues), and pay for only 5 issues. Payable in advance.Photographs or halftones $15.00 eachLoose Sheet or Insert Advertising: InquireWe recommend that display advertisers supply camera-readycopy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed tocorrect size at your cost. We can prepare advertisements fromyour suggested layout at cost.PAYMENT: U.S. funds must accompany ad order. Make checkpayable to AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Typesetting and layout size alterations charges will be billed.DEADLINES: Submissions must be received no later than thefirst of the odd months (January, March, May, July, September,November). The Bulletin will be mailed the first week of theeven months.
(Rev. 6-98)
“ Technology is a queer thing. It bringsyou great gifts with one hand and stabs
you in the back with the other.”
~ C. P. Snow
FOR SALE
AMPICO ROLLS for sale. Over 200 classical and popular originals and recuts in top condition. For list and prices by email or fax, contact [email protected] or telephone 1-415-398-4898. (3-01)
SEEBURG KT restored with Eagle Glass, $20,000; KNABELOUIS XVI AMPICO model A, walnut, 6’4” unrestored as foundwith supply of rolls and matching roll cabinet $9500; KNABE 5’4”walnut, ser.#105856, found in NYC apartment unrestored withAmpico rolls included $3500; MASON & HAMLIN AMPICO Aser.#35170 in a blond mahogany finish, 5’8” with a supply of rolls$6200; STROUD DUO-ART 5’4” modern case style 1933 late fora Duo-Art sn.#103237 $2800; DEAGAN “electric player rolls” 93/4” on metal spools [chime rolls] five total $500; KNABE AMPICO B with the Ampicron system, original parts, this is anolder restoration, mahogany 5’4” $8500; CRITERION 15 1/2”single comb disc music box in a carved oak case right out of thehouse condition $3200; 46 KEY FRAME unknown maker forband organ $1200; VICTOR VICTROLA original shippingcrate, you find the phonos but the empty crate? $250; REPRODUCO oak with side cabinet $7500. Born Too Late, 268 Professional Pl., Ft. Myers, FL 33903; 941-656-6262,[email protected] (3-01)
6’6” WELTE “Original” grand, bench, and 40 rolls. Piano refinished ebony, new hammers, dampers, and strings, actionrebuilt. Player not restored, $5500.00. Ken Snowden, 355 Santa Ana Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127; 415-334-3673;[email protected] (3-01)
1924 MARSHALL & WENDALL Ampico Grand. Unrestored but in marginal working condition, $3300.00; 1925 WEBER DUO-ART (English) Grand with external chest. Unrestored andnot working, $3800.00. Both located in Houston, Texas. Email:[email protected] or call 713-981-1414 for more details. (3-01)
REGINA CONCERTO with 14 discs, restored by Larry Karp, oakcase. Can email pictures, $27,000. David Boehm, 949-661-9026.(3-01)
POLYPHON Upright, 25” with matching base cabinet, 12 discs.Can email pictures, $17,000. David Boehm, 949-661-9026. (3-01)
MASON & HAMLIN, Red Welte upright. Exceptionally clean,operating original. Matching bench and 140-roll library - $7900.00.Paul Ciancia, 437 Sicomac Ave., Wyckoff, NJ 07481; days: 201-569-8255, eves: 201-891-6842. (3-01)
1922 KNABE Ampico A Grand Reproducer. Excellent unrestoredcondition. $2500 including 36 rolls. Reproducer mechanism notoperating, but has not been tampered with. Ivories, piano action,soundboard, bridges excellent. Mahogany cabinet 5’6”, is checkedbut free from gouges which would show as flaws when refinished.In family since new. Serial No. 92991. Susan, San Diego, CAPhone: 858-279-8155 E-Mail: [email protected] (3-01)
STECK 1921 AEOLIAN DUO-ART Piano with rolls, roll cabinetand bench, beautiful finish, up-right, $5,000, Reva, 916-987-8876(4-01)
NEW PIANO ROLL BOXES - Large and Small available. Smallboxes (2 x 2) are covered with White Litho (bottom), and eitherBlack Leather or Brown Leather paper (top). Large boxes (3 x 3)are covered with Black Leather paper (bottom), and Black Alligatorpaper (top). Prices are: $1.20 each (small), $2.50 each (large), plusshipping. A 20% discount will be given for orders over $100.Many other repair supplies available (leaders, tabs, tubes, flanges,repair tape). New QRS Rolls 20% off catalog price on orders over$100, 5% on orders less than $100. Refurbished 88-note rolls (newleader, tab, labels and box), $6.00 each. Hundreds of used rollsstarting at $3.00 each (guaranteed playable). California Player RollCo., www.calroll.com, (760) 244-ROLL (7655) (6-01)
AMPICO, DUO-ART & WELTE Rolls, great selection ofpopular, classical and medleys. Also, 88-Note Piano Rolls, hundreds of used rolls, - $3.00 each plus shipping. Also New OldStock QRS Rolls, $5.00 each. Will furnish lists on request. DaveCaldwell, 400 Lincoln Lake Road NE, Lowell, Michigan 49331;(616) 897-5609 (6-01)
WANTEDWURLITZER 146 Band Organ (A or B), “early” or “late”, needing work. ARTIZAN 46 key Band Organ Rolls. JackStevens, 139 Marchbanks Road, Sequim, WA 98382; 360-683-1017; [email protected] (3-01)
WELTE “Original” push-up and 88-note push-up. Ken Snowden,355 Santa Ana Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127; 415-334-3673;[email protected] (3-01)
ANSLEY DYNAPHONE radio-phono, circa 1940. Ken Snow-den, 355 Santa Ana Ave., San Francisco, CA 94127; 415-334-3673;[email protected] (3-01)
AMPICO, DUO-ART, WELTE, RECORDO rolls wanted. I’llbuy small or large collections. Now is the time to clean out duplicates and unwanted tunes! Contact: Dave Caldwell, 400 Lincoln Lake Rd. Lowell, MI 49331, phone: 1-616-897-5609, email: [email protected] (1-02)
All kinds of disc & cylinder music boxes and rare ones as well.Orchestrions of German origin. Organs of German origin. Relatedinstruments. Small to medium collections welcome. Offers to: H.P.Kyburz, Jubilaumsweg 10, CH-5036 Oberentfelden/Switzerland.(6-01)
We buy all types of standard pianos - “concert grand to miniaturegrand” - we sell wholesale to the trade. We exchange pianos forwhat you are looking for! Jay Mart Wholesale, “The Piano Storefor Piano Stores”, 800-411-2363; 216-382-7600. (4-01)
180
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Myth No. 3If Ozarkians want to impress the dinner guests theybring out the fancy plates, the ones with dividers.Springdale, Arkansas 2002
Myth No. 221Pork Rinds are considered an Ozarkian delicacySpringdale, Arkansas 2002
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~ We Are a ONE STOP Piano Shop ~ I~h I~; !i.,~ I iI~' , ,~f. i '1',11(-1 '!~'Iili1,:~ Ii" :,'t~ i i.
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W;aCifiC CAN-AM ChaPte~~lJ - invites AMICAns to its - lJ~
I3A~() ()Vf7A~ VALL""
Sept. 1-2,2001 (Labor Day Weekend)in scenic Ocean Shores, Washington
Join us at the Ocean Shores Convention Center for aweekend of American and European fair organs, streetorgans, a steam calliope, and a host of other mechanicalmusical instruments. Enjoy the large organs outside, then goindoors to the exhibit and demonstration rooms. Registrationfee includes a mart, banquet, two box lunches, open house,door prizes, and discount coupons from local businesses.
Located on the Pacific Ocean, midway between Seattleand Portland, our rally site is only minutes from beautifulsandy beaches. Galleries, shops, good restuarants, andrecreational activities abound, all within easy walkingdistance of the rally. The host hotel, Linde's Landing, isoffering special rates.
Heart of America Chapterinvites AMICAns to its
BAND ORGANRALLY
August 17-18, 2001here in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Join us for a weekend of American and Europeanfair organs, street organs, a steam calliope, and a host ofother mechanical musical instruments.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Marty Roenigk75 Prospect Avenue
Eureka Springs, AR 72632
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~nformation: Norm or Sally Gibson, 125 Taholah St.:JE'
Ocean Shores, WA 98569-9549E-mail: [email protected]
(2-01)
Phone: (501) 253-0405Cell: (443) 831-6211Fax: (501) 253-0406
E-Mail: [email protected](2-01)
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Always in the market for better quality disc and cylindermusic boxes, musical clocks, singing birds, band organs,player organs, monkey organs, Wurlitzer 78 rpm jukeboxes,slot machines. Any condition.
F WANTED TO BUYMUSIC BOXES
MUSICAL CLOCKS~IEUHANICAL ORGANS
(6-02)
75 Prospect AvenueEureka Springs, AR 72632
(800) 671-6333 • (501) 253-0405
www.mechantiques.com·[email protected]
~IARTINROENIGK
~182
183
AMICA TechnicalitiesSince 1969, AMICA has been publishing into bound vol-umes, collections of technical articles written and con-tributed by its members for publication in The AMICABulletin. They may be purchased as follows:Vol 1 - 1969 to 1971 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10.00Vol 2 - 1972 to 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.00Vol 3 - 1975 to 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9.00Vol 4 - 1978 to 1980 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.00Vol 5 - 1981 to 1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20.00Vol 6 - 1989 to 1993 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20.00
Postage PaidPlease note: Supplies of the earlier volumes may be
temporarily unavailable as stock is depleted. Overseas orders may take longer than domestic shipments.
AMICASTATIONERY
andENVELOPES
This is a reducedsample of
the small letterheadswhich can be purchased.
AMICA ITEMS FOR SALE
AMICA STATIONERY & ENVELOPESFor Quantities and Pricing contact:
Stuart GriggGrigg Graphic Services, Inc.20982 Bridge StreetSouthfield, MI 48034
Fax: (248) 356-5636e-mail: [email protected]
The AMICA Bulletin1971 through 1999 bound annuals
of the AMICA Bulletins$24.00 (U.S. Dollars) per year postage paid
Make checks payable to: AMICA International
Send Orders to: Stuart GriggGrigg Graphic Services, Inc.20982 Bridge StreetSouthfield, MI 48034Fax: (248) 356-5636e-mail: [email protected]
Get the Whole Story !In Stock Now Shipped Immediately !
The AMICA Bulletin remains the single source of complete information about the technical andsocial aspects of our hobby. No home library would be complete without a FULL SET of theAMICA Bulletins, bound into sets by year.
In addition, technical articles published in the bulletin have been extracted and published asinvaluable reference volumes. More than 30 years of knowledge, discovery and revelation can befound in the TECHNICALITIES, a complete set of which takes less than 30 inches of shelf space!
ORDER TODAY! In stock for immediate shipping via United Parcel Service or US Mail.
Attention Chapters!AMICA Brochure Holders
are now available for $3.00 each.
They are clear plastic with AMICA Logo imprinted
on a gold label.
Included will be as many AMICA New Member Info Brochures
as you wish at no charge.
Make checks payable to AMICA International.
Order from:Robin Pratt
AMICA Publications630 East Monroe Street
Sandusky, OH [email protected]
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REPLACEMENT LEADERSThese 11 114" x IT' reprints, not trimmed and without tabs, are excellent replicas of the more popular types ofreproducing piano roll leaders. While intended for roll repairs, they may also be used for decorative purposes. Tosplice, overlay new leader on old roll, lay a straightedge on an angle, cut through both papers with a sharp knife,discard scrap, and butt-join with magic mending tape on top surface.
~"
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A. Brown on buff(For early red label boxes)
E. Green on ivory(Most common)
B. Black on ivory(Area for reusableartist photo)
AMIPUCCO'/{.eco'/{.'DJ:J>«j.1 FOR USE ONLY ON 'tHE AMP,CO 1
I
F. Green on ivory(Favorite Fifty &Selected Roll Service)
C. Black on ivory(Most common)
-:~
G. WelteBrown on buff(Most common)
D. Black on ivory(Very late rolls by combinedAeolian!American)
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Note: Early Welte'swith blue leaders maybe repaired with thisbrown leader. Many ofthese when reissuedhad brown leaders.
Quantity
---------~0·
Please make checks payable toAMICA INTERNATIONAL,And send to:
BRIAN K. MEEDER904A West Victoria StreetSanta Barbara, CA 93101-4745
e-mail address for orders:[email protected]
184
Checks or moneyorders from foreign countriesmust be drawnon U.S. bank.
Price: $ 1.00 eachMinimum Order: $10.00
Postage and Handling $ 5.50
Roll Order $ _
Total Amount (U.S. $) $ _
Style
ABC
D
E
FG
Total Quantity _
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Chic.do's Finest Product
The Easiest Played of All Player PianosIS THE
M. Schulz Co. Player Piano
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SIMPLICITY - DURABILITY - RELIABILITY
The whole family can enjoy it. It is simple to operate. Childrenand elderly people can play it without effort. They play just as theyfeel. The special expression you would give to music is easily realizedby the simple control.
Equipped with the patented W alk~step pedal, exclusive inM. Schulz Co. player pianos. No ankle strain.
Made throughout in our own factories.MODERA TELY PRICED Catalogue Mailed on Request
M. SCHULZ CO.MAKERS
ESTABL.lSHED 1869
GENERAL OFFICES. 711 MILWAUKEE AVENUE
CHICAGO
