Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > August 2012 > 2012.08.21 > 02Prev  Next


Seek Titles of Duo-Art "Special" Series Rolls
By Julian Dyer

I was recently handed a Duo-Art roll to scan, and was rather surprised
to find that it wasn't in the Charles Davis Smith catalog.  It's
S-30600 "Pipes of Pan", composed and played by Lulu Jones Downing.

This is the final number in a run of unidentified special-series rolls
on page 218 of the book, which strongly suggests that the other titles
were issued as well.  The Smith book was published 25 years ago, well
before the Internet.  I wonder if it's now possible to locate any more
of these titles?

The S-prefixed rolls were not issued generally.  The earliest issues
were instead made specifically for a particular dealer, typically using
a locally-famous pianist.  As time progressed the series became the
place where oddities went, such as the "alternating" rolls with gaps
for a pianist to fill in, and finally the monthly bulletin rolls.

A few of these rolls were issued in Britain, omitting the prefix and
the final price-code digit (hence the above would have been 3060),
so it suggests that these titles were sent around within Aeolian and
available for release if desired for some reason.  Two even appeared as
Audiographic issues.

There are a few sequences of unidentified titles as well as individual
omissions:

  3001-3007, 3014-3019, 3021, 3022, 3026, 3033, 3037, 3042, 3043, 3047,
  3048, 3053-3059, 3067-3068, 3072, 3078, 3080-3091, 3093-3096, 3129,
  3136-3138, 3141, 3144, 3146-3148, 3151, 3157, 3165-3167, 3181, 3184,
  3185, 3190-3192, 3194, 3207, 3208, 3210-3214, 3223.

I wonder if any are lurking on roll shelves?

It's been possible to fill in some other gaps in the Smith list,
particularly in the British-issue dance rolls, where a lucky find of
a sequence of 1930s catalogs did the job in one go.  No new titles
there, though -- all were American-issue rolls under a new number.  
I'd expect any unearthed special-series rolls to be new material,
albeit probably of fairly limited interest, just like the Downing
piece that's just appeared!

Julian Dyer


(Message sent Wed 22 Aug 2012, 00:08:54 GMT, from time zone GMT+0100.)

Key Words in Subject:  Duo-Art, Rolls, Seek, Series, Special, Titles

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page