Adam G. Ramet asked:

> how common are rolls on coloured papers?  I saw a 65-note roll cut
> on dark green paper once.

The commonest kind of Connorized roll in England is not the 88-note
variety but well-made 65-note in deep green paper, the maker being shown
as Chase & Baker.  We are given to understand this paper withstood changes
in humidity particularly well.  Chase & Baker made a 65-note pushup of
which the Musical Museum in Brentford (West London) has an example.

Uniquely amongst 65-note rolls, Connorized rolls indicate where
sustaining pedal is to be applied and released, along with dynamic
markings which were done with large capital letters (PP, CRESC etc.) and
elongated Vs for small crescendi and diminuendi.  I have some of the very
first issues with numbers like 6 and 13 and to judge from the music -
heavily-arranged Tin Pan Alley ragtime with titles like COON, COON, COON
and NIGGERS PARADE - they date from around 1904.

There is a most interesting curiosity about all the Connorized rolls I've
seen (but not QRS recuts of them) and this is that the melody notes,
where they occur along with a chord, are slightly delayed, just like a
"Themodist" roll only without any snakebite perforations.  Were they
intended to be sold along with an instrument which enabled these delayed
notes to be emphasised using a manual control ?

Dan Wilson