Playerpiano-Phonograph combination
By Dean Randall
Al Menashe mentioned a player piano-phonograph combination he saw at auction in Portland in which the phonograph was wound by treadling the piano.
Karl Ellison suggested that it might have been the "Standard" Playerpiano Phonograph as described in the reprinted advertisement in the 2nd edition of Harvey Roehl's "Player Piano Treasury".
That's certainly possible, but I think it more likely that the instrument is a Melville Clark Apollophone, especially if Mr. Menashe saw it in Portland Oregon and not in Portland Maine. While not exactly common, these do turn up from time to time here in the northwest. I have laid hands on about 5 in the past 25 years. As with many of the Melville Clark instruments, the roll-drive motor is also spring wound and driven from the pedals.
I would be interested to hear if anyone has actually _seen_ the Standard Playerpiano Phonograph and if so, in what marque piano? If they were actually manufactured, I suspect they were not aggressively marketed, at least not on the west coast. The advertisement in Player Piano Treasury seems to be aimed toward piano manufacturers rather than the general public and is undated, but the piano pictured appears to be of middle-to-late 'teens style.
As for the "Player Piano Treasury"book, there are two. The first edition was published in 1961 by Vestal Press and the second edition, much revised and enlarged, was published in 1973, also by Vestal Press. Vestal Press was owned by Harvey and Marion Roehl at the time. I doubt that either is still in print, but anyone interested might contact Vestal Press and inquire.
As with many books put together about mechanical music in the 1960s and 1970s, some of the information given has proved over the years to be incomplete and/or inaccurate, but this book, like Larry Givens' "Rebuilding the Player Piano" certainly belongs in the library of anyone with an interest in these wonderful music machines, alongside the newer works of Craig Brougher, Art Reblitz and others.
Dean Randall
~A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.~
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(Message sent Wed 25 Sep 1996, 06:01:47 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.) |
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