Mark Kinsler asked:

> Were automatic musical instruments used to accompany silent movies?

You bet!  Player pianos went into many nickelodeons and the Photoplayer,
a piano with organ pipes and traps, could be purchased with two roll
frames so there was never any pause in the music.  Local kids were hired
to change rolls as the films ran.

Titles of rolls that were produced indicated moods and usage, e.g.
"Hearts and Flowers" - sad, "March Slav" - happy, chase, storm, etc.,
on a number of labels of which Picturoll comes to mind first.  If the
kid was good and the rolls kept in order things could have synchronized
well, but mostly it was just music to keep the silents from being silent.

I found a Photoplayer for a friend about three years ago and I hope the
restoration is going well.  The unfortunate part was that the roll box
and top had been cut off so the unit could be used in a mortuary.  They
should have kept it intact for the "Funeral March" - sad.  "Dum dum
de-dum dum de-dum de-dum de-dum"!  ;-)

Just a side note: the original Photoplayer factory building still
exists in Berkeley, California, about a block off of University.
When last I looked even the sawdust collector was still there and
the building was used as artist's studios and shops.

Al Sefl - A man whose only musical talent is putting in the roll...