The purpose of this posting is two fold. First, to inform of an
ongoing project to convert Aeolian 116-note organ rolls into MIDI files
that will also contain Duo-Art organ control codes. Second, to request
input and source material.
The 116-note roll library is about twice as large as the Duo-Art organ
roll library of 545 titles. Many rolls within the 116-note library
also exist as fully coded Duo-Art automatic rolls. It appears that
almost no new material was issued in either format after Aeolian and
Skinner merged into the Aeolian-Skinner Organ company.
The earliest Duo-Art rolls were merely "arranged" 116-note rolls that
Aeolian converted into the Duo-Art format. A little known fact is that
late in production, prior to the merger, some hand-played recordings
were issued in both formats. Some hand-played 116-note rolls never
were issued as Duo-Art rolls. The point is that many 116-note rolls
contain excellent music worthy of conversion into the Duo-Art format.
The better "arranged" rolls also make wonderful Duo-Art performances.
My problem is deciding which rolls to convert. Reviewing the
116-note rolls to choose an upgrade candidate is a very time-consuming
process. I have taken several approaches to making logical selections.
Overtures seem to be popular with most of us, but they tend to be huge
rolls, so I have avoided those. The opera category is a huge portion
of the 116-note library and many of those rolls exist in both formats,
so I have avoided that category for the time being. I have tried to
focus on composers that I like, such as Mendelssohn, Gounod, Lemare,
and Hollins. I would love to hear from MMDers of any good areas to
explore. Rolls that don't sound mechanical are what I really seek.
Any suggestions?
I am also looking for people who own 116-note rolls that are willing
to lend them for my project. As an example, I am missing the last
movement of the Beethoven Symphony 3, Eroica (roll # 1173, IV Finale,
Allegro molto). There other multiple sets where I have just one roll
missing, and I will probably post those wants on my web site.
Any help would be appreciated.
Bob Taylor
http://members.socket.net/~rtaylor/aeolian_pipe_organ.html
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