Thanks, everyone.  As someone who spends a lot of time transcribing
recordings (and rolls) to notation, I realized I had misinterpreted
the term.

But a fundamental question remains: how were the transcriptions or
arrangements made into music rolls?  I ask this because one of the
Arndt manuscripts says, "If this doesn't work send it back and I'll
replay it."

This suggests arrangers were sitting at keyboards and playing their
arrangements to prepare a roll.  Does that make sense?  In 1913?
Is it the "hand-played" idea, but with the performer working from
a musical score he or she prepared him/herself?

Jeff Taylor

 [ Aeolian built a real-time perforator which would punch a music roll
 [ as the artist played, then the artist and/or an editor would mark
 [ the corrections needed.  Ampico and Welte had equivalent methods
 [ for recording classical performances and certain popular pieces.
 [ -- Robbie