In 1908 Hugo Popper brought the reproduction instrument 'Stella' onto the market in Leipzig. It is technically very similar to the Welte-Mignon. However, the roll width and scale is different. […]
In 1913 there was the forerunner (Stoddard-Ampico), from 1920 the mature Ampico A and from 1929 the further development - the Ampico B. As the last stage of development of all [...]
Like the Aeolian Duo-Art, the Ampico reproduction system from the American Piano Company was - and still is - very successful, especially in the home market USA and the UK [...]
The Aeolian Company New York used a standard 88 scale - different from the initial Welte, Hupfeld and Philipps - for the Duo-Art reproduction system marketed from 1913, supplemented by [...].
Phillips AG in Frankfurt introduced the DUCA reproduction system to the market in 1908. The importance of the unique selling proposition in the scope of performance compared to the main competitor even then [...]
In addition to the very successful Phonola, Hupfeld AG in Leipzig launched the DEA (lat. "Goddess") reproduction system in 1907. With this system Hupfeld wanted to [...]
Only in 1924 Welte introduced the T98 Welte green reproduction system. A music sliding block with 102 perforations (incl. music band guide) was used - the reproduction system can reproduce 88 notes [...]
The T100 scale by M. Welte & Söhne (Freiburg) was the first reproduction system of its kind and caused a sensation in 1904/1905, which was similar to a wonder of the world.
The 88 standard or norm scale was established at a congress in Buffalo/USA in 1908. Gradually, starting in 1910, most manufacturers built the 88 scale. […]
The 72 scale was actually introduced by Hupfeld in ~1902 in order to achieve a larger range and split windchest (separate dynamics of bass and treble) in the [...]
The 65 scale was marketed by Aeolian as early as 1897 in America with the pianola as the prescaler, and even before the horn field Phonola, it was [...]
The basic principle of all pianolas is the same. Strongly simplified: Via pedals or an electrically operated suction air blower a negative pressure is generated in the closed self-playing mechanism. Via a playback and a [...]
"Pianola" as a collective term for self-playing upright and grand pianos hardly suggests the great variety of these instruments. This variety is due to the successive development of the technical [...]
The name "Pianola" is actually a product name for the self-playing mechanism built around 1895 by Edwin Votey, which was introduced in 1897 by the Aeolian Company in New York.