January 25, 2023
First of all - the following statements do not replace legal advice and make no claim to correctness or completeness, any liability is excluded. In specific cases, please contact [...]
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July 9, 2020
In 2020, Stanford University / Stanford Libraries digitized the surviving AMPICO ARTIST RECORD book (308 pages) from the late 1920s, the Alan H. [...]
July 3, 2020
Most of the pieces recorded on reproduction rolls are piano solo pieces. Nevertheless, rolls were also produced that were intended for song accompaniment and were as [...]
April 6, 2020
In addition to these books, there are of course numerous literature worth reading on this subject. Some of the above-published books are still available (specialist retailers [...]
March 29, 2020
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March 17, 2020
In addition to these books there is of course a lot of literature that is worth reading on this topic. Some of the books mentioned above are still available (specialized trade or [...]
March 17, 2020
Malwine Brée, as a pupil and later assistant to one of the greatest pianists and teachers Theodor Leschetizky, has, despite all her opposition to a theoretical piano school "with the authorization of the [...]
March 17, 2020
There are individual rolls of music which contain recordings of great music-historical value. Triggered by the discovery of two special Hupfeld scrolls with Kenneth Hamilton, After the [...]
March 17, 2020
There are individual rolls of music which contain recordings of great music-historical value. Triggered by the discovery of two special Hupfeld scrolls with recordings by Liszt student Arthur [...]
March 17, 2020
A very special and almost forgotten book is this Piano Playing written by the famous pianist Josef Hofmann. In it J. Hofmann gives insights into his opinion [...]
March 17, 2020
When dealing with music scrolls - especially the artist and reproduction scrolls - it is worth reading books that explain the conception, performance technique and above all [...]
March 17, 2020
Kastner & Co. Ltd from London and formerly also Leipzig has published this wonderful book to show in all details the functionality and possibilities of the autopiano pianola [...]
March 17, 2020
Books about the way to play the piano were published around 1910. Today only a few are still preserved. This book The Pianolist by Gustav Kobbe describes in English [...]
March 17, 2020
Ampico B is the latest and most sophisticated reproductive system. In his book "Re-Enacting the Artist", published in 1970, Larry Givens writes many details about the production of music rolls at [...]
March 17, 2020
John MacTammany is considered one of the inventors of the piano. In this book Technical History of the Player Piano he discusses the technical development of the self-playing piano. […]
March 17, 2020
The Gesellschaft für Selbstspielende Musikinstrumente e.V. publishes a quarterly journal called Das Mechanische Musikinstrument. Although the majority of reports are about barrel organs, music boxes etc., [...]
March 17, 2020
For all those who want to better understand the function of the piano and, if necessary, want to tackle the maintenance or even renovation of the piano themselves, this book [...]
March 17, 2020
Gerhard Dangel and Hans W. Schmitz wrote an impressive work for the Welte-Mignon reproduction piano with the complete catalogue of European recordings 1904-1932. Included in this catalogue are the detailed [...]
March 17, 2020
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the company M. Welte & Söhne from Freiburg, this book or exhibition catalogue 100 Years of Welte-Mignon was published by the Augustinian Museum. The book contains [...]
March 17, 2020
After a series of historical photographs were discovered by chance, this wonderful book was published in Im Aufnahmesalon Hupfeld. In this book the development of the Hupfeld company from Leipzig [...]
March 17, 2020
From the same author (Arthur W.J.G. Hume) is this extensive book Automatic Pianos, published in 2004. Also in English language here are more details about pianolas, barrels [...]
March 17, 2020
Probably one of the best and most detailed books on the subject is Pianola by W.J.G. Hume. In English language you can find out everything about the development, the variations and [...]
March 17, 2020
On these pages we present some books and internet links that we find recommendable on the subject of pianola. We are always grateful for further references to interesting literature or internet sites. […]
March 16, 2020
When the question arises what to do with the piano, you need expert advice. Whether and what a piano is still worth, whether a repair [...]
March 16, 2020
Those who love their piano also want to learn more about it and its history. We offer you a special service for this. You can check the age determination [...] free of charge
March 16, 2020
Many an instrument has survived the decades in astonishing preservation and tonal beauty. Nevertheless, even a well-maintained instrument needs careful treatment at some point in order to be restored to all its [...]
March 16, 2020
In our blog post How do I store a piano? we describe important points regarding piano storage. We have decades of experience in handling high-quality pianos and [...]
March 15, 2020
We are always looking for special pianos and upright pianolas - but only instruments from before 1940, and we only buy certain brands and types of instruments in [...].
March 10, 2020
In fact, almost all the recordings that were chronologically documented in the book were also published later in this way. The photo shows the realization of rolls No. 1-6. It [...]
March 10, 2020
In the back of the book there are two pages with very interesting details about Philipps' price fixing - not only for DUCA, but also for [...]
March 10, 2020
As an insert, there is a note on changed prices from April 1, 1914, and the demand for rolls has increased with the spread of the gramophone and [...]
March 10, 2020
It is noticeable that the roll lengths (in metres) given in the DUCA book are in each case almost exactly double the actual DUCA play rolls. The photo shows the DUCA [...]
March 10, 2020
In the collection of the preserved DUCA production parts there are many of these measures / scales, which were obviously used in the production process for DUCA among others. These measures are [...]
March 10, 2020
H.-W. Schmitz was able to locate the Lipp recording wing (serial number 26087, photo from DMM 040). Unfortunately the recording technology had been removed decades ago. Received [...]
March 10, 2020
Another curious detail of Philipp's role recordings is shown on this page from the DUCA sheet music directory. From 10.07.1911 the recordings for dance music were kept separately. Since Philipps [...]
March 10, 2020
Until today it is still often claimed that the repertoire for DUCA is too small and uninteresting. In view of the impressive range of roles, we cannot agree with this. […]
March 10, 2020
Philipps was the third, after Welte and Hupfeld and next to Popper (Stella), to enter the rapidly rising and falling market for reproduction pianos, and thus somewhat late. […]
March 10, 2020
This "Duca sheet music directory" has been preserved together with other original documents (including the Cäcilia sheet music directories!) and parts from the instrument and roll production of Philipps AG [...]
March 10, 2020
The sales books document the key role played by Feurich in the success story of both the Welte-Mignon and the Philipps DUCA. Julius Feurich was also a close friend of Hugo Popper. […]
March 10, 2020
For decades people thought these books were lost. Thanks to the wonderful help of Mrs. Kluttig we were able to look through these books in the State Archives in Leipzig in September 2017. Over 20 [...]
March 10, 2020
In recent years - also thanks to the new possibilities offered by global networking and digitization - there has been an increasing need to focus on topics related to research and the collection of [...]
March 8, 2020
After the outbreak of the First World War it became increasingly difficult to run the world business in the USA. In 1917, after the USA entered the WWI [...]
March 8, 2020
Phillips AG in Frankfurt introduced the DUCARTIST reproduction system to the market in 1923. The DUCARTIST is the DUCA based on an 88 standard scale. Philipps has [...]
March 8, 2020
A standard scale was used for the Triphonola reproduction system built from 1919 onwards, so that the standard 88 note rolls can also be played. For the reproduction, however, [...]
March 8, 2020
In view of the comparatively high prices (approx. an average annual income) of the pianola and Vorsetzer as well as the corresponding music scores, it was mainly wealthy and very rich people who owned these [...]
March 8, 2020
Only very well-off members of the growing upper middle class and the rich and very rich upper class were able to acquire a pianola and buy additional rolls of music. When you consider [...]
March 8, 2020
As it is so often the case with big developments, it was several brilliant persons who made Welte-Mignon to this world success. Bockisch-Welten-Popper-Feurich (Photo from the magazine for instrument making No [...]
March 8, 2020
Hugo Popper brought the Stella reproduction piano onto the market in 1908 and advertised with his own recording equipment and his own exquisite repertoire. Indeed, the Popper Stella [...]
March 8, 2020
The US American Welte-Licensee reels are similar to the Duo-Art and Ampico sheet music reels. After the expropriation during World War I, the American Welte stores were sold in the USA [...]
March 8, 2020
The Ampico reels are also based on the 88 standard format and also have the perforations necessary for reproduction, so that 83 notes are played. The Ampico [...]
March 8, 2020
The Duo-Art rolls of the Aeolian Company are based on the 88 standard format and also have the perforations necessary for reproduction. The Duo-Art music rolls can therefore be [...]
March 8, 2020
In 1908, Philipps presented DUCA, a system competing with the Hupfeld DEA and Welte-Mignon on the market. DUCA was able to play one tone more than both competing systems [...]
March 8, 2020
In 1919, Hupfeld combined the further development of the DEA reproduction system with the possibilities of the 88 Phonola and developed the Triphonola, and 11 years after its standardization, [...]
March 8, 2020
When Hupfeld offered the DEA Reproduction System from 1907, Hupfeld could already fall back on the Phonoliszt or Phonola artist recordings, which had been recorded at least since 1905. Even though [...]
March 8, 2020
Music rolls for the Welte-Mignon T98 system, which was produced from 1924 onwards, are usually called "Welte green" rolls, as the paper used was usually striking green. On the red [...]
March 8, 2020
In 1904 M. Welte & Söhne from Freiburg launched the Welte-Mignon music rolls as the first reproduction rolls on the market. The Welte-Mignon T100 reels are usually called "Welte red" [...]
March 8, 2020
In the 88 standard format, a large number of rolls of music from different manufacturers were brought onto the market. Among them of course especially the Aeolian Company and their German branch Choralion [...]
March 8, 2020
The Hupfeld music rolls with the 88 scale were introduced from 1912 onwards and titled with the registered trademark "Animatic". Anima' derived from 'soul'. These scrolls all speak [...]
March 8, 2020
Hupfeld was the largest supplier in Germany of artist music rolls for its own Hupfeld Phonola art playing instruments. The Phonola music rolls with the 72/73 scale were first sold from 1902 [...]
March 8, 2020
The rolls of music with a standard 65 scale were marketed by Aeolian in America as early as 1897, with the pianola as the front end, and thus came before [...]
March 8, 2020
The vast majority of rolls can be easily identified by certain features. Some rather rare types of roles pose puzzles at first - and require closer examination. The [...]
March 8, 2020
Unfortunately, no recording wings have survived after the wars - and for reasons of secrecy, no construction or patent documents have been published, so that it is still not quite [...]
March 8, 2020
Very. And that's a good thing. Pianists play differently even in their efforts to realize the composer's idea and specifications as authentically as possible. […]
March 8, 2020
Even if the music rolls, which are over 100 years old, are often still in good condition, many rolls are found to be smaller or larger than they are [...]
March 8, 2020
Birgit Heise and her team have published a very interesting article in the DMM (Sep 2017) - Topic: The artist contracts of Hupfeld These documents are part [...]
March 8, 2020
The available titles on rolls of music were based on the respective tastes of the time, which differed regionally - i.e. in Germany, unlike in the USA. At the same time [...]
March 8, 2020
As with pianolas, the rolls of music differ considerably according to manufacturer, age and type. There are many different types of rolls and they only fit for certain [...]
March 7, 2020
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. […]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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 [...].
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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.
March 7, 2020
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. […]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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 [...]
March 7, 2020
"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 [...]
March 7, 2020
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.
March 5, 2020
Just about every piano also experiences phases of prolonged non-use. For very different reasons. At some point the question arises whether the place might not be better [...]
March 2, 2020
We love pianos! And the environment. And that is probably why we offer a unique service. Every piano deserves our appreciation. From historical, from musical and from [...]
March 2, 2020
We are always looking for special pianos and pianolas, the treasures from the golden era. As beautiful as many pianos are, we only buy instruments from [...]
February 18, 2020
The beautiful quote by Franz Liszt, "My piano is to me what the sailor's frigate is to the sailor, the Arab his horse, and more than that, my language, my life!
February 18, 2020
Yeah. For real? At least in the ads. There are piano manufacturers today who advertise 'organic piano making' on their website. Or piano manufacturers who advertise with a particularly high percentage [...]
February 15, 2020
All forms of mechanics that can still be found today can be played well. The underdamping mechanics, which have been standardized since the beginning of the 20th century, are the ones that are common today. Since [...]
February 15, 2020
In order to familiarise yourself a little with the structure of the instrument, a brief description of the essential elements is given here. A more detailed description of the individual elements [...]
February 15, 2020
Since it is the piano and not the pianola that is tuned, all instructions are given in the section 'How and how often does my piano need to be tuned? […]
February 15, 2020
Does every Pianola need to be renovated? Yes, because pianos were only built until around 1940 and even when they are in the best condition, after more than eight decades [...]
February 15, 2020
As in all special fields, the challenge is to find suitable offers at all. There are only a few pianolas to be found on the private market. The purchase [...]
February 15, 2020
The question is usually answered automatically when a good pianola is experienced live for the first time. This was also the case for most of the interested people. With [...]
February 15, 2020
Pianos, pianos... what the collector's heart has collected and enjoyed with much joy and enthusiasm, usually over years and decades, must be dissolved, handed over, passed on, given away at some point. […]
February 15, 2020
From the point of view of a piano lover, preferably not at all. And if the day does come when, for various reasons, there is no easy alternative [...]
February 15, 2020
The best thing is to keep the piano so clean that it requires little cleaning. Of course this cannot be avoided completely. This is important for all who want to buy a used [...]
February 15, 2020
Not every piano was delivered then - just like today - with a lock and a key. Why should a piano be locked? In fact, locked pianos [...]
February 15, 2020
Many pianos before 1920 had original candlesticks, which were very necessary at that time and are still very decorative today. Not all households had electric light - and certainly not [...]
February 15, 2020
Usually a piano belongs rather to the 'immobile' objects because of its enormous weight of ~175-300kg on average. Nevertheless, experience shows that a piano in the house [...]
February 14, 2020
The most important thing for long-lasting enjoyment of playing is, besides the good piano itself, a comfortable and functional seat. Piano teachers and physiotherapists can give valuable tips here. Many famous [...]
February 14, 2020
In order to be able to use a piano, all that is actually needed is a suitable seat and sufficient light for the respective requirement. Accessories such as piano chandeliers, keys, metronome, keyboard cover pinch protection, [...]
February 14, 2020
Regular tuning of the piano is necessary to maintain a good sound image, but also to preserve the substance. Whether the sound is pleasing is a matter for the ear. If a [...]
February 14, 2020
Standard pitch is the standard tuning pitch that is set for a certain pitch. Until well into the 20th century, very different standard tuning pitches were found. The instrument makers [...]
February 14, 2020
A piano should be placed where it can be played most often and best, because that is when it will give the most pleasure. Experience shows that an unfavourable [...]
February 14, 2020
First of all - the following statements do not replace legal advice and do not claim to be correct. In the concrete case please contact the [...]
February 14, 2020
Moths are the critical pest for piano felts. Here too, unplayed pianos are more at risk. Moths are often found with old carpets or articles of clothing [...]
February 14, 2020
The woodworm, or more precisely the common nail beetle and its larvae love the soft woods in pianos. On old pianos, traces of woodworm infestation are often found [...]
February 14, 2020
To save our honour, pests are only there because we are harmed at the piano or our health and do not want this. In this sense, we humans are responsible for [...]
February 14, 2020
On old pianos, the keyboard covering of the white keys is mostly made of ivory until about 1910. The black keytops are often made of ebony. Only few people know that [...]
February 14, 2020
The keyboard and the action are of great importance as the link between the piano player and the acoustic system. Old brand machine heads (Schwander, Renner, Keller, Langer, Flemming, etc.) [...]
February 14, 2020
In the absence of a uniform definition, we describe our understanding here. It is important to clarify in detail what exactly is to be done or has been done - [...]
February 14, 2020
Cracks in the cast frame are rare, and are usually due to a. material defects, b. transport damage or c. tuning errors. Depending on where the crack is located, this can [...]
February 14, 2020
The approx. 20t of string tension of a piano weigh over the tuning pegs, especially on the wooden soundpost. With the exception of a metal innovation by Crasselt&Rähse, all pianos [...]
February 14, 2020
The bridges in the piano are glued to the soundboard and connect the strings to the soundboard. These bridges have to withstand high loads and are -da [...]
February 14, 2020
The large sounding wooden surface in the piano under the strings is most prone to cracking. Soundboards are made of glued spruce boards and shrink under [...]
February 14, 2020
Even though almost every piano can still produce sound regardless of its condition, the widespread statement in advertisements that '...just need to be tuned...' is usually true [...]
February 14, 2020
Today's high-end digital pianos offer a quality of sound and functionality that will delight beginners and professionals alike. Only the touch of the piano is, according to our [...]
February 14, 2020
This is rather the question between vintage and modern, since mechanical pianolas are no longer produced in series today. If you are looking for the old original, the magic [...]
February 14, 2020
The advantages of a new piano - like a car - are above all being the first owner, the manufacturer's guarantee, the pristine, immaculate condition, the possibility to change the design [...]
February 14, 2020
A short excursion to composers, pianists and the instruments of their time. It is often forgotten that many of the great composers on the very early upright and grand pianos [...]
February 14, 2020
We perceive sound very subjectively. Moreover, every instrument, even the same model, sounds very individual - and even different at different times. A decent [...]
February 14, 2020
Of the thousands of manufacturers at the peak around 1900, only a few dozen are left today. This consolidation is not yet complete. Of the [...]
February 14, 2020
After decades of dealing with pianos and searching for people, we have come to the conclusion that the right choice of piano is mostly an emotional one [...]