The era of the self-playing or automatic piano embraced the first three decades of the 20th century. Piano-playing cabinets were followed by the pneumatic player-piano, soon to be known the world over by the name of the leading American make - Pianola. There were many other makes, of course, with names like Kastonome, Triumph, Pistonola, Claviola, Autoplayer and Apollo. Invented almost simultaneously in Germany and America, player pianos became the most sought-after addition to the family home and the huge industry that built them and made their perforated paper music rolls became both important and wealthy. This book, written by a world-renowned authority on mechanical music and its instruments, relates the development of the automatic piano from the spring-powered dulcimer-playing musical clocks of the 16th century through the once-popular barrel-playing pianos and street pianos to the great era of the Reproducing Piano that could bring a famous artist's interpretation of a musical classic into your own drawing-room. The inventors, their perpetual quest for perfection, and their successes and failures are related in this new and fully-illustrated history. Just how the automatic piano works is described in both words and the author's own clear line-drawings, together with 603 b/w and 43 full colour photos. Also, a guide to servicing, maintaining, and playing player pianos and the magnificent Aeolian Orchestrelle roll-playing reed organ is included. Illustrated appendices include a list of makers, brand-names, and a modern-day valuation guide.

The worldwide interest in automatic organs is larger now than ever before. From delicate and musically sublime little organs contained in musical clocks of the type Mozart and Haydn composed music for, through to enormous and loud dancehall and street organs, the genre exists to please everybody and to suit all tastes. This comprehensive, yet delightful and easy-to-read, reference unlocks the mysteries of mechanical versions of the King of Instruments and its smaller counterparts. 79 color and 538 black and white photos display examples from 18 chapters and six Appendices that specify how automatic pipe organs work, Italian water garden organs, barrel organs, orchestrions, and street and showground organs, as well as automatic organs of the 21st century and more. The list of makers, distributors, and inventors the world over has never been available before. Now musicians, instrument collectors, owners, museums, and grateful audiences can explore the how, where, and why of these charming entertainers. The valuation and price guide includes a thoughtful discussion of the market and its variables.

Musical boxes have been made by master artisans since the 1700s, playing classical music, hymns, operatic arias and popular tunes by means of discs or cylinders. The industry started in Europe, flourishing in Switzerland, Germany, and Great Britain, finally crossing the Atlantic to America, before ending in the early 20th century. this book is the definitive reference for anyone interested in the history of music, mechanical music, and musical technology, with complete diagrams of the various types of mechanical movements used over the centuries, indexes of manufacturers, box styles, and tune sheets, complete American and British patent lists, tips on maintaining, repairing, and purchasing boxes, and a price guide. Many of the loveliest musical boxes ever crafted are illustrated in full color in this book, with hundreds more black and white photographs showing their mechanical workings. Eighty detailed diagrams explaining their functions help collectors use, maintain and repair the boxes in their collections.