This Registry page replaces the old PianOrchestra Music Roll Database Project, and essentially contains the same information and reports, but in an upgraded format.
Rollography Project Goals
The PianOrchestra Rollography Project is an ongoing attempt to catalogue original Wurlitzer (and to a lesser extent Philipps Pianella) factory-cut music rolls for the Concert, Mandolin and Regular PianOrchestras. Recut music rolls are not included in this study, although title information from recut rolls may be used as a source of catalogued tune and composer information, and will be so noted as may be appropriate. The types of music rolls currently included in this project are as follows:
Philipps Music Rolls:
P.X. -- Pianella Xylophon (Arranged for small keyboard instruments featuring a xylophone and uses the same tracker bar layout as the Pianella Mandoline or Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra roll).
P.M. -- Pianella Mandoline (Arranged for large orchestrions -- equivalent to a Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra roll).
P.C. -- Pianella Caecilia (Arranged for the large concert voiced orchestrions -- equivalent to a Wurlitzer Concert PianOrchestra roll).
P.D. -- Philipps Duca (Artistic piano music for Pianella Paganini Violin Pianos and Orchestrions). These rolls are actual recordings of various well known pianists of the time, and utilize only the expression piano portion of the Paganini machines.
P.P. -- Pianella Paganini (Arranged for the sophisticated Paganini Violin Pianos and Paganini Orchestrions -- equivalent to a Wurlitzer Paganini roll, although the Wurlitzer rolls are not nearly as artistically composed).
Philipps music rolls have been observed in the following paper colors:
Red -- Early rolls are cut on a thin red paper that is often fragile from age.
White.
Orange.
Pink.
Symphonique (Symphonia Music Rollen) Music Rolls:
These rolls, manufactured circa 1930's through the 1950's, were arranged, perforated and then sold by the late Mr. Eugene DeRoy of Antwerp, Belgium. Once the major European manufacturers, such as Hupfeld, Philipps and Popper, quit the production of music rolls, DeRoy's Symphonia Piano Rollen business became the only remaining source for "new" music for the outdated automatic pianos and orchestrions.
Symphonia music rolls are generally of an off-white colored paper, sometimes appearing light yellow due to aging. Spools are of wood, with finished wooden spool ends glued in place. Commonly, they are 4-tune music rolls.
Symphonia music rolls for Philipps machines are limited to the P.M. (Philipps Mandoline) type, which is the same tracker scale as the Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra.
Wurlitzer Music Rolls:
Wurlitzer Regular PianOrchestra (first PianOrchestras, circa 1903-10).
Wurlitzer Style 17 PianOrchestra (early PianOrchestra, circa 1905-20).
Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra.
Wurlitzer Concert PianOrchestra, occasionally referred to on labels as a "Grand PianOrchestra."
Wurlitzer Paganini (Violin Piano and Orchestrion)
Wurlitzer music rolls have been observed in the following paper colors:
Dark Red -- The first PianOrchestra rolls were cut in Germany by Philipps on a thin red paper that is often fragile from age.
Bright Red -- Early rolls cut on red paper that are often fragile from age.
Bright Purple.
White.
Orange.
Buff (darker shade of orange).
Green (with yellow tint) -- First green paper rolls, circa 1915.
Green (darker shade) -- Probably circa 1918 (after World War I) through the end of production in the late 1920s.
Examples of Wurlitzer PianOrchestra Roll Labels
At right is an early Wurlitzer PianOrchestra label, on roll #115, consisting of a blank roll label with pre-printed Wurlitzer logo information and all tune information hand-typed (using what appears to be now very faded purple ink). This music roll was actually arranged and cut by Philipps, in Germany, and then shipped to Wurlitzer, whereupon the label was probably applied to the roll by someone in Wurlitzer's North Tonawanda factory. This same label would have also been pasted to the music roll's cardboard box.
At right is a standard style of labeling used for Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra music rolls. This type of roll label was pasted onto music rolls arranged and cut by Wurlitzer in its North Tonawanda, New York, factory.
At right is a standard style of labeling used for Wurlitzer Concert PianOrchestra music rolls. The late vintage roll label illustrated was on a music roll arranged and cut by Wurlitzer in its North Tonawanda, New York, factory.
Database Properties:
The Music Roll Database incorporates the following important attributes:
Music roll number.
Music roll type: (Example: "WMPO-01023" or "PHPM-00004")
DeRoy Symphonique (Symphonia Piano Rollen Company) (abbreviated: "DRSY")
Philipps Pianella Xylophone (abbreviated: "PHPX")
Philipps Pianella Mandoline (abbreviated: "PHPM")
Philipps Pianella Caecilia (abbreviated: "PHPC")
Philipps Duca (for the Paganini, abbreviated: "PHPD")
Music roll title (if any), such as "Dance Roll With Drums."
Individual tune title(s), usually limited to no more than five tunes, however, one roll with seven tunes has been catalogued.
Tune Composer(s).
Dates (if any, as mentioned in the label, a roll catalog or an estimated date of issue or copyright).
Pertinent comments or other descriptive information, such as:
Source of information, i.e., music roll, loose box label or catalogue.
Noteworthy characteristics, such as hand typed label, German-cut roll, etc.
Music Roll Information Is Still Needed
For Philipps Pianella and Paganini and/or Wurlitzer PianOrchestra and Paganini rolls:
Please send any and all information regarding roll numbers, roll titles, tune titles and composer information, any dates noted and/or comments.
Note whether the information is from a loose label, catalogue or an actual music roll.
When the label information is from an original Wurlitzer PianOrchestra rolls, please note the color of roll paper, its condition and owner (to be used in case of a future roll re-cutting project).
When providing information, here are some important things to note:
Even partial information from damaged labels can be highly useful, as it will be kept on file and can often be used to match up and complete otherwise incomplete title/composer information.
Please note: Very often music rolls are NOT in their correct box. Thus, it is necessary to look inside all boxes and see if the box and roll labels correspond. If they do not, then a "double yield" of information results, from both the box label and a differing music roll label.
Concert PianOrchestra rolls and Grand PianOrchestra rolls appear to be essentially identical, but noting the "Concert" or "Grand" label designations is useful information. Also, while the Grand PianOrchestra labels appear to have been printed by Wurlitzer, the actual roll number and tune titles are hand-typed, at least in the examples I have witnessed. Furthermore, the hand-typed term "CONCERT" may proceed the printed term "GRAND PIAN ORCHESTRA."
Information can be submitted in just about any readable form. For example: Xerox copies of music roll labels and/or box labels, hand-written notes, e-mail, and/or computer text files such as MS Word, MS Excel, Coral WordPerfect or ASCII text files will work. In other words, just send the data in some kind of legible form and we will do the rest.
Thank you for any assistance you may provide. Information submitted will be added to the music roll database and/or will be very helpful in confirming that data already collected is correct. Some of the catalogued data has come from old typed lists or nearly illegible box labels, for which no known original roll exists. Verifying the existence of additional original rolls may be useful in case of a future roll re-cutting project.
Please use either the downloadable Music Roll Report Form (accessed by clicking on the Music Roll Survey Form Button in the options panel below) or simply e-mail any Wurlitzer PianOrchestra or Philipps Pianella music roll information and/or file attachments to:
All database report information is offered "as is," without any guarantee or warranty whatsoever of any kind, neither stated, implied nor inferred, as to the accuracy, correctness, exactness, suitability or usefulness of any content.
Distribution of Database Information Last Updated on January 17, 2008
Download the current database report as a PDF by clicking the top three buttons, or report more music rolls by clicking the bottom button.
761 KB file; 70 pages. Version of Jan 17, 2008.
654 KB file; 60 pages. Version of Sep 7, 2008.
416 KB file; 88 pages. Version of Jan 17, 2008.
123 KB file; 2 pages.
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader (or its equivalent) to view or print their contents. The free Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from Adobe by clicking on the icon at left.
Credits:
Music roll information resources: Disney (Disneyworld) Concert PianOrchestra music roll list, Rudy Edwards Collection, Gilson Collection, Hanulec/Kehoe Collection, Terry Hathaway (and Playland Mandolin PianOrchestra music roll list), Krughoff Collection, Milhous Collection, D.J. Neilson Collection, Nethercutt Collection, Play-Rite recut rolls, Sanfilippo Collection, Art Reblitz, Brian Smith, Wurlitzer Monthly Roll Bulletins.
