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 History and Goals
The PianOrchestra/Pianella Rollography Project
started out as an ongoing attempt to catalogue original Wurlitzer (and to a
lesser extent Philipps Pianella) factory-cut music rolls for the Concert,
Mandolin, and Regular/Style 17 PianOrchestras. Some of the relatively small
number of original Philipps Mandoline (PM) rolls here in the U.S. were
included in the Wurlitzer listings, as were a few Symphonia rolls made by
Eugene DeRoy, and all intermingled with the Wurlitzer titles. This was a
natural outcome, because Wurlitzer PianOrchestras are nothing more than
imported Philipps Pianellas, and Philipps rolls are the templates upon which
all Wurlitzer PianOrchestra and Paganini rolls are based.
New to the September, 2011, version of the rollography database is the
inclusion of two new date type fields, (1) an entry creation date and (2) a
reported date. These timestamps in combination allow us to know when an
entry was created, and if and when that particular entry is updated. This
may be usefully accurate for any new entries, but there are no timestamps
remaining to date the initial database attempt or for any items up to the
2011 revision. About all that is known is that the rollography database was
well underway by June 14, 2000. Consequently, this date is being arbitrarily
given as a creation date for all early and previously undated database
items. Also new in the 2011 version is the addition of roll source
information to some reports. However, this information will only be shown
(1) if the roll source is that of a publically accessible attraction or
venue, and/or (2), in the case of a non-public source, if and when the roll
source/owner has specifically authorized the release of source information.
Currently, source information is enabled only in the new Philipps Duca and
Philipps PM database reports.
The original Wurlitzer emphasis is another thing that gave way in September
of 2011,
when a lot of Philipps Duca and PM roll information was made available by a
German enthusiast, Thomas Richter. As a result of this, the rollography
database structure was upgraded, with both Philipps Duca and PM rolls now
included in a major way, but with the U.S. made Wurlitzer and German made Philipps
(and DeRoy Symphonia) rolls kept in
separate database tables. This change makes updating and database
maintenance easier, as opposed to intermingling everything in one gigantic
table, and it should make finding a particular English or German roll and/or
tune a bit easier. That stated, please be aware that here in the U.S. it is
entirely possible to find an early Philipps red paper roll with an English
label, more than likely originally sold by Wurlitzer during the years before
Wurlitzer started cutting PianOrchestra rolls here in the U.S. Although
rare, any such American Philipps rolls will be included in the
appropriate Wurlitzer PianOrchestra roll listing.
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 study and project are as follows:
Philipps Music Rolls:
P.?. -- The first Pianellas imported by Wurlitzer
used what was called a "PianOrchestra roll," later termed a "Regular
PianOrchestra roll" after the importation of Philipps Pianella Mandoline
(P.M.) machines had begun. This distinction was necessary to
differentiate the two types of music roll, each having a slightly
different tracker scale. It is currently unknown how Philipps designated
these early style Pianella music rolls. Perhaps, but this is only
speculation, these early rolls were simply "P." rolls, with the capital
"P" representing Philipps or Pianella.
P.A. -- Artistic Music Rolls played by celebrated
artists and apparently interchangeable with P.C.a. rolls. In the 1911-12
Philipps catalogue for some of the instruments playing P.C.a. rolls it
is stated that there is a "Special Price for Artiste-roll." It is
presumed that these special artist rolls were P.A. rolls.
Although not specifically stated, it is also presumed that the P.A. roll
was used on the Philipps Reproduktions-Kalvier, a reproducing piano
predecessor to the more elaborate and sophisticated Philipps Duca
system.
P.C. -- Pianella Caecilia (Arranged for the large concert
voiced orchestrions -- equivalent to a Wurlitzer Concert PianOrchestra roll).
P.C.a. -- Pianella A Kunstspiel Klavier (Artist Played
Piano), which was a series of upright keyboard style expression pianos.
P.C.a. rolls may be "artistic" piano music with expression limited to
that of the P.C. roll, which was arranged for a large piano based
orchestrion with simple piano expression limited to sustaining (loud)
pedal, and hammer rail (soft) pedal.
P.D. -- Philipps Duca (Reproducing Piano). Duca
rolls are noted in the circa 1911 Paganini catalogue as being playable on some of the
relatively small keyboard and cabinet style kinematographen-theater
model Pianella Paganini Violin Pianos, but no such interchangeability is
noted for the large cabinet style Paganini Orchestrions. Duca rolls were
used when artistic piano music was desired without any violin
or other accompaniment, the rolls being actual recordings
of various well known pianists of the time, and which utilized only the Duca expression
piano portion of the Paganini machines. The piano controls used in Paganini
instruments are basically a simplified version of the Duca reproducing
piano system.
P.H. -- Duplex-Piano with
Harmonium (Organ), for Cinematographs (motion picture theaters). These
upright keyboard style pianos, with duplex roll changers, were
advertised as using P.A., P.C.a., and P.H. rolls interchangeably. The
P.H. rolls were probably specially arranged to take advantage of the
harmonium rather than the piano. When piano music was desired the P.A.
and P.C.a. rolls, arranged specifically for piano, would have been used.
P.M. -- Pianella Mandoline (Arranged for large orchestrions
-- equivalent to a Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra roll). Philipps P.M.
rolls are known to have used two different numbering sequences, the
earliest probably beginning circa 1905 is thought to have started with
No. 1, continuing upwards into the low 1,000s. The second series of P.M.
rolls begins in the 1920s with No. 10001, and probably coincides with
the introduction of the Philipps JazzBand Orchestrions, which used P.M.
rolls with "special jazz arrangements."
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).
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).
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.
Green.
Orange.
White.
Chamois (looks similar to very aged and yellowed white paper).
Pink.
Symphonique (Symphonia Music Rollen) Music Rolls:
These rolls, manufactured circa 1930s through the 1950s, 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 PianOrchestra and Paganini Music Rolls:
Wurlitzer Regular PianOrchestra (first
or "The PianOrchestra,"
circa 1903-1910).
Wurlitzer Style 17 PianOrchestra (early PianOrchestra,
circa 1905-1920).
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.
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," or
"Tanzrolle"
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 taken from an original music
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 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 files such as MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, 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 October 31,
2011
Download the current database report as
a PDF by clicking on the rollography report buttons below, or report more
music rolls by clicking the bottom button.
Philipps & Söhne
1,582 KB file; 73 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
535 KB file; 20 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
1,376 KB file;
58 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
655 KB file; 22 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
429 KB file; 5 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
715 KB file; 18 pages. Version of Oct. 31, 2011
487 KB file; 12 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
3,387 KB file; 129 pages.
Version of Oct. 31, 2011
137 KB file.
Adobe
Reader (or its equivalent) is required to open, fill-in or print the
Music Roll Survey Form. The free Adobe Reader can be downloaded 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,
Thomas Richter, Brian
Smith, Wurlitzer Monthly Roll Bulletins.
