Being
an Arranger-Pianolist requires a bit of dexterity, since this means arriving at the
Concert Hall with one's own Player-Piano! Here, using the elevating ramp and remote
control electric winch, Mr. Henderson guides the 1929 upright along the metal tracks,
which engage the steel 'piano tray' that supports the vintage piano. The instrument
rolls on rubber wheels equipped with brakes, and the trailer features an on-board
battery for the winch, electric dome lights and a ventilating fan. Both the 'attached'
ramp and the piano are secured to the walls of the 5x8 Haulmark trailer by means
of specially-designed straps and brackets. Piano moving is never a pleasant operation,
but this customized piano-and-trailer combination for ARTCRAFT Music Rolls
certainly simplifies the physical efforts involved in the process.
The Story
& Clark 'REPROTONE' was a late and elusive development in the Player-Piano
field. It was part of a short-lived series of small uprights which Story & Clark
called 'Miniature Player Pianos' — being "only four feet, two inches
high", to quote the original late 'Twenties advertising. ("Fifty inches
high" would have sounded much larger, by comparison!) These not-so-miniature
pianos were available as standard 88-Note pedal-operated instruments, as pedal-electric
'reproducing' pianos called the "Repro-Phraso" (playing QRS-Recordo expression
rolls) and as the "Reprotone" illustrated here. The latter instrument plays
full-scale 88-Note rolls in 5 keys ... and via a built-in cutout system will play
any brand of the so-called 'reproducing' rolls (Duo-Art, Ampico, etc.) in 3 adjacent
keys — a handy combination for concert purposes, when any type of roll and pitch
might be required for a performance situation! The 'REPROTONE' was not
an inexpensive Player-Piano, in spite of its somewhat diminutive size, for it sold
for over $800.00 f.o.b. the Chicago factory ... considerably more than Ford automobiles
of that day, and for about 1/4 more than many standard-sized upright player instruments.
Part
of the cost was due to the quality of the piano by Story & Clark, which featured
a voluminous tone and a bass resonance that was comparable to a good grand piano.
The other portion of the price had to be the unusual design of this late Story &
Clark player action, which allowed for valve regulation, the cleaning of the bleeds
and the adjustment of the striking pneumatics while the upper stack remained inside
the piano! In other words, this particular player could be regulated, to a great
extent, without ever removing the mechanism from the piano. So efficient is the Story
& Clark player action that the 'REPROTONE' can hold its vacuum at the
end of a roll from 45 seconds to 2 minutes' time ... depending upon the atmospheric
conditions and the 'tightness' of the pneumatic system.
Few instruments were
ever built, and all 3 models known (at this time) were discovered by piano technician
Robin Pratt in his Sandusky, Ohio area. Robin Pratt located this particular 'REPROTONE'
player for ARTCRAFT Music Rolls and subsequently restored both the pianoforte and
the unique player action. The restored piano made its public début at the annual 'Moxie
Festival' in Lisbon Falls, Maine ... and its concert hall première took place at a
prestigious college campus in Bangor, Maine shortly thereafter.
The 'REPROTONE'
has appeared in musical events and concerts with many keyboard virtuoso pianists
and composers, among them Masanobu Ikemiya, Matthew Davidson, Glenn Jenks, Jeff Barnhart,
Mark Lutton, Galen Wilkes and William Albright — to name a few. It has done much
in the 'Nineties to present Interpretive Arrangements to both the general
public and the musical community, showing the potential inherent in the Pianola if
it is used in connection with the IMPROVED music rolls of today! Interpretive
Arrangements have attracted the attention of any number of composers, some
of whom have written for the Player-Piano ... and the presentation of ARTCRAFT Music
Rolls (only) on the 'REPROTONE' has, in a large measure, contributed to the
Pianola Renaissance going on in our own time.
The ARTCRAFT Studio is located
in the 1837 Federal style residence, which can be seen behind the piano loading operation.
Inside are 2 superb Steinway player grand pianos: a 7' "AR" Duo-Art electric
model and a 6'6" pedal "O" instrument. All 3 Player-Pianos are part
of the creation and presentation of ARTCRAFT Music Rolls, and collectively they present
Interpretive Arrangements to a world that previously held stereotypical
opinions about the musical potential of the pneumatic player action. When ARTCRAFT
takes its virtuoso music rolls on-the-road, the 'REPROTONE' has been
a reliable workhorse of an instrument. The piano's fullness of tone and 'singing'
treble sonority contribute to the performance success of superlative music roll arrangements.
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