Faszinationpianola

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Faszinationpianola

Klavierinfos und Tipps Zuzu Pianos und Pianolas

01/09/2026

Rare EMPECO artist-roll catalogue found...
We have now found a second copy of one of these rare EMPECO artist-roll catalogues. The first was in English, while this second copy is in German and contains more than 100 additional pages, as its third section also lists all piano rolls in numerical order.
The highest roll number listed is 12560, along with D119 for series rolls containing multiple titles. All titles could also be ordered as “combined” rolls, i.e. with additional dynamic perforations for the automatic control of the Pianola’s dynamics. We offer PDF copies on our website for research purposes, either for a fee or in exchange for a comparable catalogue that is not yet in our collection.

18/08/2026

Steinway-Welte, Further Pieces of the Puzzle fall into place...
With the kind support of two fellow collectors, we have now been able to put several pieces of the puzzle together. According to the Steinway records, only one Steinway D concert grand, No. 235250, was delivered to Freiburg at the end of 1925 and fitted there with the Welte-Mignon system. It was most likely used at the Donaueschingen Music Festival in July 1926 and subsequently at a series of concerts promoting Steinway and Welte. Remarkably, this very grand piano still exists today. Unfortunately, however, the Welte mechanism was removed decades ago and the piano itself was shortened. The concert reviews available to us as a wonderful booklet even list the pieces that were played. Following the regular concert program, modern works by Toch and Hindemith were demonstrated to interested members of the audience. Two particularly interesting sentences from the contemporary concert reviews: “Never before has anything as astonishingly new and downright magical as the Steinway-Welte concert grand been experienced.” “The concert began a quarter of an hour late, despite the audience having arrived on time.”

04/08/2026

The 4th Global Piano Roll Meeting Starts This Week in Stanford...
Finally, the time has come again: the next Global Piano Roll Meeting (GPRM) conference is about to begin, and this year's program promises to be particularly exciting. I will give a presentation on the Welte Recording Studios in Freiburg and Leipzig.
Since the last conference in Sydney in 2024, many research projects have made significant progress, and we are looking forward to lively discussions and the opportunity to exchange new findings with colleagues and enthusiasts from around the world.
The conference program and registration details can be found here: [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-4th-global-piano-roll-meeting-tickets-1987655960484?aff=oddtdtcreator]
Unfortunately, the GPRM website has been unavailable for several days due to a global WordPress-related issue. We are currently working to resolve the problem and apologize for any inconvenience.

01/08/2026

Just arrived: early Bechstein-Welte piano
For the Leipzig Autumn Fair, Welte announced on September 1, 1925, that Bechstein pianos would also be available with the Welte reproducing mechanism installed at the factory. We have come across many Bechstein-Welte pianos over the years, but never one with such an early serial number. Interestingly, the instrument is nevertheless marked BS36, suggesting that it may have been the 36th Bechstein upright piano equipped with a Welte system. The lowest upright piano BS number we have documented so far is BS7, although that instrument dates from 1927. One possible explanation is that Bechstein may have used separate numbering sequences for grand pianos, upright pianos, and even for combined pianos (we saw a BS5). Do you own a Bechstein-Welte piano? We would be delighted to receive additional data and observations to support our ongoing research.

28/07/2026

A rare find!
We’ve come across not just one, but two of these beautiful height-adjustable piano stools from around 1910—found in completely different locations. In Germany, these were known as "Beethoven Chairs" (Gebrauchsmuster No. 135328). The seat can be adjusted to several different heights, making them both practical and elegant. Also nice in front of player pianos. Built with a solid, heavy-duty construction, they are remarkably sturdy—and simply beautiful. Has anyone else come across one of these remarkable piano stools?

25/07/2026

Rare ca. 1907 Grotrian-Steinweg Nachf. Catalogue found...
Our collection of hundreds of original catalogues and brochures has grown by yet another rare addition: a small French-language Grotrian-Steinweg Nachf. catalogue dating from around 1907. It features beautiful illustrations of piano models, complete with their original candlesticks and numerous construction details. PDF copies of this rare catalogue are available through our website for a fee.

24/07/2026

Even after more than a hundred years..... it is still possible to discover instruments that remain in the hands of their original owners, complete with their original set of music rolls, invoices, a 312-page Empeco catalogue, and the original manuals. Remarkably, this instrument had even remained in the very same house since 1925. This is an exceptionally rare Irmler STEMS Combinola Autopiano, capable of playing the combined Empeco and S.M. music rolls with fully automatic expression. The instrument is preserved in extraordinary original condition. Discoveries like this are the reason why our tireless search continues to be so rewarding.

21/07/2026

Nice Hupfeld Phonola roll collection found...
Although our collection has grown to nearly 2,000 such Phonola rolls, discovering a small yet exceptional collection like this remains a special pleasure. Among the highlights are several rare titles, many performed by the composers themselves. Hupfeld invested considerable resources in recording not only the leading composers of the era but also many whose names are less familiar today. The result was a remarkable legacy—part of the "World Archive of Pianistic Art," as Hupfeld aptly described it.

12/07/2026

Another 150 Hupfeld Tri-Phonola rolls arrived...
When we bought our first Tri-Phonola instrument many years ago, we were told that hardly any music rolls for it still existed. Today, our collection has grown to more than 700 Tri-Phonola rolls, including another 150 that we acquired recently. In total, we so far have found more than 1,100 different Tri-Phonola titles incl. those in other collections. Thanks to the transcription of music from other roll formats, the available repertoire will virtually be unlimited. In the 1920's, Hupfeld promoted a catalogue featuring a carefully selected collection of its top 500 Tri-Phonola titles. We own many of them, still looking for further rolls. Happy to ex-change duplicates with other collections.

05/07/2026

Hupfeld 'Elektrisches Klavier' patent 429419...
These earliest Hupfeld pianos with 6 different dynamic levels (pianissimo, piano, moderato, mezzoforte, forte, fortissimo) separated in treble/bass had been offered as of 1894 up to ca 1907. In Nov 1906 a Hupfeld catalogue speaks of 4,000 such patent 429419 player pianos in use. Three types were offered: No 63 (playing 61notes, roll width: 26cm, roll numbers 5001...), No 263 (playing 76 notes, roll width: 34cm, roll numbers 8001...) and Universal (playing 76notes, roll width: 34cm, with mandolin etc. effects, roll numbers 3001...). So far we haven't seen the Universal type, nor such rolls. Have you? Higher revenues for the restaurant owner were promised through a number of advantages, including the significantly longer service life of the music rolls—rated for more than 1,000 plays—more music on fewer metres of roll, greater reliability thanks to the absence of the dust-sensitive pneumatic mechanism, and substantially lower electricity consumption. The instruments were also promoted with what was then the fastest-growing music catalogue, ranging from classical works such as Chopin nocturnes and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies to popular songs, marches, and dance music. We have two of these instruments and many rolls, still looking for a roll catalogue. Does anybody have one?

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Weil
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+49 (0) 171 5506271

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