[Ref. "Orchestrion Rolls Derived From QRS Rolls" ]

In response to Steven Kent Goodman's questioning how many Automatic
Music Co. rolls (and similar Clark Orchestra Roll Co. rolls) were
actually derived from QRS rolls, I'd like to relate the following
information:

On page 154 of my latest book, "The Golden Age of Automatic Musical
Instruments," I include the basic history of the Clark Orchestra Roll
Company and its connection with QRS.  I state that "Ernest Clark used
a talented in-house staff for a few years [after incorporating the
Clark Orchestra Roll Co. in January, 1920], but then used QRS
arrangements for all of his rolls until going out of business in 1941."

Clark also manufactured Automatic Music Rolls for the J.P. Seeburg
Piano Co. from 1920 until early 1929, after Seeburg stopped making
pianos.  I do not go into a lot of background detail in the book, but
in a footnote, refer the reader to a very detailed article by the late
Dave Junchen published in the AMICA Bulletins of April and May of 1983,
entitled "Arranging Styles on Clark and Capitol Rolls -- An Historical
Perspective." The interested roll enthusiast will learn a great deal by
reading that article.

Rather than quoting from that article, I would like to reprint a letter
here, a letter which Dave Junchen originally wrote to a Los Angeles-area
roll enthusiast in 1967.  To my knowledge, this is the first time that
this letter has been published or disseminated to more than a few of
Dave's roll-collecting friends.

In order for the present reader to better understand the historical
significance and accuracy of this letter, I'll preface it with a few of
my observations about Dave.  By the time he wrote it, he had owned many
thousands of 88-note player piano rolls, had heard many hundreds of 'A'
rolls, and had conducted a number of mail-order roll auctions.

Dave not only had vast knowledge of rolls, arrangers, and popular
music, but he also had the remarkable talent of being able to memorize
a good musical arrangement -- note for note -- upon just a few hearings,
and to remember that arrangement for a long time.  He also had the rare
talent of being able to play any but the most difficult arrangements
back on piano or organ with almost no practice.

I personally witnessed this talent when I loaned him a poor-quality
tape recording of one of my favorite Clark 'A' rolls, #1157, in 1966,
when both of us were attending the University of Illinois in
Champaign/Urbana.  Three or four days later, he nonchalantly sat
down at a piano and played all ten tunes in order, as close as humanly
possible to the roll arrangements, in real time, and in the correct
keys.

(Dave also remembered the key of every tune that attracted his attention,
and enjoyed pointing out whenever that tune was played in a different
key.  The fact that the lowest bass note in a Mills Violano-Virtuoso
piano is F bothered him to no end, due to so many popular tunes being
played in E-flat and thus being played without their lowest tonic bass
note.  His pitch recognition was so keen that he could almost set a
temperament in a pipe organ one note at a time, without reference
intervals.)

Knowing exactly which notes are being played as I hear them also
comes naturally to me -- even for very elaborate arrangements -- but
remembering the arrangements after one or two hearings and playing them
back immediately on a keyboard are another whole dimension of musical
recognition that very, very few musicians possess.

The point is that, by the time Dave had graduated from high school,
he had learned more from buying, playing, and selling rolls than most
people will know about them in a lifetime of collecting and study.
In the days before the wonderful multi-volume Billings Rollography was
in print, Dave could hear a recording of a roll and cite the roll
brand, arranger, and year for most of the tunes that ever attained
widespread popularity.  Thus, the information in the following letter
isn't the speculation of someone who has heard just a few examples --
or even a few hundred examples -- but rather the remarkable insight of
a musical genius with a very wonderful sort of photographic memory.

Dave writes (February 17, 1967):

 - - -

"Dear....,

  "Glad to get your letter.  Let me expound to you about various
nickelodeon roll makers and stylings.  If [a well-known person in the
player piano field] told you that Capitol made no 'G' rolls, I don't
know where he's been all these years.  Capitol made 'G' rolls, and
quite excellent ones, whose serial numbers run through 511 or so.
I have made a recording of two of them played on a Seeburg 'G' which
I am sending you soon.  Capitol and Columbia 'A' and 'G' and 'O' rolls
used the same basic arrangements as did the Col/Cap line of 88-note
home rolls, which appeared on 9 different labels: Capitol, Columbia,
Synchronized, Stark, Cecile, American, Sterling, Challenge, and
Supertone.  The 88-note arrangements were, of course, modified somewhat
to fit the shorter scales of nickelodeons and for solo sections in
'O' rolls, etc.

  "As you may know, Clark had an agreement with QRS by which Clark
got a copy of every QRS master, which Clark transcribed for their
various nickelodeon rolls.  Before 1923 or 1924 Clark used QRS masters
but also employed their own arrangers to make special nickelodeon-only
arrangements of certain songs.  After about 1924 Clark never again made
any of their own arrangements and used QRS masters exclusively.

  "Meanwhile, around 1926 or 1927 QRS bought the US roll company as
well as Imperial.  After these firms were first bought they continued
to use their own arrangements, as before.  Then US and Imperial rolls
started to use QRS arrangements with different numbers of choruses or
perhaps different introductions.  Around 1928 or 1929 Imperial and US
rolls were identical with QRS rolls in arrangements, and it was also
about this time that US rolls were discontinued.  QRS and Imperial
continued to use identical arrangements until Imperial was finally
dropped around 1938.  After about 1929 until just a few years ago
[Ed. note: remember, this was written in 1967] EVERY SINGLE NEW QRS
ARRANGEMENT was cut by J. Lawrence Cook, with the exception of a few
years during World War II, when Frank Milne joined QRS for a short time
when the Ampico factory closed in 1941.  Cook also did the bulk of QRS
arrangements from about 1927 to 1929, and then after 1929 he did them
all.

  "The last Capitol arrangement was made in 1932.  However, Capitol
nickelodeon rolls appeared until 1935.  These Capitol rolls after 1932
were cut on the Capitol perforators, but they used QRS arrangements.

  "With these facts you can deduce a lot of information about
nickelodeon rolls.  For example, if you want to know who played a
certain song on a Capitol nickelodeon roll, or on a Clark roll after
1924, just find the corresponding Capitol (or Supertone, etc.) or QRS
roll [respectively] and that will be the same arrangement.  Before 1924
on Clark, if you find a Clark [or Automatic] song and a QRS song with
different arrangements, you'll know that the Clark arrangement was a
specially-made one just for nickelodeon rolls.

  "Also, if you like ANY [Chicago-made] nickelodeon roll song after
1932, you will know that it was arranged by J. Lawrence Cook.  See?
In addition to finding out what was, you can also deduce what wasn't.
For example, "If You Were the Only Girl in the World", on HiFiRecord
R802, couldn't have been on a Capitol roll since its identical
arrangement was discovered on an Imperial 88-note roll.

[Ed note: This album, "Honky Tonk Piano," was recorded on a great
Nelson-Wiggen Style 8 coin piano with xylophone and bells at the Jim
Hamilton Collection, playing selections from three excellent 'A' rolls,
probably in the late 1950s.  The collection and record albums, and
their significance to certain modern-day collectors, are described
on p. 305 of "The Golden Age...."  Dave continues: ]

  "For another example, the song "Sing an Old Fashioned Song" was
composed in 1935.  Therefore, without ever having seen its 88-note
counterpart, you already know that it was made by QRS, was played by
J. Lawrence Cook, and can be found on either the QRS or Imperial label
with the same identical arrangement.  See how it works?

  "With a little more sophistication and development of your ear, you
will also be able to hear a nickelodeon roll and identify it as Clark
or Capitol.  To Art and me, for example, the difference is as between
night and day.  Thus, when you ear is developed, you won't need to ask
what 88-note label the songs on R802 are on.  You'll be able to tell
from hearing that "Lucky Little Devil" and "Under a Texas Moon" were
played by J. Lawrence Cook and therefore were on either QRS or Imperial
88-note labels, and that "Please" was on one of the Capitol family of
labels.

  "Well, I haven't written this instructive a letter, or one this
engaging in quite some time.  Feel honored that I should take the
necessary time to do so for you!  Seriously, I hope you do learn
something from this dissertation, and if perhaps you don't assimilate
everything the first time around, at least you'll be able to ask more
intelligent questions.  I don't mean that to sound as if your questions
have been unintelligent.  By all means, continue to ask questions.
It is only smart people who ask questions; it's the stupid ones who
don't ask any.  And just think of all you learn from asking questions.
This letter, for example!

"Sincerely,  Dave"

[End of Dave Junchen's letter]

 - - -

Dave wrote the above before we had interviewed P.M. Keast, who had
worked for the coin-operated division of QRS starting when one of
its other roll orchestrators was drafted into WW1, then worked for
Clark Orchestra Roll Co., and then Capitol until it closed.  In that
interview, some of Clark's in-house arrangers, and certain of the
production staff of the Chicago coin-op roll companies became known.
Details are included in articles in Bowers' "Encyclopedia," and
Reblitz/Bowers "Treasures of Mechanical Music."

Art Reblitz