Here's an interesting puzzle for our MMD music roll historians.
Perhaps someone can shed some light on the relationship of Aeolian
Duo-Art roll manufacturing to a performance (and possibly others)
issued under the Melodee/Gulbransen label.

While browsing in an Antique mall recently, I noticed Robert
Armbruster's name on a Melodee (non-expression) roll.  Closer
examination revealed that the musical selection was the same as
one that's in my Duo-Art collection, also played by Mr. Armbruster.

My curiosity prevailed, and I purchased Melodee/Gulbransen roll 0211,
bearing both Melodee and Gulbransen labels.  The end label on the box
is Melodee, and a Gulbransen ("The Registering Piano") label appears on
the box top adjacent to the upper edge of the front label.  The roll
leader is imprinted with both the Melodee and Gulbransen names.  The
musical selection is Arnold's Arabesque Op. 59, No. 2.  The Duo-Art
version is no. 67776.

When these two are unrolled and laid one on top of the other, the note
patterns match perfectly.  This confirms that they came from a common
source, performance wise.  Both are marked Tempo 70.  Interestingly,
however, the chaining patterns have been reworked on the melody notes
of the Melodee/Gulbransen roll.  They have the distinctive "punch
two-skip two" pattern repeated throughout the extent of each accented
note, an editing technique widely used by Frank Milne, and believed by
some to have been originated by him.

This reworking has been performed on notes that the Duo-Art version
plays under theme control, i.e., activated by snakebites.  Printed next
to each accented note on the Melodee roll is a conspicuous check mark,
in the same ink as the wavy line for pumping.  The manufacturer
apparently wanted to make abundantly clear to the "pianolist" which
notes were to be accented!

Also interesting is the fact that in the Melodee/Gulbransen edition,
Robert Armbruster's name appears on the box, but not the roll leader.
By way of contrast, the Duo-Art roll leader contains Mr. Armbruster's
picture, and a signed authenticity statement.

The sustaining pedal track has the same punch-for-punch identical
perforation pattern on both rolls.  Non-theme perforations have
identical chaining reinforcements in the same places on both rolls.
The Melodee's rewind perfs are interesting, too -- the first of these
resembles a typical Duo-Art style with oversized punch in the far
left margin.  This is followed about 1-1/2 inches later with two
simultaneous perfs, one in the 6B position, the other in 9T (same
position as Ampico reroll.)  Can someone tell us which track the
Gulbransen players used for rewind?

Many discoveries raise more questions than they answer.  How many
other Duo-Art performances may have been released without automatic
expression on this or other labels, and which performances were they?

Why was the artist's name placed on the box, but not on the roll?

What was the nature of the business relationship that allowed Melodee/
Gulbransen to issue a version of a Duo-Art roll without automatic
expression?  Was the Melodee/Gulbransen roll manufacturing done at
Aeolian?  (The punch sizes seem to be the same...)

Hopefully, time -- and MMD contributors -- will tell.

Dave Saul