On Vitaphone shorts, radio, vaudeville shows and phonograph records
(plus some fantastic radio transcriptions), Pauline Alpert was a woman,
known as "The Whirlwind Pianist."  (The sheet music also used this same
slogan for her.)

On Aeolian-made rolls she was a "he" -- i.e. Frank C. Milne, who even
made rolls in her name of melodies she never knew.  For example,
"Pomponola" from "Three Cheers" is a drab roll, with muted expression,
and was one of the "played by Alpert" Duo-Art rolls about which she
told Bob Taylor (then of Keystone Rolls), "That's a piece I never
heard about before."

I chose to include Pomponola in my "Where's Pauline?" cassette, still
in print, because it was so far away from reality, regarding her
snappy, staccato playing style.

Aeolian never referred to her as "The Whirlwind Pianist" because, on
their graph paper roll arrangements, "her rolls" were not that speedy.
In real life she often moved up the tempo control [of the player
piano], trying to compensate for the formula arrangements.  She did
this with a Geo. Steck [player] at an AMICA club convention in
New Jersey a few years before she died.

If you hear her radio transcriptions of "Some Of These Days" or
"Willow Weep for Me", and especially her Tempo 200(!) version of
"Tiger Rag", you wonder how they could ever market rolls in her name.

Alpert began at Aeolian Hall about the time that Gershwin (also Milne
on the later arrangements, such as "Kickin' The Clouds Away") left for
other industries, primarily audio.  You'll note, if you examine these
Milne rolls closely, that many of the "tricks" and note extensions and
chord patterns are identical.

Gershwin and Alpert didn't sound the same, as revealed on old radio
transcriptions and 78's.  When you play your Pianola, you are hearing
a _man_: Frank C. Milne.

Regards,
Douglas Henderson
http://www.wiscasset.net/artcraft/

 [ Vee Lawnhurst was another fine lady pianist, who chose to send her
 [ elaborate manuscript arrangements for punching and final coding
 [ to staff editor Howard Lutter at DeLuxe (Welte Licensee).  It's
 [ fun to compare the music rolls "played by" Gershwin and Alpert and
 [ Lawnhurst with audio recordings of the real pianist.  But I'm not
 [ disappointed nor disheartened -- on the contrary, my appreciation of
 [ the skills of the editor is increased!  It doesn't bother me that
 [ the pianist didn't sit at a recording piano, because the player roll
 [ and the phonograph record are equally entertaining music.
 [
 [ We all accept biographies penned by 'ghost writers'; the piano
 [ roll industry had the equivalent.   -- Robbie