Hello collectors,  It took me several decades to locate one of those
Leabarjan Instruction Rolls, which turned out to be a bigger letdown
than seeing Ken Russell's film of The Boy Friend (which was nothing
like the stage musical!).

For those still looking for the Leabarjan Instruction Roll, it's just
a watered-down version of the more comprehensive Instruction Manual,
which has been reprinted by Vestal Press and others.

(The manufacturer suggests single-punch melody notes and other useless
things, unless Rock of Ages and After the Ball are the highest goal of
budding arranger!  I defy anyone to play this roll more than once.)

"Rollograph" is one of the later terms used for marketing Leabarjan
perforators, by the way, and was frequently seen on the note-scales
for the Model 5 and 8 series of later machinery.  Prior to numbers,
Leabarjan used alphabet letters for the various styles.  It appears
that "Rollograph" was used on 5 and 8 interchangeably, from what I've
discovered over the past forty years.

The "Rollograph" roll was published during the last 3 to 4 years of
the company, when it had corporate offices in New York City.  The
promotional text about the roll states that it was to be issued to
musicians and those in the music trades, demonstrating the unusual
textures and musical harmonics inherent in special Player-Piano
arrangements.

This was probably made by Mr. Miller, the Bartels family in-law, who
did much of the arranging for Leabarjan Music Rolls, and is seen in
some of advertising material, particularly in those cases where a
musician is shown operating a Model 5 machine.  (He also appears in
large photo-labels on the E. T. Paull march roll series issued by the
Hamilton OH company under its own name - with no "story" but larger,
more sweeping chords!  Paull's picture appeared on the thinner Miller
arrangements published by the famous march composer, also on large
glossy labels.)

I don't need to own a copy of this "Rollograph" roll, but would just
like to play it once and learn what treasures (or not) it contains!

Has anyone out there seen a copy of the "Rollograph" release by
Leabarjan?

Regards from Maine,

Douglas Henderson
ARTCRAFT Music Rolls
Wiscasset, ME 04578
http://www.wiscasset.net/artcraft/