Bing Gibbs asked if Angelus Melodant rolls are compatible with
Aeolian's Themodist ones, saying that earlier answers hadn't been
clear.
The answer is "yes." Angelus Melodant rolls are identical to Themodist
rolls, other than the instructions printed on them. Clear enough?
Most (all?) 88-note Angelus rolls were made by Aeolian, so the rolls
really are identical, being cut from the same masters. From a practi-
cal point of view, the 'snakebite' accenting system can be regarded as
part of the 88-note roll standard. Any accented roll will work
perfectly on any piano fitted with an accenting system.
Accented rolls are much more common in Europe than America. Virtually
every roll maker in Europe accented their rolls. After Themodist (and
the half-dozen other Aeolian brand names) the accented rolls most
widely encountered are Hupfeld / Animatic.
Player mechanisms to use these accented rolls are very varied and
offer all sorts of controls and interpretation devices -- it's a case
of "choose your favourite." For me it would be Aeolian first, then
Hupfeld. Angelus controls are less well placed and less effective for
fine control of the music. You _can_ achieve good results with them,
it just takes more work.
Julian Dyer
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