Joe:  In MMD 990202 you asked about references for the Aeolian Aeriola
roll-playing Instrument.

Arthur Ord-Hume has several, albeit brief, references to it in his
book, 'Pianola,' published by Allen & Unwin in 1984.  Unfortunately,
there are no pictures or  descriptions of this instrument.  What he
does say is that the Aeriol was a self-playing piano introduced in 1895
by William B. Tremaine (the Aeolian Company mogul), that played 65-note
rolls, and that it was the predecessor of the Pianola.  He shows a
diagram of the 1901 Pianola mechanism on page 108.

In Harvey Roehl's 'Player Piano Treasury', published in 1961 by The
Vestal Press, he quotes from Alfred Dolge's book entitled 'Pianos and
their Makers' published in 1911-1913 (2 volumes) as saying that 'in
1895 introduced the "Aeriol" self-playing piano.'  Harvey has several
illustrations of the Pianola, a push-up mechanism that plays a piano,
so it is most likely that the Aeriol was also a push-up and not a
player piano.

I also have a copy of the 1905 'Catalog of Music For the Pianola,
Pianola Piano and Aeriola,' published by Aeolian Company, Aeolian Hall,
362 Fifth Avenue Near 34th Street, New York.  The reference in the
book's title to Aeriola suggests that there were enough of these
instruments around to include it in their marketing of 65-note rolls.

I'll let you know if I come across any more information on it.

Bill Wineburgh