In 1998 The Player Piano Group published a booklet containing the
writings of Reginald Reynolds, chiefly famous for being the Duo-Art
roll editor in London.  Reynolds spent his entire working life
demonstrating pianos and player pianos in the UK, and most of his
retirement in promoting the player piano!

Now, we are proud to offer a CD of the recordings he made.  These
come from rare promotional 78s issued by Aeolian in the 1920s, and
recordings made for HMV in the mid 1930s (most of them from unissued
test pressings).  The recordings have been sensitively cleaned.

The Pianola records demonstrate the degree of control a good player
can exert on the instrument, using purely 'arranged' rolls cut from
sheet music.  This is a topic touched on fairly recently in the MMD,
and Reynolds' example is an interesting illustration for the debate,
showing enormous control of dynamics and phrasing.  He clearly liked
brisk tempos.

Also on the CD is the only known recording of a Duo-Art made and issued
by Aeolian during the instrument's heyday -- a unique guide for modern
day regulators.  Needless to say it makes musical sense and sounds a
whole lot better than most recent disc recordings!  Tracks are:

  Reginald Reynolds ("Pianola" Piano)

 1  La Belle Au Bois Dormant - Valse (Tchaikowsky arr. Rachmaninoff)
 2  Shepherd's Hey (Grainger, composer's "Pianola" arrangement)
 3  Staccato Caprice (Vogrich)
 4  Etude, Op. 10, No. 12, C minor (Chopin)
 5  La Capricieuse, Op. 15 (Milde)
 6  Feux Follets (Liszt)
 7  Pizzicato from Sylvia (Delibes)
 8  Automne (Chaminade)
 9  Kashmiri Song (Woodford-Finden) sung by Laurance Folker
 10 Still as the night (Bohm) sung by Elsie F. Fisher

  Aeolian "Pianola" and "Duo-Art" promotional record

 11 Salut d'Amour (Elgar) played by J. H. Clapham
 12 To the Spring (Grieg) played by Percy Grainger via the Duo-Art

As part of its remit to promote the player piano the Player Piano Group
is making this recording available at cost price.  It is packaged in a
plastic envelope to be stuck inside the Reynolds booklet, also having
an insert giving full track details and a brief biography of Reynolds
in case the owner doesn't posses the Reynolds booklet.

The price including postage is 2.70 UKP for the UK, 5 EUR (3.10 UKP)
for Europe, 5 USD (3.60 UKP) for America and elsewhere.  The Reginald
Reynolds booklet is still available (same price as the CD) or you can
have the two together for 10 USD/EUR, 5 UKP.  The prices are set so
overseas buyers can simply send cash (USD or EUR only), making purchase
as simple as possible!  Otherwise send a cheque drawn on a UK bank,
payable to "The Player Piano Group".  Ask before buying if you're
unsure of how to pay.  Send orders to:

 Malcolm Cole,
 11 Elm Road
 Hook, Chessington  KT9 1AF
 UK
 email: <malcolm.e.cole@btinternet.com>

Further reading:  The PPG web site has Reynold's article "On playing the
Pianola"; direct link:  http://website.lineone.net/~agr/ppg/playing.html

The original MMD notice about the booklet was in MMD 981221:
  http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/199812/1998.12.21.02.html

If any other societies are interested in distributing this CD to their
members, please contact me.

Julian Dyer
Editor, Player Piano Group bulletin, London