Hello MMD readers,  Lois and I drove to our capitol city of Augusta,
Maine (ME), to attend a camping/RV show being held at the Civic Center
this weekend.  One of the exhibitors at the annual event was Searsport
Shores, where we have a summer/fall site on Penobscot Bay, and where for
a few years I gave player piano musicales featuring our 1929 Story &
Clark Reprotone player upright.

The centerpiece of the Searsport Shores display was a large lighthouse
with "trompe d'oiel" granite bricks painted on the sides, complete with
a revolving lamp at the crest.  On one panel, facing the passersby,
there was a large black PC monitor screen, operating from a laptop
buried within (I asked!), and this was running a comprehensive 'slide
show' of their scenic RV park.

In the middle of the presentation, I was amazed to see two views of
the Reprotone player, taken during one of the well-attended Pianola
musicales in their recreation hall.  One was an elevated shot, showing
a crowd about the instrument, viewing the interior, once the top lid
was raised; this showed the hammers, spoolbox and part of the upper
stack, plus the keyboard and lever controls.  The other was a horizontal
image, with (an aging) yours truly operating the instrument, for a
seated audience, obviously enjoying the effervescent Artcraft music
roll arrangements.

This was the first time I actually saw myself performing with this
upright, which is a back-to-the-audience affair and considerably less
personal than interpreting rolls on a grand piano, such as the evening
I did for the PTG (Piano Tuners Guild) in Hartford, Connecticut,
a few years, ago.  There, as at the Musical Wonder House museum, you
had eye contact with the audience as does a keyboard pianist.

This is one of the drawbacks of an upright player, in a stage
situation, as it was for a number of years with the Arcady Music
Festival tours with Masanobu Ikemiya.  Not until the applause rolls
over you, just before you turn to face the audience, do you know the
collective response of the listeners.

The player views were gone, in a flash, but I stayed for the rerun in
order to see them again.  I was amazed how elegant that 3-panel upright
looked in the crisp photographs -- a visual gem which complements the
sonority of the instrument, itself.

The remaining scenes showed the rocky coast of Maine, lobster bakes
(with steaming seaweed), idyllic campsites and the other photogenic
scenes of the area, plus activities which are held on the grounds.
Beyond the two views of my piano performances were some of a Dixieland
band which played on their terrace, just outside of the hall where
the Reprotone was placed for the season.

The musicales are over, for now, but through those 'slide show' views,
"The Memory Lingers On", as suggested by the old song lyrics.

Regards,
Douglas Henderson - Artcraft Music Rolls
Wiscasset, Maine, USA
http://wiscasset.nnei.net/artcraft/