MMD, I have embarked on a task of restoring a collection of
approximately 600 65-note rolls, to the point where each roll has had
the box and the roll paper repaired and a new label made for each end
of the box. I'm about 7/8 done.
It was remarkable to me that none of the rolls had lyrics printed on
them when, to the best of my knowledge, 65-note rolls were made for
some time after lyrics were introduced for 88-note rolls. Then, within
the last two days, three rolls with lyrics printed on the rolls showed
up: two were Vocalstyle and one was a Universal Song Roll.
I've attempted to find more on the history of 65-note rolls in the
MMD archives but was unable to find anything. I've always thought that
lyrics printed on the rolls were introduced in approximately 1913.
So, if this is correct, it would appear that the bulk of my collection
was manufactured before 1913 and that the few 65-note rolls with lyrics
were probably produced after that. Does anyone have more knowledge on
this matter?
Thanks,
Tom Hutchinson
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