Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > August 2009 > 2009.08.06 > 02Prev  Next


Hand-cranked Coin Piano Plays Keith Prowse Music
By Nicholas Simons

I have had correspondence with Randi Boles and seen a number of photos
of this piano.

This instrument is actually a Keith Prowse Pennyano, which is a coin-
feed cafe piano distributed by Keith Prowse between 1905 and 1918.
The pianos were made by any of the many barrel piano makers around
London at the time, and fitted with a top-mounted tune sheet showing
the 10 tunes that are played.  The pianos usually had 48 keys played by
the spring-motor-driven barrel.  These pianos are still relatively
common in Great Britain but were rarely exported.  Randi's piano must
have been exported to the USA many years ago, as it has survived in
excellent condition and still appears to have the original barrel
pinning.

The most common makers of barrel pianos at this time were Pasquale,
Tomasso, and Chiappa.  From certain peculiarities of the design, I have
identified Randi's piano as having been made by Pasquale.

As has been posted, Keith Prowse was a distributor of musical
instruments, including the larger Hupfeld machines, and is still in
business today, but only as a music agent.  The company was founded by
two men, Mr. Keith and Mr. Prowse, and not, as most people think, by a
man called Keith Prowse.  I have a piano retailed by them, and it has
an engraved brass plate which includes a comma between the Keith and
the Prowse.

With best regards from the UK,
Nicholas Simons.


(Message sent Thu 6 Aug 2009, 16:24:29 GMT, from time zone GMT+0100.)

Key Words in Subject:  Coin, Hand-cranked, Keith, Music, Piano, Plays, Prowse

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page