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MMD > Archives > November 2009 > 2009.11.03 > 03Prev  Next


Christmas Music for Wurlitzer Nickelodeon
By Julie Porter

There are at least three Wurlitzer Christmas rolls:

ROLL NUMBER 160 (length of Five tune roll)
1. Medley of Familiar Christmas Music
2. Also Introducing Snowflakes

ROLL NUMBER 20405 (Wurlitzer Catalog Roll)
1. Silent Night, Holy Night
2. Christmas Tree, O
3. Thou Joyful Day, O
4. Almighty God We Praise You
5. Adeste Fideles
6. Joy to the World
7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
8. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
9. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night (not on a recent re-cut)

ROLL NUMBER 30329
1. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
2. Silent Night
3. White Christmas
4. Joy to The World
5. Jingle Bells
6. Little Town of Bethlehem, O (not on roll 0377)

Note that Wurlitzer often used the same masters to make 5-tune rolls
and also Caliola rolls.  So the titles on 20405 are also split on
5-tune rolls 2214 and 2215.

The titles on 30329 are on Caliola Roll C6120 and the first five tunes
on roll 0377.  These late arrangements may be more suitable to band
organ than on an APP machine.

These rolls have remained popular and most have been re-cut in the last
decade or so.  Not all the recuts contain all the songs as the original
rolls have been well played.  I have not heard a copy of Roll 160,
although this is listed as being in several prominent collections.
There should be an instance of Roll 160 coming up on eBay as part of
Ed Sprankle's collection, if it has not already been sold.

Play-Rite Music Rolls and the Herschel Carousel Museum have the masters
for 20405 and 30329 respectively, so both could be re-cut if there is
enough interest by the roll producers or their agents to do so.

Julie Porter


(Message sent Tue 3 Nov 2009, 19:51:49 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Christmas, Music, Nickelodeon, Wurlitzer

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