Andy Park has done a fantastic job in transcribing the Tonophone music
and he invites us to say which of the two versions we prefer. For me,
this is a 'no brainer'; I want to hear the music as it was intended to
be heard, in the 'squared-up version. If, when the Tonophone was first
made, it produced uneven music as in the other version then, let's face
it, it would never have gone into production.
I admit that there can be a certain charm in hearing a naïve
performance from an unrestored instrument but surely, as collectors and
custodians, it is our duty to ensure that our instruments give of their
best, as their creators would have wished.
Unfortunately, there are still people out there, not collectors, who
have a general impression that mechanical musical instruments are
unintentionally humourous, something to be ridiculed rather than taken
seriously; I feel that we collectors should endeavour not to perpetuate
this myth!
Rowland Lee
UK
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