From the pages of the AMICA News Bulletin for December of 1969 comes
this remarkably insightful and informative explanation, as finely
authored by Jim Elfers -- then distinguished editor of The AMICA
Bulletin -- as to how the Artrio-Angelus functions, and in particular,
much about the one found and restored by San Franciscan/AMICA'n,
Ed Hayden.  In the article he details and makes known numerous of
minute aspects of it's operation which, as I would guess, otherwise
without, well might escape the notice of many of us.  (This was just
the case with myself.)

Ed Hayden seems to have been the first on the scene with an Artrio
restoration completion, and as time and events were to progress,
he was to became the go-to expert for budding Artrio enthusiasts,
although it is apparent that these were rather few back then sadly,
but now interest in this lesser-known of the great reproducing media
seems to be simmering, getting ready for a boil, maybe?

Enough!  Without further ado, Mr. Elfers.

 - - -

Angelus Artrio Is Alive And Well In San Francisco
by Jim Elfers, Editor

With a great deal of justified pride, Ed Hayden of San Francisco
announces that he has his 1919 Wilcox & White upright Angelus Artrio
reproducing piano in working order, and he will be pleased to welcome
anyone who would like to visit him and hear it, if they will call
a day in advance.

Although Ed has done considerable adjusting of my Duo-Art making
it capable of responses unattained by the technician who "restored"
it last year (not local) -- his Artrio represents his first real
familiarity with automatic musical instruments, and his first
restoration.  With special thanks to Dale Lawrence (who loaned him
an Artrio test roll he stocks for just such contingencies), the
reproducing mechanism and piano action give Ed ample reason to be
proud of his achievement.

In exchange for a tape recording of Alan Pier's fine Amplcos (he has
a Mason & Hamlin 'B', and Haines Brothers and Marshall & Wendell
upright A's), Ed sent a tape of some Artrio performances to Alan and
received the following enthusiastic response:

  "I received your tape recording and was extremely impressed.  Not
  only is the expression mechanism capable of wide range and quick
  changes, but the rolls must have been recorded and edited with great
  skill.  The piano also has exceptional tone, especially for an
  upright.  You certainly picked a winner!  What really surprises me,
  though, is that you had predicted the Angelus Artrio to rank with
  the best of reproducing pianos before you even got yours."

True.  After reading [Wm. Braid] White's little gray book, Ed had
decided the Artrio was his idea of a sensibly-designed system, and it
has proven itself to be capable of at least as rapid a response and
facility for picking out theme notes as the Duo-Art, and of the same
full range from pianissimo to fortissimo.

The basic difference between the two systems is perhaps stressed by
their names.  Although the Duo-Art was allegedly so named because it
could be played either by hand or by reproducing record, this does not
make it unique, and in fact it represents FOUR instruments (as does the
Artrio): manual, player, expression, and full reproducer.  So I think
it more likely that the "Duo" refers to it's two completely separate
and individually-controlled vacuum chambers.  Representing Theme and
Accompaniment (either of which can control bass and/or treble at any
time), each has four additive values each: 1-2-4-8, with total
capacities of 16 levels each (both totaling 32).

The Artrio, however, has three chambers: Basic, which generally
controls the 'entire keyboard,' has five additive values 2-2-2-2-8,
capable of values from 0 to 16 in eight steps.  The Theme snakebites
will add a value of 1 to bass and/or treble, giving eight more steps
from 1 to 17.  In addition, there are separate bass and treble chambers
that are used _only_ when the opposite side of the stack is recognizing
a Theme hole.  These are both controlled by three ports of additive
values 4-4-4.  When used, they are exclusive of the Basic volume.

Thus, with all eight of these ports open the stack will receive a value
of 16 from the Basic Chamber; then when a treble snakebite is recognized,
a value of 17 for the treble side and a value of 12 for the bass side
(from the Bass Accompaniment Chamber).  Further variations are achieved
by using two consecutive sets of snakebites, which adds a value of 2
instead of 1, and an amplifier port which closes a leak to the pump,
its use comparable to the Duo-Art crash valve.

Other differences between the two systems is that while the Duo-Art
uses single valves and accordion pneumatics to set up its dynamics,
the Artrio is a double-valve system [for stack actuation - JM] with only
primary valves to actuate its expression bellows.  Hence the Artrio
coding is effective much faster, whereas Duo-Art's accordions will take
a brief time to collapse and rise.  However, this gives the Duo-Art a
smooth crescendo or diminuendo if the chamber is accessed during the
accordion movements or it can give abrupt changes if one chamber is
accessed while the other is "setting up", after which control is
immediately transferred by the snakebites.

Although the Artrio bellows is faster than the accordion, both systems
have the advantage of smooth crescendos inherent in the movement of
cloth and leather, yet [with - JM] the added advantage of being able
to accomplish these crescendos at any desired speed.  But although the
coding and capabilities are comparable to the Duo-Art, Ed says the
Artrio's expression principle is the same as that used later by the
Ampico 'B', which substituted a curtain valve for the Artrio's flat
spring valve and bellows.

At one time Ed thought he could easily add a device to enable the
Artrio to honor Duo-Art coding.  There seemed to be no difficulty in
converting Duo-Art's Theme chamber coding to the Artrio's Basic
chamber, on the theory that as the theme rises and falls, the
accompaniment can't be too far behind.  The three accompaniment valves
of the Artrio could then pick up the more significant of the Duo-Art
accompaniment.  This is basically how the Duo-Art popular rolls were
converted to Artrio in the Melodee factory in Meriden, Conn.

A difficulty arises on the original rolls, however, when the editors
set up the theme coding in advance of its being used by the Duo-Art
snakebites.  The Artrio will recognize this advance coding immediately
in its Basic chamber, thereby affecting the accompaniment with coding
that was intended for later theme use.  If the editors had been
consistent, this could be compensated for by displacement of additional
ports in the tracker bar, but some editors set up values far in advance
of use, while others did it at the last possible second.  However, Ed
is still working on it, hoping he can accommodate a significant number
of Duo-Art recordings, thereby enlarging his instrument's repertoire
potential.

Although still anxious to acquire more rolls, he has already advanced
far beyond the 11 we announced last April.  He now has 75 Artrio
recordings, including some fine Welte-Mignon classical conversions
(such as Hofmann playing the Wagner-Brassin "Fire Music"), and some
Duo-Art popular conversions, including the lively Frank Banta rendition
of "Collegiate".

Among those who apparently recorded directly for Angelus (unless
some of these are Ampico conversions) are Leopold Godowsky, Ossip
Gabrilowitsch, Richard Buhlig, Ethel Leginska, Tina Lerner, William
Berge, and the talented blind pianist, Ferdinand Himmelreich.  Three
especially fine recordings are Poldowski playing her own "San Malo
In A Mist", Gabrilowitsch playing his "Caprice Burlesque", and Godowsky
playing Debussy's "Goldfish".  Since borrowing Dale's test roll, Ed
has acquired two more of his own -- one with full explanatory text.
Previously, he had been thwarted by the manual (borrowed from Dick
Schlaich of Mission Music), which frequently demurred with "Follow
instructions on test roll"!

 - - -

As collateral material to Editor Elfer's excellent work, I've included
four newly-scanned diagrams as were hand-drawn originally by Ed Hayden
himself, all having been dated 9/1/77 and signed by him.

(For the very life of me, I cannot recall from where or when I acquired
them.  They certainly are not unique, clearly being but good photocopies
of their originals.  Others of their like must be around.)

They serve to show the genesis of the Angelus Melodant Artistyle --
to the Modified Angelus Melodant Artistyle -- and then finally to the
Artrio-Angelus reproducing system proper.  These really are nicely
done, and go a long way toward making what really is somewhat opaque,
clearer.

It has occurred to me to that I might re-draw these formally, for the
record but, such recreations would not retain the charm or significance
of Ed Hayden's hand-done ones, being rather merely utilitarian as to
impression and nature, most likely.

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 [ Angelus Melodant Artistyle
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/06/09/170609_134521_Hayden1.png 

 [ Modified Melodant Angelus Artistyle
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/06/09/170609_134521_Hayden2.png 

 [ Artrio-Angelus System 1
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/06/09/170609_134521_Hayden3.png 

 [ Artrio-Angelus System 2
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/06/09/170609_134521_Hayden4.png 

 [ "Angelus Artrio Is Alive And Well In San Francisco," by Jim Elfers,
 [ published in The AMICA Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 12, December, 1969,
 [ is re-published here with the kind permission of AMICA and The AMICA
 [ Bulletin.  -- Robbie