Hard on the heels of the previous posting of Jim Elfers' December,
1969, AMICA News Bulletin article titled "Angelus Artrio Is Alive And
Well In San Francisco," comes now another from eight months earlier,
"Lost Angelus Found In San Francisco", as appeared in the April, 1969,
issue.

In it, with typical flair and the analyzing ocular ability of a precision
laser scanner, Editor Elfers again expertly highlights additional details
of Ed Hayden's adventures in discovering and acquiring his Wilcox & White
Artrio-Angelus, it's operational minutia, it's hoary legend and near
miraculous lore.

(To this writer, from it, the torturous tease of information regarding
master pianist Godowsky's A-A instructional set of forty-two parts was
most interesting and, as well, was the fact that both Mr. Elfers and
Mr. Hayden were co-workers in a highly demanding area of early digital
analysis.)

- - -

Lost Angelus Found In San Francisco
by Jim Elfers, Editor

A.M.I.C.A. is pleased to welcome another reproducer to its ranks.
Ed Hayden, attended our February meeting as an interested guest,
has acquired an Angelus Artrio upright, and has joined the club.

Ed is single, and one of the rare native San Franciscans.  He is a
Computer Systems Analyst for Crocker-Citizens National Bank, where
Jim Elfers is similarly employed.  Exposure to the Elfers Duo-Art
first sparked Ed's interest in reproducers -- a somewhat unorthodox
culmination of his prior experience in things mechanical, which has
ranged from photography and stereo through repairing Friden computers
and the Air Force's I.B.M. bombing-navigation computers.

After this introduction to the wonders of pneumatically-actuated
musical systems, Ed began perusing all the books he could find on the
subject.  Remaining detached from the Ampico/Duo-Art rivalry raging
around him, he decided from the material available that he preferred
the dynamic flexibility and mechanical simplicity of the Artrio system.

Imagine his surprise when he answered an ad for an "Elec plyr. piano.
$350" and learned that it was an Angelus!  The seller was a psychedelic
artist into whose home the piano was brought for a party four years
previously.  The piano apparently carries a hideous curse, for its
former owner is now in Vietnam and the artist is transferring to Des
Moines, Iowa ("Where the grass is greener").

As no reproducer rolls were available, neither were aware of the
instrument's potential.  Perhaps the curse will be dispelled now that
Ed has acquired the piano and offered it four Angelus rolls which Jim
had found and hoarded for just such a contingency.  Although the piano
needed work, the reproducing mechanism was miraculously functional.

An unusual feature is an acceleration/retard rocker valve that allows
the player-pianist to temporarily adjust the speed without changing
the tempo ("Metronome" to an Angelusian) setting.  Of dubious value
for most hand-played rolls, this can be useful for imparting some human
interpretation to the mathematically-coded expression rolls whose theme
holes are recognized by the Angelus.  Also noteworthy is the fact that
the keys are not actuated by bellows; but by leather pouches.

The reproducing system (patented in 1916) closely parallels
Duo-Art's accompaniment-theme concept, as the Wilcox & White Company's
pre-reproducer "Melodant" was the inspiration for Aeolian's expression
feature "Themodist", and both firms evolved their reproducers from this
method of achieving immediate switching between two sets of gradual
adjustments, as opposed to most systems' preoccupation with one gradual
variation with some immediate adjustments.

Ed feels the mechanics involved in the Angelus have an advantage in
that bleeder valves replace many of the accordion pneumatics used in
other reproducers.  The Angelus has five ports to set the basic volume,
with the two theme ports to add additional volume to the treble and/or
bass.  Four more ports are available for adjusting the accompaniment to
a level somewhere between the basic volume and the theme-intensified
volume.

An obvious advantage of the Angelus system is that only two bass and
two treble notes are displaced by the dynamic ports.  A drawback is
that much of the dynamic coding is so close to the edge of the roll
that the danger of tracking damage is increased.

It should be mentioned that the preceding is an approximation of the
Artrio system, as the documentation available is scant and ambiguous.
Research is continuing, and Ed is grateful for the assistance and
literature provided by Richard Schlaich of Mission Music in San
Francisco.

Another obvious disadvantage is the [lack of -- JM] availability of
rolls, and Ed would be additionally grateful for any help in enlarging
his collection.  His present eleven rolls (six more were provided by
Dick Reutlinger and one by Tod Carnes) would have to comprise his
entire list of "most valuable" as well as "favorite" rolls, and
anything else would be his "most wanted".

Note specifically, a test roll or the set of 42 piano instruction rolls
("Master and Pupil") by Leopold Godowsky would be highly desirable.  In
these Mr. Godowsky plays the composition's solo, then repeats the left
hand part while the student plays the right hand, using the music sheet
and instructions provided.  A third go-through enables the student to
change hands with Godowsky, and presumably, the pupil -- by now fully
accomplished -- polishes off the piece with both hands while his
perforated mentor rewinds himself.

Ed points out that the Angelus Artrio was at one time available in
Knabe pianos, and that the discriminating taste of none other than
Rudolph Valentino and his culture-vulture wife Natasha Rambova chose[*]
an art-case Hallet & Davis Angelus Artrio for their Hollywood Hills
home.  These grand pianos are unusual in that the entire reproducing
system (excluding electric motor and pump) is in the drawer so there
are no folding tubes.  84 long rods can trigger the hammers whether the
drawer is fully extended or recessed.

[Placed here by Jim Elfers but omitted by myself because of format
incompatibilities preventing reproduction, was a table of Ed Hayden's
so-far acquired rolls, eleven in all.  If any MUST have it, just let me
know. -- JM]

- - -

As supplementary material, I have included a fine photo image* of
these two most elegant "Angelusian's" to-be, out-and-about shopping
for reproducers [link below].  I believe this circumstance to be the
only instance where top celebrities were photographed -- as caught in
the very act itself! -- of selecting their particular, favored reproducer
medium du jure!  Seemingly, only in the case of the Artrio-Angelus was
it to be.

As matters-Artrio continue to be revealed and blossom, it seems that,
dependably, there are to be ever-new and alluring details attending.
Yes.

It is this writer's forming conviction, that The Star of The
Artrio-Angelus has only yet-begun to rise, ascendancy-supreme being all
but assured.

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 [ * Valentino and Rambova considering their options.
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/17/06/14/170614_224948_Artrio-Angeles%20Shopping%20Valentino%20&%20Rambova.jpg 

 [ "Lost Angelus Found In San Francisco," by Jim Elfers, published in
 [ The AMICA Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 4, April, 1969, is re-published here
 [ with the kind permission of AMICA and The AMICA Bulletin. -- Robbie