[ Ref. Universities With Mechanical Music Collections, 190319 MMD ]

Hello everyone, I haven't posted on MMD for some years so I thought
I would use this topic to re-introduce myself.  I live in Adelaide,
South Australia (very pleasant autumn weather but too dry so far this
year).  I have a couple of Duo-Art players, one working and one in
restoration.

I have long had some interest in Percy Grainger who had a long
association with Aeolian and is buried in the old Adelaide cemetery,
a couple of miles from here.

Many years ago, I visited the Grainger Museum at Melbourne University,
Victoria, and was given permission to play one of Percy's rolls on his
fine old Weber Duo-Art.  It appeared to be working okay then but I don't
know its present status.  It was a delight to hear him playing on his
own piano.

Percy paid for and set up his own museum with a very eclectic and
unique collection of his paraphernalia and experimental music apparatus.
In his later years, he was interested in Theremins and "free music"
with pitch recorded continuously on paper like Themodist lines.  Some
of those devices are in the museum.  Anyone interested could visit the
website: https://grainger.unimelb.edu.au  or visit the museum -- better
still.  MMDers from Melbourne may be able to add more to the story
since my experience is very dated.

Quite a few years ago, I came across a Grainger roll personally signed
by Percy as a gift to an aunt but the owner hadn't made up his mind to
sell it (he didn't like the music!).  He has since moved and I can't
locate him, sadly.

Darrell Clarke
Adelaide, South Australia