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MMD Gallery Tech Scales Aeo176 |
by Jim Crank (010521 MMDigest) The layout of the tracker bar scale for the Aeolian Duo-Art pipe organ
player roll system is listed below. The odd-numbered holes are the
lower row which plays the lower manual (Great) and the Pedal. The
even-numbered holes are the upper row which plays the upper manual (Swell).
This data compilation came from my 1926 test roll, written on it in India ink, and verified against the list that Nelson Barden made. It was also verified against an ancient list that was in one of my players that no doubt came from Aeolian. The old list was not complete in all details but it showed the added holes for stops and expression. It was in a very early player, about 1917. The 1926 test roll was with the 4/56 Aeolian Kilgen that I had at one time, and this organ did work the stops and controls precisely as the roll indicated. The list was triple-checked many times, as this organ had wiring problems that I had to fix. All these lists completely agree with each other as to stops and expression holes, and the Pedal and Great octave coupler control holes. All of the five or six Duo-Art organ players I have owned worked according to this layout. If the organ was a small one, and used totally duplexed stops for both Great and Swell, then the stops were parallel wired. If the organ was a larger model then there were appropriate ranks in each division and they were controlled independently. Remember, the Duo-Art player played a two-manual organ. No matter how big it was, there weren't separate notes for, say, a Choir division. If the organ was a really big one, they just paralleled stops and sometimes just coupled divisions together for a bigger sound. But the rolls played only three lines (divisions) of music: Great, Swell and Pedal. Only the Moller Artiste organ player had a separate set of notes for the Choir. Hole #7, Great Extension 61 Notes, doesn't transpose notes. Some people think it shifted the Pedal notes up one octave, but my players just added the extra octaves. On the player I have now, and the player with the 4/56 Aeolian-Kilgen, it adds one octave, hole #9 adds another octave, and hole #11 adds a third octave to the 16' octave already playing. On one ancient list I have, hole #11 coupled the Choir to the Great (Accompaniment); but all the other lists say it is a third Pedal octave. See what I mean? You can't always trust these lists! Holes number 171, 173, 164 and 166 are marked "L.C.W.", and no one knows what they do. One good suggestion is that they were special control holes used on the New York recording organ. One test roll I have shows these holes marked in pencil "N.Y. Recording Department"; when these notes were written, and by whom, I do not know, so I cannot vouch for their accuracy. If anyone _really_ knows what "L.C.W." means, please let the rest of us Duo-Art organ people know. Jim Crank
24 May 2001 |
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