Early Music Machines

The Music of Coinola “O-Roll” Automatic Instruments

“Listen to a selection of O-Roll music played on the Coinola SO – scroll down, click on any tune or sheet music cover” The history of the development of Coinola machines and the O-Roll format can be found at https://www.rickcrandall.net/a-nickel-for-music-in-the-early-1900s-evolution-of-the-american-orchestrion/...
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Operators Coinola O-Roll Rollography

Over 700 of the total 1270 “O” Rolls estimated ever made by QRS, Columbia, Capitol and Clark are catalogued and presented including tune composers.
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Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Rollography and “Reference Set” Recut Roll Project

The complete catalog of all 933 music rolls ever originally produced by Hupfeld for the Phonoliszt-Violina: Catalog Sorted by Roll Number Catalog Sorted by Composer. Also provided is the catalog of the 268 rolls chosen from over 20 collections and museums...
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Evolution of the American Coin-op Orchestrion

The heyday of American coin-operated automatic music instruments was from 1898 – 1928. Perforated-paper music rolls were an important medium for national distribution of music including blues, jazz, rags and dance tunes. The Coinola SO “super orchestrion,”...
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Ultimate Music Collectible: Automatic Violin-Piano

Phonoliszt-Violina: In the 1900 to 1930's the automatic music machine replaced live performers accelerated by union pressures for uneconomic rates for performers. Many types of player pianos, orchestrions, and violin and banjo players) grew rapidly as...
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Engelhardt Banjorchestra

1915 coin-operated mechanical orchestra with banjo made by Engelhardt Piano Company; helped make ragtime a national music form;; music by National Music Roll Co.;
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Peerless – First Coin Pianos

The Peerless line of coin-op player pianos, nickelodeons and orchestrions were the earliest roll-operated coin-operated music machines on the market; Companies involved were the Roth & Engelhardt Co., Peerless Piano Player Co., National Music Roll Co.,...
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J. W. WHITLOCK AND HIS AUTOMATIC HARP

The Automatic Harp invented by J.W. Whitlock and popularized by the Wurlitzer Company. Whitlock was a classic American inventor, business leader and entrepreneur who became the heart and soul of Rising Sun, Indiana in the early 1900’s. His life, his...
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Diary Disclosures of John Gabel, A Pioneer In Automatic Music

The Gabel Automatic Entertainer dates to 1905 and is the very first disc record-changing multi-selection phonograph invented by John Gabel; His Automatic Machine and Tool Company competed with Victor in massive patent fights that Gabel finally won. The...
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Popper Orchestrion

1910 German-made mechanical orchestra shipped through newly-opened Panama Canal to Nevada City, California to play in a gold rush saloon owned by Ernie Schreiber. Named the Popper Felix orchestrion, it has extensive instrumentation for playing classical...
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