The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-28
STREET PIANOS.
How the Music Is Arranged for the
Instrument-Pri


From the New York Press.
Street pianos. or, more technically,
''cylinder pianos" were formerly i'm
ported from large factories in Berlin and
Florence, but of late two firms have be-
gun prosperous business in this city.
The mechanism of this instrument is
the same as that of the ordinary upright
pianOfOrte, with this difference, that, in
stead of the keys being struck by the
hand of the performer, they are pressed
down by nails driven at the necessary in
tervals in cylinder contiguous to the
keys.
This cylinder is made of some soft
wood, about a foot in diameter. II is
covered with sheet of paper tightly
pasted around it. The cylinder is then
placed in frame, over which is a key
board consisting of small wooden keys,
on the under side of which are screwed
small sharp pointed bits Of steel. The
operator places the music to be tran
scrlbed to the piano or a rack in front of
nun, ana proceeds to puncbure the proper
notes on the cylinder by pressing the
Keys. The measuring Of the intervals be-
tween the successive notes requires no
small skill, and the performer can hardly
attain the rapidity of Paderewski in
his silent music
The cylinder is then handed over to
another mechanic, who drives small
brass nails in the holes pUnctured by the
first workman. This process was for
merly done by hand ana hammer, but the
great labor and tedium OF this work has
been largely diminished by a recent in
vention of the elder Mohnari, the nails
being pressed in by a beam worked with
a treadle. The nails prOtrude about an
eighth of an inch, and are Of various
shapes, according to the length of the
note to be played. A quarter note is
represented by nail with "a head on it.
an eighth note by a sharp-pointed tack,
and sixteenth notes by strip of brass,
tootned like a comb while a half of
whole note resembles a double-headed
carpet tack.
On each cylinder ten tunes are placed
the position of the cylinder being slightly
shifted for each tune. With all the tunes
in the OFFENDER is very much like that OF
an enormous music box, and the only diff
ference between the Instruments is that
the points of music box impinge on the
teeth OF strip of serrated steel, while
the points of the piano cylinder release
hammers which fly against strings.
These street pianos are rather expen-
slVe luxury, and it is matter of some
perpleXlty to understand how these grimy
paupers from fair Italy manage to scrape
mp the necessary capital for their bust
ness. AS the instruments can still coax
pennies in almost any condition of decrep-
ltude, a secondhand piano suffers very
little decline in price, especially as the
cylinders can be renewed TO suit the tickle
taste of the public as often as is desired.
These pianos are, therefore, handed down
from generation TO generation till they
fairly fall TO pieces.
Every piano plays ten tunes, but they
vary in price according TO the range and
hrilliance Of these tunes and the number
OF hammers required. A piano with forty
hammers costs from $3.50 to $50: one
with fOrtyfour hammers from $16O to
$500, and one with forty-eight hammers
from $40 to $3.50. From this they in
crease to a cost of $3.50 for a piano with
slXty-four hammers. The panoramas
which adorn some of them range in price
from $40 to $50. The cost of a new cylin-
der depends upon the size of the piano,
and runs from $40 to $50. They require
constant tuning and frequent repairs,
owing to the roughness of their usage, so
that, on the whole, they are not inexpen-
sive tools.
Almost any composition can be arranged
Tor the street piano, though, naturally,
the prevailing popular tunes monopolize
the field. AS popular airs are generally
shortlived, and as the income of the
pianist depends largely on the freshness
OF his wares. these peripatetics are at
constant expense for new cylinders.
Owing to the ease with which money is
coined by THESE mints, a street piano is a
very difficult thing to rent without rent
ing the owners also. But if one is found,
charge of from 81 to $40 dollars a week
is made. AS very good upright piano.
| forte can be rented for a a month, the
commercial value of these instruments is
evident.