New-York tribune., 1912-03-17

direction that made my principal dis
covery
~ had been working in Rochester, and
there Busoni had made several records for
me. These records were excellent, but l
was always unable somehow 10 get that
singing tone so necessary TO any real ar
tistic piano playing How was I to get
this singing tone? That, I felt, was my
problem.
80 ! built machine with which could
determine exactly what happened to the
wires inside the piano whenever the pianist
struck note. / soon discovered that each
/ string that he struck caused others strings
to vibrate in sympathy and that some Of
these sympathetic vibrations caused dis
/ cords. The pianist got rid Of these dis
/ cords by the use of his pedal and the sing
ing tone was caused by vibrations produced
i'm harmony Ny work, ! soon saw. was TO
/ get my records TO record automatically not
| only the note struck but the vibrations that
were in harmony, together with the result
/ of the pianist's pedallng. 7 worked long
I on this machine. and at length perfected it,
+ so that now. when pianist plays. the
record produces his touch and his pedallin-,
ana therefore lilf lbl' 'OH'i anu NV NlllS-
ing tone that is heard when he plays MIN
self
with my invention, which ! have named
'rhytlmOdic music rolls it Is absolutely i'm
possible for player-pian 10 turn out
music ;hat Is mcchaqlcul or inar'Istic. Each
roll is tho product Of a great pianist. AMI
reproduces that rlanist's touch, tone color
and tempo. They can 30 placed in any
PLAYER piano. and as they cost only from
81 - to s. each. they ere within the reach
Of practically 'yory ono. I know that there
arc player-piduos that also reproduce the
playing 81 q hno pianist, but they are vast
ly more expensive Jud require from their
user both musical taste and experience My
rolls con be played by child ana the re-
suit will be always artistic.
II feel thai the artistic benefit To the
community from these rolls will be great.
The present system or piano record music
ia of itself necessarily mechanical These
rolls are laid out by ruler from tho sheet
music. Thus half note is exactly twice
as long a. a quarter. and a whole note
twice rs long Js half But tho composer,
when ho wrote tho music. never intended II
To be played in this fashion. He intended
it to BE- played with light and shade, with
variety Of tone color. with variation "f
the tempo. This is where the executing
artist the pianist, plays his part. II is he
Who gives the soul 10 the printed notes.
But the music as given forth by the
mechanical piano has no soul, 10 light and
shade. no tone CulOr-abovc all no singing
tone. II is all very We'll TO play bald pop
ular tunes ON such machine. but good
music It kills. aud 1t certainly cannot raise
the popular appreciation Of such music.
iut the rhythmodic music rolls bring
something very different into the household.
Just place ono OF them in the piano. 40
matter what be- the make Of that plano,
and Rusoni or Hofmann. or Bsrchard. or
whoever has made that record. gives TO
you Of his best Nothing Is required Of the
user but 10 pump with his feet"
Mr.. Stoddard then led the reporter into
another room. where Howard Brockway,
the pianist. was seated at grand plano,
playing a Chopin prelude. The piano was
apparently an ordinary one. except that
out OF the right hand end of the keyboard
extended two green covered wires These
wires led through a hole I'm the real wall.
Behind that wall is the recording ma
chine" said Sir. Stoddard after the pianist
Lad finished the prelude. But OF course,
no one is allowed 10 see II, any more than
he is allowed TO see the inside OF this
apparently innocent plano
Innocent" suddenly exclaimed Mr..
Brockway DO you know that the hrst
time ! sat down at that piano / couldn't
play at all? II seemed 10 me that ten thou
sand little imps were hidden inside! Talk
about our ghosts.-that plano records every
/ little thing you do; has any ghost story
beaten a mile. ! cannot tell you the creepy
! feeling IT gave me to play on that ma
| chine and To know that behind that wall
recording angel was registering all that
! I did In short | had stage fright for the
! first time in my lifc"
| You are not the only one" said Mr.
, stoddard Two pianisis that We engaged
| TO make records found themselves utterly
unable to play. They were literally
/ scared away"