WILCOX & WHITE PIANO PLAYERS
Wilcox & White instruments come in a very wide range.
1)58 note Symphony Orchestral player reed organ
This is known as the "Symphony" player organ and was essentially a competitior
to the Aeolian Grand player organ. The rolls are not compatible with other
similar instruments. As with the Aeolian range it was made in a wide variety of
sizes and styles costing from $75 up to $1,500.
2)58 note / 65-note Angelus Orchestral piano player
It plays the 58-note Symphony rolls and also the 65-note Angelus rolls. The
metal bar which reads the music ("tracker bar") has 65 holes. Early 58-note
rolls are labelled "Symphony" as the player organ was all that was on the
market. When this "Angelus" was bought on the market the rolls became marked as
"Angelus & Symphony" showing they could be used on either instrument. This
player has suction sounded reeds in it which can be played from the roll. The
instrument can therefore be played on its own as keyboardless player reed organ
or as a piano player or with both together. Various models were made with
between 2 and 10 sets of reeds.
3)58 note / 65-note Angelus piano player
It plays the 58-note Symphony rolls and also the 65-note Angelus rolls. The
metal bar which reads the music ("tracker bar") has 65 holes. Early 58-note
rolls are labelled "Symphony" as the player organ was all that was on the
market. When this "Angelus" was bought on the market the rolls became marked as
"Angelus & Symphony" showing they could be used on either instrument.
4)58 note / 65-note player piano
Essentially the same mechanism as the piano player fitted into the piano
casework. The pneumatic stack is situated beneath the keyboard. Early Aeolian
player pianos also had stacks beneath the keyboard similarly. This type of
player is the one I have in my small collection. The metal bar which reads the
music ("tracker bar") has 65 holes. The player mechanism itself is under the
keyboard unlike all the other types. The music roll box is above the keyboard
as usual
5)65-note player piano.
Plays the 65-note Angelus rolls. Tracker bar has 65 holes.
6)65-note Melodant Angelus player piano. (1907 onwards)
Plays standard Angelus rolls and also Melodant Angelus 65-note Angelus rolls.
The "Melodant" is a system which brings out the theme of the music more clearly
via two extra perforations in the music. The principle is the same as Aeolian's
"Themodist" system which also was introuced in 1907. 67-
holes on the tracker bar.
7)65-note Melodant Angelus piano player. (1907 onwards)
Plays 65-note Angelus rolls and also Melodant 65-note Angelus rolls. The
"Melodant" is a system which brings out the theme of the music more clearly via
two extra perforations in the music. 67-
holes on the tracker bar.
8)88-note Melodant Angelus piano player. (1910 onwards)
Plays standard 88-note rolls. Likely just made to specific order as by the time
these were made piano players were virtually obsolete in favour of the internal
player.
9)Angelus Duplex player piano (1910 onwards)
Plays 65-note Angelus rolls, standard 65-note rolls and also 88-note rolls all
with Melodant! The tracker bar a double row of holes with a flip over pneumatic
cloth and bar to cover the set not required. In the changeover period to
full-scale 88-note manufacturers realised that the way ahead was by making
compatible systems. For example Farrand's Cecilian became fitted with a tracker
bar that would play normal rolls as well as the very wide Cecilian rolls and
Hupfeld made their spoolbox play standard 65 and 88-note rolls in addition to
their own 73-note Phonola rolls.
10)Angelus Orchestral Duplex Player Piano
This very rare instrument is the multi-format playing Melodant player piano as
in (9) above plus a set of reeds as in the Orchestral Angelus push-up mentioned
at (2) above
11)Angelus Orchestral Player Piano
This very rare instrument is the 88-note Melodant player piano as per (8) above
plus a set of reeds as in the Orchestral Angelus push-up mentioned at (2)
above. The rarity of this and the type above (10) together with the absence of
any advertising literature I have unearthed make me suspect that these may have
been made just very briefly to special order or to use up old
Orchestral/Symphony reed organ parts. I have only had evidence of 3 such
instruments. They are not photoplayers - they are instruments designed for home
useage. If anyone knows more about them please contact me with whatever info
you have however small and trivial it might be.
12)88-note Melodant Angelus.
Plays standard 88-note rolls. The Duplex spoolbox, from being the norm
initially, was fitted less frequently as the 1910's went on. Fitted to both
uprights and grands.
13)Artrio Angelus (1916 onwards).
This is a reproducing piano electrically pumped generally. The Artrio system
uses three expression regulators with 3 tracks of expression in the
accompaniment and 5 in the theme. The Artio can also play standard 88-note
rolls. Fitted to both uprights and grands. The grand installation is unusual in
that, like an Ampico, it has a roll drawer. The Artrio drawer however has the
complete pneumatic stack assembly in it as well together with an ingenious
linkage system along it to be played with the drawer open or closed.
14)Angelus pianos made after the mid 20's.
These have a pneumatic mechanism designed in the conventional manner as opposed
to the standard Angleus one. These date from when the Wilcox & White brand was
taken over by Hallet & Davis. This design change applies to both Artrio and
standard Angelus players. The re-designed pneumatic action was re-named the
"Super Simplex" and most early versions of these have Simplex style tracker
bars which have trapezoid tracker ports instead of the usual square ones.
In concluding, Wilcox & White instruments incorporated several completely
unique concepts not found in
any
other brand
pouch pneumatics
reverse pneumatic system
reed organ piano player
reed organ player piano
left-hand music drive
grand installation drawer with
entire
mechanism in drawer
ANGELUS PNEUMATIC SYSTEM
The Angelus was made by Wilcox & White. It's original form of operating appears
to have been designed as a complete opposite in operating principle to that of
it's competitors. The reality is that it actually predated all of it's
mainstream competitors. Patent 470323 applied for in 1891 by W Parker (of
Wilcox & White) contains all the fundamental pneumatic elements that the
Angelus player piano would embody for the next 17 years. The stack is the same
as in models right up until 1907 and the only thing that differs is the
location of the components and a few minor modifications. In later models the
standard sliding valve roll motor was adopted and the controls were shifted to
the key rail but that's about it.
In 1896 under Patent #560303 Parker patented a revised version of the 1891
instrument with dynamic control operated from key rail buttons and levers.
Next is the plan from the 1891 patent showing the original pneumatic stack. The
atmospheric pressure inlets are on the stack top in 1891 and the tracker bar
position is adjacent to the end of the stack. Apart from these minor
variations the working production stack of 16 years later remains entirely
identical. In player piano industry terms this represented an absolute eternity
when compared to the developments rival companies put their systems through.
Next is a colour picture of the stack removed from the 1907 model piano. This
is just before this type of stack was changed for the standard pouch stack. The
photo shows the back of the stack with the airtight cover board removed for the
photo. In the piano it sits beneath the keyboard in the base of the piano ontop
of the laterally mounted exhausters At the far left is where the tracker bar
tubes enter the stack. The cloth covered lead tubing runs in 2 large bundles
from the tracker bar, down through a slot at each far end of the keybed and
down to 2 long wooden battens. The battens mate up with the gasketed sides of
the stack you see in the picture. You can see the cloth covered lead tubing
running from there down to the valve boards at the back of the picture behind
the action pouches.
The suction supply is two exhausters mounted laterally beneath the stack. The
one equalizer is mounted vertically in the rear of the treble end of the piano.
The system is suction operated as is the tracker mechanism. In play mode the
lever from the control slip depresses a crank on the bass end of the stack.
This is connected to a rod running through the stack and opens the inlet
connected to the main suction supply. When suction is applied to the stack it
lowers the pressure around the entire stack which is completely enclosed in the
large airtight wooden case you see in the picture. The principle is that the
leather pouches blow outwards once they are filled with standard atmospheric
pressure as the air around the stack is at lower pressure. It therefore
operates in an opposite manner to a standard pneumatic stack which has lower
pressure inside the pneumatics and standard pressure outside them. The system
is a double valve system. The pulse from the tracker bar when a note is
uncovered by the roll triggers the valves as in usual players. Instead of
admitting high suction to the pneumatics the valves admit normal atmospheric
pressure. This causes the leather pouch to blow outwards due to the pressure
differential either side of the pouch. A light pallet is glued to the leather
which pushes on the crank. The crank pushes up wooden pistons running through
the top of the stack case which push up plungers mounted at the back of the
keybed. These push up the backs of the piano keys and play the piano.
So the big question is how do the volume modification levers work this sort of
setup. Atmosphere enters through 3 ports - one for each half of the stack which
is governed by a regulator normally fully open plus another admitting air
unregulated. So, each half of the stack has it's own regulating mechanism in
addition to the usual power governor connected to the wind motor. When the
lever is pulled to subdue one half of the stack as desired the regulator closes
off the free access of atmospheric pressure to that half of the stack and feeds
back a proportion of suction from the main action casing into the atmosphere
vent. This means that the pressure of air being played into the action pouches
is still greater than that in the rest of the case and is enough to cause the
pouches to inflate. The difference between the two being less means the notes
play softer. The regulating mechanism includes a pneumatic motor, a very gentle
regulating spring and various channels and ports to ensure that the feedback
flow is controlled in proportion to the amount of internal stack suction to
produce an even musical result.
After 1907 the stack was made without the suction case surrounding it The
pouches sucked inwards when the note played the same as the pneumatic motors in
a conventional stack. The cranks however moved downwards in the opposite
direction. The cranks were attached to a pivoted finger so as the note played
and the crank moved down the other end went up and played the note.
The system, generally, is very responsive. The original marketing has proven
quite true - as there are no folding creases on the pouches they last longer
than pneumatic cloth equivalents. The stack pictured has lasted amazingly well
due to it's encasement! The leather shows hardly any wear, the wood is clean
and the metal untarnished! It plays on it's original action pouches very well
indeed - not bad after 93 years!
If you plan on restoring one of these think the whole thing through carefully
first. The installation and de-installation must be done in a certain logical
order. You can't remove the power governor for example without removing
substantial amounts of the rest of the mechanism - the order you remove it all
is paramount! As the tubing is lead in the stack case the stacks weighs very
heavy. To remove it single-handedly or to re-install it either be very very
strong or get a friend to help you!
Incidentally, the stack division is set at E/F in the octave above middle C in
case you were wondering.
ANGELUS 65-NOTE MUSIC ROLLS
This article examines the 65-note Angelus roll output and manufacturers.
In it's early years the Angelus action was conceived with a conscious effort to
differentiate it from Aeolian's system. Wilcox & White's 58 & 65 note roll
spools and
spoolboxes differ from their Aeolian counterparts and although the paper
width's are all
an eighth-of-an-inch either way these differences are entirely consistent not
simply an
imagination and Wilcox & White 58 & 65 note rolls are not playable in Aeolian's
equivalent instruments and vice versa.
Wilcox & White instruments come in a very wide range.
1)58 note Symphony Orchestral player reed organ
This is known as the "Symphony" player organ and was essentially a competitior to the Aeolian Grand player organ. The rolls are not compatible with other similar instruments. As with the Aeolian range it was made in a wide variety of sizes and styles costing from $75 up to $1,500.
2)58 note / 65-note Angelus Orchestral piano player
It plays the 58-note Symphony rolls and also the 65-note Angelus rolls. The metal bar which reads the music ("tracker bar") has 65 holes. Early 58-note rolls are labelled "Symphony" as the player organ was all that was on the market. When this "Angelus" was bought on the market the rolls became marked as "Angelus & Symphony" showing they could be used on either instrument. This player has suction sounded reeds in it which can be played from the roll. The instrument can therefore be played on its own as keyboardless player reed organ or as a piano player or with both together. Various models were made with between 2 and 10 sets of reeds.
3)58 note / 65-note Angelus piano player
It plays the 58-note Symphony rolls and also the 65-note Angelus rolls. The metal bar which reads the music ("tracker bar") has 65 holes. Early 58-note rolls are labelled "Symphony" as the player organ was all that was on the market. When this "Angelus" was bought on the market the rolls became marked as "Angelus & Symphony" showing they could be used on either instrument.
4)58 note / 65-note player piano
Essentially the same mechanism as the piano player fitted into the piano casework. The pneumatic stack is situated beneath the keyboard. Early Aeolian player pianos also had stacks beneath the keyboard similarly. This type of player is the one I have in my small collection. The metal bar which reads the music ("tracker bar") has 65 holes. The player mechanism itself is under the keyboard unlike all the other types. The music roll box is above the keyboard as usual
5)65-note player piano.
Plays the 65-note Angelus rolls. Tracker bar has 65 holes.
6)65-note Melodant Angelus player piano. (1907 onwards)
Plays standard Angelus rolls and also Melodant Angelus 65-note Angelus rolls. The "Melodant" is a system which brings out the theme of the music more clearly via two extra perforations in the music. The principle is the same as Aeolian's "Themodist" system which also was introuced in 1907. 67- holes on the tracker bar.
7)65-note Melodant Angelus piano player. (1907 onwards)
Plays 65-note Angelus rolls and also Melodant 65-note Angelus rolls. The "Melodant" is a system which brings out the theme of the music more clearly via two extra perforations in the music. 67- holes on the tracker bar.
8)88-note Melodant Angelus piano player. (1910 onwards)
Plays standard 88-note rolls. Likely just made to specific order as by the time these were made piano players were virtually obsolete in favour of the internal player.
9)Angelus Duplex player piano (1910 onwards)
Plays 65-note Angelus rolls, standard 65-note rolls and also 88-note rolls all with Melodant! The tracker bar a double row of holes with a flip over pneumatic cloth and bar to cover the set not required. In the changeover period to full-scale 88-note manufacturers realised that the way ahead was by making compatible systems. For example Farrand's Cecilian became fitted with a tracker bar that would play normal rolls as well as the very wide Cecilian rolls and Hupfeld made their spoolbox play standard 65 and 88-note rolls in addition to their own 73-note Phonola rolls.
10)Angelus Orchestral Duplex Player Piano
This very rare instrument is the multi-format playing Melodant player piano as in (9) above plus a set of reeds as in the Orchestral Angelus push-up mentioned at (2) above
11)Angelus Orchestral Player Piano
This very rare instrument is the 88-note Melodant player piano as per (8) above plus a set of reeds as in the Orchestral Angelus push-up mentioned at (2) above. The rarity of this and the type above (10) together with the absence of any advertising literature I have unearthed make me suspect that these may have been made just very briefly to special order or to use up old Orchestral/Symphony reed organ parts. I have only had evidence of 3 such instruments. They are not photoplayers - they are instruments designed for home useage. If anyone knows more about them please contact me with whatever info you have however small and trivial it might be.
12)88-note Melodant Angelus.
Plays standard 88-note rolls. The Duplex spoolbox, from being the norm initially, was fitted less frequently as the 1910's went on. Fitted to both uprights and grands.
13)Artrio Angelus (1916 onwards).
This is a reproducing piano electrically pumped generally. The Artrio system uses three expression regulators with 3 tracks of expression in the accompaniment and 5 in the theme. The Artio can also play standard 88-note rolls. Fitted to both uprights and grands. The grand installation is unusual in that, like an Ampico, it has a roll drawer. The Artrio drawer however has the complete pneumatic stack assembly in it as well together with an ingenious linkage system along it to be played with the drawer open or closed.
14)Angelus pianos made after the mid 20's.
These have a pneumatic mechanism designed in the conventional manner as opposed to the standard Angleus one. These date from when the Wilcox & White brand was taken over by Hallet & Davis. This design change applies to both Artrio and standard Angelus players. The re-designed pneumatic action was re-named the "Super Simplex" and most early versions of these have Simplex style tracker bars which have trapezoid tracker ports instead of the usual square ones.
In concluding, Wilcox & White instruments incorporated several completely unique concepts not found in any other brand
ANGELUS PNEUMATIC SYSTEM
The Angelus was made by Wilcox & White. It's original form of operating appears
to have been designed as a complete opposite in operating principle to that of
it's competitors. The reality is that it actually predated all of it's
mainstream competitors. Patent 470323 applied for in 1891 by W Parker (of
Wilcox & White) contains all the fundamental pneumatic elements that the
Angelus player piano would embody for the next 17 years. The stack is the same
as in models right up until 1907 and the only thing that differs is the
location of the components and a few minor modifications. In later models the
standard sliding valve roll motor was adopted and the controls were shifted to
the key rail but that's about it.
In 1896 under Patent #560303 Parker patented a revised version of the 1891 instrument with dynamic control operated from key rail buttons and levers.
Next is the plan from the 1891 patent showing the original pneumatic stack. The
atmospheric pressure inlets are on the stack top in 1891 and the tracker bar
position is adjacent to the end of the stack. Apart from these minor
variations the working production stack of 16 years later remains entirely
identical. In player piano industry terms this represented an absolute eternity
when compared to the developments rival companies put their systems through.
Next is a colour picture of the stack removed from the 1907 model piano. This is just before this type of stack was changed for the standard pouch stack. The photo shows the back of the stack with the airtight cover board removed for the photo. In the piano it sits beneath the keyboard in the base of the piano ontop of the laterally mounted exhausters At the far left is where the tracker bar tubes enter the stack. The cloth covered lead tubing runs in 2 large bundles from the tracker bar, down through a slot at each far end of the keybed and down to 2 long wooden battens. The battens mate up with the gasketed sides of the stack you see in the picture. You can see the cloth covered lead tubing running from there down to the valve boards at the back of the picture behind the action pouches.
The suction supply is two exhausters mounted laterally beneath the stack. The one equalizer is mounted vertically in the rear of the treble end of the piano. The system is suction operated as is the tracker mechanism. In play mode the lever from the control slip depresses a crank on the bass end of the stack. This is connected to a rod running through the stack and opens the inlet connected to the main suction supply. When suction is applied to the stack it lowers the pressure around the entire stack which is completely enclosed in the large airtight wooden case you see in the picture. The principle is that the leather pouches blow outwards once they are filled with standard atmospheric pressure as the air around the stack is at lower pressure. It therefore operates in an opposite manner to a standard pneumatic stack which has lower pressure inside the pneumatics and standard pressure outside them. The system is a double valve system. The pulse from the tracker bar when a note is uncovered by the roll triggers the valves as in usual players. Instead of admitting high suction to the pneumatics the valves admit normal atmospheric pressure. This causes the leather pouch to blow outwards due to the pressure differential either side of the pouch. A light pallet is glued to the leather which pushes on the crank. The crank pushes up wooden pistons running through the top of the stack case which push up plungers mounted at the back of the keybed. These push up the backs of the piano keys and play the piano.
So the big question is how do the volume modification levers work this sort of setup. Atmosphere enters through 3 ports - one for each half of the stack which is governed by a regulator normally fully open plus another admitting air unregulated. So, each half of the stack has it's own regulating mechanism in addition to the usual power governor connected to the wind motor. When the lever is pulled to subdue one half of the stack as desired the regulator closes off the free access of atmospheric pressure to that half of the stack and feeds back a proportion of suction from the main action casing into the atmosphere vent. This means that the pressure of air being played into the action pouches is still greater than that in the rest of the case and is enough to cause the pouches to inflate. The difference between the two being less means the notes play softer. The regulating mechanism includes a pneumatic motor, a very gentle regulating spring and various channels and ports to ensure that the feedback flow is controlled in proportion to the amount of internal stack suction to produce an even musical result.
After 1907 the stack was made without the suction case surrounding it The pouches sucked inwards when the note played the same as the pneumatic motors in a conventional stack. The cranks however moved downwards in the opposite direction. The cranks were attached to a pivoted finger so as the note played and the crank moved down the other end went up and played the note.
The system, generally, is very responsive. The original marketing has proven quite true - as there are no folding creases on the pouches they last longer than pneumatic cloth equivalents. The stack pictured has lasted amazingly well due to it's encasement! The leather shows hardly any wear, the wood is clean and the metal untarnished! It plays on it's original action pouches very well indeed - not bad after 93 years!
If you plan on restoring one of these think the whole thing through carefully first. The installation and de-installation must be done in a certain logical order. You can't remove the power governor for example without removing substantial amounts of the rest of the mechanism - the order you remove it all is paramount! As the tubing is lead in the stack case the stacks weighs very heavy. To remove it single-handedly or to re-install it either be very very strong or get a friend to help you!
Incidentally, the stack division is set at E/F in the octave above middle C in case you were wondering.
ANGELUS 65-NOTE MUSIC ROLLS
This article examines the 65-note Angelus roll output and manufacturers.
In it's early years the Angelus action was conceived with a conscious effort to differentiate it from Aeolian's system. Wilcox & White's 58 & 65 note roll spools and spoolboxes differ from their Aeolian counterparts and although the paper width's are all an eighth-of-an-inch either way these differences are entirely consistent not simply an imagination and Wilcox & White 58 & 65 note rolls are not playable in Aeolian's equivalent instruments and vice versa.
| WILCOX & WHITE | AEOLIAN |
| Rolls play bottom up | Rolls play top down |
| Rolls play back to front | Rolls play right side out (obviously) |
| Drive pin on left | Drive pin on right |
| Drive pin has smaller diameter | Standard wide drive pin |
| different spool length (58 & 65 note) | Standard spool length |
| different paper width (58 & 65 note) | Standard paper width |
| Different roll speed markings | Standard 'feet-per-minute x 10' roll speed markings |
The player mechanisms differ thus;-
| WILCOX & WHITE | AEOLIAN |
| Note is played as atmospheric pressure (positive pressure) inflates pouch pneumatic surrounded by suction (negative pressure) | Note is played as suction (negative pressure) collapses pneumatic motor surrounded by atmospheric pressure (positive pressure) |
Despite these system differences there is speculation Wilcox & White co-operated with Aeolian more than they may have let on. The argument for this is that both factories were virtual neighbours in the US and their Wilcox and White "Melodant" themeing system uses the same "snakebite"-type punchings as Aeolian's Themodist system. Numerous other manufacturers also used the same system (Solodant etc.) and the logical explanation is that they all paid the patent royalty to incorporate this idea with nothing more secretive or sinister about it. "Melodant" works in the same way as "Themodist" and the "Melodant" theme punchings slightly precede the desired note as do Themodist.
And so to the rolls themselves. Discussion as to whether 65-note Angelus rolls were ever made in the UK or were simply all US-made may now be settled. But, naturally, to confuse things, they come in all the types and in all the combinations.
1.65-note (+dynamic line) US & UK
2.65-note (+Artistyle line) UK ONLY
3.65-note + Melodant (+dynamic line) US ONLY
4.65-note + Melodant (+Artistyle line) US & UK
5.Angelus compatible Imperial roll
6.Angelus compatible Imperial branded roll
The ordinary 65-note US-made rolls come in only one variety; white labels on box and roll with a dynamic line marking on the roll only and in the US they were all made by Wilcox & White (the manufacturer of the Angelus system player).
In the UK Herbert Marshall was the manufacturer of the Angelus brand name rolls. The very earliest of the UK Angelus labelled rolls are exactly that;- pre-printed blank labels with hand written titles professing UK manufacture but all containing a Wilcox & White US-made roll;- a roll labelled in the UK. The rolls were probably shipped here unboxed to save on freight charges. The later UK-made ones have fully printed matching labels (white on the box and of pale lemon yellow paper on the rolls). These were all made by Herbert Marshall's in Regent Street (also Ampico system dealers) who was the main Angelus dealer in the UK although Rushworth and Draper in Liverpool also supplied Angelus and rolls (Herbert Marshall's rolls with Rushworths' details pasted over the formers!) The un-themed rolls come in both dynamic line marked and Artistyle marked (see below) versions.
All the Melodant (themed) rolls have red labels, irrespective of manufacturing origin. All have a wavy line border round the edge but at a glance they can be told apart. The UK rolls have a uniform pattern of wave compared to the US ones; sounds funny but it's true. Naturally, you may well turn up a roll which shows the remaining unfound combination (US white labelled Artistyle only) but so far as the hundreds I have examined these rules have held true.
ANGELUS ARTISTYLE
What is "Artistyle" for those who've (unlikely) never seen it. The Angelus Artistyle System is unique. Patented in 1907 it combines the information of the usual Aeolian green dynamic line and red Metrostyle tempo line into one. The result is the green dynamic line composed of letters instead of green blobs. The printed letters corresponding to "tempo", "ritard", "accelerando" (indicated by "T", "R" and "A") etc. and once you get the hang of it very satisfactory results may be obtained. Nevertheless, I have two identical rolls, identical in all respects apart from the Artistyle overprinting. One is a much more attentively made marking than the other. So as good as the system's potential seems it too could succumb to the lack of diligent effort by the print machine operator much as all other normal rolls often do.
A distinctive aspect of the Angelus system is that none of the printed roll speeds are marked in the usual fashion of feet-per-minute x 10. The rolls are stamped with a tempo description ranging through seven degrees from Lento to Presto. The main tempo lever itself is marked with the individual words corresponding with the 7 possible roll speeds. The "A" and "R" Artistyle markings refer to variations from this base tempo (using the rocking tempo variation control), and "T" a return to base tempo. In setting the roll motor speed one may wonder just how fast Presto was supposed to have been.
ANGELUS MELODANT
With all US Melodant rolls unequivocally appearing on "red labels" and all (apart from one exception out of hundreds of rolls examined) being with Artistyle (patented in 1907) it can be deduced and safely assumed that Melodant was introduced the same time as Artistyle i.e. 1907, the same year as Aeolian's Themodist system. Incidentally, many of you will no doubt have Artistyle 88-note rolls in your collections. Wilcox and White also made some of these (beyond the scope of this article) although in the UK, after the demise of Wilcox and White, Herbert Marshall also operated the Artistyle Music Roll Company continuing the manufacture of "Artistyle" printed 88-note rolls in the UK right up until WW2. They must have purchased the patents at some time for these as "Artistyle" rolls were obviously a commercially viability. Interestingly the Artistyle Music Roll Company continued using the same leader design for their rolls as the original Angelus 65-note Artistyle rolls adopted in the mid-teens (earlier red & white labelled rolls had no separate leaders, just a label on the blank paper like early Aeolian's)And, yes it's true, the Imperial brand also made rolls for the Angelus. These come in two varieties. Early ones have a pale greenish-yellow label with just a number and title, no brand name apparent and a two piece black box. How can one say these were Imperial rolls with any certainty? Again, there are tell-tale clues. Some of the labels bear "0.8" or "0.001" and similar digits the same way as normal Imperial rolls do and some of the rolls bear Imperial factory inspection stamps. Later Angelus-playable rolls of this brand come in Imperial's own patent one-piece boxes, have an Imperial label (with Imperial trademark), standard green linenized leader, Imperial factory inspection stamps and a standard D-tag. (No picture of these as they are all normal Imperial roll labels which everyone has seen before.) Some of these later ones are additionally rubber-stamped with "Angelus" in red ink on the box label. The printing equipment used as well as paper quality and punching style are all identical to other 65-note Imperial rolls, indeed, one of the rolls I examined had actually been printed on the usual side before being identically printed a second time on the reverse for Angelus use and mounted on an Angelus spool.
There is some discussion that Aeolian punched the rolls for Wilcox and White and Herbert Marshall. This argument, in my opinion, is of the "all cornflakes everywhere are made by Kelloggs and everyone knows it" variety. Although not wishing to give credibility to the theory (Aeolian not Kelloggs!) I will say, impartially, that some US and UK rolls do bear some of the trapping of having been made by Aeolian. The dynamic line printing and some of the stamped dynamic lettering looks similar. A simpler probable explanation is that their punching and printing machinery was made by the same supplier. Otherwise, one could argue that the Telegraph and Sun are actually the same newspaper as the typefaces are similar though the branded name differs. In any event Angelus' 65-note punching and roll paper is a slightly better quality than the equivalent whatever the roll. The same I guess is true of Kelloggs cornflakes;- a slightly better quality than the equivalent whatever the bowl!
Ord-Hume's book states that Wilcox & White folded in the early 20's with the remaining stock taken over by Simplex. I have seen a few Angelus players from this period (88-note instruments) with Angelus pouch-type stacks but Simplex tracker bars supporting this history, which I have no reason to doubt. In any event there are no US or UK made 65-note rolls for this back-to-front-upside-down format beyond the early 20's so this history is borne out as correct again. Angelus-branded rolls, i.e. standard 88-note Artistyle and the reproducer Angelus-Artrio continued to be sold beyond these years as it must have remained commercially viable to continue their production and the original rights must have been sold in the liquidation.
