The Task

Today, while I was working in the kitchen at a local food bank, Daniel told me he had found a reel of sheet music for a player piano. We went and dig it out of a box beside the dumpster, where someone without the ability to read signs had deposited a few piles of things in hopes we would convey them to the thrift store a few blocks away I suppose. Here are a few photos.

88 NOTE

Themodist-Metrostyle

N.29 80132

Barcarole.

Op. 27, No. 1.

Key G.

Moszkowski

The Aeolian Company, New York

The Orchestrelle Company, New York.

Made in U.S.A.

The latest copyright date in any country is 1909, indicating that that is likely the date of manufacture. 101 year old!

I would like to hear the music played, and as the latest copyright listed on the sheet is 1909, that may be a problem. I suspect that the Aeolian Company, and the Pianola Piano it was intended to be played on may not be with the world anymore. As of posting this, I haven't checked, or done anything but ogle at this beatiful scroll. I'm excited to see how far this goes. I may need to translate it to some digital form to listen to it. Perhaps convert it into something the Audacity music editor can play...

"Technical progress on the Pianola Piano closely matched that of the Pianola itself, with the Metrostyle and the Themodist playing their part, and the transition to 88 notes following in January 1909"
--http://www.pianola.org/history/history_playerpianos.cfm

So, the scroll can't be any younger than 1909, and probably isn't any older either, judging by the copyright dates.

"The Steck Pianola Piano continued to be manufactured throughout the 1920s, and as a result of its widespread popularity, it is the most likely Pianola to be encountered nowadays in Europe."
--http://www.pianola.org/history/history_playerpianos.cfm

So, there is at least some hope I'll be able to find an old Pianola to play it on.

References:
http://www.pianola.org/history/history_rolls.cfm 
http://www.pianola.org/history/history_playerpianos.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_Company