Listen to the sounds of a player piano from the early 20th Century!
The player piano could be an example of human ingenuity - or laziness. Also known as a pianola, the idea was that one could own and play a piano without having to actually learn, themselves; all it took was a roll of perforated paper and the instrument would play, with some being able to copy the style and nuances of famous pianists to a T!
Ones much like the classic jukebox would frequent public areas as nickelodeons, in which one nickel could play a song of your choosing. In private homes, pianos were seen as a staple in any middle to upper class household, costing the modern equivalent of $4,000 to $9,500 each. Having one that could entertain on its own was particularly alluring. Though they were less popular in Canada, the instrument was widespread across American households until the Great Depression hit and sales stagnated for good.
A picture of a player piano with the roll in place to play a song.
A piano playing a tune by itself.
With an instrument such as this, anyone in a village could host a lively celebration for all the people of the area. They were popular despite the fact that they were expensive and moving them across country by train, boat, or wagon was a feat in itself!
If you are interested in delving deeper in to player piano evolution, explore the following links:
An article on turning music in to a commodity.
The evolution of pianos over time.
Player pianos and Nickelodeons.
You can also check out the blog post on the Faventia portable piano that we have in our collection. Although the one we have had donated to us is from an earlier time period, it serves much the same purpose of producing music for entertainment, along with the fact that it is portable and can be taken to the street.
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