- Duo-Art
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Duo-Art was one of the leading reproducing piano technologies of the early 20th century, the others being American Piano Company (Ampico), introduced in 1913 too, and Welte-Mignon in 1905. These technologies flourished at that time because of the poor quality of the early Phonograph (Gramophone in Britain)[1]. Between 1913 and 1925 a number of distinguished classical and popular pianists, such as Ignace Paderewski, Josef Hofmann, Percy Grainger, Robert Armbruster and Vladimir Horowitz, recorded for Duo-Art, and their rolls are a legacy of 19th century and early 20th century aesthetic and musical practice. Some scholars[who?] question the authenticity of these recordings as well as other reproducing piano recordings because it is likely they were heavily edited and/or arranged by professional roll arrangers in their respective studios. Nevertheless, these recordings do represent the style of these great artists and are a good representation of their live performances.
The Duo-Art mechanism was introduced by the Aeolian Company in 1913. It was most commonly installed in piano brands manufactured by Aeolian such as Weber, Steck, Wheelock and Stroud. Most notably, it was also available in Steinway pianos under an exclusive agreement. Aeolian had been under pressure to make the mechanism available in Steinway pianos, but Steinway had no interest in pursuing a relationship with a company they saw as a competitor. In order to satisfy Steinway, Aeolian agreed to stop promoting its Weber brand as a premium brand and stop sponsoring concerts by Paderewski as well as other great pianists. The agreement also stipulated that Aeolian purchase a certain number of Steinway units each year regardless of whether or not they were able to sell them. This contract eventually became a huge financial burden after the Wall Street Crash of 1929[citation needed]. In 1925, its peak year, Aeolian produced more than 190,000 instruments but the crash, the electric phonograph and the "talkies" all combined to drive the business into a terminal decline[1].
References
External links
- http://www.pianola.org/reproducing/reproducing_duo-art.cfm
- http://www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/stein.html
- http://www.pianola.com/duo-art2.htm
- http://www.pianola.com/duo-art1.htm
- http://www.rprf.org/PDF/Duo-Art_Catalog.pdf: The company's catalog.
- The world's greatest authority on the Duo-Art piano, Obituary of Gerald Stonehill, The Daily Telegraph, 8 Mar 2011.
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