Susie Drage
Music, Art & Cookery
PIANOLA COLLECTION
This is my Steck Duo Art Grand Piano, which has an electric mechanism and was recently renovated. Built in 1929, it was shipped from the USA to Middlesex where it received the final touches by the Aeolian company. I have had this piano for nearly thirty years and have some wonderful original recordings for it.
On this page, I am sharing some of those recordings with you as they were either recorded by the composer himself or the celebrated pianist of the day from 1920 - 50.
Music in the parlour with a Piano Player was very much the accepted form of home entertainment, but sadly these pianos ceased to be made after 1939.
There are various societies and many collectors who restore and cherish these marvellous instruments and, of course, collect the music on piano roll.
The music is wonderfully nostalgic and you will see that there are many recordings by Adam Carroll, Harold Arlen, Bud Noble,
Jerome Kern, amongst others. I have managed to obtain some reprinted rolls from the original old ones with these artists. There are nearly 600 songs in this collection and I will add more recordings from time to time.