Life — November 25, 1915 — page 5: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LIFE The Piano in My Library “It is a beautiful instrument, this good, tried friend, my Weber, with its mahogany case, its gleaming keys; and sometimes my musical friends sit down and play it and exclaim at the glorious qualities of tone which are awak- ened by their slightest touch upon its keys— while as for myself—! “I step over to the case where lie the rolls of earth’s great masterpieces of music. I go to my Weber piano and in a moment I have changed it, transformed it. It is now a Weber Pianola. 1 have simply dropped two pedals in front of my feet. I have merely opened an aperture and have inserted the roll—Dvorak’s exquisite Humoresque. My feet rest lightly ‘on the foot pedals. My hands drop naturally on the few simple levers at my front. “In a moment I am ina new world—the wonderful world of music, A gentle pressure of the pedals and all the pretty tenderness of the music is reflected in the sound. Now I move the Metrostyle lever to keep the slow, slow measure of it. Now I vary it, and all the charming, humorous playfulness of this little gem lilts briskly along, “Here the melody comes forth with a ravish- ingly musical quality, thanks to the Themodist. The Sustaining Pedal produces for me a glow- ing richness of tone that skilled musicians study separate years in order to attain. The instrument sounds Auman—so exquisite is its response. It is reflecting the least color of my musical feeling. It is éeaching me, through the clear, simple Metrostyle line marked on the roll, to interpret the world’s masterpieces in wonderful pianoforte effects. “And in so short a time of practice—which is itself enjoyable and easy—I have the satis- faction of producing music that is rea/ and getting a joy and breadth of outlook from it I never knew it had till the Pianola allowed me to interpret music for myself.” The Support of Great Authorities Probably everyone realizes the pleasure that the Pianola gives—the pleasure of actually EZ The Stroud Pianola Price $550 playing the piano—playing anything and every- thing one wants to hear. But its greatest value to the race, its incal- culable value as the most powerful educational force the music world has ever known, is not always fully grasped. The musical profession however, long since recognized this, The great music educators, long ago, gave the Pianola their encourage- ment and support. It is our privilege to reproduce on these pages the opinions of some of these educators. Not so well known to the public possibly, as popular performers and artists, these names, in the music profession stand at the very apex of renown. Their opinions on music education carry the weight of final authority. There is a Pianola Waiting for Your Library The Pianola is made in six different models. One of these will suit your taste and your means. Each represents the best piano in the world at its price, in addition to being a Pianola. You need but go to one of our representa- tives, arrange the terms of purchase that suit you, and the allowance on your old piano in exchange, if you have one. There is bot ove Pianola. It is made only by The Aeolian Company, and in the following models : The STEINWAY PLANOLA The STECK PIANO The WH EELOCK PIANOLA The STUYVESANT PIANOLA pd STROUD PIANOLA ad the famous WEBER PIANOLA Prices ea #550. ‘Tirosperadon charges added on the fc Coast. We will be glad to tell you where you can see the Pianola and to send you free, a catalog giving styles, prices and other information. Address Dept. R11. THE AEOLIAN COMPANY AEOLIAN HALL NEW YORK Manufacturers of the celebrated Acolian-Vecation and largest fanufacturers of Musical Instruments in the world. “WHEN _T first heard the Pianola, it was difficult to believe that it was not aa artist performing, for the dit ference betmern its playing. and that levices isso great Dr. HANS RICHTER “WE vse a Pianola in the regular masical courses at Harvard, have found it extremely helpful i accomplishing the higher educational aims" W. S. SPALDING Harvard University “ITS posit wolimited; the attent appear to mealmost lestined to command pot alone of those who would buteannot play, butalso of those already skilled in the art of music. F. VAN DER STUCKEN National Conservatory of Music “1 HAVE found it of great service in teaching the history of music. I intend to use it next year throughout the whole course.” JOHN K. PAINE Professor of Music, Harvard Univ. “THE Pianola rendition which 1 heard today was a revelation. I could hardly believe that I was not listenin to the playing of an artist. The touc is wondertal, the possible nuances to be obtained, perfect.” ARTHUR NIKISCH “I RECOGNIZE it as one of the greatest inventions of the ce LUIGI ARDI Teacher of Patti “I CONSIDER your Pianola with the Metrostyle an invention of the great- est importance to musical art. Not nly does it play the notes correctly, but with the Metrostyle, interpretation {is given which is equal to that of an artist." JOSEPH JOACHIM Academy of Music, Berlin “THE. Pianola has 6lled me with admiration and wonder, the more because of its great improvement over the others of its class. Upon no other instrument I have heard, Is the touch so perfectly controlled; and the Metro~ style seems to me to be almost as great an achievement as the instrument it- sele CARL REINECKE “OF, all the piano jiano playing devices which T have . your Pianola is the only one Semi ac ot vetees coe sideration from the musical world.” THEODOR LESCHETIZRY unique in the world, possesses In the Highest. de- gree, the musical and artistic qualities which, up to the present, have been Tound only in the virtoosl.” MME. MATHILDE MARCHESI Cobrright, 1915, The Aeolian Company comicbooks.com