Re: historic recording materials

["Raphael Tennenbaum" raphael@xxxxxxxx]

On Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:45:52 +0100, flash wrote:

>The method mechanically
>recorded not only the notes and the timings, but the pressure the
>pianist exerted on the keys.

years ago I did a story about these with a character from Coney Island whose
apartment was crammed full of player pianos. you could argue they were a close to
ideal synthesis of analog and digital: the pneumatic system particularly of the later
pianos was quite sensitive, and phrasing essentially perfectly captured. but it is a
little weird to behold one of the old Aeolians thundering out a Cortot or Hoffman or
Rachmaninoff performance, like a ghost playing a recital.