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Elmer F. Brooks
From THE AMICA October 1969
BROOKS, ELMER, JR., Commercial st.; E. Rochester, N.Y., 14445
(VICE PRESIDENT, AEOLIAN AMERICAN CORPORATION)
Any collector who has written to Aeolian American for information
regarding the shipping dates, etc., of Ampico and Duo-Art pianos
will
be pleased to see Mr.
Brooks added to our list of Honorary. Mr. Brooks is very personable, is
interested in reproducers (he has an Ampico in the shop, and his mother still
has her original Duo-Art), and has been accommodating to collectors above &
beyond the call of contemporary commercial duty.
Click to enlarge]
The AMICA, October 1970:
Aeolian ·American Merger Background
Elmer Brooks
Subsequent to our earlier correspondence I
wanted the opportunity to talk. to our former President, Bob Hill, to insofar as
possible clear up the question of whether a fire at one of the Aeolian factories
could have contributed in any way to the conditions leading up to the
affiliation between the Aeolian Company and the American Piano Company.
I was born in Meriden, Connecticut in
1918, where my Dad, Elmer Brooks, Sr., was Superintendent of the Aeolian Company
factory located on Tremont Street in that city. With the deterioration of
business in the late 20’s it was apparently decided to close the Aeolian plant
in Meriden, at which time the Elmer Brooks’ family relocated to Garwood, New
Jersey where Dad was Superintendent, or I guess you would now call it General
Manager ,of the Aeolian Company plant there which was termed the Votey Organ
Company. I know that the Meriden plant never burned,and we were all in New
Jersey in September, 1932 on the effective date that the Aeolian Company merged
with the American Piano Company. There was no fire there, nor can I recall ever
having heard a reference to any fire the Aeolian Company ever experienced in any
of its at that (illegible word) time. I don’t even recall that there was
Aeolian factory in New York City in 1932.
The first President of the newly formed
Aeolian Corporation was William Alfring, the former President of Aeolian,and
the Vice President was Gardner Kavanaugh, the former President of the American
Piano Company.
I only wish we had something on the
background and introduction of the Duo-Art, but I don’t.
A number of years ago I tried to do a
little checking into the background of the Aeolian Company and while I
unfortunately did not keep a Bibliography, I ‘m reasonably certain that what is
listed below is accurate.
“The beginnings of the Aeo1ian Company in
the United States were initiated by William B. Tremaine, whose interests lay
along the line of mechanically motivated musical instruments. After having
perfected and marketed many thousands of the mechanical Orguinettes, and later
the Celestina, an improved model, Tremaine bought out the English Aeolian
Company in 1887. He soon rea1ized that the “perforated note sheet “ originally
patented in ‘England in 1846 would be useful and essential in the development of
mechanically operated musical instruments and coincidental with the
establishment of Aeolian he bought out the interests of the Automatic Paper
Company of Boston. The "Trumpetto", a mouth-blown reed horn using a music roll
to select the notes, was the forerunner of the "Organette", a hand cranked (illegible
word) model organ -which, in turn, gave way to the Toot-blown mechanically
operated organ. The adaptation of the mechanically operated, roll controlled,
-piano playing device was perfected by E. S. Voty and was called the “Pianoa."
This was a
separate player mechanism in the piano itself, the refining of the ability of
the mechanism took place and the ultimate perfecting of the Duo-Art Reproducer
resulted. The Duo-Art was incorporated in pianos made by George Steck, Weber,
Stroud, Wheelock and many others. It is interesting to note that Steinway & Sons
sent many
thousands of their pianos to Aeolian for the
installation of the Duo-Art. Steinway, however, continued to control the
marketing of their own pianos. With plants in many parts of the states outside
of New York City in such places as Boston, Meriden, Connecticut and Garwood, New
Jersey, there were also plants in Germany,France and England as well. Company
owned retail stores existed in such far-off places as London, Paris, Madrid,
Sidney, Br~sbane and Adelaide,
Australia. F. H. B. Tremaine succeeded his
father as head of the corporation in 1907 and in
1932 with control having passed to William
Alfring, then President of Aeolian, this firm merged with the American Piano
Corporation. Be sure that I'll keep asking questions and when and if I do get
some answers I’ll be only too happy to send them along to you.
(signed) E. F. Brooks Jr., President,
Aeolian American Corporation
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