Mechanical Music Through the Ages

A collection of Mechanical Music and Arcade Machines – highlighting examples of the development in mechanical entertainment over time.

Wilcox & White Angellus Orchestrelle 1905 – (USA)

Awaiting restoration.

The Wilcox & White Co. built player-pianos and piano-players before the Aeolian Co. introduced their Pianola.

The Orchestral Angelus 58-Note piano-player, shown below, was an expansion of the Wilcox & White organ business. It was constructed like an organ and featured 2 ranks of reeds (violin and flute) plus swells and a stop marked Piano.  
Wilcox & White organ rolls along with their Angelus player piano rolls in the 58 and 65-note formats were all designed to run in the opposite direction from Aeolian and the other makes. The dynamic imprinting is UNDER the curvature of the paper for what was called Positive Tracking in the old days, an idea which went back to hand crank orguinettes.