Updates of the piano roll recs and beyond - from the recent few days, just prior the beginning of 2019, and after....

"Archive Updates Jan 1, 2019-2025" - A New Year's Concert

4/20

Ho incontrato una vecchia signora

Ho incontrato una vecchia signora
Con i guanti la sciarpa e il cappello
Mi diceva che sono un amore
Ma suo figlio è molto più bello

Occhi neri e il sorriso smagliante
Una statura molto imponente
Suo figlio una nave viaggiante
Nel cuore e nella sua mente

Ha un viso grazioso che incanta
È una donna di bella presenza
Ma lei sottovoce mi dice
Sono stanca e non sono felice

Tiene in braccio un gran mazzo di fiori
Lo accarezza con timide mani
Come una mamma che tiene suo figlio
Ma quei fiori son crisantemi

Son vent’anni e il mese era maggio
Son vent’anni che ormai io non dormo
È partito per un lungo viaggio
Un viaggio lungo e senza ritorno

Ho incontrato una vecchia signora
Con i guanti la sciarpa e il cappello
Mi diceva che sono un amore
Ma suo figlio era molto più bello

Ho incontrato una vecchia signora

Water Of Life (2024) Anthology CD5 Track 02

Flow * Instrumental

🐉🏰'🎥📺⭐'⁂©All Rights Reserved 05-2025
©Mixing, Mastering, Pro License & Creator: Lady ElectroTrek 
***

Swarmed By Force

Dragon Fly-By

basement

♾🌛🌕🌜👁⁂©All Rights Reserved 05-2025
©Lyricist, Mixer, Mastering, Pro License & Creator: Lady ElectroTrek
*** 

TITLE: Moonlit Guardian
_________________________________________________________________
LYRICS:
(Verse 1)
She moves through dunes with stars in her eyes
Whispering secrets to the endless skies
A silver crescent rests in her hand
The moon obeys her soft command

(Chorus)
Moonlit guardian protector of the night
Her glow consumes the shadows in flight
She weaves the tides with her ancient might
An Egyptian goddess draped in lunar light

(Verse 2)
Desert winds sing her timeless song
Echoing through pyramids strong
She watches over with an ageless grace
Her presence fills the celestial space

(Bridge)
Ankh and scarab bound to her throne
Shimmering sands like diamonds are sown
Her voice a hymn the stars have known
Guiding the moon she's never alone

(Chorus)
Moonlit guardian protector of the night
Her glow consumes the shadows in flight
She weaves the tides with her ancient might
An Egyptian goddess draped in lunar light

(Verse 3)
She dances softly on the Nile’s skin
A guardian queen of the world within
Each phase a story written in glow
From crescent’s start to full moon’s show

Goddess Eye of The Night Sky

Moonlit Guardian

The sun dips low it says goodbye
The stars ignite they light the sky
The hush of night it whispers near
A brand new day will soon appear

Shadows stretch and moonlight sings
The night is full of quiet things
The world resets it breathes it bends
Another chance as darkness ends

A new day dawns .mp3

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 0 (Zero, composed 1784 at the age of 14 yrs), Woo 4. Transcribed & reproduced for two pianos June 4, and again 16, 2025 by VViljanen. - On recording a pair of Bluethner modeled grand pianos, revoiced & reconfigured by VV, were used , as well as also was made the rec. setup.

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 0 (Zero), Woo 4. Ttranscr. for two pianos

L.v.Beethoven: Rondo alla polacca. Mvt 3 of Triple-concerto Op.56 for Violin, Cello, Piano &Orchestra. Transcribed for 2 pianos by VV June 12-18, 2025 (take nr18....👀🤔) reproduced on/after a now-modified score sequence generated earlier by Wittenburg . Photo/Picture: Beethoven, sepia photo by VV of portrait/painting by Hornemann 1803.

Beethoven: Rondo alla Polacca. Mvt3 of Triple Concerto Op.56. Transcr. for two pianos by VV

Beethoven: III.Rondo alla polacca of Triple-concerto Op.56. Transcr. for 2 pianos by VV

Love song written by Joe Brooks and first released by Kasey Cisyk 1977 on single "You Light Up My Life". Re-scored, virtually re-rendered, and recorded by VV Apr2016 with aBluethner modeled grand, revoiced %reconfigured, and the rec.setup made by VV, from a  sequence (for a jazz band) of an anonymous renderer. Photo by VV 2015.

You Light Up My Life

E. Robert Schmitz plays in 1925 Whithorne*:  New York Days And Nights Suite. Duo-Art 6846. - - Recorded in 2016 (rec updated Mar 10, 2017 by VViljanen (by permission)from digitally simulated original reproducing piano roll. 
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE PROHIBITED. 
Photo: Emerson Whithorne (1884-1958), portrait by Arnold Genthe (1923)
Basic info** of the original piano roll in 1925:
"NEW YORK DAYS AND NIGHTS" SUITE, Op. 40: No. 3, Pell Street (Chinatown); No. 2, Chimes Of St. Patrick's; No. 4, Times Square (Carnival)
Roll Number: 6846, 6846-3
Composer/Creator: Whithorne
Pianist: Schmitz
Roll System: Duo-Art
Country: US
Date: February, 1925
Category: classical
Original Price: $2.75
Notes: Some sources list Times Square as No. 5
*Emerson Whithorne (birth surname Whittern) (September 6, 1884 in Cleveland, Ohio - March 25, 1958)[1] was a notable American composer and researcher into the history of music. He had a reputation as an authority on the music of China. Whithorne lived for a period in London, staying until 1915. The Times reported that Whithorne was prosecuted for playing the pianoforte at unsocial hours. In November 1913 he won the case brought by the landlord of his South Kensington flat. Whithorne was married to Ethel Leginska.
- As a curiosity of this piece, a well-known Finnish folk tune can be heard as one of the themes of this piece (at 3.30) - possibly heard by the composer on NY streets from someone immigrated from Finland, very common in the beginning of the 1900's. (note by VV)
**source of the roll basic info: The Player Player Group web page

E. Whithorne*: New York Days And Nights Suite. E.Robert Schmitz 1925 Duo-Art 6846

GabrielMarie: Causerie (Conversation), Pauline Haggard 1925 on Duo-Art 6840.
Recorded by VViljanen (by permission) from playback of the digitally simulated reconstructed  original reproducing piano roll. The rec updated Feb 6, 2023 by VV using a modelled Blüthner grand modified and revoiced by VV.
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE PROHIBITED.
Photo: Gabriel Marie (1852-1928). Jean Gabriel Prosper Marie (8 January 1852, Paris – 29 August 1928, Puigcerdà, Girona, Spain) was a French romantic composer and conductor.
The basic info of the original piano roll:
CONVERSATION (Salon Piece)
Roll Number: 6840, 68407
Composer/Creator: Marie
Pianist: Haggard
Roll System: Duo-Art
Country: US
Date: February, 1925
Category: popular, salon
Original Price: $1.75
(Source of the roll info: The Piano Player Group web page)

Gabriel Marie: Causerie (Conversation).  Pauline Haggard 1925 on Duo-Art 6840

Herman Hupfeld: As Time Goes By. Victor Arden 1932 on Ampico 213801.
Recorded from digitized original reproducing piano roll by VViljanen Dec 29, 2018
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE PROHIBITED.
Photo: As Time Goes By sheet music cover from 1942 (this song was used in the movie Casablanca)
Basic info* of the original piano roll:
AS TIME GOES BY Fox-Trot
Roll Number: 213801, 213801
Composer/Creator: Hupfeld
Pianist: Arden
Roll System: Ampico
Country: US
Date: January, 1932
Category: dance, popular, salon, song
Original Price: n/a
Notes: With word
*Info source: The Piano Player Group web page (by permission)

Hupfeld: As Time Goes By. Victor Arden 1932 on Ampico 213801

herman Hupfeld: Sing Something Simple. Harry Shipman** 1930 on Ampico 213051.
Recorded from digitized original reproducing piano roll by VViljanen Dec 29, 2018. Updated with lyrics*** Feb22, 2019.
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE PROHIBITED.
Photo: Sing Something Simple sheet music cover (Paris 1930)
Basic info* of the original piano roll:
SING SOMETHING SIMPLE "The Little Show" Fox-Trot
Roll Number: 213051, 213051
Composer/Creator: Hupfeld
Pianist: Shipman
Roll System: Ampico
Country: US
Date: November, 1930
Category: dance, popular, salon, song
Original Price: n/a
Notes: With words
*Info source: The Piano Player Group web page (by permission)
**Harry Shipman was pseudonym of several well-known pianists playing on the piano rolls  in the 1920's - 30's :
Adam Carroll
Angelico Valerio
Edgar Fairchild (Milton Suskind)
Herbert Clair
***LYRICS:
SING SOMETHING SIMPLE
from 1930 New York review "The Second Little Show"
(Herman Hupfield 1930)
as recorded by Maxine Sullivan
August 22nd 1939 New York

Sing something simple,
A little ditty that's sweet and simple;
You'll get the swing of it soon,
For here's a tune
That any child can sing.

"D" stands for dimple,
The words are silly, the song is simple,
And after hearing it once,
The dumbest dunce
Can memorise the thing.

Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, you can't go wrong;
All say it's bound to sound like some other song!

But lord knows, it's simple,
So get together and let's be simple!
I don't know whether or not you knew
They called it "classic I love you!".

Sing something simple,
It doesn't make any sense, it's simple.
It says a man in the moon
Will marry soon,
George Washington is here!

"D" stands for dimple,
Without the "s" we could not be simple.
I know a fellow who threads a needle now
Without a piece of thread!

Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, you can't go wrong;
Do-ti-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do, a silly song!

But lord knows, it's simple,
So let's get together and let's be simple!
And when you've finished that song,
You're through, that's why
They call it "I love you!".
(Transcribed by Peter Akers - December 2013)

Hupfeld: Sing Something Simple. Harry Shipman** 1930 on Ampico 213051

Kahn & Warren: Where The Shy Little Violets Grow. Pauline Alpert 1929 on Duo-Art 0616.
Recorded from digitized original reproducing piano roll Jan 2, 2018 by VViljanen.
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE PROHIBITED.
Photo: Where Shy Little Violets Grow sheet music cover, 1928
Basic info* of the original piano roll:
WHERE THE SHY LITTLE VIOLETS GROW (Fox-Trot Song)
Roll Number: 0616, 0616
Composer/Creator: Kahn, Warren
Pianist: Alpert
Roll System: Duo-Art
Country: US
Date: February, 1929
Category: dance, popular, song
Original Price: $1.25 (Avg price (between $0.65 and $2.00))
Notes: With words
*Info source: The Piano Player Group web page (by permission)

Kahn & Warren: Where The Shy Little Violets Grow. Pauline Alpert 1929 on Duo-Art 0616

My warmest thanks to everyone stopping by for listening to my  'REVIEW   OF THE PAST TIME PIANISTS' INTERPRETATIONS ON THE HISTORICAL PIANO ROLLS, and also to a minor LIST of MY MY OWN RENDITIONS, all of the latter representing a variety of piano music & some pipe-organ classics, - and  TO THE Growing LISTS OF (just lately done and reproduced)  TRANSCRIPTIONS OF VARIOUS CHAMBER MUSIC CLASSICAL PEARLS FOR TWO PIANOS.
A HEADSET IS RECOMMENDED for optimal sound experience!
This kind of 'touching' on these old pre-sound-rec. era works by the great performers of the past, and giving my sound to these old 'punch rolls',  makes me feel  deep humbleness, .and I wish that this modest attempt to bring these  performances alive will satisfy you listening to them!
To introduce myself...
I am a Finnish M.D., PhD. and Hand Surgeon (now retired), previously when young with 10 years of professionally orientated piano studies at Turku Conservatory in 1965-1975, partly  along with medical University studies. 
The digital sound techniques have become very familiar to me already from 1980's along with my university research work  
and my musical activities.
As continuation to my musical and professional experience, I have, during the last few years of my retirement, adopted a music historical challenge
to bring the past time major and minor pianists, prior to sound-recording era, onto the same 'start line' with the present pianists, by making their presentations, played onto 'punch rolls' i.e. piano rolls, audible with modern digital techniques. This wouldn't be possible without the pioneering  efforts of Richard Stibbons, Wayne Stahnke, Terry Smythe, Warren Trachtman, Spencer Chase, and others, who developed the optical digitizing techniques of the piano rolls, and digitized them.

The main part of my recordings here in SC consists of selection recorded by me from optically digitized piano-rolls** (from 1910's on or earlier, classical and 'vintage era'). These recordings of mine are not and will not be commercially unavailable. - The rolls were first optically scanned and converted into a digital form by diverse operators** (see also to the info of each piece). The pieces here were partly (minor part) picked from various open net sources, publicly available, but mainly from the huge archive (n=ca.5000) of digitized copies copies of the original reproducing piano rolls, made available to me by one of the pioneers of roll digitizing tehchniques (willing to keep anonymous), and then recorded from this archive mainly with virtual grand piano (called by me 'Bluethner Model One') modified/re-designed by me, as well as the rec settings. 
Also a minor selection of my own renditions among my records can be found here, included on my playlist 'Bach Goes Virtual', the name of the list telling something about the techniques used for getting the end result... The list includes various organ works by J.S.Bach and others, and also a few piano renditions of mine. Then there are included also various pieces which have been in my repertoire, but here played mainly by the  'guest' great players of the past (before the sound recording era).
MY MOST HUMBLE THANKS TO THE NOBLE DONOR  OF THIS INVALUABLE PIANO ROLL MATERIAL FOR MY USE!!!
My Sincere Thanks also to The Player Piano Group, UK, for providing me their permission to use the information about the piano rolls collected and provided on their web page ( https://rolls.playerpianogroup.org.uk ),  and for simplifying my short historical presentations of these renditions on their re-publication here!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MY MOST HUMBLE THANKS TO EVERYONE  OF YOU FOR LISTENING, AND FOR YOUR 'LIKES' & COMMENTS !
YOUR LISTENING & FEEDBACK IS TRULY APPRECIATED..!!.
Use of good headphones or speakers will make your music experience more enjoyable!
Best wishes, all the best
Veikko
These recordings are not commercially available, and ANY KIND OF THEIR COMMERCIAL USE IS PROHIBITED.

E. Whithorne*: New York Days And Nights Suite. E.Robert Schmitz 1925 Duo-Art 6846

Veikko Viljanen

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