ABSTRACT
A short-lived cylinder maker, operated by several prominent recording artists at the turn of the century. One of the singers was Harry Macdonough; others were Steve Porter, William F. Hooley, and S.H. Dudley. They produced a brown wax cylinder named Perfection, and offered to record songs on demand. [Walsh 1943/11.]
A conglomerate established in June 1908 in New York, bringing together Chickering & Sons, William Knabe, and the various interests of Foster-Armstrong. In 1922 the company also acquired Mason & Hamlin. A player piano department opened in 1909, selling the Ampico mechanism, and in 1913 the American Electric player piano, which operated from a mains circuit or storage battery, could transpose, and had expression controls. American Piano was maker of the Rythmodik [sic] music rolls, which included performances by Harold Bauer, Leopold Godowsky, and Ferruccio Busoni. The name was changed to American Piano Corporation in 1930, marking some adjustments in retail operations. In 1932 the firm merged with the Aeolian Co. to form the Aeolian American Corp.
