{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/sf2m61f059/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Filling the Acoustic Era Void: Piano Rolls Show How Solo Piano Blues Were Performed"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/019/original/ARSC_Full_Logo_RGB_K.jpg?1605438091","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Paul Johnson (Presenter)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2026-05-16 (Created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["Video","Slides"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAlthough blues music began reaching the public on various media as early as 1912, it took more than a decade before solo piano blues appeared on commercial discs. This delay was due in part to the limitations of acoustic recording technology, which reproduced the piano poorly.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs a result, it is difficult to hear how this emerging style distinguished itself from earlier ragtime, a genre dominated by the piano. One medium devoted entirely to the piano, however, was the player piano roll. Fortunately, the rise of the blues coincided with the golden age of “hand-played” piano rolls. Using a revolutionary technology of the time called a marking piano, talented pianists were able to record rolls as they would perform them. While acoustic era disc recordings of blues piano are few, piano rolls provide a valuable way to fill this void.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone seeking to understand how blues piano was performed during this period, piano rolls are our most reliable source. Many skilled professional pianists recorded rolls, particularly performers who grew up in the South or spent significant time there absorbing the music at its source.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis presentation will explore blues performances preserved on rare piano rolls by these accomplished pianists. The recordings include White and Black performers, as well as men and women. The discussion will also examine the player piano industry and its role as a major force in the era’s music business.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Publisher"]},"value":{"en":["Association for Recorded Sound Collections"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCopyright Association for Recorded Sound Collections\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAlthough blues music began reaching the public on various media as early as 1912, it took more than a decade before solo piano blues appeared on commercial discs. This delay was due in part to the limitations of acoustic recording technology, which reproduced the piano poorly.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs a result, it is difficult to hear how this emerging style distinguished itself from earlier ragtime, a genre dominated by the piano. One medium devoted entirely to the piano, however, was the player piano roll. Fortunately, the rise of the blues coincided with the golden age of \u0026ldquo;hand-played\u0026rdquo; piano rolls. Using a revolutionary technology of the time called a marking piano, talented pianists were able to record rolls as they would perform them. While acoustic era disc recordings of blues piano are few, piano rolls provide a valuable way to fill this void.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone seeking to understand how blues piano was performed during this period, piano rolls are our most reliable source. Many skilled professional pianists recorded rolls, particularly performers who grew up in the South or spent significant time there absorbing the music at its source.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis presentation will explore blues performances preserved on rare piano rolls by these accomplished pianists. The recordings include White and Black performers, as well as men and women. The discussion will also examine the player piano industry and its role as a major force in the era\u0026rsquo;s music business.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCopyright Association for Recorded Sound Collections\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Association for Recorded Sound Collections"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Association for Recorded Sound Collections"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/019/original/ARSC_Full_Logo_RGB_K.jpg?1605438091","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/312/123/small/ARSC_conf_2026_JohnsonP_thmb.jpg?1781620045","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3706/collection_resources/170519/file/312123","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - ARSC_conf_2026_JohnsonP_video_1.mp4"]},"duration":1853.3515,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/312/123/small/ARSC_conf_2026_JohnsonP_thmb.jpg?1781620045","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3706/collection_resources/170519/file/312123/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3706/collection_resources/170519/file/312123/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-arsc.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/312/123/original/ARSC_conf_2026_JohnsonP_video_1.mp4?1781619898","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1853.3515,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://arsc.aviaryplatform.com/collections/3706/collection_resources/170519/file/312123","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]}]}