Conference Agenda
The Online Program of events for the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting appears below. This program is subject to change. The final program will be published in early November.
Use the "Filter by Track or Type of Session" or "Filter by Session Topic" dropdown to limit results by type. Some of the sessions are also color-coded: purple indicates performances, grey indicates paper forums, and orange indicates sessions which have been organized by one of the regional associations of IMS (ARLAC or IMSEA). (Sessions which are both IMS sessions and performances are only colored orange.)
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Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 1st Sept 2026, 02:57:55am EDT
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Daily Overview |
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Sound Technologies of the fin de siècle Session Chair: Wiebke Thormahlen | |
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Harvey Roehl and ‘Player Piano Treasury’: The first systematic historiography of Player Piano in the United States Binghamton University, United States of America As the first-known American mechanical instrument collector, Harvey Roehl (1924—2000)’s enduring contributions to the preservation and study of player pianos have earned his reputation as a pioneer in the field of mechanical music history in the United States. As the founder of Vestal Press in 1961, Roehl created a publishing house that became synonymous with mechanical music scholarship, producing a large collection of books and manuals dedicated to the history, restoration, and cultural significance of player pianos and other automatic instruments. His pioneering work, Player Piano Treasury: The Scrapbook History of the Mechanical Piano in America, remains a cornerstone in the field, but his impact extended well beyond this single publication. This paper explores Roehl’s efforts to chronicle the history and mechanisms of the player piano, focusing on his meticulous documentation of technological innovations and his dedication to preserving historical materials. Under his leadership, Vestal Press published a range of influential works, including The Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments by Q. David Bowers and various reprints of rare technical manuals, trade catalogs, and advertisements. These publications provided enthusiasts and researchers with invaluable resources for understanding and restoring mechanical music instruments. Roehl’s commitment to fostering a broader appreciation of player pianos and related technologies helped revitalize interest in these instruments during a time when they were at risk of being forgotten. This paper highlights Vestal Press’s unique role in shaping the mechanical music community, its contribution to advancing scholarship, and its influence on the preservation movement. By examining Roehl’s publications and collections, the presentation will illuminate the critical intersection of music, technology, and cultural history that defines the player piano’s legacy in the United States. | |