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I found this gorgeous animation to a 1930's Frank Milne player piano recording of 'Butterflies In The Rain'. Look out for when the butterfly enters the piano's mechanism!
It is a very catchy tune and the animation in the video is very good. Frank Milne headed up the popular music recording departments of Duo-Art and Ampico - the two leading high-end reproducing player piano systems. "Butterflies in the Rain" was recorded in 1932 for both the Ampico reproducing player system as well as the Duo-Art system which were both under the Aeolian/American corporate roof by '32. I've been collecting rolls for both systems (I have two reproducing grands) for years, and haven't found a copy of this roll for either format. - still looking though.
You have 2 reproducing grands?!?!?!?!?! {Faint} It's my DREAM to have something lke that!! Thanks for all the info. To think it was recorded so far back and can now sound so good today and inspire other artist(e)s. Since posting this I found that one of the technicians on this animation, Mark Fontana, is a member of this Forum!
Hello Hazel I'm not sure whether to thank you or curse you for posting that link!! I must have watched it half a dozen times a day in the last week. I have spent far too much time trawling the net trying to find any other reference to it, any music, or any roll midi to download. I have about 6500 roll midis on my PC and I swear I have gone through them all trying to find it. I have given myself headaches attempting to play the thing by ear, without much success. Like Turrin150, I shall keep searching. Regards David
...David, we aim to please...or drive you crazy ;-)...I presume that's English Doncaster you're from (can't trust these darn Americans pinching our names). I'm in Northumberland. You can get your own back as I'm salivating over all those roll files you have...
SO glad that others love it and I'm not the only 'lunatic'. ~Hazel www.hazelquinn.com
Hazel Today I sent THAT link to a friend of mine who has a daughter just coming up to 4. She has spent the best part of the day dancing round to it in a pair of home made wings!! Mum is now tearing her hair out and threatening never to speak to me again. By the way, it is Doncaster UK and I can assure you that you're not the only lunatic. I dread growing up!! David
You can play this using Windows Media Player, Quicktime, or any modern electronic player piano.
This roll scan dates from the late 1970s and was originally made by Superscope/Marantz for the Pianocorder player piano system. The original piano roll was most likely from the collection of Joseph Tushinsky, then head of Superscope. The scanning techniques used at that time were suboptimal, and there are tempo variations in the transfer which probably didn't exist in the original roll. But at least you can hear the entire performance, which was edited down quite a bit for the animated film.
Did you know this song has lyrics? They're pretty cheesy. You can hear them here .
You can find thousands of excellent MIDI files derived from vintage player piano rolls at these sites:
Wayne Lytle's 1991 film More Bells and Whistles is believed to be the first computer animated film synchronized to MIDI and was what inspired Butterflies in the Rain.
Wayne Lytle went on to found his own company to produce this kind of animation synchronized with music, featuring fantastic virtual instruments "playing" the soundtrack. You can find his work at Animusic.com . Adults and kids alike are mesmerized by these videos, and I highly recommend them!
Hi Mark If you have read my remarks above then you will understand why I offer you my very sincere thanks for the Butterflies midi. I have not been able to get the tune out of my head for nearly 2 weeks, a fact all the more frustrating beacuse we only get a snatch in the animation. I am, as I type, playing it back on my Roland HP204, my frustrations at an end. Thanks again David
Hazel, Here's a link to a series of audio clips by a Kyoto-based piano restoration company. The audio clips include a number of Duo-Art roll selections played on their 2 restored Duo-Art reproducing grands - one is a Steinway and the other is a Weber (similar to my own Weber). Butterflies in the Rain (1933) is one of the featured selections and is played on their Steinway Duo-Art. The Duo-Art version I think is almost identical to the Ampico version featured in Mark Fontana's midi file. The link is: http://home.att.ne.jp/omega/Duo-Art/sound/ It is an infectious tune - but it's fun. turrin150
Does anyone have (or know where I could obtain/purchase) a MIDI version of Duo-Art Roll 0733 Puttin' on the Ritz recorded by "Ralph Addison" but attributed to Frank Milne?.
My Keyboards: Estonia L-190, Roland RD88, Yamaha P-80, Bilhorn Telescope Organ c 1880, Antique Pump Organ, 1850 concertina, 3 other digital pianos ------------------------- My original piece on BandCamp: https://frankbaxtermrpianoworld.bandcamp.com/releases
Me banging out some tunes in the Estonia piano booth at the NAMM show...
