Books › The Story of the violano-virtuoso : world's only self-playing violin and piano, 1900 › scan 13
Scan 13
The Story of the violano-virtuoso : world's only self-playing violin and piano, 1900
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1The creation of the Violano began about fifteen years ago when H. K. Sandell started working on a mechanical apparatus to play the violin. Numerous attempts had been made in past centuries to subject the beloved violin to mechanical control—yet each attempt proved such a complete failure that for long years the idea was abandoned as impossible.
3It remained for Sandell, a hitherto unknown inventor in the employ of Mills Novelty Company, ably assisted by the financial, manufacturing, and marketing resources of H. S. Mills and his organization to give the world of music lovers an instrument that brings the violin—from the artistic standpoint—not only up to the genius of the human musician but even beyond it.
5So extraordinary an invention required years of costly experiment and development before it reached perfection. All the fame and good will it enjoys today was earned through real merit.
7The Most Distinguished Honor Ever Conferred On Any Musical Instrument Awarded by the United States Government to the Violano-Virtuoso
9Several reputable manufacturers of musical instruments can point to incidental honors—gold medals, awards of honor, etc.—conferred on their products at different fairs and expositions in this and foreign countries.
11But no distinction similar to that won by the Mills Violano-Virtuoso was ever given to another musical instrument.
13THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAS DESIGNATED THE VIOLANO-VIRTUOSO AS ONE OF THE EIGHT GREATEST SCIENTIFIC INVENTIONS OF THE DECADE, a ten year period particularly replete with the most ingenious inventions of all kinds!
15"I have been in the theatre business for five years and have used several different kinds of pianos and orchestra players, but I have found this instrument so much better that I wouldn't use an electric piano or orchestra if it was furnished free."
16—J. S. BUSSEY,
17Pittsburgh, Kansas
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.