Whitlock Automatic Harp Master Rolls

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

Five pristine Whitlock automatic harp master rolls resting comfortably and safely in a drawer.

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

A close up of harp master roll #123, safely spooled and stored in a special drawer designed to hold five master rolls. Curiously, master roll #122 is in the background. The only Wurlitzer tune label missing in the Whitlock Music Roll ledger is that for roll #122, thus the tunes for this roll yet remain a mystery. That this particular master roll exists, however, suggests that roll #122 was indeed mass produced and distributed by Wurlitzer.

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

A harp master roll partially unfurled to show note perforations and the evenly-spaced rhythm holes along the right side. From the leading edge of each hole, a hand-drawn pencil line extends across the width of the paper to show the arranger precisely where to start each note. It’s also possible that the holes were used for a drive sprocket, to pull the master roll steadily and accurately through the reader portion of the production perforator. The master rolls are used over and over to produce large quantities of finished music rolls.

(Photograph courtesy of Bob Gilson)

One of the many wooden cabinets housing the Whitlock automatic harp master rolls. Each drawer is designed to hold five master rolls.