Tuesday 4 January 2011

Pandora's Briefcase: Harry Potter's Wand Box

It has been a while since I last opened Pandora's Briefcase; life has been a bit crazy, and the briefcase has been buried under more pressing life-matters.  But I thought now was the time to open it up and see if I could find some magic. This is what I found:


Looking for all the world to be a Wand Box from Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, it is only upon opening the box that you find something only slightly less interesting:





Piano Roll is the music storage medium used to operate the player piano, pianola or a reproducing piano. The piano roll was the first medium which could be produced and copied industrially and made it possible to provide the customer with actual music quickly and easily. So says Wikipedia!


I was surprised to discover that three piano roll companies were initially established in Australia, one of which was still manufacturing and selling rolls right up until 2005!


I have attempted to track down a recording of the piece of music contained on this roll, but to no avail.  The closest I have come is a copy of the sheet music, found here.

A number of years ago I purchased a 61 key Casio keyboard from a local musical keyboard dealer and instructor, Geoff Long. On a whim I asked him if he knew where I could get my hands on a Piano Roll. With a quizzical look he asked if I were after any title in particular. I replied no, and explained the nature of Pandora's Briefcase. He asked me to wait a moment, and within minutes he came back with this little beauty.  I asked him how much it would cost me, and he said I could have it. I thank him for his generosity in helping keep Pandora's Briefcase so diverse.