It’s 100 years old and still going strong.
The Steinway that has pride of place in the Blackheath home of Dr Eric Ancich provides its own entertainment: it plays piano rolls.
The player piano (the term pianola strictly describes only models made by the Aeolian company) was acquired by Dr Ancich at an auction in the Hunter Valley nearly 30 years ago.
Being a Steinway, it came with its own papers, proving its 100-year-old existence.
Player pianos were very popular in the early 20th century, before the invention of radio and television, but fell out of favour from the 1930s.
Dr Ancich has a large collection of rolls, including recordings made by some of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.
Hear and see the Steinway play at www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/community.