FOTOPLAYER
Quizá nunca hayas oído ni siquiera hablar de este instrumento musical. Es como si añadieras los fuelles de un órgano, tambores y otros instrumentos de percusión a un piano.
Con tal mezcla, es capaz de recrear muchísimos efectos de sonido como el disparo de una pistola o el canto de un pájaro.
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Se creó en Estados Unidos en los primeros años del siglo XX.

Combining piano and organ bellows, the Fotoplayer consisted of elaborate machinery that included in addition to drums and percussion instruments, it could recreate sound effects, such as birdsong or the firing of a firearm, so we could consider it the grandfather of modern synthesizers.
It was developed by american Photo Player Co. between 1912 and 1925.
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The Fotoplayer is a type of piano developed specifically to provide music and sound effects for silent films.
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Before the films sounded, it was discovered that playing background music during a film could help develop a particular mood for a given scene. Initially, small theaters used player pianos to automatically produce music from PIANO ROLLS.
After some time, some of these pianos were expanded in size with tube organs and sound effects inserted into large cabinets connected to the sides of the piano.
When sound films were created in the late 1920s, the Fotoplayer became unnecessary. The American Fotoplayer Company ceased production of its product in 1925. Of the thousands of American Fotoplayers manufactured, fewer than 50 survive today, and of those only 12 are known to still be playable.
It occurred between 1912 and 1925; although between 8 and 12 thousand units were made, only 50 have arrived to this day and only 12 are able to be heard.
Karla Baltar
Marcos Rivadeneira