This is your opportunity to own a piece of music history by acquiring this music typewriter (and thus becoming the envy of all your musician friends). This vintage 1950s Keaton music typewriter features all original parts and working keys – making this the perfect addition to any collection.
Features:
- Vintage item from the 1950s
- Materials: metal, wood, paper
- Only ships within United States.
The Keaton Music Typewriter was first patented in 1936 (14 keys) by Robert H. Keaton from San Francisco, California. Another patent was taken out in 1953 (33 keys) which included improvements to the machine. The machine types on a sheet of paper lying flat under the typing mechanism. There are several Keaton music typewriters thought to be in existence in museums and private collections. It was marketed in the 1950s and sold for around $225. The typewriter made it easier for publishers, educators, and other musicians to produce music copies in quantity. Composers, however, preferred to write the music out by hand.
This typewriter made it easier for music publishers, music educators, and musicians to produce music copies, especially in multiple quantities. However, there were composers who also preferred to write music by hand. Back in the 1950s, it was sold for around $225. It’s believed that there are several Keaton music typewriters in existence in museums (and private collections).
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Pretzels says
Indeed a cool device, but on a lighter note…how long would it take to type out a full score like Beethoven’s 5th? May be about a month? And where do you plug the Ethernet cable in?
keytarhq says
Music typewriters, in general, were not practical and that is why they never became popular. This is probably one of the very few typewriters in existence that could be used to write music.