Pianola

The lamp, it was tacitly felt by everybody, was dignifying the party, and providing sufficient entertainment simply by its presence; being fully as satisfactory in its way as a pianola or a string band.

If you listen to a man playing the pianola without looking at him, you will have images of his hands on the keys as if he were playing the piano; if you suddenly look at him while you are absorbed in the music, you will experience a shock of surprise when you notice that his hands are not touching the notes.

Inside, you'll be taken back in time as you open Al Capone's doorknob, get arrested in Eliot Ness's handcuffs and sing and dance to a '20s pianola.

During the performance in which Hannah's maids sing and play music on an instrument "resembling a Jew's harp and a pianola" (176) and right after Denis's mournful performance, Hannah gives in to a rush of hysterical sentiments and has to be led back to her room by Violet.

Saint-Amour, "Ulysses Pianola," PMLA 130 (January 2015): 15-36.

One peculiarity is that many of the pianola rolls, gramophone discs, and cylinders were never migrated to the next, more "modern" type of recording format, thereby making these items invaluable.