Cyril Meir Scott (1879-1970) was a prolific British composer of the early 20th century, sometimes known as "The English Debussy." Today he is best known for his short piano work "Lotus Land" Op. 47 No.1 in E flat minor from 1905, which he performs here on Ampico reproducing piano roll #66321H, issued in the US in July 1926. The performance was originally recorded for Hupfield-DEA Phonola in Leipzig, Germany and was one of the rare but important Hupfield recordings that Ampico reissued in the mid-1920s. Few recordings of Scott's playing survive, and this particular performance is an important but rarely-heard record of how he intended it to be performed. Lotus Land is a romantic tone poem that presents a languid, dreamy and perhaps somewhat opium-laced vision of the east. The roll is performed on a restored 1926 Knabe 5'4" grand. For more information, see www.historicpianos.com.
