Peter Paracelus Puff
dealer
inventor
Biography
Peter Paracelus Puff placed a curious advertisement in the New York Packet of October 7, 1773, promoting an invention he called 'French fiddle-strings; or, music without a master.' He offered to demonstrate the device to visitors at his warerooms on the corner of Dupe Street, playing airs for any interested gentleman. Spillane, unable to determine exactly what the invention was, concludes only that 'Mr. Puff was a wag.'
Highlights
- Advertised in the New York Packet (Oct 7, 1773) an invention called 'French fiddle-strings; or, music without a master'
- Offered demonstrations at his warerooms on Dupe Street
- Described by Spillane as apparently 'a wag'
Source
Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 64.
Public domain.