Asking, ‘Who invented the player-piano?’ is like asking, ‘Who invented the automobile?’. There isn’t any clear-cut answer.

In the case of the automobile, the credit must be divided among a number of pioneers in the field.

Undoubtedly many similar ideas were conceived independently by different individuals about the player piano, at the same time. But we do know that in 1863 a Frenchman named Forneaux patented what appears to be the first player operating on pneumatic principles. This he called the ‘Pianista’ and it formed the basis of practically all later developments in the field.