orchestrion

An orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is usually produced by pipes, though they will be voiced differently to those found in a pipe organ, as well as percussion instruments. Some orchestrions also contain a piano.

The orchestrion reached in zenith in Germany during the 1920's with the advent of the Jazz Age. The German orchestrion manufacturers such as Weber, Hupfeld, Philipps, Popper, etc. adapted and redesigned the instrumentation of their orchestrions to play sophisticated syncopated expressive popular Jazz Songs that were coming from the Berlin and the United States music publishing houses. Many of the cabinets were modernized to reflect Bauhaus designs. The arrangement of the music combined with the mechanism and cabinet design to produce a synergy that resulted in some of the most spectacular music machines every built! A particular highlight was the musical arrangements of Gustav Bruder of Waldkirch Germany. His arrangements were featured on Weber orchestrions and later on roll operated Gebrueder Bruder Airophon fair organs.

The name "orchestrion" has also been applied to three specific musical instruments:

1. A chamber organ, designed by Abt Vogler in 1785, which in a space of 9 cub. ft. contained no less than 900 pipes, 3 manuals of 63 keys each and 39 pedals.
2. A pianoforte with organ pipes attached, invented by Thomas Anton Kunz (1756-1830) of Prague in 1791. This orchestrion comprised two manuals of 65 keys and 25 pedals, all of which could be used either independently or coupled. There were 21 stops, 230 strings and 360 pipes which produced 105 different combinations. The bellows were worked either by hand or by machinery.
3. A mechanical musical instrument, automatically played by means of revolving cylinders, invented in 1851 by F. T. Kaufmann of Dresden. It comprises a complete wind orchestra, with the addition of kettle-drums, side drums, cymbals and triangle.

London Illustrated News, Sept. 20, 1862: The Orchestrion by M. Welte, of Vöhrenbach, In the Zollverein Departement.

References

• Herbert Jüttemann: Orchestrien aus dem Schwarzwald: Instrumente, Firmen und Fertigungsprogramme. Bergkirchen: 2004. ISBN 3-932275-84-5 (Orchestrions From The Black Forest).
• Q. David Bowers: Encyclopedia of automatic musical instruments: Cylinder music boxes, disc music boxes, piano players and player pianos... Incl. a dictionary of automatic musical instrument terms. Vestal, N. Y.: The Vestal Press, 1988.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Vanderstraeten, Notice sur les carillons d'Audenarde, 1855
• Alfred Chapuis, Histoire de la boîte à musique et de la musique mécanique, Sriptar Lausanne, 1955.
• John Clark, Musical boxes, Londres, 1961.
• Jean-Claude Piguet, Les faiseurs de musique, éditions du Journal de Sainte Croix.
• Van Witteloostuin Jaco en Maas Ruud, Musiek uit stekels en Gaten ; Uitgeverij Frits Knuf, Buren.
• Graham Webb, The cylinder musical box hanbook, Faber et Faber Londres 1968.
• Graham Webb, The disc musical box handbook, Faber et Faber Londres 1968.
• Graham Webb, The Musical Box Handbook Cylinder Boxes 1984
• Etienne Blyetelle, Dictionnaire des termes techniques de la boîte à musique et Bulletins du Conservatoire Autonome des Boîtes à Musique, Genève
• Revues de la Musical Box Society of Great Britain.
• Revues de la Musical Box Society international.
• Diagram Group, Musical Instruments of the World, New York : Facts on File, 1976.
• Sharon Ganske, Making Marvelous Music Boxes, New York : Sterling Publishing Company, 1997.
• Jean Greenhow, Making Musical Miniatures, London : B T Batsford, 1979.
• Alec Templeton as told to Rachael Bail Baumel, Alec Templeton's Music Boxes, New York : Wilfred Funk, 1958.
• Bahl, Gilbert. Music Boxes: The Collector's Guide to Selecting, Restoring and Enjoying New and Vintage Music Boxes. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press, 1993.
• Bowers, Q. David. Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments. ISBN 0-911572-08-2. Lanham, Maryland: Vestal Press, Inc., 1972.
• Ord-Hume, Arthur W. J. G. The Musical Box: A Guide for Collectors. ISBN 0-88740-764-1. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1995.
• Ord-Hume, Arthur W. J. G. BARREL ORGAN　1978
• Ord-Hume, Arthur W. J. G. Musical Box 1980　
• Reblitz, Arthur A. The Golden Age of Automatic Musical Instruments. ISBN 0-9705951-0-7. Woodsville, NH: Mechanical Music Press, 2001.
• Reblitz, Arthur A., Q. David Bowers. Treasures of Mechanical Music. ISBN 0-911572-20-1. New York: The Vestal Press, 1981.
• Sadie, Stanley. ed. Musical Box. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. ISBN 1-56159-174-2. MacMillan. 1980. Vol 12. P. 814.
• Smithsonian Institution. History of Music Machines. ISBN 0-87749-755-9. New York: Drake Publishers, 1975.
• Templeton, Alec, as told to Rachael Bail Baumel. Alec Templeton's Music Boxes. New York: Wilfred Funk, 1958.
• Historia de Monstruos, Juan Jacobo Bajarlía.
• Máquinas de amar. Secretos del cuerpo artificial, Pilar Pedraza. Ed. Valdemar, 1998.
• Secretos Medievales, Jesus Callejo, Editorial Temas de Hoy, 2006
• From music boxes to street organs R.DEWAARD　1967
• CLOKWORK MUSIC W.J.G.ORD-HUME　1973　
• Silver Anniversary Collection MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL 1974
• The Marvelous World of Music Machines Heinrich Weiss-Stauffachｅr　1976
• MUSIC AND THE BRAIN MACDONALD CRITCHLEY & R.A.HENSON　1977
• Von der Aolsharfe zum Digitalspieler Jan _Brauers 1984
• THE WONDERLAND OF MUSIC BOXES AND AUTOMATA Daniel Troquet 1989
• Museums of Horology La Chaux-de-Fonds Le Locle　Francois Mercier　1991
• All’epoca　dell Scatole musicali
• AUTOMATES ET MUSIQUES Pendules　Anne Winter-Jensen M.E.L.D.L.　Geneve 1987
• L'Oregue de Barbarie Helmut Zeraschi　Payot Lausanne　1980

External links

• www.mechanicalmusicalpress.com
• www.timtrager.com has a section with scans of original orchestrion catalog views

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