Mimosa

Description

the barrel organ is a mechanical Musical instrument with classable wind in the Orgue S. It belongs to the automatophones , term which includes all the instruments intended to produce music by mechanical processes: musical boxes with metal blades, chimes, cords, etc There exists under a large variety of forms, smaller than one can carry in shoulder-belt, attribute traditional of the street singers, with largest (called limonaires ) who fixed and are assigned to ballrooms, coffees, but sometimes also of the churches. And a broad intermediate range of mobile organ, related to carts or harnessed with cars, to the organ which accompanied the open horse-gears traditionally. Musical qualities, the extent of the registers, are naturally very variable

Origin of the name

The most widespread explanation of its name would come from a deformation of “organ of Barberi”, according to the Italian manufacturer of Modena Giovanni Barbieri (beginning of the XVIIIe century), but according to other opinions it comes rather owing to the fact that the players of the 17th century and 18th century “baragouinaient approximate French and that they came " d'ailleurs" ”.

Another assumption is a source of the Maghreb. Indeed at this time, the Maghreb was called “Cruelty” by Europeans. For “truths” musicians, the “amateurs” who were satisfied to turn a crank came to steal like cruel their music and their livelihood. However, the use wants that one writes Barbarie with a capital letter.

The name organ is male in the singular, and, when it indicates several distinct instruments. It can be used with female plural when it is about only one instrument. Example: the large organ of France (several instruments), large organ of Notre-Dame , or large organ of Notre-Dame (only one instrument). This characteristic does not apply to the barrel organs, for which one preserves the masculine.

Operation

The barrel organ is composed, schematically, of a system of bellows, a wind box , of a whole of mechanisms intended to bring the wind to the pipes which produce the sound. These mechanisms are ordered by a mobile body, being able to be changed at will, which comprises the “programmed” melody: roll, disc, perforated pasteboard, etc a crank actuated by the “musician” at the same time makes function the bellows, the progression of the “program” and the mechanisms corresponding. Additional mechanisms can simultaneously actuate animated percussions (drums, tambourines) or characters. According to the principle of the organ, the sounds are produced by the passage of the “wind” produced by the bellows, in pipes corresponding each one to a note. The difference comes owing to the fact that in fact the fingers of the musician actuate the keys, but a mechanical system, according to the preestablished program. A priori, the “musician” does not need particular talent, since it is enough for him to turn the crank which actuates at the same time the bellows and the movement which actuates the play. Still is necessary for him it to have the rate/rhythm necessary. On certain models which have various “plays” like the organ traditional, it must actuate those at the convenient period. Several systems were used to produce the mechanical music, the essence being the support of the programmed melody. For a long time prevailed the cylinder , furnished with barbs ( blocks , or ankles ) in relief: each barb starts the opening of the corresponding pipe at the appropriate time. One also used the disc with barbs , functioning on the same principle. The disc perforated , where each perforation allows the opening of the mechanism (and not, as one can be tried to believe it, the direct passage of the air). The defect of the cylinders and the discs being the time limit of the pieces, one came from there to the perforated pasteboards , attached the ones to the others and folding up itself in zigzag, which do not have any more limit length. One finds also paper perforated in the form of rollers, reserved for small sizes. For much of organ, and especially the great models of living room which could until the beginning of the XXe century replace an orchestra of ball, one adopted an electric drive. Currently, of rare specialists still the perforated pasteboards manufacture, activity which requires a good knowledge of the music on the one hand, and on the other hand a long-term manual work, although dedicated tools exist. This is why, more and more, one has recourse to computing systems (programming on diskettes) which manages the opening and the closing of the notes, and which do not have thus any direct incidence on sound quality since it is always the air passing in the pipes, possibly accompanied by mechanical percussions, which produces the sound.

Smallest can be carried in shoulder-belt, largest reach the size of trucks and are true masterpieces of Horlogerie. They generally comprise animated objects, like Automate S representing of the musicians, who move at the rate/rhythm of the music.

This instrument should not be confused with the Vielle with wheel.

The Serinette smallest of the barrel organs, is intended to learn how with the birds (canaries coming mainly from the “Isles of the Canaries”) to whistle short airs with the mode.

Today

The use of barrel organs is very frequent in Scotland, in particular in Edinburgh (especially during the great festival in August) and in certain regions of Germany.

See too

Limonaire

External bonds

Association of the Friends of the instruments and the mechanical music
Museum of the Argentinian Barrel organ - Salvia

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