Dutch Band Organ
By Doug Mauldin
Greetings to all on the automatic-music list:
I am seeking information about the instrument featured in the record album titled "Dutch Band Organ," published as Album R902 on the HiFiRecord label and reissued on the Tradition label by Everest Records. The liner notes calls it the "Pride of Amsterdam." It is apparently a street organ (the cover picture shows it sitting on a three-wheeled cart) and is probably a 48-key or so, as I surmise from listening (two octaves for melody, one octave for accompaniment, and an octave of bass.) Also a couple of percussions. The name on the facade is H. Mohlmann.
Does anyone know where this instrument is today? Is it played for the public, or squirreled away in someone's private collection? Also, what about the person(s) who arranged and cut the music? He/she/they did an outstanding job. The liner notes say that it plays from paper rolls, and those on this album were cut by a "prominent Amsterdam attorney" as a hobby. The song list includes some that were fairly current in the 1950's, when this recording was most likely made (Que Sera, Sera and Blue Tango are among the newest.) Even the older songs have a "fresh" sound compared to a lot of other organs I've heard.
I would certainly appreciate hearing from anyone who has information on this organ and/or the people involved with it. Email to me at gdmauldin@ualr.edu and I'll be glad to hear from you.
Regards, Doug Mauldin Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
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(Message sent Wed 21 Jun 1995, 16:39:04 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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