The Military Band Organ in France
by Francoise Dussour

The military band organs were built between the end of XIX and the
beginning of the XX century, (ca 1870-1905). It was a marvelous music
instrument for parks, fairs and concert-halls.  The very specific music
repertoire at this date was waltz and march.  Nevertheless you have a
difference in the music program: mixed music dance tunes like polka,
quadrille, galop, schottische, bourree for the concert organ inside and
for concert organ playing outside: march and waltz, time to time polka.

The name can be "Concert Militaire" in France, "Military Band Organ" in
USA and "Concert-Orgel" or "Cornettino" in Germany. Evidently it is a
matter of a crank barrel organ, but later for the biggest one, it was
possible to set in motion with an electric motor.  The music standard
scales seem to be included between 41 and 61 keys.  Each barrel
revolution was with 80 time.  The price of a military band organ could
be very expensive. For example in 1878 a little one was 1.700 gold
francs.

The most perceptible detail are the brass cornets, trumpets and piccolos
in the front and often bent to the public, but also upright (rare).
The furniture could be very different: sometime you can find a
marvelous inlaid-work with many precious woods, but the main production
was painted in black with gilded ornaments. You could also find on some
instruments Venetian mirrors (engraved, frosted and silver-plated
mirrors). It was often the case with the military band organs built in
Mirecourt by Poirot Fres. For the bigger organs you have a little
conductor like a hussar or a cuirassier and some another one with bells
and triangle.

It is also necessary to know, at this time the organ of a run-about was
by the side and not in the middle of the carousel, as you can see to
day.  Later when the carousels have a larger size, the organ hat joined
the center and was included in the decoration. The driving force could
be a horse, later a steam engine and at the end the electric motor.

The manufacturers in Paris, like Limonaire Fres., Gavioli, Gasparini
have built military band organs at the beginning, but very soon they
have changed to work with the punched card system. It was very easy to
change the tunes and possible to play many different sorts of music.

Mirecourt in addition with the production of "Serinettes" and another
bird-, chamber-, church-, and fairground organs, has built very nice
military band organs. We found the traces with Remy-Grobert, Jerome
Thibouville-Lamy (JTL) but the finest and decorative organs were made
by Poirot Fres. in Mirecourt. At this date you have 5 brothers: Georges
(1849-1886), Victor (1850-1934), Gabriel (1856-1897) and Jules
(1863-1882). The firm Poirot Fres. has worked too long time with the
barrel system, before they have made organs with punched cards, it was
too late. It is also one of the reasons of his falling-off.

Best regards
Francoise Dussour
fdussour@club-internet.fr.geentroep