The following are answers to Mrs. Gashinsky's questions about the
Williams 110-key Gavioli:

1. A bioscope facade would have been approximately 30 to 50 feet wide
and 15 to 25 feet high.  The only surviving bioscope facade is now in
the Gilson collection.  It was from Danter's 110-key Gavioli and is
being restored by Johnny Verbeeck.

2. The facade and figures would have been carved from wood.  Any bell
ringers or the director figure would have been animated.  Gavioli also
used beautiful stationary figures on their large fair organs such as
the stunning large female figures on the Jonas 110-key Gavioli.

3. The two round items are double snare drums which were commonly
found on the largest Gaviolis.  The organ would also have a bass drum,
a cymbal, and castanets.

4. The flue pipework is the non-reed pipework.  The organ has many
ranks of violin and cello pipes which give the organ a very rich sound.
Gavioli invented the metal frein which gives wooden violin pipes their
characteristic sound.

5. The facade lighting could have been operated from a separate small
keyframe as was the case with large Marenghi organs.  To my knowledge
no Gavioli has survived which featured the automatic lighting, thus we
may never know except from patent research how this system operated.

6. The pipework shown in the photo is very similar to that of my
110-key Gavioli.  The Williams organ did have bells.  From the photo,
they appear to be of the tubular bell variety.  I have a set of these
on my Gavioli.  The tubular bells reiterate.

7. The 110-key scale is chromatic with very broad ranges in the various
scale subsections.  The ranges are so broad that they actually merge,
as is the case with the trombone and trumpet sections.  The broad
musical ranges allow the concert band scores to be played on their
appropriate notes.

On most smaller band organs the music score is often compromised.
Many times, for example, the trombone countermelody part is played in
the trumpet section because there are not enough notes in the trombone
section.  A Wurlitzer 153 has only 3 trombone notes in its scale.  On
a 153 a skilled arranger would have to move a necessary trombone
countermelody to the trumpet section.

The 110-key Gavioli has a 21-note trombone section.  The lowest
notes in the trombone section actually fall in the tuba note range.
The broad chromatic ranges and resulting pipework come at the price
of weight and portability and result in the 110-key Gavioli weighing
four tons!

On the other hand, the musical result of a 110-key Gavioli has been
described by many as outstanding.  Because of all mechanical musical
instruments it most successfully replicates the sound of a full concert
band, playing anything from the most demanding overture to Sousa
marches.

Tim Trager
Trager@idt.net

 [ The Gavioli frein is also known as the Gavioli brake.  It helps to
 [ "brake" the air stream to prevent over-blowing the pipe and produc-
 [ ing only harmonics; the result is a very rich and complex waveform.
 [ The Gavioli frein was a significant development for wooden pipes,
 [ especially for loud and jolly fairground organs.  -- Robbie