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MMD > Archives > April 2009 > 2009.04.19 > 01Prev  Next


Manivelle Reed Organ Plays Punched Book Music
By Dug North

Hello All,  A reader of my blog wrote to ask if I could identify an
instrument she saw on television.  Alas, I am out of my depth here,
but I am sure this will be an easy one for you.  She writes:

  I just saw an unusual instrument in a documentary TV show,
  http://www.open2.net/paris/cityofdreams.html  I'm hoping you can
  identify it for me.  Toward the end of the "Paris: City of Dreams"
  segment they show a lady playing a musical instrument operated
  with a crank.

  It has a pre-punched player strip running through the top as she
  cranks it (you can see the paper strip move out of the top of the
  instrument as she's cranking it) and it sounds like a type of
  automatic accordion, but not one like I've seen on your site or
  elsewhere.  It was a wooden box sitting on her lap or on the floor
  and no bellows were visible.

  It definitely did not sound like a street organ (it sounded like
  it had reeds, not pipes) and it seemed smaller than the usual street
  organ.  She was playing typical Parisian accordion music on it.

Thank you in advance for your help with answering this question and
for forgiving my ignorance.  ;)

All the best,
Dug North


(Message sent Mon 20 Apr 2009, 01:43:48 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Book, Manivelle, Music, Organ, Plays, Punched, Reed

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