Robbie commented:
>[ I'm still confused: I thought that the principal melody voice on the
>[ Dutch Street Organ is the de-tuned double-Bourdon a la' Carl Frei.
>[ ... Someday we'll get it all sorted out !  -- Robbie

1.  As we heard from Jan Kijlstra,  Carl Frei didn't use the de-tuned
Bourdon in the melody voice.

2.  More common (as I saw/heard/learned up to now) is indeed the de-tuned
(double-)Bourdon, for this sound is more swinging and (often heard this)
"sweet".

Bob Conant wrote:
> My understanding is that most street organs from the smallest (56 key)
> to the largest (90 key and above) use at least two registers in the
> melody: violins and bourdons.  These can be turned on and off independ-
> ently and played together to get a forte effect.

1.  I do have to correct this: the smallest is 48 keys.  (Well, of
course one could say even less; one could start with 15 or so, but
to have the typical size of a Dutch Street Organ, one has to start with
the 48-scale.  (I have to say scale, for some organs use the same scale,
but do not have 48 keys.))

2.  Well, it is of course impossible to give a certain number of keys
where this changes, but most of the 70-key organs already have more then
those 2 basic melodie voices.

Now, let me tell you what I do think about the so called "forte effect":
An organ which is sometimes playing both voices (Bourdon + Violin) must
be well-tuned!  I can only speak for the organs I know, and those I know
best are those we own ourselves, and for those organs I dislike using
these both voices together.  How I explain it to myself is: the Bourdon-
voice is (as said) very sweet and the Violin-voice is rather "sharp" --
it simply doesn't fit.

As soon as our organ plays these both voices together the organ sounds
(this is no offense) "French", for I often heard the same blue-note-like
sound in Limonaires and Gaviolis.

Because we don't want to change any voice (the sweet Bourdon sounds great
and the sharp Violin is perfect for marches also),  we now always say:
"Its a type 'Limonaire'-organ" (although it has been built in Rotterdam).

> The larger organs have even more registers with the 90 key organs
> having 5 or 6 registers in the melody and often replicating some
> dance organ registers.

"Even more?!?"  Two is not much !  ;)  An organ with four registers is
well-sized.

> A similar arrangement is common with German fair organs as well.
> Ruth, for example, even in the model 36 (78 keyless) offered
> an optional ocarina rank which allowed the melody to be played in
> violins or the ocarina.  This register consisted of a rank of open
> flutes and a rank of stopped flues.  The musical effect was similar to
> the Dutch street organs where the melody could be alternated between
> the sweet sound of the violins and the more rounded tones of the
> bourdons.

I don't know too much about the German Fairground-Organs, for I hardly
see them and the pipes are hidden within.  (I guess for they not being
well-made?  ;) Just kidding.)  But it seems as if they turned the Dutch-
sound, for you say it exactly the other way round: Violins -> sweet.

> I think maybe your confusion comes with the fact that the bourdons is
> a unique and prominently used characteristic for one voice of a Dutch
> street organ but it is by no means the only voice they have.
                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That has been clear before your posting, I hope.  Hand-cranked organs
(mostly the 20-key ones and the little French organs) can exist with only
one voice -- this is mostly a stopped Bourdon-like pipe, either a single
row or doubled in the melodie.  Few have only Violins.

> I hope this helps.

Ev'ry info helps.   :)

Ingmar Krause
ERlanger drehORGEL-Trio, Familie Krause, erorgelt@balloon.franken.de

 [ Thanks, Ingmar and Bob; it's becoming clearer.  :)  -- Robbie