Dear MMDs,  In MMDigest of Oct 27th, 2003, Nicholas Simons asked about
the links between Gavioli and Corvi.  Here is an answer (after 7 months,
never loose hope!) as a scoop for the MMD before being published in the
next issue (No. 51, July 2004) of the Journal of the French association
AAIMM.

From original period private documents I was able to consult, it
appears that on Oct. 23d 1858 "Antoine Corvi, fabricant d'orgues a
cylindre, demeurant a Paris, rue d'Aligre No 14" sold his business to
"Ludovico Gavioli, Professeur et ingenieur en instruments de Musique,
demeurant aussi a Paris, rue de Charenton No 96".

The premises seemed already relatively important, as they included
a room at the first floor, two workshops (a large one and a small one),
and several various attic and basement rooms.

It seems that Corvi himself did not own the premises but was renting
them (commercially, I suppose, which gave him the right to sublet
without the authorization of the owner, whose name is not mentioned),
and the legal document explains that Corvi will "sublet" the premises
to Gavioli.

The sale of his business by Corvi included the right for Gavioli to
use the name "Maison Corvi" or "Successeur de la Maison Corvi".

This was published in a "Journal ... d'annonces ... legales", dated
Dec. 8th, 1858, where it is mentioned that Gavioli was allowed to
use the premises as soon as Nov 1st 1858.

From these documents, I have alas no precisions about the type of
"orgues a cylindre" that Corvi was producing, and if Gavioli had
already his own business in this field.  It seems so from the good
article of Robert G. Miller, "A Gavioli History", in the MBSI volume
"A Decade of Enjoyment", which dates the beginning of the Gavioli
Business from 1843 at the address 3, Rue d'Aligre, Paris.  So the
taking by Gavioli of the premises on 14, rue d'Aligre could be only
an enlargement of the Gavioli Business.  Robert G. Miller seems
unaware of this 1858 Corvi-Gavioli transaction.

Bowers in his Encyclopedia does not mention Corvi.  Ord-Hume in his
good book, "Barrel Organ", mentions Corvi and gives some details about
this organ builder, but ignores this 1858 Corvi-Gavioli transaction.

I am not a specialist of the Gavioli history, and as I do not read
Dutch, perhaps I missed an important article in the KDV publication
or elsewhere, as the international literature about mechanical music
becomes (too?) prolific.  Perhaps Hans van Oost can help us there.

Nicholas Simons mentions too "Chamier & Cie a Paris".  I have no
information on that name.

I just hope these precisions may help Nicholas and other people to
go ahead in their researches.

With kind regards,

Philippe Rouille (Paris, France)
http://www.musicamecanica.org/