What's in a name?  Robbie defined:

> crank-organ -- a hand-cranked self-playing organ
> street organ -- a self-playing organ seen on the streets

Well, if an organ is hand-cranked, it will not play without the
hand-cranker turning the big wheel.  So a crank-organ is _not _
a self-playing organ.

And originally all street organs were hand-cranked.  Crank-organs,
but not self playing.  Seen on the streets -- their natural habitat,
so to say.

Though a street organ is not, by definition, a self-playing organ which
can be seen on the streets.  Only if the cranking has been motorised
one could speak of a self-playing street organ.

Nowadays (almost) any street organ, if in regular use, is motorised.
But (also almost) all still do have a crankwheel, and can (and
occasionally will) be played by hand.

So, what's self-playing?

Jan Kijlstra
The Netherlands

 [ Self-playing -- the instrument plays the music by itself, instead
 [ of needing a musician to play the instrument.  -- Robbie