•The Hupfeld Pan Orchestra, Philipps Paganini orchestrion and certain other orchestrions were designed to imitate the playing of a real salon orchestra as closely as possible. The smallest salon orchestras include a small string ensemble with piano accompaniment. Somewhat larger salon orchestras add...

•Although Frank Himpsl mentions this company in the MMD Archives, [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Gallery/MMMedia/std.html ] I would like to give comments on this company. The only roll I have is marked: "Perfection" 87051 Good-Bye Broadway Hello France Saxo - One Step Baskette (composer) Played by Alvin ...

•Jody, This is a looooong one. It's about how I do the reading, transposing thing, but feel free, as usual, to snip it. It was too big for the clipboard, so I had to send it as an attachment. Sorry. It's called ronsredr.txt. Thanks, as always! [ Editor's note: I decoded the message back into text. H...

I would like to converse with someone who is knowledgable with the 89 key "G4" and "VB" scales. Any published information I have found regarding these scales does not seem to give enough information regarding the octives which each pipe rank sounds. I am most puzzled about the "VB" scale as it perta...

•Matthew: Regina's history has been documented quite well in various books about musical boxes. Bowers' Encyclopedia has a good deal of information as does several of Ord-Hume's books. In 1989 The MBSI re-printed an article by Mary Kosiarski entitled "The Regina Musical Box" that had originally been...

•In MMD 990225, Robbie Rhodes asked: > Is there a characteristic sound which differentiates a fair organ > in England from a band organ in the US? Is the strident brass > trumpet and wood trombone unique to the American Band Organ? First some qualifiers: French organs seemed to have dominated on the...

•English Fair Organs vs. American Band Organs, A Musical Difference? Dear MMDers, I'd like to make a couple comments on the sounds of various organs. Tim Trager and Douglas Bush have written so well about it. Tim says: > When one thinks of the American Band Organ sound, one usually > thinks of a Wur...

•While I am lacking the definitions of robots here, I would say that they at least have "robotic features". Let's get straight down to the difficulties: Does a key hitting on a piano string count as "robotic"? I would say no, as this is simply mechanical and (usually) triggered by someone hitting a ...

•[ Adrian is 15 years old, and he enjoys all sorts of organ music. [ He is active with GSM, the German mechanical-music society. Dear MMD readers, I am now trying to make a list of all available recordings of mechanical musical instruments. Most of my own CDs are from "MCO Musikproduktionen". The pr...

•To all the readers of MMD: I apologize for being silent for so long, but a serious injury in 1993 slowed me down to a snails pace. Having recovered fully (after nearly 8 years recuperating) I am back at it full time. No more spasms or pain! First, I would like to thank my more than 10,000 customers...

•I have read with interest the correspondence concerning the 'frein harmonique', or harmonic brake, as patented by Gavioli for his violin pipes. Use of the frein harmonique to the Gavioli pattern can be found on fairground organs of Limonaire, Marenghi and Gaudin origin, as well as being adopted by ...

•In the MMDigest of 23 March 2000 I told about the new museum, the "Wilhelmsbau", part of the Technik Museum in Speyer(Germany). That report is now stored in the MMD Picture Gallery under http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/wilhelmsbau.html Today I am pleased to introduce you to Master Restorer Gotthard...

•Hello Jody, In response to Angelo Rullis' request, I submit the following article: Hello fellow MMD'ers, Dave Smith, Bainbridge, New York here bringing you my perspective of the Musical Museum Auction etc. It is no secret that the Musical Museum of Deansboro New York ran into some difficult times. ...

Stephen Bicknell, intrepid author of the new book History of the English Pipe Organ, published by Cambridge University Press, elaborates on a a PIPORG-L thread following the (almost) word "orchestrian". He would be delighted to have you copy your comments to him: Date: Wed, 6 Nov 1996 20:52:15 +0000...

•[ Editor's Note: [ [ The following message was oroginally posted on the Pipe Organ [ Listserver by Tom Blackwell. It was forwarded to us by Tim RIckman. [ [> Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 16:03:17 -0700 [> From: Tom Blackwell [> [> Hello piporg-l: [> [> Jim Williams of Ogden, Utah would like to sell his li...

•Most MMD folk who have been to AMICA Conventions will know of Rex Lawson, the London-based pianolist with the immense beard, who maintains the respectable side of the player piano's history by dint of having founded the Pianola Institute with its sober and musicological annual Pianola Journal. Last...

•[ Ref. Christian Tedesco in 210201 MMDigest ] Gebr. Decap originally sold its 92-key organ known as "Luxor" to DeSoepper's Beer Garden in Detroit, Michigan, in 1945. Decap employees brought it to Detroit and assembled it there. After Mr. DeSoepper died while dancing to the organ's music at his daug...

•History of 65 & 69 Key Gebruder Bruder "Elite Orchestra Apollo" Organs by Jeff Alterman Probably the best known organs in the United States built by the firm of Gebruder Bruder are the 65- and 69-key Gebruder Bruder "Elite Orchestra Apollo". They were designed by Gustav Bruder in Waldkirch about 19...

•I have transcribed a number of Playasax rolls and can punch them out at any time. I have the paper, and have found a source for the cores of the rolls. What has delayed the project is obtaining the plastic spool ends for the rolls. A friend of mine is hopefully going to be able to make the spool en...

•I recently bought a Playasax in a local resale shop. I need to take it apart since the section with the reeds has rotated out of position and it does not play at all. I read the suggestion from Spencer Chase in the MMD Archives and will probably try that as a last resort, but I wonder if anyone has...