Organette
The Organette was a mechanical free-reed instrument first manufactured in the late 1870s by several companies such John McTammany of Cambridge Mass, the Autophone Company of Ithaca NY, the Automatic Organ Co of Boston Mass, E.P. Needham & Sons of New York NY, J.M. Draper of London England, Paul Ehrlich & Co. of Leipzig Germany and The Mechanical Orguinette Co. of New York NY as well as other manufacturers worldwide. [1]
The organette (or orguinette) used rolls of perforated paper, perforated cardboard, perforated metal disks[2] and wooden rollers (or "cobs")[3]on which the music was recorded. Musical scales ranged from 14 to 39 notes depending on the instruments size and cost. Air pressure or vacuum was produced by hand, crank or foot-operated mechanical bellows. The organette was compact and affordable with large selections of music to choose from. Various patents credit Henry Bishop Horton, (1819-1885) co-founder of the Ithaca Calendar Clock Co.[4][5]John McTammany, (1845-1915)[6][7]Paul Ehrlich[8]and others with the invention of the organette.The organette's popularity declined as the phonograph was introduced and became more affordable to the public.
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The most remarkable feature of this invention is the regularity and perfection with which the music is rendered. All of the parts are played and the music is of no mean order.
— Scientific American 19 November 1879
External links
References
- ↑ "The Organette Book" - Kevin A. McElhone - Musical Box Society of Great Britain
- ↑ http://www.organettes.com/
- ↑ http://cobs.rollerorgans.com/
- ↑ http://www.rollerorgans.com/adverts/1885_Death_of_H_B_Horton.txt
- ↑ http://ithacacalendarclock.com/1875NEWSPAPERSTORY.html
- ↑ http://www.organettes.com/patents/home?s[]=patents
- ↑ http://www.amica.org/Live/Publications/Past-Bulletin-Articles/McTammany.PDF
- ↑ http://www.organettes.com/patents/home?s[]=patents
- ↑ http://www.rollerorgans.com/Roller_Organ_Adverts_a~.htm
