Royal Toys for Big Boys 2018

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Royal Toys for Big Boys 2018 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS 2018 1 1 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS 2 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS In every man or woman hides a child Apparently, you are one of the lucky persons, to whom this wonderful experience emerged – feeling like a “Big Boy” again. (Otherwise, you would not be looking at our book.) We are not Dream Makers but we can make your Dreams come true. With over 40 years of experience in this field, the Dream- factory in Degersheim, Switzerland, is your Ali Baba’s cave. We’ve helped build the finest museums around the world and, as auctioneers, for over 35 years we’ve been selling thousands of classic cars, mechanical musical instruments, Hollywood memorabilia, automatons, watches, jewellery, etc. You don’t have to be Royalty or rich (though of course it makes it easier) to own a “Royal Toy” or a Famous Collection; we will find something to bring out the “Big Boy in you – according to your budget. Royal Toys for Big Boys – enjoy the book and let us help you make your Dreams come true. Have Fun! Retonio Breitenmoser and the Dreamfactory Team 2 3 THEROYAL OLGA/DALI TOYS FORBENTLEY BIG BOYSMARK VI For many years, this car was on display at the Imperial Palace Car Museum in Las Vegas. From there it made its way to Morocco and, finally, to the Dreamfactory in Switzerland. The Memoires of Olga. Page 126 4 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS The Olga/Dali Bentley Mark VI Olga La Marquise de Saint Innocent (1896-1972) was born in St. Petersburg and moved to Europe to become one of the most flamboyant ladies of her time. She lived in New York, Paris, Monaco, and in the end bought the castle “La Budallera” at the edge of a pine forest in the mountain village of Vallvidrera, outside Barcelona. There she lived with her husband Woody Kahler, her famous horses (one of them was ridden by Charlton Heston in the movie “El Cid”), two panthers and Zoa – the boa constrictor. Olga was good friends with the Rich and Famous of her time: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, Coco Chanel, Albert Schweizer, Prince Ferdinand of Lichtenstein, just to mention a few. When she bought “La Budallera”, she had her house decorated with copies of the 18th-century Chinese Chippendale furniture made by Spanish artisans ac- cording to her design. “Woody, thinking he was being funny, suggested having our Bentley automobile decorated with my Chinese-Chippendale design with gold leaves and black lacquer. When Salvador Dali first saw our Bentley, he said, “A work of art, unique au monde.” It was a traffic stopper, and Woody said that Dali and I were the two biggest Show-Offs in the world”. Salvador Dali was a very good friend and drove the car with Olga around Bar- celona many times. He used to relax at “La Budallera” and one day made the craziest sculpture – the Dali Monkey Automaton – for his craziest lady-friend. It took over 40 years and a lot of luck to bring these two unique items together again. The Monkey (pictured on the next page) and the Bentley belong together and will only be sold together. 4 5 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS THE SALVADOR DALI MONKEY-AUTOMATON 6 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS The Salvador Dali Monkey-Automaton This unique and fantastic Piece of Art goes back back to about 1870 and it started its life as a Monkey Smoker Automaton by J. Phalibois, Paris. The original monkey was supposed to mock the “Bourgeoisie”. Dali must have had the same idea in mind when he took this automaton and turned it into a piece of art and typical for his life – into a con- versation piece. Both ugly and beautiful and holding his middle finger up, he made this sculpture as a present to another “eccen- tric” – a woman and a very good friend, Olga La Marquise de St. Innocent. (See the Dali Bentley Mark VI). The sculpture was found by Retonio in the 70s in an antique shop in Barcelona, where it was apparently dropped off by Woodland Kahler, the last husband of Olga, together with other antiques from their castle “La Buddalera” in the mountain village of Vallvidrera outside Barcelona. Woody Kahler told the dealer that was a gift from Salvador Dali to his wife Olga. Retonio bought it as a “Dali-School” item, not knowing for over the next 35 years, how close the two had been to each other. Dali and Olga met in London, Paris, Monte Carlo, and wherever they showed up – there was no couple more dazzling than the two of them. He took many rides in Olga’s eccentric Bentley and spent a lot of relaxing and creative time at their mountain castle. In his biography, Woody describes Olga as follows: “I understood Olga’s Flamboyant displays of jewels, and furs, and clothes very well. These were the props, the settings for her particular stage. The Bentley, the Pagoda, the lavish establishments and exotic animals were the outward symbols of her desire to please and amuse, and attract attention to our deeper concerns for ani- mal life and world peace”. What better gift than his monkey sculpture could Salvador have given Olga while showing everybody what they both did best – shocking the world? There is no way this present is just Dali-School. It was Dali’s way of saying “thank you” to a good friend – imagined, sculptured and given to Olga by one of the most ingenious artists of the 20th century. The Monkey (pictured on the next page) and the Bentley belong together and will only be sold together. 6 7 e ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS Rolls Royce Phantom 1, 1929 8 e ROLLS ROYALROYCE TOYS SILVER FOR PHANTOM BIG BOYS 1, 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1929, GB, color: blue/black, 7668 ccm with separation. Classified as Veteran. From the collection of W. Steinemann. The current owner has invested approxi- mately 30,000 CHF in updating its technology. Very nice condition. Info: The Phantom was Rolls-Royce’s replacement for the original Silver Ghost. Introduced as the New Phantom in 1925, the Phantom had a larger engine than the Silver Ghost and used pushrod-operated overhead valves instead of the Silver Ghost’s side valves. The Phantom was built in Derby in England and in Springfield, Massachusetts in the United States. There were several differences in specification between the English and American Phantoms. The Phantom was replaced by the Phantom II in 1929, at which point it started to be called the Phantom I. 8 9 ROYALMERCEDES-BENZ TOYS FOR BIG 250 BOYS C RICHARD BURTON’S AND LIZ TAYLOR’S WEDDING CAR 10 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS Mercedes-Benz 250 C, Richard Burton’s and Liz Taylor’s wedding car Richard Burton’s and Liz Taylor’s Wedding Car, a Mercedes-Benz 250C, 1973. Colour: white, capacity: 2778 ccm. The documents for this vehicle were originally issued in the name of Richard Burton in Gstaad, Switzerland and have not been changed since Burton died. Some years ago, the car was mechanically revised and re-inspected by the Swiss car control (all documents still remained in the name of Richard Burton). Info: In this Mercedes Burton and Taylor fell in love again and finally it was their wedding car. A Mercedes with really great Hollywood history. 10 11 HOTELROYAL BUS TOYS “FLEUR FOR DE BIG LYS”, BOYS 1990 Hotel Bus “Fleur de Lys” Beautiful Replica of the famous Ford Model A/T. 1990, 1993 m3, manual gear. 12,000 km, 57 kW. Space for 6 people in the back and 2 in the front. Built up on a Ford Transit, therefore it’s not a problem to find spare parts. Each car is individually built by hand. Price for the new one in 1990 was 150,000 DM. In very good condition. The previous owner will do the Swiss road certificate at no cost for the buyer. 12 APALROYAL BUGGY TOYS MUNSTERFOR BIG BOYSSTYLE APAL Buggy Munster Style I am a genuine APAL Buggy AUKI with a 1300 cm3 VW engine. I was built in 1973 in Belgium and sold to a crazy guy in Switzerland. He must have been a great fan of the Adams Family since I look just like coming out of one of their movies. Anyway – I promise you a lot of fun. 12 13 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS LÖSCHE TITANIA II 14 ROYAL TOYS FOR BIG BOYS The Jerry Doring Collection Of Mechanical Musical Instruments One of the best orchestrion collections in the world is up for sale. For over 40 years, Jerry Doring from Los Angeles had been collecting and restoring some of the finest orchestrions from Germany and America. All in pristine condition with a lot of music rolls/books. A beautiful book about the collection is available for interested parties. What we would like to see is Jerry’s collection being the core of an attraction showing the evolution of recorded music from Antoine Favre’s first tiny little music box in a pocket watch (ca. 1780) till the iPhone or whatever will be next. 250 years of recorded music Peerless Arcadian Orchestrion The instrument consists of a piano, a solo mandolin, 2 ranks of each 32 violin and flute pipes, bass and snare drums, a cymbal and triangle and a set of castanets. This fantastic and rare instrument plays the special Peerless “O” roll. Wurlitzer Style 153 Duplex Military Band Organ For Three-Abreast Carousels and Open- Air Dance Pavilions – this is what the advertisement said, and Jerry’s Military Band Organ is truly one of the best.
Recommended publications
  • Steinway Duo-Art
    CHAPTER OFFICERS INTERNATlONAL OFFICERS NO. CALIFORNIA Pres.: Phil McCoy Vice Pres.: Isadora Koff PRESIDENT Sec.: David Fryman Bob Rosencrans Treas.: Bob Wilcox 36 Hampden Rd. Reporter: Sharon Bartlett Upper Darby, PA 19082 SO. CALIFORNIA VICE PRESIDENT Pres.: Francis Cherney Bill Eicher Vice Pres.: Mary Lilien 465 Winding Way Sec.: Greg Behnke Dayton, OH 45429 Treas.: Roy SheIso SECRETARY Reporter: Bill Toeppe Jim Weisenborne TEXAS 73 Nevada St. Pres.: Carole Beckett Rochester, MI 48063 Vice Pres.: Sal Mele AMICA MEMBERSHIP RATES: PUBLISHER Sec/Treas.: Doyle Cassel Tom Beckett Reporter: Kay & Merrill Baltzley Continuing Members: $15 Dues 6817 Cliffbrook Dallas, TX 75240 MIDWEST New Members, add $5 processing fee Pres.: Bennet Leedy MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Vice Pres.: Jim Prendergast (New memberships and Sec.: Jim Weisenborne mailing problems) Treas.: Alvin Wulfekuhl Bobby Clark Jr Reporter: Molly Yeckley P. O. Box 172 Columbia SC 29202 PHILADELPHIA AREA Pres Mike Naddeo THE AMICA NEWS BULLETIN TREASURER Vice Pres.: John Berry Jack & Mary Riffle Sec. Dick Price Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association, a non­ 5050 Eastside Calpella Rd. Treas.: Claire Lambert profit club devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of musical Ukiah, CA 95482 Reporter: Allen Ford instruments using perforated paper musIc rolls. BOARD REPRESENTATIVES SOWNY (So. Ontario, West NY) Contributions: All subjects of interest to readers of the Bulletin are N. Cal. Howie Koff Pres.: Jeff Depp encouraged and invited by the pUblisher All articles must be received by the S. Cal.: Dick Rigg Vice Pres: Bruce Bartholomew 10th of the preceeding month. Every attempt will be made to publish all artiCles Texas: Wade Newton Sec.: Mike Walter of general interest to AMICA members at the earliest possible time..and at the Phil.: Bob Taylor Treas.: Stella Gilbert Midwest: Bill Eicher Reporter: Jim Brewer discretion of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • The AMICA BULLETIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1 Mooluriil's MAGAZINE
    The AMICA BULLETIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1 MoOLURIil'S MAGAZINE The Self-Playing Piano is It People who have watched these things closely have noticed that popular favor is toward the self-playing piano. A complete piano which will ornament your drawing-room, which can be played in the ordinary way by human fingers, or which. -'\ can be played by a piano player concealed inside the case, is the most popular musical instrument in the world to-day. The Harmonist Self-Playing Piano is the instrument which best meets these condi­ tions. The piano itself is perfect in tone and workmanship. The piano player at­ tachment is inside, is operated by perforated music, adds nothing to the size of the piano. takes up no room whatever, is always ready, is never in the way. We want everyone who is thinking of buying a piano to consider the great advan­ tage of getting a Harmonist, which combines the piano and the piano player both. It costs but little more than a good piano. but it is ten times as useful and a hundred times as entertaining. Write for particulars. ROTH ~ENGELHARDT Proprietors Peerless Piano Player Co. Windsor Aroade. Fifth Ave.. New York Please mention McClure·s when you write to ad"crtiscrt. 77 THE AMICA BULLETIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls and perforated music books.
    [Show full text]
  • Marquetry on Drawer-Model Marionette Duo-Art
    Marquetry on Drawer-Model Marionette Duo-Art This piano began life as a brown Recordo. The sound board was re-engineered, as the original ribs tapered so soon that the bass bridges pushed through. The strings were the wrong weight, and were re-scaled using computer technology. Six more wound-strings were added, and the weights of the steel strings were changed. A 14-inch Duo-Art pump, a fan-expression system, and an expression-valve-size Duo-Art stack with a soft-pedal compensation lift were all built for it. The Marquetry on the side of the piano was inspired by the pictures on the Arto-Roll boxes. The fallboard was inspired by a picture on the Rhythmodic roll box. A new bench was built, modeled after the bench originally available, but veneered to go with the rest of the piano. The AMICA BULLETIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005 VOLUME 42, NUMBER 5 Teresa Carreno (1853-1917) ISSN #1533-9726 THE AMICA BULLETIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls and perforated music books. AMICA was founded in San Francisco, California in 1963. PROFESSOR MICHAEL A. KUKRAL, PUBLISHER, 216 MADISON BLVD., TERRE HAUTE, IN 47803-1912 -- Phone 812-238-9656, E-mail: [email protected] Visit the AMICA Web page at: http://www.amica.org Associate Editor: Mr. Larry Givens VOLUME 42, Number
    [Show full text]
  • Hupfeld Helios Orchestrion
    TheAMICA News Bulletin of the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association September/October, 1985 Volume 22 Number 7 AMlCAlnternational JVews Bulletin DOROTHY BROMAGE, PUBLISHER POB275 CCB (207) 767-4446 Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107 Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' CHAPTER OffICERS Association, a non-profit club devoted to the restoration, FOUNDING CHAPTER IOWA distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using per­ Pres: phil McCoy Pres: George Apland forated paper music rolls, AMICA was founded in San Francisco Vice Pres: Isadora Koff Vice Pres: E.H. Breckenfelder in 1963. Treas: Bob Wilcox SeclTreas: Marjorie Apland Sec/Reporter: lack & Dianne Reporter: Jack Niewoehner Edwards SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOSTON AREA 1986 CONVENTION Pres: Warren & Rosemary Pres: Judy Welsh Deasy Vice Pres: Michael Potash PHILADELPHIA, PENN. Vice Pres: Jerry Pell Sec: Bill Koenigsberg Sec: John Candido Treas: Philip Konop Treas: larry Norman Reporter: Donald Brown HOST: Philadelphia Area Chapter Reporter: Jerry Pell TEXAS NORTHERN LIGHTS Pres: Wade Newton Pres: Jerrilyn Boehland Vice Pres: lorane Smith Vice Pres: Tom Wordeman SeclTreas: Carole Beckett Sec: Tracy Tolzmann ADVERTISING Reporter: Janet Tonnesen Treas: Robert & Katheryn Classified: 10¢ per word, $1.50 minimum. Duma • All copy must reach the publisher by the 10th of the preceding Reporter: Ruby Ahneman month. Payment must accompany order. Make checks payable MIDWEST SIERRA-NEVADA Pres: Edwin Ward Pres: Bob Patton to: AMICA INTERNATIONAl.. Vice Pres: liz Barnhart Vice Pres: Vicki Mahr • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign countries Sec: lawrence & Margaret SeclTreas: Audrey Winters must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Frazer Reporter: Bob and Sonja leomon Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Display Advertising Reporter: Sue Ricca Full Page 7V2"x10" $100.00 PHILADELPHIA AREA CHICAGO AREA Half page 7V2"x43/4" SO.OO Pres: Bob Taylor Pres.
    [Show full text]
  • The Leludion Story
    Carousel Organ, Issue No. 8 — July, 2001 The LeLudion Story Eve Crasse The Beginnings have been made by a grandfather for his grandson's enjoyment he story of LeLudion started with the crossing of the or a divining machine by the fairman's hands, following the paths of two people with a passion for mechanical music. movement of a figure's wand - up and down. The Cartesian TThe place was the first district of Paris - a chance meet- diver seems to answer the publics’ question. ing in front of an antique dealer who specialized in organ Cartesian Diver clocks. Both students were interested in the same type of music Best described as a toy for the junior high school laboratory, it is sim- - one was enchanted with fairground music and the merry-go- ply a near-floating object in a closed plastic bottle that dives and rises round and the other was fascinated with the mechanism that according to pressure on the bottle. It involves physical forces of made this wonderful music. weight, pressure, gravity, vacuum and water. Several years passed before realizing the workshop as it is known today but the chance meeting was the start. Being able to teach the craft of mechanical music as well as working with great customers all added to the experience over the last 25 years. The craft of mechanical music? In France there was no formal school, not even for organ building. You had to learn from retired professionals. Today it is different in that there is a unique school near Strasbourg (in the eastern part of France) where the apprentice can find good teachers.
    [Show full text]
  • MBSI SE Library 2020-02 for Website(4).Xlsx 2/19/21 Book Title Author Pages ISBN / ASIN Status Subtitle
    MBSI Southeast Chapter Lending Library: The Lending Library of the MBSI’s Southeast Chapter contains many hard to find and technically valuable references on all types of mechanical music. These books are available for checkout by any Chapter member without charge. Whether you need to fix your Cuckoo clock, determine the date of your music box, repair your player piano or find some weird automatic instrument in an 1898 German catalog – the Southeast Library can help you in your quest and improve your life! These books represent a substantial financial investment. If you check out only one book a year, instead of buying it at the list price, your MBSI membership has paid for itself! A Chapter member may borrow up to three books at a time. Checking out a book is easy: Just send an email to [email protected]. Include your name and book requests. The books will be sent withoout charge USPS Media Mail to your address already on file with MBSI. You may read and reference the book(s) for up to 120 days. (If the book shows as "currently checked out", still send an email to get on its waiting list. Returning a book is easy, too: To return the books, mail them back. We pay postage to you, you pay the return postage. Or, you may deliver them to any Chapter Officer at the next Southeast Chapter meeting. Our library is growing! We grow by donation and acquisition. Look over our new books and check some out ! We offer a speial thanks to Ron Bopp, who recently donated two great books to our library: - The American Carousel Organ - Fantastic European Organs Make a Donation: Is it time to clear out some shelf space at home? Many useful or important books about our hobby are missing from the list below.
    [Show full text]
  • A Nickel for Music in the Early 1900'S
    A Nickel for Music in the Early 1900’s © 2015 Rick Crandall Evolution of the American Orchestrion Leading to the Coinola SO “Super Orchestrion” The Genesis of Mechanical Music The idea of automatic musical devices can be traced back many centuries. The use of pinned barrels to operate organ pipes and percussion mechanisms (such as striking bells in a clock) was perfected long before the invention of the piano. These devices were later extended to operate music boxes, using a set of tuned metal teeth plucked by a rotating pinned cylinder or a perforated metal disc. Then pneumatically- controlled machines programmed from a punched paper roll became a new technology platform that enabled a much broader range of instrumentation and expression. During the period 1910 to 1925 the sophistication of automatic music instruments ramped up dramatically proving the great scalability of pneumatic actions and the responsiveness of air pressure and vacuum. Usually the piano was at the core but on larger machines a dozen or more additional instruments were added and controlled from increasingly complicated music rolls. An early example is the organ. The power for the notes is provided by air from a bellows, and the player device only has to operate a valve to control the available air. Internal view of the Coinola SO “orchestrion,” the For motive most instrumented of all American-made machines. power the Photo from The Golden Age of Automatic Instruments early ©2001 Arthur A. Reblitz, used with permission. instruments were hand -cranked and the music “program” was usually a pinned barrel. The 'player' device became viable in the 1870s.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nunn Organ Collection
    Carousel Organ, Issue No. 32 — July, 2007 The Nunn Organ Collection Bill Nunn hen I met Diane, she had a small collection of porce- ing Ragtime Calliope. I thought, “If it’s not too expensive…” lain carousel music boxes she received as birthday Well, I had a lot of fun with that calliope, repairing it and adding Wand Christmas gifts. For the next few years I contin- drums and a glockenspiel. That fall we went to see someone ued the tradition, once buying a music box with the name Looff who was selling a Parker carousel with a Wurlitzer 125 trumpet and a date of 1910. I thought “there is more to this than just a band organ. Seeing that organ was love at first sight, but the box that plays music.” So I searched for and found a book on owner was leaving for Florida for the winter. I thought about the history of carousel animals. We read about the talented that organ all winter and when he came back I bought one immigrant carvers and the different carousel companies and Parker carousel horse in pieces, the 125 organ and a carving styles. We were hooked. We said “someday we will get Wellershaus organ in pieces. We put the Wurlitzer 125 in the a real antique carousel horse.” A year later, at a garage sale, house and if you went outside to listen, the volume was just Diane found a little Herschell Spillman horse with no legs or about right. Diane’s dad came to see our new acquisition and ears.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin Germany/Holland 2007 July 5Th Ð 20Th
    THE www.amica.org Volume 44, Number 2 AMICA March/April 2007 AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS’ ASSOCIATION BULLETIN GERMANY/HOLLAND 2007 JULY 5TH – 20TH Tour Historic Germany and Holland with your fellow AMICANs. Visit Munich with its clock tower, Hofbrau House and many interesting attractions. See world-class museums with wonderful collections of automatic musical instruments. Bus through scenic countryside, with quaint towns full of wonderfully painted buildings. Shop in wood carving centers. Tour King Ludwig’s Linderhof Castle. Visit organ factories and private collections. Stroll through the Historic walled city of Rothenburg. Cruise the Beautiful Rhein River, with castles lining the waterway. Listen to dance organs, pianos, Dutch Street Organs and more. Enjoy the pumper contest, with contestants using Conrad Adenauer’s grand piano. There’s so much more to see and do. Applications will be coming soon, and you need to register right away….remember, registration is limited. Questions? Call Frank at 818-884-6849 ISSN #1533-9726 THE AMICA BULLETIN AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association, a non-profit, tax exempt group devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls and perforated music books. AMICA was founded in San Francisco, California in 1963. PROFESSOR MICHAEL A. KUKRAL, PUBLISHER, 216 MADISON BLVD., TERRE HAUTE, IN 47803-1912 -- Phone 812-238-9656, E-mail: [email protected] Visit the AMICA Web page at: http://www.amica.org Associate Editor: Mr. Larry Givens • Editor Emeritus: Robin Pratt VOLUME 44, Number 2 March/April 2007 AMICA BULLETIN FEATURES Display and Classified Ads Articles for Publication Visit to San Sylmar’s Auto/Musical Collection .
    [Show full text]
  • The Big Picture - Welte’S Instruments, Rolls, Recording, Digital Editing
    The big picture - Welte’s instruments, rolls, recording, digital editing by David Rumsey The Welte Philharmonie - or Philharmonic to most English-speakers - was an ingenious musical instrument. Its origins lay in both the pneumatics and acoustics of the ancient Greeks, to say nothing of their mechanics, hydraulics or music. In the 20th century, both the “Phil”, as it is affectionately known in some circles, and aeronautical engineering, brought human arts and sciences of using air to their zenith. Pneumatic organ actions were then transformed to electric actions although there was a later reaction back to mechanics. For the aviation industry it was seminal: aircraft now replaced steam engines and organs as the most complex technology known to civilisation. The many ages and stages between the ancient Greeks, and Welte’s early 20th century automatic instruments, produced a train of incremental invention. Each epoch found ways of making organs play and sound the way it wanted them to. That changed with every new aesthetic from gothic, renaissance, baroque, “neo- classical” late 18th century, through the romantic era and on to a second, “neo- classical” phase, in the 20th century. It differed from country to country, culture to culture, even language to language: whether French, German, Italian, English or Netherlands, organs were also expressions of national ethos. By the early 19th century, the means of controlling the aesthetic qualities of organ pipes had long been established by empirical means: if it sounded good, then that was the way it was done. Sounding good, of course, differed according to Welte’s original proposal for the appearance of whether you were a medieval Britannic’s Philharmonie on board Netherlander, a renaissance Spaniard, a baroque Saxon, or your language and culture were “classical” French.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Rhythm, Metronomes, and the Mechanization of Musicality
    THE METRONOMIC PERFORMANCE PRACTICE: A HISTORY OF RHYTHM, METRONOMES, AND THE MECHANIZATION OF MUSICALITY by ALEXANDER EVAN BONUS A DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Music CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY May, 2010 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of _____________________________________________________Alexander Evan Bonus candidate for the ______________________Doctor of Philosophy degree *. Dr. Mary Davis (signed)_______________________________________________ (chair of the committee) Dr. Daniel Goldmark ________________________________________________ Dr. Peter Bennett ________________________________________________ Dr. Martha Woodmansee ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (date) _______________________2/25/2010 *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. Copyright © 2010 by Alexander Evan Bonus All rights reserved CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES . ii LIST OF TABLES . v Preface . vi ABSTRACT . xviii Chapter I. THE HUMANITY OF MUSICAL TIME, THE INSUFFICIENCIES OF RHYTHMICAL NOTATION, AND THE FAILURE OF CLOCKWORK METRONOMES, CIRCA 1600-1900 . 1 II. MAELZEL’S MACHINES: A RECEPTION HISTORY OF MAELZEL, HIS MECHANICAL CULTURE, AND THE METRONOME . .112 III. THE SCIENTIFIC METRONOME . 180 IV. METRONOMIC RHYTHM, THE CHRONOGRAPHIC
    [Show full text]
  • Music Boxes? • Before the Music Box • Early Music Boxes • Music Box Advances • Changeable Disc Music Boxes • 20Th Century Music Boxes
    AMICA International Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association AMICA Articles A History of the Music Box By Thaddeus Kochanny of the Chicago AMICA Chapter • What are music boxes? • Before the music box • Early music boxes • Music box advances • Changeable disc music boxes • 20th Century music boxes Part 1. What are music boxes? Webster's defines "music box" as a case containing an apparatus for producing music mechanically, as by means of a comb-like steel plate with tuned teeth. Pins set in the surface of a revolving cylinder or disk sound the teeth. Over a century ago, more people owned music boxes than any other type of automatic musical instrument. The mechanisms were put in jewelry boxes, windup toys, holiday novelties and clocks. Music boxes come in several types. Pinned brass cylinders lead, followed by disc. Punched metal discs and the rare pinned discs, tapered metal "cuffs" with plucking projections, even paper rolls and punched cardboard "books", all play using plucking action applied to the teeth of the comb. Today's music box mechanisms come inside many different packages. Designs range from children's motifs to cheeseburgers. They can be hand cranked, contain clock works and a cylinder or perforated disc. Music boxes are snuffbox sized to console scale. New music box prices vary from a few dollars to over forty thousand dollars. There are music box clocks, pocket watches, jewelry cases, water globes, miniature pianos, and humidors. Almost anything imaginable can be a music box. Where did the music box get its start? Part 2. Before the music box Some say that the Ancient Greeks were obsessed with creating mechanical living beings.
    [Show full text]