Volume 70, No. 4 July/August 2024
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Volume 70, No. 4 July/August 2024
5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
51 In Memoriam
MBSI News
On the Cover
A barrel organ built for royalty by Anton Beyer is restored after 20 years of work. Page 26
By Matthew Jaro
MBSI President
I wish to begin by thanking all the members who sent me their proxy votes. Your proxy votes are vital to the continuing operation of our society.
As a 501(c)(3) corporation char.tered in the state of New York we are required to hold annual business meetings with a quorum consisting of the lesser of 10 percent of our membership or 100 members. We have around 930 members in the society, so a quorum would be 93 members. To date, only 53 registrations have been received for our next annual meeting, which would not have met our require.ments. Your proxy votes, however, make it possible to meet our goal and keep our 501(c)(3) designation that makes us a tax-exempt organization.
According to Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), exempt purposes include charitable, reli.gious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals. MBSI falls under the educational purposes in this definition. Most importantly, it means that all donations to MBSI are tax-deductible for the donors and every dollar can be used by MBSI to support its mission.
The lack of a quorum is not the only challenge we face as we continue to see lower attendance at the annual meetings. With too few hotel rooms being filled, we donÕt have much nego.tiating leverage to ask for better rates. It also creates somewhat of a Catch 22 since most hotels require a minimum number of rooms to be booked before they will offer free meeting rooms or other services to groups like ours.
This leaves our meeting planners with difficult choices to make. If we set our goal for the minimum number of booked rooms too small it becomes unprofitable for the hotel, and MBSI winds up paying for extras like banquet rooms and workshop spaces. If we set our goal for the minimum number of rooms booked too high, then it is possible we wonÕt be able to meet our goal and we will end up owing the hotel significant money to make up for holding open rooms that did not get reserved.
Recently, hotels have also been writ.ing contracts that specify a maximum number of rooms that they will furnish at an advertised rate. Additional rooms are then made available at a higher cost to participants. If we fail to fill the maximum number of rooms offered at the lowest rate, then there will be compensation due to the hotel. All this means is that the people planning each annual meeting have to work very hard to find just the right number of rooms to ask a hotel for since itÕs impossible to guess how many attendees we will have. Conducting joint meetings with the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association has helped mitigate these problems somewhat, which is one good thing.
Finding volunteers to tackle challenges like these when planning an annual meeting is becoming increasingly difficult, and it means a very small number of people can end up doing many tasks to make a meeting happen. In addition, our aging membership means people are downsizing their collections, and that provides fewer places to visit on the tours. Also, as individuals age, they often find they no longer have the energy or desire to help. We see this also happening when we request participation in our standing commit.tees or finding qualified candidates to serve as society officers.
Traditionally our regional chapters have hosted the annual conventions on a rotating basis. Today, fewer and fewer chapters have the capability to plan and host a meeting in their region. The impact of this is that it limits the number of cities where we can hold a convention and it increases the frequency with which certain chapters are asked to host meetings.
One solution to this might be choosing a location where there is no regional chapter. For example, Phoenix, AZ, is home to the Musical Instrument Museum and other musical sites, but there is no chapter to take responsibility for the event. Might it be possible to plan a convention in such a place? It could breathe fresh air into the schedule, but it could also backfire if the location isnÕt attractive enough to draw a large attendance.
We know that MBSI members want to see mechanical music collections, so if anyone has creative suggestions, on this or any topic, please write me a note or email me at mjaro@verizon.net.
Mechanical Music
34 National Capital
37 Snowbelt
38 Lake Michigan
43 Southern California
45 Southern California
48 Golden Gate
A perfect fit
Mark and Christel Yaffe had just the right instrument to become part of an exhibit at the Tampa Bay Hotel. Page 8.
MECHANICAL MUSIC
Journal of the Musical Box Society International
Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments
Editor/Publisher
Russell Kasselman
(253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org
MBSI Editorial Office:
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org
Publications Chair
Bob Caletti
All manuscripts will be subject to editorial review. Articles submitted for publication may be edited or rejected at the discretion of the Publications Committee and the Editorial Staff. The article will not be published with significant changes without the authorÕs approval. All articles are considered to be the authorÕs personal opinion. The author may be asked to substantiate his/her statements.
Mechanical Music (ISSN 1045-795X) is published by the Musical Box Society International, 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 six times per year. A Direc.tory of Members, Museums, and Dealers is published biennially. Domestic subscription rate, $60. Periodicals postage paid at San Luis Obispo, CA and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2024. The Musical Box Society Inter.national, all rights reserved. Mechanical Music cannot be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form whatsoever without written consent of the Editor and the Executive Committee.
MEMBERS: SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO:
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Or, make corrections on the website at www.mbsi.org.
POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Features
8 A perfect fit
12 Nickel Notes
19 Conventions are about more than the music
26 Making music for royalty
Chapter Reports
MBSI has replanted 277 trees so far as part of the Print ReLeaf program.
EditorÕs Notes
MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial / Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org
By Russell Kasselman
MBSI Editor/Publisher
This issue carries with it the sad news that several prominent and knowledgeable voices in the mechanical music community have fallen silent. The most recent, as I was informed by Steve Ryder, is Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume of London, England. Arthur authored more than a dozen books about mechanical music, many of which are available in the MBSI library and are often labeled as a must-read for anyone looking to restore a music box. Arthur also wrote hundreds of articles for The Music Box, the journal of the Musical Box Society of Great Britain, and for his own self-published twice-annual Music & Automata journal. In addi.tion Arthur restored many of the most rare music boxes in the world. Steve is in the process of preparing a more detailed article for our next issue.
We also recently lost Matthew Caulfield, who may be best known for his work with the Seabreeze Park carousel and its Wurlitzer 165 band organ. MatthewÕs name might be most recognizable to anyone who is a regular reader of Mechanical Music Digest (https://www.mmdigest.com/) where he served as a reserve editor and contributed hundreds of articles over the years. Matthew was certainly a knowledgeable character and many, IÕm sure, will continue to be grateful for the experience he shared on the MMD forum.
Then there is Tim Trager. Tim might best be described as an mechanical music hound. Search the archives of Mechanical Music and references to the phrase ÒTim Trager helped located the instrumentÓ are peppered all over the results. Those who worked with Tim valued his encyclopedic knowl.edge of organs and other automatic music. He was a collector of catalogs and business literature surrounding mechanical music and he was happy to share what he knew with anyone who asked. His website, timtrager.com, is only a small representation of the number of mechanical music exchanges he has taken part in. Tim was passionate about promoting the hobby and he wasnÕt shy about shar.ing his ideas for how MBSI might be improved.
I am grateful for the contributions of each of these voices made to mechani.cal music since I claim no expertise at all on the subject. Without the infor.mation shared by Arthur, Matthew and Tim, I and IÕm guessing so many of you would be left flailing in the wind when trying to figure out much of anything about automatic music. I end this column, therefore, with a plea to all of you in the hobby who have knowledge that might benefit those who are coming after you. Find a way to share it. Write it down. Make video recordings. Post it to social media. Please donÕt let it disappear into the void where nobody can find it.
Upcoming Deadlines
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Advertisements for the September/October 2024 issue of Mechanical Music to be submitted by Aug. 1, 2024.
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EDITORIAL
Articles for the September/October 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Jul. 25, 2024.
Articles for the November/December 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Sept. 25, 2024.
Welcome new members!
April 2024
Ben Schwartz
Maplewood, NJ
Thomas & Diana Belcher
Tampa, FL
Jennifer & Roger Carter
Woodbine, MD
Hope Cain
Sulphur Springs, TX
Bruce & Joy Klawiter
Holland, MI
Alan Erringer
Portland, OR
May 2024
Stephen Bay & Jenna Ahonen
Dallas, TX
Brian Smith
Martinez, GA
Jack & Chris Bacon
St. Michael, MN
Mike & Marcy Orkin
Northridge, CA
Sadahiko Sakauchi
Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo-ken Japan
Joseph & Carol Comeau
LaGrange, ME
Justin Tan & Stefa Witt
Livingston, NJ
H. Kveen
Santa Ana, CA
Uriah Bueller
Boulder, CO
Just the right fit
A hotel built in 1884 seems exactly the right setting for part of the Yaffe collection
By Mark Yaffe
The Tampa Bay Hotel, a 511-room palace, was personally financed and built by visionary entrepreneur Henry B. Plant in 1884. It was completely electric and fire proof. It catered to elite society who gathered there to escape harsh northern winters.
In 1898, Plant catapulted Tampa, FL, and his hotel onto the interna.tional stage. The hotel became the headquarters for the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. It housed officers, foreign dignitaries, war correspondents as well as Red Cross personnel.
In the early 1890s, Plant purchased a Welte orchestrion for his home. The price was $5,000. Shortly afterward, in 1896, he decided to buy a second orchestrion for his guests to enjoy at his Tampa Bay Hotel.
Over time, as with many other mechanical musical instruments, the orchestrion fell in disrepair and was ultimately lost, destroyed or simply thrown away. The Tampa Bay Hotel closed its doors in 1932 and in 1933 the building became part of the University of Tampa and the Henry B. Plant Museum.
Two years ago, the Plant MuseumÕs board of directors decided to exhibit mechanical music instruments that had once adorned the Tampa Bay HotelÕs music room.
They felt fortunate to locate a Welte only a few miles away from the museum at our home. Several board members and staff came to visit our collection and they seemed just mesmerized. Christel and I were happy to loan out our Welte and several other instruments that now look and sound beautiful in their temporary home at the museum.
The Welte from our collection was once the property of Paul CorinÕs Music Museum in Cornwall, England. We purchased it around 1995 and had it completely restored in California by Ron Cappel and Dave Sorrow.
Almost 30 years later, Dave disassembled, transported and reassembled the Welte and other instruments so that they could be properly displayed at the museum.
The exhibit is called ÒImperfect Harmony: Man, Machine and Music.Ó It opened Mar. 23, 2024, and will continue to be available until Dec. 23, 2024.
The Henry B. Plant Museum is located at 401 W. Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa, FL. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Call (813) 254-1891 or go to www.plantmuseum.com for information.
Museum visitors can listen to the instruments every Wednesday at noon and on Saturdays at 11 a.m.
The museum has a display table with a copy of David BowersÕ ÒEncy.clopedia of Mechanical MusicÓ and MBSI membership brochures. If you find yourself in the area before Christ.mas 2024, please consider a visit to the museum. It is beautifully preserved and the grounds are spectacular too.
The exterior of the Tampa Bay Hotel built by Henry B. Plant in 1884.
On the facing page and above, the Welte orchestrion and other items from Mark and Christel YaffeÕs collection on display at the museum.
A Mills Violano fills one corner of the music room in the museum.
An ÒEncyclopedia of Automatic Musical InstrumentsÓ by Q. David Bowers, along with other books and brochures promot.ing the mechanical music hobby on a table for guests to enjoy.
A Black Forest musical box and clock entice visitors to take a closer look.
An ornately-decorated interchangeable cylinder musical box with extra cylinders in storage underneath on loan from the Yaffes.
The museum display includes many musical items to keep visitors busy.
Nickel Notes
By Matthew Jaro
Plugging the Songs
In previous Nickel Notes columns, we have discussed many aspects of mechanical music, but we never detailed how songs were advertised and promoted in the days before radio and even phonographs and even after.wards into the 1920s. Consequently, this issue is devoted to Plugging the Songs.
Before 1900
In the 1880s the Music Trade Review (then called the Music Trade Journal) concentrated on instru.ments (especially pianos and organs) and classical music news. There might be announcements of musical comedies and operettas, but these were not advertisements. Mechanical instrument advertising was limited to organettes. By 1891 there were announcements about the Autom.aton Piano Co., but no songs were advertised.
1900 to 1910
In 1900 the Angelus Cabinet Piano Player was advertised by Wilcox and White Co. A trade magazine article stated that sheet-music sales were expanding, noting that ÒCake-WalkÓ and the ÒCoonÓ song had particularly brisk sales. Vocal music was reported to sell three times more than instru.mental music. Chicago seemed, at the time, to be the center of sheet music sales. Columbia Graphophones and records began to be advertised in 1900. Regina music boxes were also advertised. In 1905 Perfection Music rolls were first advertised by the Perforated Music Roll Company. The Automusic Perforating Company also began advertising. Victor records advertised Marcella Sembrich and Maud Powell violin records, but these were all classical. In 1905 music publisher M. Witmark advertised sales of sheet music from the musical comedy ÒFantanÓ by Raymond Hubell and Robert B. Smith. Sol Bloom advertised ÒKisses,Ó ÒA Bit OÕBlarneyÓ and several others of equal fame. The Nicklin Coin-Operated Piano was advertised as well.
In 1909 Lyon and Healy advertised military band organs and mechanical pianos. The music trade publications at this time contained larger numbers of player piano ads. There were also many manufacturers of piano parts and accessories that placed adver.tisements. The advertisements placed by music publishers grew during this time, hawking various titles that they wanted to promote. Examples included ÒMake a Noise Like a Hoop and Roll Away,Ó and ÒMy Brudda Sylvest.Ó This latter song was a big hit and is still relatively well known. It was composed by Fred Fischer and first advertised in 1908. Advertising for this song continued every week until 1910. Later in 1910 it was adver.tised by Charles K Harris. It became a folk-song and is still sung by Irish music bands. A secondary title is ÒBig Strong Man.Ó ÒSunbonnet SueÓ was also advertised by Gus Edwards who wrote the melody for the song. Will D. Cobb wrote the lyrics.
In 1910 the Victor Talking Machine Company placed ads explaining why piano dealers should carry Victor products. The ads state that selling records and record players will boost piano sales and are much easier to sell than pianos. The spread of phonograph records was instrumental in selling sheet music to piano store customers who would buy the music after hearing the records. Columbia adopted the same strategy as Victor in attempting to get piano dealers to sell Columbia products. Both compa.nies said that selling the phonograph would be only the beginning because customers must have records to play on their phonographs.
The Music Trade Review began featuring a music section, where sheet music was discussed and reviewed. Authors writing for this section fawned over the latest song by Ernest Ball, ÒMy Heart has Learned to Love You,Ó and the article includes a repro.duction of the front cover of the sheet music. Ball was co-author of ÒWhen Irish Eyes are Smiling,Ó ÒMother MachreeÓ and other well-known songs. At this point the music trade publications began advertising indi.vidual songs like ÒThat Italian Rag,Ó by Al Piantadosi (who wrote ÒThe Curse of an Aching HeartÓ).
1911-1915
An advertisement for ÒAll Aboard for Blanket Bay,Ó by Harry von Tilzer gives us a clue as to one means of plugging songs. The producers made more than 1,000 sets of slides, so the song could be played and sung along with in movie theaters. von Tilzer also wrote ÒA Bird in the Gilded Cage,Ó ÒWait ÕTil the Sun Shines Nellie,Ó ÒI Want a Girl Just Like the Girl that Married Dear old DadÓ and countless others.
At this point in time, we know there were the following outlets for the public to obtain new music:
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Sheet music dealers, including piano dealers
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Phonograph records
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Player-piano rolls
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Motion picture theaters
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Coin-operated pianos
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Live theater and Vaudeville
An announcement distributed by Leo Feist Publishers states that a Vaudeville group introduced the song ÒThink It Over Mary,Ó which was so popular that the company had orders rolling in. It seems obvious to me that theatrical presentations stimulated music sales.
What Shall We Do With Our
Sheet Music Department?
In 1912 player pianos were so successful that the Music Trade Review had a separate Player section in the front of the newspaper. An inter.esting article from this year stated that customers could go into a music store where phonograph records and sheet music were sold on the first floor and find the selection great enough to supply all customers with the latest songs. Player piano rolls, however, were often sold on the second floor and the distribution system is not adequate to keep the stores supplied, said the article. ÒEvery piano house in town is dissatisfied,Ó said a dealer, Òwith roll merchandising as it is.Ó
The same issue of the music trade magazine talks about the problem with stores selling sheet music. One interesting comment in the article notes that some songs sold millions of copies. This is far more than I would have expected for this period.
Song plugging was so prevalent in 1914 that thieves even posed as music salesmen to rob their victimÕs homes a few days later.
In 1914 the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) was founded to ensure that music publishers and composers received the royalties due to them from live performances or broadcasts of their music.
In 1915, Presto magazine ran an article called ÒThe Plugged Hit (How and Why the Plugger Plugs).Ó It is well known that song pluggers appeared in department stores and music stores in order to promote new songs with the hope of creating a hit, but there was much more to it than that. Consider this chain of events:
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Even before professional copies of a new song were turned out, typewritten lyrics were provided for early birds who visited the music rooms of the publisher.
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House piano players drilled the music into the heads of the Vaudeville artists or Cabaret singers as the words were held in hand.
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On the evening of the day a promising song was completed, it was performed in hurriedly accomplished form in cabarets around New York and sometimes in theaters where pianos consti.tuted the orchestra.
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Professional copies were secured from the printer as quickly as proofs could be approved and copies printed.
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While all the above was happen.ing, a professional ÒpluggerÓ would have been visiting Vaudeville artists at the theaters, meeting them on the street or in restaurants at lunch or dinner and spreading the news that another Òsure-fireÓ hit has been born. The plugger would let the artists know that all they needed to do was call at the firmÕs music rooms to have the proof established.
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The mail carried first proof copies of the song throughout the country to Vaudeville artists friendly to the publisher. These acts were known to use the new songs the publisher turned out, and they were Òbig namesÓ who could make songs popular all around the country. The artists appreciated the courtesy of having Òfirst crackÓ at a new song that might be particularly adapted to their style.
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Orchestrations were prepared by arrangers employed at every publisher to do initial work with songs that would be given an early trial before the public.
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Later, a printer would be called upon to supply orchestrations to aid vocalists if the song still promised to be successful. Still later, band parts were printed for a wider distribution of the melody of a song that stood the early test and rigors of being thoroughly tested.
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About this time the various trade papers would carry advertise.ments inviting the attention of those in the music profession generally. These advertisements would lead to a nationwide distribution of professional copies. All this time the Òsong pluggerÓ would still be visiting theaters in New York, Chicago and other big cities, interviewing individual singers and urging the claims of the Ònew hit.Ó
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Additionally, squads of singers were sent to Vaudeville theaters in big towns to sing the chorus and perhaps parade the aisles ÒdinningÓ the melody into the ears of the assemblage. Individual ÒboostersÓ were sent into the boxes or orchestra seats at other theaters, while the ÒsquadsÓ and singles would tour the cafes and cabarets, working late into the night, or early into the morning, after a busy day in the music rooms of their firm.
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Phonograph records were made after the song proved that it had sufficient signs of permanent, or even semi-permanent popularity.
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The ÒBarrel-organsÓ and hurdy-gurdys were the last to take up the new song and bands would play it in the open. Orchestras played it in cafes and at the dancing cabarets. As it became more widespread, boys would begin whistling it, men and women would begin humming it and eventually it would reach the high tide of its vogue.
ItÕs clear from the article that a lot of work was required to promote a song and early results could prove to be life or death to the new songÕs distribution and sales. The process of promoting songs was certainly more complex than a simple plugger working at a department store or a music store. Astute readers might notice that IÕve made no mention of music rolls and of course there was no mention of radio. It could be that nickelodeons were still not really popular enough to make much of an impact.
This above described chain of events was reinforced by a 1916 article in Presto talking about a certain song plugger who would dash into a motion picture house at the end of a picture, stand up with the orchestra and begin performing something which his firm hoped will be a hit. He would have previously given the orchestra free copies of the music. The patrons of the show might think the plugger was a paid entertainer. Sometimes the manager would threaten to throw the plugger out or have him arrested, but that didnÕt matter. Five hundred persons would have heard the new song and perhaps some of them would buy it the next day.
1916-1920
In 1916, there was a lot of discussion about the Stevens Price Maintenance Bill which would enforce maintenance of resale prices and legalize fair-trade pricing. Of course, the American Fair-Trade League supported this. The main objective of the 1914 Stevens Price Maintenance Bill was to establish the right of a manufacturer to Òprescribe the sole, uniform price at which each article covered by a sales contract may be resold.Ó The bill failed to pass and instead the Federal Trade Commission was established. The FTC felt that such contracts were anti-competitive. The music merchants had hoped to prevent certain dealers from selling items below cost or at a reduced profit to attract more customers, but it was not to be.
In 1919 one of the big hits was the Irish tenor John McCormack singing ÒRoses of Picardy.Ó The song was writ.ten in Britain in 1916 and originally published by Chappell and Company. Haydn Wood, the composer, also wrote ÒDanny Boy.Ó In 1918, Chappell placed a three-column ad showing McCormack and the sheet music as well as listing all the versions avail.able. British soldiers sang it in France. During the First World War the sheet music sold at a rate of 40,000 copies per month. It remained popular after the war. There are more than 150 recordings of the song.
ÒDardanellaÓ
In 1919, there was an article about the song ÒDardanella.Ó
The song was published by a number of roll companies: Artrio Rolls, Aeolian, Altoona, Republic, Rhymodik and Universal to name a few. In 1920, a column listing current rolls, stated under the headline ÒQRS MUSIC COMPANY:Ó ÒÔDardanellaÕ is here, of course, and there is even a ÔDardanella BluesÕ to make it complete.Ó
It is mentioned that the sheet music is simplified by the publisher to greatly add to the sales. I have a theory (unconfirmed) about sheet music. In the 19th century, the only entertainment available was usually a piano at home (with singers). The music had to be simple because they were played by amateurs for home entertainment. They were usually quadrilles, waltzes polkas and ballads. In the 1920s, the choices for entertain.ment expanded to include records, piano rolls, concerts, night clubs and, later, radio. The sheet music arrange.ments in the 1920s got more difficult and I think many numbers were aimed at professional musicians or at least very advanced amateurs. Chord progressions and harmonies became much more complex than their 19th century counterparts.
ÒDardanellaÓ was published in 1919 by Fred Fisher. Band leader Ben Selvin recorded the song for several record companies and by some estimates, more than 5 million copies were sold (Wikipedia). In 1919 The Music Trade Review saw a prepublication manu.script to ÒDardanellaÓ.
Popularity of the song continued to increase in 1920.
Stores began adding window displays to advertise the rolls. (See image above.)
ÒDardanellaÓ was a huge hit on the West Coast. San Francisco-based Sherman, Clay & Co.Õs sheet music department received 25,000 copies of ÒDardanellaÓ by express and reported an unprecedented demand for the music.
PathŽ records devoted a full-page ad selling its three recordings of the tune. (See facing page for image.)
The song sold so well that the composer regretted selling his rights for $100 and sued the publisher.
In 1922 composer Felix Bernard lost his case against publisher Fred Fisher and the publisher was entitled to damages resulting from an injunction restraining him from disbursing any money received from the song.
Another publisher charged soon after that the lyrics to ÒDardanellaÓ were written by a songwriter under contract with the Remick publishing house (owned by Alfred Bryan) and not by Fred Fisher, as the name on the title page of the sheet music indicated. The Music Trade Review commented on the situation to say that ÒIt looks as though ÔDardanellaÕ is going to be a financial success for the lawyers as well as for the writers and publishers.Ó
By September, counterfeit copies of ÒDardanellaÓ appeared on the West Coast. The printer, Walter Hodges, pleaded guilty and was fined $100 for the crime. He sold his counterfeit copies at 10 cents apiece.
In March 1922 Fred Fisher sued composer Jerome Kern and his publisher over the song ÒKalua.Ó
One of the claims made was that the bass line for ÒKaluaÓ was copied from ÒDardanella.Ó
In 1924 the case was tried and a decision returned. Presiding was a famous judge, Billings Learned Hand. The judge decided that even though Kern may have unconsciously copied the bass figures of ÒDardanellaÓ in his song ÒKalua,Ó it was still a copyright infringement. This has now become known as Òthe unconscious copying doctrine.Ó It was certainly an inge.nious way of punishing the infringer without questioning his integrity. As for damages, the judge asserted that Fred Fisher wasnÕt damaged at all by ÒKalua.Ó First, the judge said, ÒDarda.nellaÓ had receded from popularity and it was doubtful that the presence of ÒKaluaÓ would have had any effect whatsoever on ÒDardanellaÓ sales. Since the minimum fine for the copy.right infraction was $250, Kern was fined that amount. Kern did not have to pay the FisherÕs attorney fees since the judge felt they were discretionary.
Later legal opinion was that the original decision was incorrect since the bass line of both ÒDardanellaÓ and ÒKaluaÓ was an ÒAlbertiÓ bass which had been already used in a number of classical compositions and therefore shouldnÕt be forbidden for any song in the popular genre.
In 1928 Mills Music bought the rights to ÒDardanellaÓ and hoped to reissue it with a new arrangement. Also, in 1928, Felix Bernard joined the staff of M. Witmark and Sons.
By 1922 ÒDardanellaÓ was almost forgotten. The big hit of that year was ÒStumbling.Ó ÒDardanella,Ó however, was the first popular song to sell more than 1 million records. In fact, count.ing all the recordings of the song, 6.5 million copies of the song were sold, and 2 million copies of the sheet music were sold.
1921-1925
After ÒDardanella,Ó everything else seemed mundane. Recordings and sheet music did, however, become big business. A 1921 Paul Whiteman ad appeared on Page 4 of the Music Trade Review advertising sheet music! Prior to ÒDardanellaÓ most sheet music and record ads were relegated to the last few pages of each issue.
In the same 1921 issue was an ad for the song ÒWhispering.Ó This song became quite successful selling more than 2 million copies.
Sherman, Clay & Co. was the publisher of this song, but Paul Whiteman made it famous.
Radio broadcasting started in 1920 with station KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA. ChicagoÕs first station KYW started in 1921. By 1922, there were 600 radio stations in the U.S. One ad claimed a range of 150 miles.
One of the big hits of 1923 was ÒToot, Toot, Tootsie.Ó
In 1923, Lyon and Healy was adver.tising its radio department.
Lawyers for ASCAP were trying to get the radio stations to pay royalties for each time a song was played on the radio. One article in Presto said:
ÒWithin the last two months, owing mainly to the popularity of the radio, the royalties of the authors and composers have fallen off alarmingly.Ó
ÒThe national copyright law gives us the exclusive rights to control the public performance of our numbers.Ó
ÒIt is a mistaken idea that the broadcasting of a piece of music tends to popularize it. The days of the Ôsong pluggerÕ are gone. If a popular number is played to death, the demand for it soon ceases, and it has been this abuse of the popular song that has shortened its life.Ó
In 1924, radio really became aware of radio.
In 1925 the DeForest Radio Company took out a full-page ad in the Music Trade Review. From then on, everything changed, and I end the article on this note. The life of this particular song plugger, however, will live on to plug another day.
Email Matt Jaro at mjaro@verizon.net if you would like any information about style ÒAÓ, ÒGÓ, Ò4XÓ, ÒHÓ or ÒOÓ rolls. Also, comments and suggestions for this column will be appreciated.
Reprinted with permission of the author and The Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA). Originally printed in the November/December 2018 issue of The AMICA Bulletin.
A musical box society convention is about more than the music
(EditorÕs Note: This article was previously published in the December 2023 issue of Vox Humana, the journal of the Mechanical Organ OwnersÕ Society in Great Britain. It has been lightly edited, reviewed by the author and approved for publication in Mechanical Music.)
By Michael Clark
2023 has been a return to several ÒnormalÓ events for me, although my budget pocket had to be squeezed tight with some of the increased costs.
One thing my wife, Felicity, and I enjoyed in the pre-pandemic days was visiting the USA to partake in the Musi.cal Box Society International annual conventions, which by the nature of the country, are held each year in a different state dependent on whether there are sufficient chapter members and instrument collections in the area. MBSIÕs regional chapters provide a social outlet for members in specific areas and the distances between each can be substantial.
The Snowbelt Chapter, probably the smallest active one in the society, played host for the 2023 convention. I attended this convention on my own and observed it was a smaller group of people joining than at other events I had previously been to.
I travelled from Leeds to Amster.dam and then by direct flight to the twin cities, which are St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN. St. Paul is the capi.tal of Minnesota and was the base this year for the convention, which took place in the downtown (city centre) Doubletree by Hilton Hotel.
Day one (Monday)
I arrived at the hotel by way of the public bus from the airport to downtown.
Day two (Tuesday)
The official first day of the conven.tion, but mainly it is only for trustee meetings and committees. I was free to roam, so, having noticed the state Capitol building and cathedral perched high above the city, I set off to explore. I took the tram to the Capitol building, which, after taking external photographs from the end of the lawn, I entered and found a tour about to start. An extensive tour wound around the inside, including the space under the dome, the House of Representatives and the Senate room. A lot of artwork and history of the state were explained. Then it was up to the roof where in front of the dome is the Quadriga, a gold-plated copper sculpture of chariot and horses named ÒThe Progress of the State.Ó In the near distance I could see downtown St. Paul, while in the far distance were the tall buildings of downtown Minneapolis.
I then went below the Capitol building where underground tunnels connect it to the various ministry buildings that surround it. These were built so employees who needed to move from building to building can do so safely during the blazing heat (like the day I was present) but more particularly in the long frozen, snow-covered winter, which can last for more than six months.
Next it was out into the sunshine and onward by foot for a half mile or so to the huge Catholic cathedral of St. Paul. Inside was a vast number of pews to accommodate 3,000 members of the congregation and a balcony in front of the east window where a lovely Aeolian-Skinner organ was seen but unfortunately not heard.
I travelled back to the hotel by another bus and had time to say hello to some other delegates who were gathered in the hospitality room collecting their passes and tickets for specific events during the week.
Day 3 (Wednesday)
It was an early start with breakfast in the hotel, then I boarded the tour bus to view the first collection. The destination was two hours away and belonged to pig breeder Kiven Lukes and his wife, Cheryl. In the large music room-cum-banqueting hall-cum-amusement arcade were not just mechanical instruments but some old and unusual arcade games which guests were allowed to play (helped by a nickel or dime of course).
We then went outside where Kiven had arranged for one of his farm colleagues to show us some of the animals bred on the farm. First, we saw a 4-month-old 600-pound steer named ÒBubbles,Ó who was only one third of his 12-month-old full-grown weight. Then we saw a show pig that was almost ready for market. The pig gave its keeper a good run for its money as it meandered among the guests and the foliage in the house grounds.
Then it was back inside for a demonstration of all the instruments followed by a lunch of É huge pork chops!!
On the bus again we drove down some farm roads to an open corner of a corn field. Here we saw two massive Case IH 450 Quadtrack tractors near a combine, seeding machine and a small gazebo for shade.
Kiven explained the farm imple.ments while guests were invited to drive the two tractors. I joined in the queue and was amazed to sit so high up on a tractor with caterpillar tracks on each of the four corners. Then it was on to the actual corn crop, which was lower in height and yield due to the poor weather conditions of the summer but still measured about 7 feet high, with cobs awaiting harvesting. Guests wandered among the stalks of the crop while Kiven explained the features of the crop. These are a lesser quality crop than for human consump.tion, he told us, but he grows about 25 percent of the corn and soya needed for his business, helping him to breed 100,000 pigs for market per annum.
Finally, it was back to the main building for a last drink and more music before returning to the hotel. The official welcome dinner that evening was our first social event.
Day 4 (Thursday)
Things were getting busy with two buses scheduled for this day, one going clockwise and the other anti.clockwise. My bus set off to the lovely home of Thomas and Hongyan Kuehn where the musical instruments are kept in a two-level music room, with a stunning view of a lake to the back.
A 1992 replica Wurlitzer 105 military band organ greeted us in the driveway while in the place of the adjoined garage was TomÕs workshop where he was showing guests his latest project, a Loesche Model 9 built circa 1910. Instruments were demonstrated while guests roamed the house and grounds.
All too soon we had to board the bus for our next destination, Skyrock Farm, where Bill and Stacy Nunn were waiting to give us lunch in their magnificent Victorian ballroom. While we settled in and ate, music was played first on the 3-14 Barton theatre pipe organ. Then the fairground organs were demonstrated one at a time while the guests wandered round the large exhibition hall. Also within the building were a juvenile carousel, a huge collection of model carousel ornaments and music boxes, carousel animals and many other artefacts of the hobby. There was also a music cutting machine being used and work being done on a 1912 Ruth organ front that was explained by Stacy who was involved in its restoration and redecoration.
Moving on quickly we were ushered out to the NunnsÕ business arena to see show horse training. They were holding summer riding schools for youngsters, and one of their star pupils, Bohden, riding Conan, demon.strated his ability over the jumps. Also outside was an amusement park rail.road which we took turns ÒsqueezingÓ into the seats for a ride around the house and museum grounds.
We returned to the hotel and a rapid turnaround, re-boarding the buses and heading to the nearby Cafesjian Carousel in Como Park. Here we were provided with a meal of fried chicken followed by the traditional ice cream social. Guests rode the 1914 PTC carousel and enjoyed the company of fellow members on this lovely machine, principally saved by Gerard L. Cafesjian, a St. Paul businessman and philanthropist who stepped in after the ride had completed 74 years at the Minnesota State Fair, only 1 mile from where the ride now stands in its pavilion. The organ, a Wurlitzer 153, is not the original organ as that was destroyed in a fire in 1939.
Day 5 (Friday)
The morning activity was four work.shops, 45-minute sessions on varied subjects. First, Fred Dahlinger gave an illustrated talk on ÒEnjoying Legend.ary Ruth Organs,Ó which covered many of the larger organs built by A. Ruth & Son, bringing their history to life and current location if preserved.
John Miller then gave a talk named ÒFutureproofing Mechanical Music.Ó I found it to be a very interesting look at this organ builderÕs view on how things may progress and where tech.nology will help.
Nate Otto, a young yet extremely enthusiastic restorer of 88-note player pianos and photoplayers, made a presentation titled ÒAn Impractical Penchant for Photoplayers,Ó that involved his own Style 15 American Photoplayer. He demonstrated its capabilities by playing a sequence of rolls that provided his guest, a former Ringling Brothers Circus clown, Neal Skoy, the background and effects for a live stunt show involving a folding chair, rope, briefcase and a bunch of flowers.
The fourth workshop, by Nancy Fratti, gave helpful suggestions in a talk titled ÒDispersing your collection Ñ what are your options?Ó
After an awards lunch at the hotel, it was back to the buses for a ÒGangster Tour.Ó This started very suddenly with the arrival on the bus of our guide, who introduced himself as Baby Face Nelson and proceeded alarmingly to lark about in gangster fashion, describing what used to happen in St. Paul and describing the well-known gangsters who spent time there as well as their eventual fates. It appeared that the main draw for St. Paul was the allegedly corrupt police chief of the time.
We toured caves, saw historic buildings and locations relating to the gangster activities and heard lots of stories of the time period.
After returning to the hotel for dinner, we enjoyed an evening of classic comedy movies accompanied by Nate on his photoplayer.
Day 6 (Saturday)
This was the main convention day with an early morning start featur.ing the Annual Meeting Breakfast, followed by the appointments and conveyance of society information to the membership. Once concluded, vendors setting up for the afternoon mart went to another room where, in due course, many instruments, large and small, were on show for inspection and purchase, together with many smaller mechanical music accessories, books and memorabilia.
I took this opportunity, having researched the possibilities, to catch a service bus near the hotel for a 10-minute ride to the outskirts of St. Paul where a heritage group has taken over a railroad roundhouse and adjoining premises, including a turn.table. The group constructed a facility for vehicle restoration and storage, while on a short piece of track they give caboose rides behind a large shunting locomotive, running parallel to the existing network of the Great Northern Railway. There is also an exhibition hall, shop and cafŽ making for a pleasant place for an hour or two to learn about the local railroads.
The previous day, when I was wear.ing a Bluebell Railway T-shirt, I met Jeff Ingbrigtson who told me he was a member of this railroad society. He informed me he would come and meet me after a commitment he had as one of the MBSI chapter event organisers, so I was very pleased to find him standing in the yard when I returned from my caboose ride.
He showed me the workshops and told me about the facility and some of the vehicles stored and being restored. He, with his partner Lisa Tenhoff, also kindly gave me a lift back to the hotel in time to join in the mart, a very informal opportunity to catch up with friends and acquaintances old and new as well as possibly acquiring some new instruments.
While the mart was being tidied away there was time for a walk round the town, and I discovered Cossetta, a superb Italian establishment, sort of a cross between a grocery shop, restaurant, deli, cafŽ, gelato and bakery parlour, about 15 minutes from the hotel.
That evening was set aside for the MBSI annual banquet where, following the food and some thanks from Snowbelt Chapter Chair Tracy M. Tolzmann, we were entertained by a local magician, Frederick Baisch, who included some of the audience in his performance. His act ran along a theme familiar to me in that some tricks would appear to fail, like the well-known UK magician Tommy Cooper.
The evening concluded with distri.butions of table favours, a group photo with the international members of MBSI and saying farewells.
Many left for home early on Sunday, but I had accepted an invitation from Jeff and Lisa to go to a couple of open house events close by. Our first stop was at Ron OlsenÕs, whose home, ÒHuston Place,Ó is a restored 1922 property containing his collection of approximately 250 antique lamps and light fixtures. The main attrac.tions were three player pianos, each with a different player action. These were demonstrated in rotation, first a 1921 6-foot 2-inch Baldwin C with a Welte-Mignon, then a 1927 6-foot 6-inch Steinway OR with a Duo-Art and finally a 1926 Mason & Hamlin RAA with an AMPICO.Ó (It has a ÒBÓ drawer but is an AMPICO A reproduc.ing system.)
We next stopped at JeffÕs home to see his spectacular model railroad in action and other small-scale steam exhibits. Finally, it was on to Rich and Heidi PoppeÕs home where music boxes and small instruments were in an abundance and several MBSI members offered tips on restoration and fault-finding to those present.
Having returned to the hotel, I wandered off to find some of the ÒPeanutsÓ memorials, in the form of bronze castings of the characters from the newspaper cartoon, dotted around Rice Park and the surrounding streets. Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz was a resident of St. Paul and drew many of his cartoon strips while there. The bronzes were created after art students descended on the city following his death. They made models for consideration as memori.als to each character and a fund was created to continue maintenance of the works. I made a brief visit to the local science museum overlooking the Mississippi River and finally I made a return visit to Cossetta for another lovely gelato, appreciated in the heat of the afternoon.
On Monday I headed home, content with a great week with so many friendly people and an agenda that covered all sorts of music and local interest to boot.
The state capitol building in St. Paul, MN.
Minnesota capitol building rooftop quadriga, a copper sculpture covered in gold leaf entitled ÒThe Progress of the State.Ó
Overlooking the city, the Cathedral of Paul the Apostle was completed in 1915.
The Skinner organ, rebuilt by Quimby in 2013, with 4 manuals and 86 ranks in the Catholic cathedral.
Kiven Lukes demonstrates a 1920s Seeburg KT that was restored in 2006.
An MBSI nature trail, looking for cobs of corn.
The author at the tractor steps.
Tom KuehnÕs replica Wurlitzer style 105.
Tom KuehnÕs Loesche Model 9 faade. (Photo by Tom Kuehn)
Tom Kuehn explains his latest project
ÒConanÓ being ridden by Bohden at Skyrock Farm.
Charlie at the helm of the NunnsÕ amusement park train.
Stacy and Bill serve up a wonderful lunch.
1912 original Ruth faade under restoration.
CafesjianÕs Carousel in Como Park, St. Paul.
Tour guide Ryan does a fantastic Baby Face Nelson act in the Gangster Cave.
Caboose rides are available on open days at Great Northern Roundhouse in St. Paul. The locomotive is a General Motors Model SW-1 600hp switcher built in 1949, No. 3110.
The Jackson Street Roundhouse at the Minnesota Transportation Museum.
The Cossetta Italian Deli where tasty gelato can be found on a hot day.
Musical tribute to Peanuts featuring Schroeder and Lucy in Rice Park.
The Mississippi River viewed from the science museum in downtown St. Paul, MN.
Music for royalty
An 1826 Anton Beyer musical clock with barrel organ is restored to glory
By Ugo Casiglia
In 1826, Vienna-born Anton Beyer, a maker of musical clocks registered with the Viennese instrument makers guild, plied his trade in Naples, Italy, and produced an instrument that caught the eye of a Branciforte prince of Butera who desired to place it in his familyÕs palace in Palermo, which faced the sea and is commonly known today as Palazzo Butera. It remained there slowly sinking into disrepair until just after the turn of the 21st century when it was acquired by Ugo Casiglia who restores and constructs historical keyboard instruments. CasigliaÕs workshop is in the small town of Cinisi, Italy, and has operated there since 1985. After two years of work, the instrument is once again sounding and looking as if it were new.
This particular Flotenuhr or Spieluhr Ñ as these instruments were then called in German Ñ is the only one remaining in private hands today. Its maker, Beyer, would have been considered something of a ÒmechanicÓ in his day, bringing together the skills of a watchmaker, organ builder and cabinet maker to produce something so valuable it could only have been purchased by the aristocratic class. We know much about Beyer and his fellow musical clock makers because of the work of Helmut Kowar and his book ÒDie Wiener Flotenuhr.Ó Helmut is a great scholar of mechanical music and serves as curator of the section dedicated to musical automata at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna as well as acting as the director of the phonographic and ethnomusicological archive of the same city.
From HelmutÕs research, we know that BeyerÕs activity dates back to 1813, the year in which he was registered as a Òburgerlicher spieluhrmacher,Ó or maker of musical clocks. In 1817 his workshop was located at No. 146 Laimgrube, an area where many other Viennese builders operated (among them Anton Walter, Ferdinand Hofmann, Mathias Muller, Johann Schanz, to name a few of the most well known). Some time later, Beyer moved his residence to 99 Spittelberg in Pelikangasse where he still resided in 1823. After that, he abandoned Vienna for Naples at the request of the Bourbon royals. When Beyer arrived in Naples, the city was still one of the most important musical centers in Europe and a privileged observation point for contemporary opera produc.tion (which also constituted the main repertoire of cylinder organs of the time). Naples was also home to some of the most important and prestigious ruling houses in Europe around which a rich aristocracy moved, sensitive to foreign fashions, in particular those of Vienna and Paris.
The Naples that Beyer chose to relo.cate to had previously been shaped by a series of significant events. Prior to the arrival of NapoleonÕs troops, an Austrian queen, Maria Carolina of Habsburg Ñ 13th daughter of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and elder sister of Marie Antoinette of France Ñ sat on the throne of Naples and Sicily. Maria Carolina significantly favored cultural and political relations between the Neapolitan court and that of Vienna. Following NapoleonÕs defeat and the Congress of Vienna in 1814Ð1815, the commercial and cultural relations between Naples and the Habsburg empire were not substan.tially affected, and Naples, despite suffering the protectionist policy of the customs system promulgated after the establishment of the new kingdom of the Two Sicilies, continued to attract many foreign artisans. Beyer and others were attracted to the city not only for its cultural activity but also because it was experiencing a period of economic development which made the capital of the King.dom a lively hotbed of manufacturing and commercial activities.
No other manufacturers of cylinder organs with clockwork mechanisms were locally active at the time Beyer arrived in Naples, meaning that he was invited by Austrian royalty to introduce harmonic machines to the aristocrats in that city. On Oct. 15, 1823, the royal treasurer assigned Beyer a monthly salary of 36 ducats retroactive to Aug. 6, 1823, the date at which he had left Vienna to travel to Naples. Once in Naples, Beyer was housed near the royal palace, in via Egiziaca, which had been specially renovated at the expense of the crown. The first of the two instruments that Beyer built for the Caserta Royal Palace dates back to a few months after his arrival and bears the date 1823 on one of the bellows and on a gear. The second instrument, dated 1826, is the Flotenuhr featured in this article that belonged to the princes of Butera, as previously mentioned. The specimens built by Beyer are still considered noteworthy items of interest in the catalog ÒDe essays of Neapolitan manufactures exposed to the solemn exhibitionÓ promoting craft exhibitions in 1832 and then again in 1834. The instrument that was exhibited at the craft exhibition in 1834, one equipped with eight cylin.ders, was purchased for 300 ducats.
Beyer was buried in the municipal cemetery of Caserta, but the exact year of his death is not known.
The 1826 Flotenuhr that is the subject of this article is contained within a secretary equipped with drawers, shelves and secret closets. It is veneered with precious woods and embellished with bronzes, wooden inlays and mother-of-pearl decorations. The mechanical heart is protected by a large door secured with a lock and key. (In later models, a large front window was used so that the chest of drawers and pendulum clock were always on display.) In the lower part of the case there is a compartment intended for storing six spare cylinders that can be accessed through a door in the left side of the case. In the sheepskin folds of the bellows is found a calligraphic hand-written note that is clearly legi.ble, reading ÒJOSEPH HAIN in Wien 1826.Óa This not only provides us with a precise date of manufacture but also reveals that Beyer was in the habit of obtaining sound materials from the trusted Viennese organ builder Joseph Hain.
All the mechanical parts, the clock and the pinned cylinders were produced by Beyer. The cabinet was likely produced by prestigious Neapolitan workers in the sector.
The complex and meticulous resto.ration of this instrument encompassed the entire machine. The gear train was completely dismantled and cleaned of encrustations and dirt residues and then protected with 3 percent benzotri.azole. The restoration of the key frame was more complex. The stickers, in mild steel, were completely rusted and many of the keys were mutilated. The parts that could still perform the function of reading the cylinders were restored and copies were then made to complete the 44 others that were completely damaged. The resto.ration of the clock was carried out by a master craftsman in the sector. The parts specifically pertaining to the organ, windchests and bellows were in excellent condition, and the bellows had been maintained keeping the original sheepskins. The only restoration needed was the repair of a few slight and not very significant cracks. The windchest was cleaned and the two small, delicate fans were restored. Only a few of the 44 4-foot Viennese cusp pipes were missing, and replacements were rebuilt using the same wood and technique as Beyer would have done. The engine of the instrument, a lead weight weighing 52 kilograms, was recon.structed by measuring the shape and dimensions of a similar instrument that is now preserved in Palazzo Mirto in Palermo. The weight slides into a special compartment at the bottom right of the case supported by a multi-strand steel cable. The support would have originally been made of gut. The repairs to the case were minor, filling small wooden gaps and cleaning any metal parts. The original patina was renewed with shellac resin varnish applied with a pad. An entire set of 22 cylinders was restored by reconstruct.ing the numerous breaks and missing parts with brass plate. Only one cylin.der, seriously deformed in its wooden structure, was kept in its current state and is therefore not operational. The instrument today is fully functional and complete.
This instrument is scheduled to go to auction in October but it is currently available for private sale.
The restoration was carried out by Ugo CasigliaÕs workshop, ÒAntichi Stru.menti da Asto,Ó a company involved in the construction and restoration of historical keyboard instruments for 35 years. See more at http://www.ugocasiglia.it/en Watch and listen to this instrument at https://youtu.be/x1_RONoG7Fw?feature=shared
Antonio Beyer put his name prominently on this card inside the machine.
The timepiece at the top center of the case was designed and built by Anton Beyer, whereas the rest of the case and the musical components were most likely made by other master craftsmen in the city of Naples, Italy.
A center panel opened with a key reveals the makerÕs card and shelves for displaying other valuable pieces.
The metallic detail pieces adorning the case were meticulously restored.
An inner panel hides the musical mechanism and pipes. This view is without a cylinder loaded.
Cylinders are loaded into the mechanism via a door on the left side of the machine. The steel pins are raised while loading the cylinder, then lowered to play the music.
This detailed view shows where the cylinder connects to the gears.
A crank handle is found behind a panel on the right side of the case. The weight that drives the mechanism is behind the case and raised via the wire around the spool.
The lever to start the music playing is at the front of the mechanism.
Steel pins that ÒreadÓ the cylinder are lowered via a lever on the left side of the case.
A closer view of one of the 22 cylinders available for the machine.
A view from behind the case showing some of the 44 pipes and the cylinder.
The bellows with original sheepskin coverings push air through the pipes.
An excerpt from ÒThe Progress of Sciences, Letters and Arts Ñ Periodic work Ñ Volume IX Ñ Naples 1834Ó
ÒMr.Õs so-called harmonic machine has nothing harmonic about it. Antonio Beyer: it is nothing but a perfected accordion; because without a handlebar to shake it, it plays any music you want by itself, as long as it does not exceed a duration of four to five minutes; and it does this thanks to a driving weight which, once the instrument is loaded, makes the double bellows that animate the pipes go, and the cylinder where the sonata is played with a special artifice turns on the axis. These cylinders being able to change and replace one another, it is clear that the same mechanism serves to play, as we were saying, all the music that is played by the hand on the gravicymbal, however reduced to the dimensions that are compatible with those of the instrument. First in Venice, then in Vienna such improve.ments were made; and from Vienna the aforementioned mechanic brought this fabrication to Naples, where he had the right to do so. He gives the instrument the shape of a well-ornate wardrobe, and adds a pendulum clock which at every hour, with a click similar to that of the bell, giving motion to the cylinder and the bellows, makes one of those sonatas be heard. We will not attempt to explain how the pegs and bridges protruding from the surface of the cylinder, meeting and lifting in its revolution the tips affixed under the keys, open the corresponding cores of the pipes and produce the sounds; nor how it happens that even the longest symphonies, by increasing the volume and length of the cylinder, can be understood in this way; but we must not remain silent that the clarity and sweetness of the sounds is great, the perfection with which this type of automatic music performs the most complicated harmonies is incredible.Ó
A reminder on viewing etiquette when visiting collections
Most of us know what to do and what not to do when visiting a collection. Although we may own similar pieces, some instruments can be unique in the way they operate. Of course there can be various stages of restoration or operating order, so remember these common-sense rules when visiting collections:
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Always ask the host if photo.graphs or video may be taken. If you intend to publish these photographs/videos, please get the hostÕs permission to do so and ask whether the host wants the collection identified.
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Do not smoke inside the home and ask permission to smoke outside the home on the ownerÕs property.
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Never bring food or drink near any of the instruments.
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ÒHands OffÓ is the best policy and beware of belt buckles and other objects that could cause damage.
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Do not play any instrument unless given permission by the host to do so. It is always best if the host turns on the instrument Ñ some of them can be pretty finicky.
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Never try to adjust or repair an instrument unless asked to do so by the host.
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Do not ask the host or instrument owner the value of an instrument or how much it would cost to purchase one. Several mechanical music dealers are listed on the MBSI web site and they could be contacted for guidance about a particular instrument.
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DonÕt ask the host if a particular instrument can be purchased unless it is marked ÒFor Sale.Ó After attending a meeting, please send a note of appreciation. In the note, you could express admiration for a particular instrument and advise the host of your potential interest should it ever become available.
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Meeting hosts generously open their homes and collections to members. Be sure to introduce yourself to them and sign any guest book. Thank the hosts when you leave and a thank-you note would be most welcome.
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When instruments are being played, please refrain from talking. This is especially true when softly voiced instruments (such as musical boxes, bird boxes, etc.) are being played.
WriterÕs guidelines for Mechanical Music
The MBSI Publications Committee wants to maintain and improve the quality of its magazines. The following guidelines are designed to help you in preparing your articles for publication.
Title
Please include words that allow your article to be categorized and filed in an index of articles. You may include a subtitle which may further clarify the title.
Outline
Please organize your article in a chronological, logical format. Avoid lengthy paragraphs and sentences.
Punctuation
In most instances, quotation marks are typed after periods and commas. ÒThis example has the proper format.Ó
Be consistent with capitalization, numerals, names, etc. The Associ.ated Press Stylebook is used as a basic reference tool for questions of consistency. Decimal points should be preceded by a 0 if they are only fractional. Example: 0.25 is correct. The editor and members of the Publi.cations Committee will proof read articles for accuracy and consistency.
Footnotes and Bibliography
Provide footnotes and a bibliog.raphy where appropriate. Provide reference websites and a list of further reading suggestions if available. When quoting materials, note the numeric footnote in the text.
Photographs
Provide digital photos whenever possible. Try to eliminate background clutter when taking pictures. Be sure there is enough light or a good flash. Take care to avoid the flash reflection on the instruments. Shut off the date and time recorder on your camera. Set the camera to take photos with the highest resolution possible. Send in the high-resolution photos. Do not reduce the size for the purposes of email, instead send several emails with a few photos in each email. Printed photos are acceptable but not recommended.
If photos correspond to the text to illustrate a procedure or particular piece of a music box, please note this in the photographÕs file name. For example, if you refer to Figure 1 in the text please title the photo Figure1.jpg to ensure the correct image appears in the correct position on the page. If you are not able to alter the photographÕs title, please provide captions for photos that clearly identify them and where they should be positioned in the article if that is important to the presentation of the material.
Article Text
If possible, please submit the article in either Microsoft Word format as a .doc attachment or include it as text in an email. As a last resort, a typed document can be accepted via mail. Do not type in all caps.
Review Process
All articles are reviewed by the editor and the Publications Commit.tee chair and can be referred to one or more members of the Publications Committee or a recognized expert to be checked for technical and histori.cal accuracy. Even though the article is assumed to be the authorÕs opinion, and thoughtful opinions are encour.aged to stimulate discussion and more research, the author may be asked to substantiate his/her statements.
If describing the restoration of an antique instrument and using materials not originally used in the manufacture of that instrument, the author should explain why he/she chose to use alternative materials.
No article should be written in such a way that it can be construed as commercial advertising for oneÕs own products, goods, or services or those of any other individual or company.
The panel may make suggestions which will be noted and the article returned to the author for his/her response. This is standard procedure for any technical and professional publication. The goal of the review process is to help make every article as good as it can possibly be and to contain as few errors as possible. In no manner should this process be construed as censorship. The author will receive a proof of the typeset and formatted article. It should be read carefully. After the second proof, no changes can be made. It is understood that the author can withdraw the article at any time prior to publication.
Mechanical Music is published six times per year. Materials intended for publication should be submitted approximately 60 days prior to the publication date for any issue. For example, materials to be published in the March/April issue of Mechanical Music (March 1 delivery date) should be submitted on or about January 1.
The article publishing schedule is dependent on the review process and other obligations that are time sensi.tive. Although every effort is made to publish articles within a few months of submission, the date of publication is dependent on the number of articles in process, their length, and the review process. The editor will make every effort to keep the author informed about the probable publication date. Authors may contact the editor at any time for an update.
Thank you for your contribution(s) to Mechanical Music. Your efforts are of great value to this generation and future generations of mechanical music enthusiasts.
Send articles to:
MBSI Editor
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Email: editor@mbsi.org
Phone: (253) 228-1634
Copy this page and keep it handy, then look at your collection. There certainly must be a musical piece that you found after either searching for it for many years or through unusual circumstances. It could be a subject for our popular, ÒThe HuntÓ series. We look forward to receiving many stories in the coming months.
National Capital Chapter
Chapter Chair: Cheryl Hack
Reporters: Paul Senger
Photographers: Ginny Little,
Paul Senger
May 26, 2024 Ñ Potomac, MD
The National Capital Chapter (NCC) held its 26th Annual Organ Grind and Music Box Demonstration at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park overlooking the Great Falls of the Potomac River. Our group joined others as part of the Great Falls Tavern Discovery Space event, a festival where visitors can participate in self-directed, hands-on activities related to the canal. There was no rain, but it was a typical Washington day with temperatures in the 80s. Despite the heat, we still had lots of visitors listen to and crank our instruments.
Cheryl and Dick Hack and their grandson, Travis Hanna, demon.strated an Arthur Prinsen 32-pipe book-playing organ on wheels. They let lots of visitors from young to old play the organ. Everyone thinks it is fun to watch the book music go through the organ.
Paul Senger brought his 20-note John Smith organ he built 20 years ago as well as his newly-acquired Ivan Nechada 25-key, 50-note barrel organ. The Ivan Nechada organ was previously owned by Chet and Jean Ramsay. The organ was built in about 1900 in Odessa, Ukraine. Kids who played the organs got an official organ grinder certificate. Kevin Holley, a new chapter member, demonstrated organs all day and taught visitors about organ functions as well as how to play the organs. Paul also brought a few other small organs including a circa-1790 serinette and his childhood Jack-in-the-Box. The little toy has survived rallies for nearly 15 years now.
Ginny Little manned the Touch Table with lots of mechanical music toys and small instruments for the younger visitors to play with. It is always our favorite exhibit and attracts lots of families. Knowles Little brought his 1906 15.-inch Regina disc music box and some ephemera on Regina organs.
Joe Orens and Florie Hirsch brought two Hofbauer TanzbŠr accordions. With a top hat and formal attire, JoeÕs playing is so realistic he is often asked to play a special request. We had great help unloading and loading our vehi.cles. John, a park service contractor, helped Paul and the Littles unload and setup in the morning. Kevin Holley and his father, Jeff, helped everybody pack their cars in the evening. John, Kevin, and Jeff were a big help to our aging bodies. At the end of the day, our cars were packed in record time.
Our National Park Service contact ranger Amanda Zimmerman thanked us for our performance.
ÒThank you all again for coming out yesterday,Ó she told us. ÒWe love having you, and the visitors enjoy it as well. WeÕre estimating that you had approximately 600 contacts, so thank you very much for providing a unique experience. We look forward to having you all back soon!Ó
Thanks to everybody who came to share our hobby with the public and celebrate our 26th anniversary of attending this event. These have been great opportunities to bring mechani.cal music and joy to so many people.
Cheryl Hack ready for the first song on the Prinsen Organ.
Knowles Little tells a visitor about the Regina music box.
Travis Hanna plays grandparentÕs Dick and CherylÕs Prinsen organ.
A pair of musical box fans checking out Paul SengerÕs new barrel organ.
Paul Senger debuts his Ivan Nechada barrel organ from Odessa, Ukraine.
Florie Hirsch and Joe Orens entertain with their TanzbŠr accordions.
Kevin Holley gets set up with Paul SengerÕs 20 Note John Smith organ.
Knowles Little at the Touch Table ready for some more kids.
Kevin Holley and Paul Senger with the John Smith organ.
A visiting family tries out the John Smith organ.
Snowbelt Chapter 2024 status update
By Tracy M. Tolzmann,
Chapter Chair
With the successful 74th MBSI Annual Meeting last Labor Day in Saint Paul, MN, behind us, the Snow.belt Chapter went somewhat dormant for the remainder of the year.
Our chapter was shocked by the unexpected death of Chapter Vice President and Treasurer Bill Nunn on Jan. 22. BillÕs contributions to the world of automatic music and especially fairground organs are renowned, and tours of his Skyrock Farm collection have introduced countless people to our organization. BillÕs widow, Stacy, is maintaining the collection and is dedicated to having the tours continue.
News of chapter member Larry ReeceÕs death on Jan. 16 following a long illness was received in February. His family suggests remembering LarryÕs love of pneumatic instruments and his smile every time you drop a coin into a music machine!
Our first meeting of 2024 was held on Jun. 15 at Gary Goldsmith and Alex StolitzaÕs Big Lake, MN, home. This was a joint meeting with the Northern Lights Chapter of the Auto.matic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA). With a large overlap in membership between the two groups, joint meetings have become an excellent way for our two organizations to rebuild following the Covid interruption.
Chapter membership dues have been suspended since our Covid hiatus as we return to regular meet.ings. We share our newsletters with 40 documented MBSI member families in Minnesota, Iowa, western Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota, and consider them members of our chap.ter. They are kept apprised of chapter activities through paperless e-mail messaging, which saves on printing and mailing expenses. In an effort to entice lapsed national members back into the fold, and to attract new enthu.siasts who have yet to join the society, we invited an additional 26 former and potential new MBSI partners to attend our events this year.
The Snowbelt Chapter is especially proud of member Richard Poppe, who serves as an MBSI trustee, and Tom Kuehn, an MBSI past president.
Snowbelt has been a smaller chapter in the MBSI and has experienced diffi.culty in attracting younger members, as is the case with many organizations. Snowbelt remains, however, a strong chapter with a core of dedicated members and leadership that strive to keep the hobby of collecting and shar.ing automatic musical instruments alive for all.
We look forward to returning to a more regular calendar of activities and meeting the new MBSI members who have joined the society and our chap.ter following our Covid hiatus. AMICA member Ron Olsen will host our next gathering on Sept. 28, another joint event with the Northern Lights group. Finding a host for our annual holiday party is in the works.
Current officers in the Snowbelt Chapter are Tracy M. Tolzmann, chairman and treasurer, and Merrie Tolzmann, vice chair and secretary.
Lake Michigan Chapter
Chapter Chair: Mark Pichla
Reporter: Marty Persky
Photographers: Ken Walczak, Kathy Cavitt, Adrian Calderon
Jun. 1, 2024 Ñ Barrington, IL
On Saturday, Jun. 1, the Lake Mich.igan Chapter hosted another soiree at the Sanfilippo Estate. Attendees included members of MBSI, the Auto.matic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association, the Carousel Organ Asso.ciation of America and the Silent Film Society of Chicago. We especially want to thank Chapter Secretary James Huffer who handled registrations for the event and then realized he had a work commitment that prevented him from attending.
A rainy day did not dampen activ.ities. Umbrellas were dropped off at the Grand FoyerÕs coat closet and name badges were handed out. Then, everyone was free to roam.
Docents played instruments throughout the collection. At 3 p.m. the steam engines below the theater were Òfired upÓ on compressed air. From 4Ð5 p.m. three groups, one at a time, were escorted on a four-story tour of the Wurlitzer theater organ chambers. There is a fifth story, but that is only for technicians to make their way into the attic to service mechanicals and the ethereal chamber which speaks through the skylight above and behind the balcony. Although only quieter songs were played, quiet in the theater does not generally mean quiet in the chambers.
Everyone assembled in the theater at 5 p.m. for welcome addresses from Marty Persky and Sanfilippo Founda.tion Executive Director Greg Leifel. Marty let Greg be the one to announce the carousel was temporarily out of order.
Then, rising from below the stage, came Jay Warren, ChicagoÕs foremost photoplay organist, playing on the five-manual console. Upon request, Jay accompanied two lesser-known silent films, Buster KeatonÕs 1922 ÒCopsÓ and Charlie Chase in 1926 ÒMighty Like a Moose.Ó The first film was somewhat of a dark comedy, more acceptable at the time and the second was clever even though some may have said preposterous. Accompanied by Jay on the mighty Wurlitzer 5/80, they were both great fun.
Fortunately for everyone in atten.dance, the rain subsided for the walk to the carousel pavilion. As guests lined up for wine and soft drinks, the 121-key DeCap dance organ filled the pavilion with music. In the adjoining steam engine gallery a mini-mart was open for business. Piano and nick.elodeon rolls were a big seller, but books not so much.
The 92-key Fasano, 84-key Hooghuys and 92-key DeCap dance organs along with the 92-key Verbeeck street organ each got their turn to play. Tables were called up to the dinner buffet one by one, starting from the back.
Lined up on the buffet table was garden salad, dinner rolls, Chicken Kiev, roasted potatoes, green beans almondine, and chef-carved roast beef. As usual, no one would leave hungry. Dessert would wait a bit until the two custard-filled cakes were cut and fresh cut fruit came onto the buffet.
Although the carousel could not be run, guests were permitted to sit on the horses and gondolas for photo opportunities. Also, the loversÕ tub still spun just fine under arm power. Jasper SanfilippoÕs first fair organ, the 80-key Bruder that was brought home in bushel baskets was played with its waltzing couples automaton. Then it was time to bring out the big guns. The eveningÕs finale, ÒBattle of the OrgansÓ started with the ÒCan CanÓ played on the Wurlitzer 180 trumpet organ (one of three ever made) and then it was played again on the 110-key Gavioliphone. The Gavioli closed the evening with Ò76 Trombones in the Big Parade.Ó
The Sanfilippo estate will host the joint MBSI/AMICA Annual convention Saturday banquet in late August 2025.
Chapter members and guests listen to the 92-key Limonaire organ play in the car.ousel pavilion.
Marty Persky (right) describes the displayed, complete line of Edison cylinder phonographs in extra-cost mahogany.
The buffet table is readied as organs play during the social hour.
The Hupfeld Helios III plays with the door open to let visitors see the music roll play.
Chapter member Bear Schultz (right) demonstrates the Ramey Banjo Orchestra.
Guests tour the inside of the ornately-decorated palace rail car.
Guests dressed in period attire enjoying the palace rail car.
Jack and Mildred Hardman enjoying cake. Jack wanted to know where the ice cream was to go with his cake.
The Miller and Bohl Families with Sandy Persky and two fair organ books bought at the mini mart.
Jay Warren at the console to accompany two silent movies in the theater.
Guests posing with the Imhof and Mukle Orchestrion in the Grand Foyer.
Some of the items available for sale in the mart.
Two cakes provided dessert for all.
The new display of motors at the base of the 1904 Corliss steam-operated electric power plant.
Chapter members and guests enjoy the music of the 92-key Verbeeck street organ.
The 121-key DeCap entertains the crowd after dinner.
Southern California Chapter
Chapter Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Robin Biggins
Photographer: Lowell Boehland
Apr. 27, 2024 Ñ Wrightwood, CA
A visit to Wrightwood, CA, is quite a drive for most of us, but it is a wonderful area and well worth it. Even in April there was still snow on the mountains and the flowers and trees were blooming. The area is spectacular, with evidence of huge earthquakes thousands of years ago, and the small town is tucked in as if it is in another world. Our hosts, Jerry Pell and Diane Minzey, have a lovely home in Wrightwood where they enjoy the restoration of many musical machines to the delight of many of their neighbors.
This meeting included Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association members and quite a few neighbors who enjoyed the music and a wonderful array of food. Apart from the instruments, Jerry and Diane have accumulated an interesting assortment of related photographs and literature about the history of mechanical music. We all had a great day of education and music.
Our hosts, Jerry Pell and Diane Minzey.
Bill Chapman looks at the Marshall & Wendell Ampico B piano which is right next to the Western Electric nickelodeon.
The rear of the Reproduco showing the organ pipes.
Jerry Pell, far right, discusses the Reproduco upright piano with interested chapter members and guests.
Jerry Pell plays a tune on the 1918 Edison Diamond Disc phonograph.
Chapter members and guests listen to the Seeburg KT with flute pipes
Robin Biggins conducts the chapter business meeting.
A Seeburg C shows off its colors and lighted lower cabinet revealing the mechanics behind the magical music.
Southern California Chapter
A group photo made possible by our talented photographer Lowell Boehland.
Chapter Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Robin Biggins
Photographer: Lowell Boehland
May 25, 2024 Ñ San Juan Capistrano, CA
What a wonderful meeting we had at the beautiful home of David and Dixie Boehm in the gated community of San Juan Capistrano, CA. It seems amaz.ing to me that they have been able to move so many large mechanical musi.cal machines into their new home in such a short time after retirement.
Dave and Dixie have been long-time collectors, but business pressures kept them from realizing their love for mechanical music. Back in the 1980s Dave and George Baker reproduced 14 mechanical Wurlitzer harps that are still in use. The first one of these is still in Dave and DixieÕs collection. In addition, their collec.tion includes many unrestored disc changing machines, and many cylinder boxes, both restored and unrestored, that will keep Dave busy for months.
This meeting included 30 chapter members, and a wonderful lunch was provided. It was great to be able to visit with all the old and new friends, some of whom we had not seen for years. Dave was able to entertain us with stories of the Òolden daysÓ and events with a lot of members who have since passed away.
We had a brief business meeting reminding everyone that the annual MBSI/AMICA convention was coming up soon, and our next chapter meeting will be in San Diego, CA.
Our hosts, David and Dixie Boehm, with the Popper Salon Orchester.
Brent Hoag and Sonia Johnson with the Seeburg model H orchestrion.
The BoehmsÕ collection includes the first reproduction Wurlitzer Harp produced.
Bob Burtscher and Anita Lichtman with the 25-inch Kalliope that includes a Òhorse raceÓ feature.
Doug Desfor and David Frank enjoying the Imhof and Mukle orchestrion with center panel open to show the action hap.pening inside.
Robin Biggins displays the Mermod Frres interchangeable Sublime Harmonie, with drum, wood block, and six bells with Mandarin beaters.
Jerry Pell and Dave Boehm reminisce near a Cremona G.
Sonia Johnson enjoys the Mills Violano during a tune.
The Imhof and Mukle with center panel closed next to a three-disc Symphonion.
Judy and Bob Burtscher with Dixie Boehm.
MBSI Golden Gate and
AMICA Founding Chapters Meeting
Chapter Chair: Judy Caletti
Reporter: David Corkrum
Photographer: Rob Thomas
May 19, 2024 Ñ San Jose, CA
The Golden Gate Chapter held a joint meeting with the AMICA Founding Chapter at the Orchestria Palm Court, a restaurant in downtown San Jose, CA, in the theater district. The restaurant is owned by chapter members Mark Williams and Russ Kriegel. Mark and Russ started the restaurant as a way of showcasing fine music with fine dining. The restaurant is filled with all manner of mechanical music with pneumatic instruments taking center stage. There are also music boxes and phonographs.
The soda fountain is where much of the restaurantÕs ÒshineÓ comes from. The drinks made here are unique. This reporter has tried only one, which was the Briar and Rose made with blackberry phosphate soda, rose essence and vanilla ice cream. It was so good I had a second. There are about 13 different fountain drinks available, and each is unique. Their menu changes throughout the year. You can read more about the restau.rant by logging on to their website at orchestriapalmcourt.com.
Meeting attendees had a great time listening to the various machines and enjoying a buffet luncheon. The many instruments on display include an Imhof and Mukle Commandant II orchestrion, Coinolas X and A models, upright music boxes and many differ.ent phonographs that are connected to what I would call an automatic carousel, which controls the playing of each instrument. You might hear a couple of orchestrions followed by a reproducing piano and then a music box. Tune changes are made either by the machines or Mark and Russ.
Short business meetings were held by each chapter and there were many discussions about the future of both organizations.
From what I saw and heard, we all had a great time, and we thank Mark and Russ for hosting this joint meeting.
Our co-host, Russ Kriegel, at the Baldwin Welte reproducing grand piano.
Chapter members were able to listen to many of the instruments play while they enjoyed a casual afternoon at the Orchestria Palm Court restaurant.
Blanche Korfmacher and John Ulricha enjoy lunch and a con.versation with Russ Kriegel (standing).
A Western Electric ÒMascotÓ coin piano with xylophone is an elegant surface for an antique lamp to rest upon.
An Electramuse acoustic jukebox in the restaurant.
In this view from the soda fountain, several of the nickelodeons can be seen high.lighted on an upper landing while the Imhof and Mukle Commandant II dominates the lower left along the wall.
Jared Di Bartolomeo admires the Chickering Ampico reproducing grand piano.
A Polyphon model 24 featuring a 22-inch disc with 16 bar bells is part of the col.lection at the restaurant.
Dennis and Linda Ronberg, Linda Thorpe and our co-host Mark Williams share sto.ries and a meal.
Matthew Caulfield Ñ 1933Ð2024
Compiled from Internet Sources
Matthew Caulfield, a well-known voice in the mechanical music world, has passed away at age 90. Matthew served for many years on the MBSI Publications Committee and also was a reserve editor for the Mechanical Music Digest (https://www.mmdigest.com/), writing more than 1,000 post.ings on the site.
His catalog of Wurlitzer Style 165 rolls, online at wurlitzer-rolls.com, is the reason many 165 rolls were recut and redistributed.
In his youth, Matthew as fascinated with the band organ and carousel at Seabreeze Park in Rochester, NY, working there while in college. He earned degrees from the University of Rochester and the University of Chicago studying classics. After the carousel and original Wurlitzer 165 band organ was lost in a 1994 fire, Matthew donated his collection of Wurlitzer 165 rolls to play on the replica band organ built by Johnny Verbeeck that was later reinstalled at the park. The organ is loaded with two rolls at a time, one plays while the other rewinds, allowing for uninter.rupted music.
MatthewÕs career was spent at the Library of Congress from 1962Ð1997. He speaks several languages and once taught Latin at Duke University.
After retirement Matthew made it his mission to operate the Seabreeze Park carousel and maintain its band organ for as long as he physically could do so.
Our Condolences
Well-known historian Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume, passed away on May 25, 2024. He authored more than a dozen books and hundreds of articles on mechanical musical instruments. Born in London, England, he was an instrumental force in the early decades of the Musical Box Society of Great Britain, serving variously as the groupÕs editor and its president. From 1983 through 1992 he self-published the semi-annual journal, Music & Automata. As a restorer, he handled some of the rarest and unique pieces to surface in his lifetime. Our sympathies go to his widow, Ruth, and to his descendants. More information will be published in the next issue of Mechanical Music.
Timothy ÒTimÓ Trager Ñ 1958Ð2024
By Rory J. Lehman
Tim was born Apr. 4, 1958, in Chicago, IL, to Edward J. Trager II and Gloria A. Trager. He grew up near Lake Geneva, WI, in a large house commissioned by his late father. Beginning at a young age, Tim was fascinated with anything mechanical. It started with a visit to Nevada City Music Hall near Virginia City, MT, where he was intrigued by all the music machines that filled the old ghost town. He was also interested in the three band organs that were on the Riverview park PTC No. 17 carousel in downtown Chicago as well as their calliope that he would later add to his collection.
At age 5, he sat down on SantaÕs lap and had asked for a band organ. As the story goes, the store Santa told him there was no such thing and that was the moment Tim knew the guy was fake since the real Santa Claus would actually know what a band organ was.
Tim did get an organ for Christmas that year. His father had overheard that the conversation with the store Santa, so he found a junk man that was able to locate a barrel organ to surprise Tim. His father put a piece of string near the Christmas tree and Tim followed the long strand to the barrel organ two rooms away. TimÕs lifelong passion was launched.
As the years, rolled by, he was offered a player piano from the neigh.borÕs pool house, a Tangley calliope, and a Wurlitzer 146A Band organ from the D.C. National Mall off of the 1915 Herschell Spillman Carousel. Tim amassed a wonderful collection of organs, nickelodeons, automatons, and tons of historical paperwork rang.ing from music machines to carousel catalogs. His most impressive machine was the 110-key Gavioli that came out of the former amusement park at Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland, OH. It was fully chromatic and had never been converted.
Tim leaves behind more than just a collection of top-quality of machines. He had extensive historic knowledge, and amazing selling skills. For more than 35 years he was a broker finding music machines for big collectors such as Jasper Sanfilippo, James ÒJimÓ Krughoff, the Milhouse brothers and many others. Tim was a friend to the young enthusiasts in the hobby and would encourage anyone who had hopes of buying an organ someday. An example of how he helped youngsters get started is a story recounted by TimÕs close friend Mikey Mills. Mikey recalls that he, Tim and Jasper hung out at SanfilippoÕs when Mikey was about 13 or 14. Jasper ordered a pizza, and they played music machines until about midnight! Tim also got Mikey a job as a docent years ago at KrughoffÕs and supported him in getting started in the field. Mikey never forgot how Tim helped him.
TimÕs parents were very supportive of his passion for music machines. They always encouraged Tim greatly in collecting and dealing music machines. Tim also had an impressive education. He studied law and applied the skills he learned from his educa.tion to selling music machines. He inspired his friends to be as great as they could possibly be.
Tim was also known for his hilarious jokes and good conversation. He was a friend you could count on when you had no one else to turn to. He inspired many younger music machine enthu.siasts and he served as a good role model for them.
With many people visiting and calling during his illness, we know that when he passed he realized just how much he meant to so many. In my mind, he will forever be one of Òthe greatsÓ of mechanical music.
Tim died Apr. 11, 2024, at Condell Medical Center, Libertyville, IL, after a long illness. A memorial service was put on at Volo Auto Museum in his honor for those who didnÕt get to say goodbye to him before he passed. He was cremated according to his wishes and will be placed in the family burial plot. Tim leaves behind his brother Edward ÒNedÓ Trager III as well as his friends Mikey Mills, Warren Officer, Dylan Hallman, Alex Schuchter, John Miller, Wayne Holton, Roland Hopkins, Julius Vermolen, Jim Walgreen, Susan Germaine, Gavin McDonough and myself.
Tim Trager shared his mechanical musical knowledge with all who asked to talk with him about it. He brokered many deals for mechanical music machines during his career.
Tim Trager in his younger years.
By Hope Rider
Recently I received the sad news that Tim Trager, of McHenry, IL, passed away at age 66. My late husband and I met Tim when he was a young boy in the early 1970s. His mother, Gloria, brought him to a Mid-America Band Organ Rally held at ÒStagecoach StopÓ in Irish Hills, MI. Dan Slack, of Fremont, OH, had trailered a large German fairground organ to the rally and it fascinated Tim. Dan played a few tunes, then left with friends to deliver this large organ to its new owner in Kentucky.
TimÕs interest in mechanical music never waned. He and his parents attended many MBSI meetings and Midwest rallies. He studied law in college but never practiced in that field. Instead, he became a dealer of mechanical music. He gathered memorabilia and bought and sold automatic musical machines for the rest of his life. His clients were in America and abroad.
Neighbors and friends helped Tim through his final days. A neighbor and piano technician, Terry Younce, and TerryÕs wife, Patricia, visited Tim often at home and during his hospital stays. TimÕs brother, Edward (Ned), was also very supportive.
A memorial service at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, IL, where Tim had placed a carousel and band organ. People rode the carousel, listened to the band organ and shared stories of Tim.
Tim Trager with his parents, Edward and Gloria Trager, during a 2002 open house at Hope and Frank RiderÕs home in Wabash, IN.
Gloria Schack Ñ 1937Ð2024
By Howie Schack
It is with peace and sadness that I report the death of my mother, Gloria Schack. After several years in a friendly memory care community, Gloria passed away on Apr. 17, 2024. She was 87.
My mother grew up in Chicago, IL. It was there, at a young age, that she met my father, Ralph. Soon after they married they enjoyed raising a family. Ralph was a pharmacist, and my mother a secretary. My sister, Linda, and I were important to my parents until the late 1970s when we took a back seat to their new hobby. It started with a few old slot machines, and before long it was music boxes. In 1981, they moved to Southern Cali.fornia. Their simple Palos Verdes, CA, home quickly grew into a facility for more collecting with a 1,500 square foot addition. ÒThe Music RoomÓ they called it. It was at that point I realized MBSI actually meant ÒMore Boxes Seemed InevitableÓ for my parents.
It wasnÕt just music boxes that showed up. Over several years, my parents adopted large music machines, such as the Welte (Style 3) and the Weber Otero. As much as they loved collecting, it was the friends they met within the society which brought them the most joy. If you knew Gloria, you knew she loved walking, making pancakes, and talking about her child.hood. She invited an endless supply of people to see the collection. If you were a member, of course you were welcome. If a plumber was called to the house to fix a leaking sink, they didnÕt leave the house without a tour. That was my mom.
As many MBSI readers know, my father, Ralph Schack (MBSI President 2004-2005), passed away in 2015. A wonderful ÒIn MemoriamÓ piece was published in the November/December 2015 issue of this magazine. It was written by our dear friend of the family, Robin Biggins. Robin, as many of you know, has been deeply involved with the MBSI Southern California Chapter. It is important for me to acknowledge his incredible spirit toward collecting, and of course his loyalty in friendship.
Robin visited my mother countless times after the death of my father. With a recent cognitive decline, during the last few years, Gloria was unable to tell her famous stories and engage in meaningful conversation. Her condition never stopped Robin from his frequent visits to see her. I can only be forever grateful.
MBSI was like a family to my parents. I am honored to still be in touch with many of you.
Gloria Schack hosts a Southern California Chapter meeting at her home in 2016.
Ralph and Gloria Schack in ÒThe Music RoomÓ with some of their collection in 2015.
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THE MARTTHE MART
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Mechanical Music
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57……..StantonÕs Auctioneers
58……..American Treasure Tour
58……..Donald Tendrup
58……..NAWCC
58……..Bumbling Bruder Tour
59……..Porter Music Box Company
60……..MBSGB
60……..Mechanical Organ and Clock Works
61……..Nancy Fratti Music Boxes
63……..Music Box Restorations
63 …….Automata Magazine
67……..Marty Persky
68……..Breker Auctions
OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨
OFFICERS
President
Matthew Jaro
24219 Clematis Dr
Gaithersburg, MD 20882
mjaro@verizon.net
Vice President
Bob Caletti,
605 Wallea Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
bcaletti@pacbell.net
Recording Secretary
Linda Birkitt
PO Box 145,
Kuna, ID 83634
scarletpimpernel28@yahoo.com
Treasurer
Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
ekozak1970@gmail.com
TRUSTEES
Dave Calendine
Bob Caletti
Edward Cooley
David Corkrum
Richard Dutton
Rich Poppe
Matt Jaro
Mary Ellen Myers
Rick Swaney
COMMITTEES
Audit
Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Bob Caletti, Vice President
Dave Calendine, Trustee
Endowment Committee
Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Dave Calendine, Trustee
B Bronson
Executive Committee
Matthew Jaro, Chair, President
Bob Caletti, Vice President
David Corkrum, Immediate
Past President
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Rich Poppe, Trustee
Finance Committee
Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Peter Both
Marketing Committee
Bob Smith, Chair
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Judy Caletti
Don Caine
John Miller
Meetings Committee
Rich Poppe, Chair, Trustee
Judy Caletti
Tom Chase
Cotton Morlock
Tom Kuehn
Membership Committee
Chair, Vacant
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Mary Ellen Myers, Trustee,
Southeast
Robin Biggins, Southern California
Judy Caletti, Golden Gate
Gary Goldsmith, Snowbelt
Florie Hirsch, National Capital
Judy Miller, Southeast
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Dan Wilson, Southeast
Gerald Yorioka, Northwest IntÕl
TBD, East Coast
TBD, Lake Michigan
TBD, Sunbelt
Museum Committee
Sally Craig, Chair
Dave Calendine, Trustee
Glenn Crater, National Capital
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Richard Simpson, East Coast
Museum Sub-Committees
Ohio Operations
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Nominating Committee
Judy Caletti, Chair
David Corkrum, Immediate
Past President
Bob Caletti, Golden Gate,
Vice President
Mary Ellen Myers, Trustee,
Southeast
Tracy Tolzmann, Snowbelt
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Marc Pichla, Lake Michigan
Publications Committee
Bob Caletti, Chair,
Vice President
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Paul Bellamy
Steve Boehck
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Publications Sub-Committee
Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
B Bronson
Knowles Little, Web Secretary
Special Exhibits Committee
Mary Ellen Myers, Chair, Trustee,
Southeast
David Corkrum, Immediate Past
President, Golden Gate
Donald Caine, Southern California
Richard Dutton, Trustee, East Coast
Jack Hostetler, Southeast
Knowles Little, National Capital
Judy Miller, Southeast
Aaron Muller, Lake Michigan
Wayne Myers, Southeast
Rick Swaney, Trustee,
Northwest International
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Publications Back Issues:
Jacque Beeman
Regina Certificates:
B Bronson
MBSI Pins and Seals:
Jacque Beeman
Librarian:
Jerry Maler
Historian:
Bob Yates
MBSI FUNDS
Members can donate to these funds at any time.
Send donations to:
MBSI Administrator,
PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196.
General Fund (unrestricted)
Endowment Fund (promotes the purposes of
MBSI, restricted)
Ralph Heintz Publications Fund (special
literary projects)
Museum Fund (supports museum operations)
MBSI Editorial Office:
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org
SUBMIT ADS TO:
MBSI Ads
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
(253) 228-1634
Email: editor@mbsi.org
All manuscripts will be subject to editorial review. Articles submitted for publication may be edited or rejected at the discretion of the Publications Committee and the Editorial Staff.
The article will not be published with significant changes without the authorÕs approval. All articles are considered to be the authorÕs personal opinion. The author may be asked to substantiate his/her statements.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Date
Event
Location
Sponsor
Aug. 11, 2024
Mid-America Chapter meeting
NelisÕ Dutch Village Holland, MI, 10am
Rob Pollock
Sept. 22, 2024
National Capital Chapter meeting
Gaithersburg, MD
Matt and Beni Jaro
Sept. 28, 2024
Snowbelt Chapter Meeting
Robinsdale, MN
Ron Olsen
Email event details to editor@mbsi.org by Aug. 1, 2024, for the September/October 2024 issue.
Ask your questions on our Facebook discussion group Ñ search for the Music Box Society Forum.
Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to editor@mbsi.org
CONTACTS
Administrator Jacque Beeman handles back issues (if available) $6; damaged or issues not received, address changes, MBSI Directory listing changes, credit card charge questions, book orders, status of your membership, membership renewal, membership application, and MBSI Membership Brochures.
P.O. Box 10196
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax (417) 576-4280
jbeeman.mbsi@att.net
Regina Certificates: Cost $10.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net
Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org
Museum Donations
Sally Craig
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com
MBSI website
Rick Swaney
4302 209th Avenue NE
Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com
Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net
CHAPTERS
East Coast
Chair: Elise Low
(203) 457-9888
No Dues in 2024
Roger Wiegand
281 Concord Road
Wayland, MA 01778
treasurer.eccmbsi@gmail.com
Golden Gate
Chair: Judy Caletti
jeeperjudy@gmail.com
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605
Japan
Chair: Naoki Shibata
81-72986-1169
naotabibito396amb@
salsa.ocn.ne.jp
Treasurer: Makiko Watanabe
makikomakiko62@yahoo.co.jp
Lake Michigan
Chair: Mark Pichla
(847) 962-2330
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076
Mid-America
Chair: Rob Pollock
(937) 508-4984
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256
National Capital
Chair: Cheryl Hack
(410) 757-2164
cahack@aacc.edu
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854
Northwest International
Chair: Rick Swaney
(425) 836-3586
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230
Snowbelt
Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
No Dues in 2024
Southeast
Chair: Jim Kracht
305-251-6983
Dues $5 to Bob Yates
1973 Crestview Way Unit 147
Naples, FL 34119
Southern California
Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Franne Einberg
10524 Blythe Ave
Los Angeles CA 90064
Sunbelt
Chair: Marty Nevel
currency33@AOL.COM
No Dues in 2024
CHAPTERS
Copyright 2022 the Musical Box Society International, all rights reserved. Permission to reproduce by any means, in whole or in part, must be obtained in writing from the MBSI Executive Committee and the Editor. Mechanical Music is published in the even months. ISSN 1045-795X