Barrel Organs

Street organ “HARMONIPAN”

    Street organ “HARMONIPAN”

    Germany, Berlin

    1889 - 1918's

    Frati & Company

    Wood, metal, brass, steel, leather; casting, carpentry, lathe, marquetry, varnishing

    57.4 х 35 х 58 cm

    On facade: “HARMONIPAN”, “FRATI & Co BERLIN. N 37.”; inscriptiom on the paper label in Danish: "Bamse's Fødselsdag”, “Katinka, Katinka”, “Brudevalsen”, “Det er så yndigt at følges ad”, “Pigen fra Fyn”, “Lirekassemanden’s Datter”, “Onkel fra Minnesota”, “Den gamle Gartner”

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    Street organ in rectangular wooden case on pedestal with the corner feet, decorated with brass plates. The lateral sides are veneered with walnut and varnished. The Imperial emblem of Kaiser Germany – a black eagle, looking to the left with a crown on the head and a shield on its chest, surrounded by branches and leaves in thin curly frame with shields beneath the crowns in circles are on the plinth front side center. The names of the organ "HARMONIPAN" and the company "FRATI & Co BERLIN. N 37” in the frame composed of three different colours veneer are above the plinth. The inscriptions on the panel and ornament on the plinth are in the marquetry technique. Nineteen wooden flute pipes covered with black plugs are in the open top part. Yellow metal handles for carrying are on the lateral sides. Barrel knife and bolt mechanism is on the left side. The crank in the form of an anchor that is located above, raises and lowers the keyframe  in the working position. The pinned barrel round lid with an aperture for the axis is on the right side. Two hinged lids closed on hooks are on the top. Paper sticker with a list of tunes in Danish is on the rear lid inner surface. Pinned barrel for eight tunes and the keyframe with thirty-three tunes, according to the number of basic tones and  keys are under the lid.

    When the keyframe is raised, the barrel can be moved along the axis and set in one of eight fixed positions according to the selected melody. When the crank on the rear side is rotated, the worm gear rotates the barrel, and the crank gear drives the bellows blowing air into the wind chest, the  chamber with valves distribute the compressed air between the wind pipes. The pins and bridges on the pinned barrel raise the keys that open the valves of the respective pipes. The organ repertoire is based on melodies popular in Denmark in the 1950's.

    The pinned barrel is of later origin.

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    Инв.299/ММП