Fairs, merry songs, dances, theatrical performances and rousing music have always accompanied outdoor festivities both in Europe and in Russia. We continue to broadcast our online tours and today, on the eve of the Old New Year, we will introduce you to street self-playing musical instruments, the sound of which creates the atmosphere of celebration, fun, and sometimes lyrical reflections - these are fair and barrel organs.

Several interesting facts:
- Barrel organ came to Russia from Poland by the end of the 18^th century and shortly was mastered by strolling musicians and tent circus performers.
- The acquaintance with the new instrument began with the French song "Charmant Katrine". The melody sounded so often that the instrument itself became known as sharmanka or katarinka.
- Barrel organs were very popular in Russia, they were mentioned in many works of Russian classics: in the poem "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol, in the novel "Crime and Punishment" by F.M. Dostoevsky; in the story "White Poodle" by of A.I. Kuprin and, of course, in the tale "Golden Key, or the Adventures of Pinocchio" by A.N. Tolstoy.
- The great Russian poets, among whom were A. Vertinsky, A. Fet, P. Antokolsky, O. Mandelstam, M. Tsvetaeva, V. Bryusov and B. Okudzhava dedicated their poems to barrel organs.
- Barrel organs were popular, melodies sounded repeatedly, which sometimes irritated the audience. Hence, the expression "start a barrel organ" appeared in the Russian language, which means to talk about the same thing permanently.

You can learn more interesting facts about these musical instruments today. At 17:30 we will broadcast from the exposition gallery, where barrel and fair organs are on display.

Connect to the broadcast on the museum Collection Instagram account  https://www.instagram.com/sobraniemuseum/