The first self-playing instrument with which we start the acquaintance with the museum Collection exposition on Guided Tours is Organette model "Ariston", Germany, Leipzig Paul Ehrlich & Co.

Organette is a small mechanical musical instrument that was produced from mid-1880s until about 1925. More than 550 various models of organettes existed, among which the most popular were the Ariston and Manopan models. The main production of organettes was in Leipzig, Germany, but they were also produced in the UK and the USA. The footprint of the museum Collection exposition gives a complete picture of the production of those musical mechanical instruments in Europe and the United States.

Various patents of organette invention are attributed to Henry Bishop Horton, John McTammany, Paul Ehrlich and other craftsmen, thus it is not possible to establish the name of the pioneer among the inventors.

Due to rather simple mechanics and compact size, the organette could be mass-produced and then sold at an affordable price. Despite the fact that organettes were quite cheap, the choice of music for playing on this instrument was quite extensive.

The sound of organette welcomes us to the world of self-playing musical instruments.