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47-601: There are many names for the barrel organ, such as hand organ , cylinder organ , box organ (though that can also mean a positive organ ), street organ , grinder organ , and Low Countries organ . In French names include orgue à manivelle ("crank organ") and orgue de Barbarie ("Barbary organ"); German names include Drehorgel ("crank organ"), Leierkasten ("brace box"), and Walzenorgel ("cylinder organ"); Hungarian names include verkli (from Austrian-German Werkl ), sípláda ("whistle chest") and kintorna (from Bayern-Austrian "Kinterne"); Italian names include organetto

94-749: A chromatic row like in the genuine portative. The Positive is also a traditional department of a large organ, often placed behind the organist's back and more or less the size of a separate positive organ. In England it became known as a Chair organ , later to be corrupted into the Choir division found on Romantic and many modern organs. Also, since the Orgelbewegung , the German term Ruckpositiv ( Rückpositiv ) can be encountered in English. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

141-474: A fairground organ , band organ or orchestrion . In the United Kingdom , many use the term street organ to refer to a mechanically played, piano -like instrument also known as a barrel piano . Dutch street organs (unlike the simple street organ) are large organs that play book music . They are equipped with multiple ranks of pipes and percussion. As originally built the organ was operated by

188-536: A busy street corner. Modern Dutch street organs are frequently trailer mounted, and sized for towing behind a pickup or other light truck. Some have a small engine on the front of the chassis allowing them to be self-propelled. Dutch street organs are on display at the Museum Speelklok (formerly 'Nationaal Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement') in Utrecht. German-style street organs are usually operated by

235-428: A common sight until the beginning of the 21st century; they have all but vanished, since. In Paris there were a limited number of permits for organ grinders, and entry in that reserved circle was based on a waiting list or seniority system. According to Ord-Hume the disappearance of organ grinders from European streets was in large part due to the early application of national and international copyright laws. At

282-405: A companion a white-headed capuchin monkey, tethered to a string, to do tricks and attract attention, as well as the important task of collecting money from passers-by. In an article from 1929, George Orwell wrote of the organ-grinders of London: "To ask outright for money is a crime, yet it is perfectly legal to annoy one's fellow citizens by pretending to entertain them. Their dreadful music

329-456: A corruption of, variously, the terms bara ("bread") and gwen ("wine") in the Breton language , the surname of an early barrel-organ manufacturer from Modena , Giovanni Barberi, or that of the English inventor John Burberry. The term hurdy-gurdy is sometimes mistakenly applied to a small, portable barrel organ that was frequently played by organ grinders and buskers (street musicians), but

376-448: A few of the largest pipes. Wheels, casters or a custom-made hand truck are other aids to mobility, which have become vastly more common in modern times. Positive organs typically exhibit few stops due to their small size and portable nature; a specification of 8 ft Gedackt (capped), 4 ft flute and 2 ft principal (diapason) is common. Somewhat larger positives may also have a 2 + 2 ⁄ 3 ft or other mutation stop and/or

423-400: A group of musicians as part of a story-telling street act, together with brightly coloured posters and sing-along sessions. In New York City , the massive influx of Italian immigrants led to a situation where, by 1880, nearly one in 20 Italian men in certain areas were organ grinders. The barrels used were heavy, held only a limited number of tunes, and could not easily be upgraded to play

470-412: A hinged or removable wooden stick or leg that was strapped to the back of the organ. The strap around his neck would balance the organ, leaving one hand free to turn the crank and the other to steady the organ. A tin cup on top of the organ, or in the hand of a companion, was used to solicit payments for his performance. Moving away from the stereotype, in reality the size of the street organ varied from

517-529: A manovella ("crank organ") and organo tedesco ("German organ"); the Polish name is katarynka . However, several of these names include types of mechanical organs for which the music is encoded as book music or by holes on a punched paper tape instead of by pins on a barrel. While many of these terms refer to the physical operation of the crank, some refer to an exotic origin. The French name orgue de Barbarie , suggesting barbarians , has been explained as

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564-583: A more powerful version of a longcase clock . They could also be hydraulically powered, with a turbine or waterwheel arrangement giving the mechanical force to turn the barrel and pump the bellows. The last barrel organs were electrically powered, or converted to electrical power. Eventually, many large barrel organs had their barrel actions removed and were converted to play a different format of music, such as cardboard books or paper rolls . Especially in churches, some large barrel organs were built as "barrel and finger" organs. Such instruments are furnished with

611-455: A much greater variety of melodies to be played. Positive organ A positive organ (also positiv organ , positif organ , portable organ , chair organ , or simply positive , positiv , positif , or chair ) (from the Latin verb ponere , "to place") is a small, usually one-manual, pipe organ that is built to be more or less mobile. It was common in sacred and secular music between

658-405: A normal organ keyboard, in addition to the automatic mechanism, making it possible to play them by hand when a human organist is available. The barrels were often out of sight. At the beginning of the 20th century, large barrel organs intended for use as fairground organs or street organs were often converted, or newly built, to play music rolls or book music rather than barrels. This allows

705-413: A portion of the take to the owner. Charles Dickens wrote to a friend that he could not write for more than half an hour without being disturbed by the most excruciating sounds imaginable, coming in from barrel organs on the street. Charles Babbage was a particularly virulent enemy of the organ grinders. He would chase them around town, complain to authorities about their noisy presence, and forever ask

752-415: A publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Positive organ ". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Street organ#Organ grinders A street organ ( French : orgue de rue or orgue de barbarie ) played by an organ grinder is a French automatic mechanical pneumatic organ designed to be mobile enough to play its music in

799-637: A right angle to the performer's body. It also has a larger keyboard (typically 49 notes or more in modern examples, often 45 or so notes with a short octave in older ones), while a portative may have as few as 12 or 13 notes. The positive is also not to be confused with the regal , a small keyboard instrument that contains short-length reed pipes. However, since the Orgelbewegung revival of small organs, small positives to be played with both hands have also come to be called 'portatives' in many cases, especially when their pipes are arranged without housing in

846-422: A set of pedal pulldowns or even a pedal stop or two, as well as rarer ones with two manuals. Before electricity, positives required either the player or a second person to operate the bellows in order to supply wind to the instrument, but most modern positives include electric blowers for this purpose. The positive organ differs from the portative organ in that it is larger and is not played while strapped at

893-518: A small mixture , and some have an 8 ft reed stop (such as a regal ). Still larger positives may have a 4 ft principal or a second 8 ft stop, the latter often treble-only. More complex examples feature a divided keyboard, which allows each stop to be activated separately in the treble and bass portions of the keyboard. This makes it possible to play a melody and an accompaniment simultaneously on different registrations. Most positives have just one manual keyboard and no pedals , but there are examples with

940-485: A tiny barrel organ with only 20 or fewer pipes, weighing only a few pounds, through medium-sized instruments containing forty or more pipes, mounted on a hand-pushed trolley, up to large ornately decorated book-operated organs, with hundreds of pipes weighing several hundred pounds. The largest organs were usually mounted on a cart, and required a team of operators to move, particularly in the Netherlands when crossing

987-593: Is mostly to be found in France, the Netherlands or Belgium) and sometimes even electronic microchip - and/or MIDI -systems. Organ grinders are a common sight in Mexico City, and the related street organs are common in Germany and the Netherlands. Some modern day organ grinders like to dress in period costumes , albeit not necessarily those of an organ-grinder. Such performers may perform at "organ rallies" (such as

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1034-429: Is positioned just above the surface of the barrel. Each key corresponds to one pitch. A rod is connected to the rear of each key. The other end of the rod is a metal pin which operates a valve within the wind chest. When the instrument is played (by turning the crank), offsets on the crank shaft cause bellows to open and close to produce pressurized air. A reservoir/regulator maintains a constant pressure. A worm gear on

1081-501: Is the result of a purely mechanical gesture, and is only intended to keep them on the right side of the law. There are in London around a dozen firms specialising in the manufacture of piano organs, which they hire out for 15 shillings a week. The poor devil drags his instrument around from ten in the morning till eight or nine at night [–] the public only tolerates them grudgingly – and this is only possible in working-class districts, for in

1128-642: The British Museum there are many miniatures representing interesting varieties of the portable organ of the Middle Ages, including Add. MS. 29902 (fol. 6), Add. MS. 27695b (fol. 13), and Cotton MS. Tiberius A VII. fol. 104d., all of the 14th century, and Add. MS. 28962 and Add. MS. 17280, both of the 15th century. In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, positive organs were used at many kinds of civil and religious functions. They were used in

1175-455: The serinette , could play more than one tune, and were considerably larger, in sizes up to 75 cm (29 in) long and 40 cm (16 in) deep. Wooden bass pipes were placed underneath the organ and on the front were often mounted a set of pan-flutes or piccolo pipes, with decorative finishes. In many towns in Europe the barrel street organ was not just a solo performer, but used by

1222-432: The steam organ or calliope. In the United Kingdom barrel pianos , particularly those played in the streets, are frequently called barrel organs. The pieces of music (or tunes) are encoded onto the barrel using metal pins and staples. Pins are used for short notes, and staples of varying lengths for longer notes. Each barrel usually carried several different tunes. Pinning such barrels was something of an art form, and

1269-552: The "MEMUSI" event in Vienna ), where many enthusiasts would assemble and entertain on the streets. Such dress may also be used at a wedding, where the organ grinder may perform the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin or at any other event where a solo performer might be chosen over hiring an entire band or a deejay . Larger organs are not usually turned by hand, but use an electric motor. Such larger instruments are called

1316-496: The 'organ grinder' turning a large handle to operate both the bellows/reservoir and the card feed mechanism. Almost all examples in the Netherlands have now been converted to belt drive from a small battery powered motor or donkey engine , allowing the organ grinder to collect money. Slightly smaller than the semi-trailer-sized fairground organ the Dutch street organ is nevertheless able to produce enough volume to be heard easily on

1363-470: The 10th and the 18th centuries, in chapels and small churches, as a chamber organ and for the basso continuo in ensemble works. The smallest common kind of positive, hardly higher than the keyboard, is called chest or box organ and is especially popular nowadays for basso continuo work; positives for more independent use tend to be higher. From the Middle Ages through Renaissance and Baroque

1410-510: The barrel will depend on the number of notes in the organ and the length of the tune to be played. The more notes, the longer the barrel. The longer the tune, the greater the diameter. Since the music is hard-coded onto the barrel, the only way for a barrel organ to play a different set of tunes is to replace the barrel with another one. While not a difficult operation, barrels are unwieldy and expensive, so many organ grinders have only one barrel for their instrument. A set of levers called keys

1457-426: The crank shaft causes the barrel to rotate slowly and its pins and staples lift the fronts of the keys. This causes the other end of the key to press down on the end of the rod which, in turn, activates the valve and allows air from the bellows to pass into the corresponding pipe. To allow different tunes to be played from one barrel, the barrel can be moved laterally to bring a different set of pins and staples under

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1504-546: The destruction of hundreds of organs, the barrels of which contained a record of the popular music of the day. Before the invention of the cylinder record player, this was the only permanent recording of these tunes. The law that banned barrel organs in New York was repealed in 1975 but that mode of musical performance had become obsolete by then. Many cities in the United Kingdom also had ordinances prohibiting organ grinders. The authorities often encouraged policemen to treat

1551-400: The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century European publishers of sheet music and the holders of copyrights to the most popular operatic tunes of the day often banded together in order to enforce collection of performance duties from any musician playing their property in any venue. When faced with notaries and the hounding of other legal representatives of the music industry of

1598-481: The grinders as beggars or public nuisances . In the Netherlands the street organ was no more popular initially, but thanks to several organ hire companies who took particular pride in the condition, sound and repertoire of their instruments, the public there became more accepting of the orgelman (organ man) and as a result the tradition of playing an organ on the street entered Dutch culture where they remained

1645-414: The homes and chapels of the rich, at banquets and court events, in choirs and music schools, and in the small orchestras of Jacopo Peri and Claudio Monteverdi at the dawn of the musical drama or opera. Many positives, both of the box and 'cupboard' types, can be divided into upper and lower parts to be more easily moved. The lower part then usually contains the bellows, blower and/or treadle, and perhaps

1692-469: The instrument came in many different forms, including processional and tabletop organs that have profited relatively less from the renewed popularity the type in general has enjoyed from the Orgelbewegung onwards. A well-known instance of an early positive or portable organ of the 4th century occurs on the obelisk erected to the memory of Theodosius I on his death in AD 395. Among the illuminated manuscripts of

1739-401: The keys. Street barrel organs usually play 7 to 9 tunes, although small organs (usually the older ones) can play up to 15 tunes. Less commonly (and usually for large orchestrions ) the pinning will form one continuous spiral and the barrel will be gradually moved as it rotates so that the pins remain lined up with the keys. In this case, each barrel plays only one long tune. The barrel organ

1786-401: The latest hits, which greatly limited the musical and practical ability of these instruments. In New York, where monkeys were commonly used by organ grinders, mayor Fiorello La Guardia banned the instruments from the streets in 1935, citing traffic congestion , the "begging" inherent in the profession, and organized crime 's role in renting out the machines. An unfortunate consequence was

1833-446: The police to arrest them. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin , on the other hand, is quoted to have said: "we musicians must stick together" while handing an organ-grinder some change. In addition to a few antique barrel organs, there are many more modern organs that have been built. These do not operate on pinned barrels anymore, but use perforated paper rolls (analogous to player pianos ) or perforated cardboard book music (this method

1880-419: The quality of the music produced by a barrel organ is largely a function of the quality of its pinning. The organ barrels must be sturdy to maintain precise alignment over time, since they play the same programming role as music rolls and have to endure significant mechanical strain. Damage to the barrel, such as warpage, would have a direct (and usually detrimental) effect on the music produced. The size of

1927-438: The repetitious nature of the music . Later depictions would stress the romantic or picturesque aspects of the activity. Whereas some organ grinders were very likely itinerants or vagabonds, many, certainly in New York, were Italian immigrants who chose to be street performers in order to support their families. The stereotypical organ grinder was a man, bearing a medium-sized barrel organ held in front of him and supported by

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1974-399: The richer districts the police will not allow begging at all, even when it is disguised. As a result, the beggars of London live mainly on the poor." The organ grinder would pick up an organ in a small storefront shop, or livery, and then walk or take the streetcar to his chosen neighborhood. After moving from block to block throughout the day, he would return the organ to the livery and pay

2021-524: The steep canal bridges of Amsterdam streets. The most elaborate organs would have mechanical figures or automata mounted on top of or in the front of the case, along with percussion instruments. The grinder would crank the organ in any public place (either a business district or in a neighborhood), moving from place to place after collecting a few coins or in order to avoid being arrested for loitering or chased by people who do not appreciate hearing his single tune repeatedly. The grinder would often have as

2068-515: The street. The two most commonly seen types are the smaller German and the larger Dutch street organ. The first descriptions of the street organ, at that time always a barrel organ owing to its use of a pinned cylinder (barrel) to operate levers and play notes, can be found in literature as early as the late 18th century. Many were built by Italian organ builders who had settled in France and Germany, creating companies such as Frati, Gavioli, Gasparini and Fassano. These early organs had more pipes than

2115-553: The time, in addition to the other sources of hostility mentioned above organ grinders soon disappeared. The organ grinder was a musical novelty street performer of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, and refers to the operator of a street or barrel organ. Period literature often represents the grinder as a gentleman of ill repute or as an unfortunate representative of the lower classes. Newspaper reporters would sometimes describe them cynically or jocularly as minor extortionists who were paid to keep silent, given

2162-417: The two terms should not be confused. Although the hurdy-gurdy is also powered by a crank and often used by street performers, it produces sound with a rosin -covered wheel rotated against tuned strings. Another key difference is that the hurdy-gurdy player is free to play any tune he or she desires, while the barrel organist is generally confined to pre-programmed tunes. Some also confuse the barrel organ with

2209-590: Was the traditional instrument of organ grinders . With a few exceptions, organ grinders used one of the smaller, more portable versions of the barrel organ, containing perhaps one (or just a few) rank(s) of pipes and only 7 to 9 tunes. Use of these organs was limited by their weight. Most weighed 25 to 50 pounds but some were as heavy as 100 pounds. There were many larger versions located in churches, fairgrounds , music halls , and other large establishments such as sports arenas and theaters. The large barrel organs were often powered by very heavy weights and springs, like

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