Orchestrion Solea 2

[@frankbecklund2307]

My dad was Iver Becklund who rebuilt and repaired many of these types of machines up to the late 70's. I was fortunate to witness these up close in his shop. They are truly a masterpiece, hand made ,so beautiful to see and hear.

[@faerieSAALE]

This one makes me smile and laugh, with glee, at the sheer mad geniuses behind the making of this machine. Incredible.

[@johnferguson8993]

What a wonderful instrument and the entirely mechanical approach is beautiful to see.

[@KawhackitaRag]

Great side-view of the xylophone! The orchestrion sounds much better in this video than in previous videos, thanks for uploading!

[@ricardoguzman6841]

The song is "Normandie Polka" published in New York, April 29, 1914, music by Chas T. French, for Xilophone Solo, Piano Accordion; Copyright entry 338764 - Vol 9 Part 1 - Catalogue of Copyright Entries, Library of Congress - US Copyright Office.

[@Maxime_Grisé]

Listened to the 1914 recording of Normandie-Polka by Howard Kopp -- to my ears, definitely not the same composition as the xylophone solo in this video.

[@ricardoguzman6841]

@@Maxime_Grisé Yes, the Columbia's recording, performed by Howard Kopp, is a different song, it does not even sound like a polka. On the song title I mentioned, I heard it played on a piano accordion. Asked the performer and told me the name of the song and composer. I'm interested in a piano sheet (or pianola roll). Searched for it in several catalogues with no avail.

[@dan_hitchman007]

Much of this same technology went into creating the silent movie era Wurlitzer and other stage organ systems. Some of the largest recreations were at the Organ Grinder restaurants. There are still a small group of pizza and organ restaurants left in the U.S. Do yourselves a favor and go to one of them when they are back and ready for business. Amazing!!

[@harmoniumbauer]

Very beautiful video! The title of the roll is "Xylophone Solo".

[@user-yw8sr3uj1w]

Beautiful machine!! Excellent!

[@joemAwesomeMan]

why do you keep following me around?

[@RWBHere]

Beautiful! Thank-you.

[@Nico-yi2bi]

So well videoed and edited. thank you!

[@jamessidebottom5868]

so Beautiful and magnificent !

[@Idelia412]

Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing!

[@johnferguson8993]

What a beautiful sounding instrument, I just wish we knew what the name of the actual tune is and perhaps who wrote it.

[@pierrelacombe4757]

wonderfull !

[@KawhackitaRag]

I would love to know who restored the pipes in this orchestrion. Weber's fantastically realistic pipe-voicing is perfectly preserved here: the violins sound like real violins at times, the flutes like real flutes all the time, and the clarinets like real clarinets most of the time, which is a lot more than I can say of most orchestrions I've heard!!!

[@richardskola3570]

+Great Pianists I cannot answer your question. But, If you need someone who can help you with pipes,I may be able to help. There is a man who does work on Pipe organs for churches. If that could be of help, message me.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Upon looking online, I think Pascal Schneider in Switzerland may have done some work on this orchestrion, and maybe Werner Baus in Germany.

[@arburo1]

@@andrewbarrett1537 You are correct. Pascal maintains this instrument and cuts new rolls for it. A few years ago I visited this instrument and enjoyed a concert during lunch.

[@gregoryagogo]

So much more interesting with all the panels off!

[@florianchurch]

Fantastic!

[@dominiquedescottes8314]

Superbes Pas de.microprocesseur, d'électronique De la mécanique,et le génie de l'inventeur J'apprécie beaucoup

[@comms9803]

Amazing, but what music is it playing?

[@aspensmusicandrestoration]

@andrewbarrett1537 Saw you replied to a comment and I know you're a big name in the AMICA forums, is this orchestrion all pressure operated? I know some early Weber instruments used pressure based player systems and I don't see any suction operated parts in this machine.

[@rustynail3159]

No microchips here .

[@watchmakerful]

Even no electricity! Except the pneumatic pump motor...

[@CRH1A-1145]

@@watchmakerful There IS electricity - or otherwise the light bulbs wouldn't illuminate!

[@staspastukh2005]

@@CRH1A-1145 Why? What reason?

[@CBF1]

That thing is freaking massive. No doubt.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Yes it is probably the only Solea built in this long cabinet, a custom cabinet style to get it to fit under the relatively low ceiling of this Swiss restaurant, its original 1914 location. This is one of only a handful of large orchestrions in the world still in their original public venue.

[@CBF1]

@@andrewbarrett1537 Still in the original location is it? Wow... Which swiss restaurant is it located in?

[@annecohen8927]

I love the music!!!!! Oh what is the title of the music and who composed it?

[@randombox8142]

wintergatan brought me here

[@CBF1]

Lol I was just brought here by other music machine videos.

[@mynewyork165]

Can you do a video showing us how this works?

[@Zyymurgy]

i love her

[@scronx]

Nice!

[@Kselja]

❤

[@rolandvonmalmborg1905]

0:11 "Xylophone Solo"

[@H0TWHEELS]

I want one

[@evgeniy_o_raznom]

miracle of technology

[@danilopierri5029]

is that for sale

[@arburo1]

Never! It has been in the same cafe in Bulle since 1914!

[@danilopierri5029]

ok

[@danilopierri5029]

@preservationhall01 um ok

[@andrewbarrett1537]

​@preservationhall01 I should mention that if you want to piece together a Fotoplayer (or other brand of photoplayer) yourself, you can do it on the cheap by getting a gutted photoplayer piano off Craigslist and then sourcing parts from restorers' bonepiles (while they still exist, while the restorers are still with us!). I have seen gutted Fotoplayer, and gutted American coin piano and orchestrion, pianos on Craigslist and other sites (FB Marketplace, etc) going for peanuts, like just a couple hundred dollars if that, since they're functionally just a regular upright piano by this point. I even have a gutted Wurlitzer photoplayer piano (I don't yet know which model, but it had two side cabinets) clean, in storage now that I bought for only $400 from a good friend. I guesstimate that there are more gutted Fotoplayer pianos surviving now (as long as they don't get junked) than there are parts to un-gut them all, but with knowledge of surviving parts from friends like Joe Rinaudo, Alan Erb etc I guesstimate there are enough Fotoplayer parts around to un-gut / restore probably at least six or seven more Fotoplayers in addition to the more-or-less complete ones that exist (about 50). I said 'on the cheap' but it can be expensive to restore these. However, by putting one together and restoring it piece-by-piece, you amortize the cost over time, rather than paying all at once. That was once possible with large European cabinet orchestrions too, when they were being junked in the 1930s-1960s and parts and complete instruments were freely available, but now most of those that remain are in celebrated collections and museums and usually either not for sale or for sale only at very high prices, such as in the high five figures or the six figures. However, European keyboard-style coin pianos, even with a xylophone and/or a rank of pipes or two, often using some of the same rolls as some of the larger cabinet models (just with fewer instruments), can still be found online only in the thousands of dollars. There was a very early coin piano with xylophone for sale in Germany, sold by Diego Fuchs of Prague under his own label, recently, for the equivalent of about $2,000 USA (it might still be for sale, it was being discussed on the "Orchestrions of Europe" group on Facebook), and also there was a very nice Philipps Pianella model 8 coin piano with xylophone, for sale in Florida on eBay about a year or so ago, mislabeled as a "Jules Desmedt" player piano (Desmedt was the dealer, not the builder, whose label also appeared on the front). That one also only sold for about $2,000 or so, in my opinion a bargain. By the same token, American Seeburg A, B, and E, Wurlitzer IX coin pianos have sold in the mid-thousands of dollars, sometimes even in playing condition. They offer another alternative for someone wanting a commercial automatic instrument but not being rich. If one just wants a player piano, there are plenty of home foot-pumped player pianos for sale in the USA and Europe for rock-bottom prices, even free, and even "we'll pay you to haul it away". So, a beginning collector, or just someone who wants a basic player piano, can get one for just the cost of moving it, and work on it themselves. I always encourage this since far too many of these instruments wind up in the dump, even today. Some of them are even in good playing condition. These days, this number also includes fine Ampico, Duo-Art, Welte-Licensee and Recordo reproducing pianos (both uprights and grands) going wanting for good homes. The large classic orchestrions will probably hold a good deal of their value into the future as their numbers are few and interest in them is high. However, if someone hears of another one, even incomplete and/or in very bad condition, do tell me and/or other collectors about it so we can save it! If you choose to save it yourself, reach out to an enthusiast group such as AMICA, MBSI, or MMD for help. P. S. I know of an American style 45 Fotoplayer (their second-largest model) for sale in California for less money than that, which is supposed to be complete or nearly complete, but totally disassembled and needing to be restored. This was their second-largest Fotoplayer model. So they're still out there.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Update: a friend of mine bought the style 45. But as mentioned, so long as the various component parts from photoplayers and orchestrions are saved and not thrown out, and are properly stored, and enthusiasts are made aware of their existence, then a few more instruments may still yet be able to be pieced together.

[@drehorgelbernd]

Wow ein ganzes Orchester

[@markusmaus2847]

suuuuuuper

[@velcroman11]

Whether they be mechanical or electronic and don’t require a human to play the instrument to produce the musical sounds, they ALL BLASPHEMY BOXES!

[@andrewbarrett1537]

...what?!?

[@madjanetramerez1342]

shut up

[@uncreativeusername7188]

Do you care to elaborate? Also, going by your logic, if machines are "blasphemy boxes" if they don't require a human to play music, wouldn't the device you commented this on also be a "blasphemy box"?

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Exactly! How can one even type that kind of comment on a computer or smartphone at all?!?

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Also, the human musicians who designed these Orchestrions and built and voiced the pipes (for example), and of course arranged the music rolls, would all be disappointed in your opinion. However it is after all an opinion.