Spanish Street Pianos

[@fmartin09]

I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. They use those instruments to play "Chotis" in the streets usually during the "San Isidro" regional holiday. They are pretty cool and rare. You can find people dancing chotis in youtube and you will hear almost always this instruments being played in the background.

[@victorlloyd5271]

SAN FRANCISCO MECHANICAL ORGAN [I can't make out the second line] Modern and Classical Music (orchestral rhythms) 1900 Specializes in timing and tuning. In-home service guaranteed in or out of Madrid. ANTONIO APRUZZESE (Manufacturer's name?) #7 San Francisco Rd. Madrid 5. Tel. [phone] MUSIC PIECES 1. The Merry Widow --- waltz 2. Spanish Sighs --- two-step 3. The Rebellious Woman --- Waltz ([?]) 4. The [Feathers or Dress?] of the Dove --- [?] 5. [Feathers or Dress?] of the Dove --- [?] 6. The poor [?] --- [?] 7. The Happiness of the [Orchard?] --- [?] 8. The [Reliquary?] --- [?] 9. [?] --- [?] 10. [?] --- [?] James, The stuff in brackets is stuff I cannot read.

[@ThePianoforever]

Thank you so much! So neat to know what it says!

[@Mr850man]

10th one is "Dolores" its a woman's name that translates to "Pains"

[@D.A.Trevino]

it doesnt say feathers or dress, it says Verbena, a type of party. The 5th one's genre is Schotis (schottische) and the sixth is The poor Valbuena (name) - Habanera, the 9th one is El amigo Melquiades (roughly translated to My Friend Melquiades). The rest are just sorta famous zarzuelas. 1. The Merry Widow --- waltz 2. Spanish Sighs --- two-step 3. The Rebellious Woman --- Waltz ([Duo]) (looks like a dot over the i but i think they were trying to correct an accent) 4. The Festivity of the Dove --- [?] 5. Festivity of the Dove --- Schotis 6. The poor Valbuena --- Habanera 7. The Happiness of the Orchard --- [?] 8. The Reliquary --- [?] 9. My Friend Melquiades --- two-step 10. El Guitarrico --- [?] The genres are a bit too blurry so i couldn't make out what they said.

[@davidoramas7157]

@@D.A.Trevino The 4, 7 and 8 seem to be "marcha" (march) and the last one "Jota" (dunno if there is translation for that), although I can't make out the word next to marcha in 7.

[@bernardofitzpatrick5403]

Awesome dope little unusual instrument! love it! Also the big street piano - so exotic! Great that these unique beauties are still around. Nice! Also love strange instruments!

[@timbithar1]

The lever on the side shifts the cylinder to advance to the appropriate song listed on the paper list...there are multiple songs on each. And these were designed to be cranked much faster.

[@ThePianoforever]

I really wasn't too sure how fast to crank it haha. 😁

[@ufo4theufo]

I'm from Madrid, in the centre of the city there is an old lady who usually plays that kind of instrument. It has a pretty unique sound. So glad to watch your video, keep going with such good content!

[@rikspector]

James, They are fascinating, not unlike the Hurdy Gurdys I saw in New York City in the late 1940's when I was a very little boy. Gracias Amigo Tu muy mola! Rik Spector

[@ThePianoforever]

Would love to do a video with a hurdy gurdy! They're rather hard to find, though.

[@bikkies]

About 9:36 there appears to be a second crank and/or some sort of lever assembly on the left hand panel back from the main hand crank. I'd be interested in what those do, if anyone knows.

[@Mrpoulenc1899]

Lovely to see such old instruments just about working, these i am told were very popular in ye-olde England, back in the Victorian times, as were street organs sometimes called barrel organs, again with a crank handle. i was wondering if the certificate on the inside was perhaps a license or permit from the local authority mayor or council ? Kind regards Simon.

[@Renatodonadio]

Those crank pianos were also popular in Naples, Italy, they were called "pianino" (small piano) and players put them on a carriage and went on the road, when they stopped for playing the player gathered a crowd and sold them the "carta di musica", the lyrics sheet to sing along. Neapolitan emigrants began manufacturing pianinos also in Little Italy in New York ;-D

[@stevenmayhew3944]

Judging by the placement and number of those pins, I think that street pianos are designed like high-quality music boxes where the cylinders shift one notch to the right after playing one tune in order to play the next, and then when it runs out, it springs all the way back to the left and starts again. You can think of it like an orchestrion piano roll which plays one of so many tunes and then stops there until the next coin, but then has to rewind itself once it reaches the end.

[@themuseboy]

Another great video James! The second piano sounded like music from a horror movie.

[@Modeltnick]

I love these old barrel pianos. Unfortunately the damp climate caused many of them to deteriorate. Most of them also did not have a metal harp to strengthen the spine. The best of these instruments were made by the B.A.B. Organ Company of Brooklyn, New York. They built these instruments out of the best materials and they also pinned current popular music on their cylinders throughout the first half of the last century. The B.A.B. pianos also had reiterating hammers in the upper half of the register that gave a very pleasing mandolin effect. There are examples on youtube under barrel pianos.

[@adyward1]

It would be so amazing to listen to it after being restored James. Makes me think of some of the French street music from the 19th and early 20th Century. Thinking the music a young Edith Piaf would have sung along to in the streets of Paris before she became famous.

[@ThePianoforever]

I would like to hear them in tune!

[@IsraelSanchezPiano]

The label showed at 6:30 says: Price: 20 pesetas (a peseta is a fifth of a peso, the official coin) GENERAL SOCIETY OF SPANISH COMPOSERS REPRODUCTION RIGHTS (Copyright) Have been authorized to adapt and mark on this manual cilinder property of (ilegible signature) the following compositions: 1. La viuda alegre (the happy widow) - Lehar 2. Suspiros de España (Sighs of Spain) - Olivares 3. La revoltosa (the unruly girl) - Chepi (not sure about the author's name) 4. La verbena de la paloma (The dove's verbena) - Breton 5. La verbena de la paloma - Breton (yes, it appears twice) 6. El pobre Balbuena (The poor Balbuena) - Chueca 7. La alegría de la huerta (The joy of the orchard) - Chueca 8. El Relicario (The reliquary) - Padilla (Then you moved it too fast and it went out of focus) Underlined: Not valid without the name of the authors Glue this on a well visible spot At the end, the stamp and signature are from the General Administrator of the Society of Spanish composers dated on Aprin 27th 1962 in Madrid. Greetings from Mexico City

[@peterjelley9350]

the handle on the side is the tune changer

[@DavidMartinez-rk6fd]

Hi regards from spain, technically it isnt a piano, it is named "pianola", San Francisco is a Madrid's street, The pianolas used to play in the street in special party events like San Isidro in Madrid. The music is very beautifull and typical Spanish, a curiosity i could read a song named "Jota de la Almanseña", i lived for 7 years in Almansa it is a small town in the south-east of spain.

[@allysloper1882]

The firm of Gerardo and Luis Apruzzese moved from Italy to Madrid in 1898, Antonio Apruzzese, the son of Luis was born in 1906 and set up his own business at the address shown on the card after his marriage in the 1920s. He became the most important player, restorer and manufacturer of these instruments of the 20th century and continued until his death in 1995. If this instrument is made by him it couldn't date from much before 1930 but as he also repaired instruments it could be an older one that he refurbished

[@ThePianoforever]

Thank you.

[@electricplayer13]

You're very lucky, your life is destined as a pianist, I'm just not as lucky as you 😩

[@shy.kumquat]

That is straight out of my nightmares

[@RollaArtis]

If it had some sort of weighted fly wheel it would not be so jerky - just an observation.

[@Renatodonadio]

2:15 No, that's obviously not San Francisco in California, it's "Saint Francis Street" in spanish ;-D

[@booleanenator]

The sticker underneath the faux fallboard is a copyright permit from the authors of the music.

[@ThePianoforever]

That's neat! Thanks!

[@shopbruce]

You forgot to note the store that is selling these "music boxes"

[@ThePianoforever]

Thanks for letting me know, I fixed it! It's in the description now. 😁

[@Jrs009]

It said "7, St. Francisco street", in Madrid. Obviously St. Francisco name, in California (like the own "California" or "Los Angeles" ) are from spanish origin

[@Renatodonadio]

6:10, That's the "copyright note", with the list of all music pieces playable and the price of 20 pesetas that the player has paid to play the pieces ;-D

[@lostinbeauty7129]

Could #4 and 5 be The Festival of the Dove? I believe there is something called the Festival of the Holy Dove in some Christian sects. I think "Orchard" is correct for #7. #9 and 10 are too out of focus to really get a handle on. My Spanish is miserable...

[@HichemEllouze18]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@guillemclara]

May be it helps you: San Francisco little organs Modern (orchestra rhythm) and classic music 1900. Specialized in marking and tunning. Service at home guaranteed in and outside Madrid. Antonio Apruzzese. San Francisco street, 7 -Madrid phone... Note of pieces...

[@ThePianoforever]

Thanks so much! Very cool! 😀

[@guillemclara]

@@ThePianoforever The other note: price 20 pesetas. General society of spanish authors. Rights of reproduction. The following compositions have been allowed to be adapted and marked in this handle organ cylinder. Propertie of (I can't understand) * and I think it is much more modern, may be it colud be from 1900

[@elliotthop2072]

Use google translate !

[@ThePianoforever]

Google translate is sometimes hilariously inaccurate. Not a bad idea though.

[@sethlupo4736]

FIRST