Welte Style 5 Concert Orchestrion plays "Orpheus in the Underworld"

While visiting Durward Center's beautiful home and workshop, we were treated to a performance by his stunning Welte Style 5.

[@Yaledmot]

Very realistic dog sound too.

[@stthomasmore4811]

🤣🤣

[@faerieSAALE]

The whole place is a museum of mechanical wonders and wizardry. In many ways - the people of the 19th and 20th centuries had the best of everything. Thank the stars and heavens above that this masterpiece survives to this day for us to marvel over.

[@e-mananimates2274]

If I had a house like that, I'll never complain about where I live.

[@thomashogan4908]

Check out "Cancan Piano 4 Hands" Bell School England. Best bromance of two soccer players on the net! Adorable.

[@jrzzrj]

Well thank you poochie for freekin up this great attempt at recording a masterpiece @ 01:24

[@acousticedison]

Welte certainly had a good sense of how something like this should sound. He really accomplished his goal of serious musical reproduction. Don't get to hear these high end large instruments very often. I always loved his Reproducing pianos as well.

[@maunster3414]

An orchestrion that barks too. Very unusual.

[@sammorex2543]

The reminds me of the Franz Josef at House on the Rock!

[@andrewbarrett1537]

The Franz Josef, although earlier including an accordion and playing Wurlitzer band organ rolls, is now indeed a parody of a large early cylinder organ orchestrion, although of course the cylinder is just for show and it plays a custom paper roll scale, with arrangements indeed adapted from Welte 75 hole orchestrion rolls.

[@madeleinebaier5347]

Awww, Doggo likes it too!❤

[@PeterMackett]

"Orpheus in the Underworld Overture" - Jacques Offenbach.

[@Addehiovy]

It is a great pity that there do not appear to be any other videos here of this magnificent instrument. I would love to hear other melodies being played by this lovely piece of musical apparatus!

[@andrewbarrett1537]

There is a CD available, which was issued around 1995 and also includes a style 6 orchestrion in addition to the 5. I think it might still be found online in used and new old stock copies.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Yes here is the CD. I have a copy but don't know where it can be found today except used copies online. I hope they will re-release it as a digital download someday: www.discogs.com/No-Artist-M-Welte-S%C3%B6hne-Pneumatic-Orchestrions/release/14595939

[@VetericusNoire]

What a beautiful creation. Yes I know the style 5 very well;) We go back. Welte was a genius organ builder. The fact they produced the volume on such a low pressure is brilliant.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

What low pressure did Welte use? I'm curious. Thanks!

[@Welteboy]

2 1/2 inches on this organ.

[@robertdehlinger6531]

Many of these tunes, along with those from Tales of Hoffman, were put together into a piece called Gaite Parisienne.

[@loracio]

wonderfull place !!!

[@DrpanProductions]

Simply Stunning!

[@alancordwell9759]

That looks a fascinating place, I love clocks and clockwork too! Where is this?

[@jessicamercier1091]

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[@jerrytheracecardriver1100]

fantastic instrument. the only thing that my ears were slightly irritated by is when the drum was offbeat at 7:00 but other than that it was amazing

[@R2R1426]

👍👍👏👏

[@bietebouwer]

Was that Casey barking in the background?

[@Welteboy]

Alas, Casey is no longer with me. The dog barking at the doorbell was Buddy, my current dog in residence at Orchestrion Hall.

[@bietebouwer]

Sorry to hear that - I trust Buddy is a worthy successor :)

[@organbuilder272]

What a shame - In 1957 one of thse burned in a huge fire in an abandoned mansion in Merideth Bay, New Hampshire. Kids got into the place, which had been empty for several years and it became ashes. The only thing left were the control wired, belted brass, buddles of tin fromt he flue pipes and various metal parts. I had a photo of it - long gone now. Welte also built full scale pipe organs - romantic style. but they were magnificent organs.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

This is very sad but thank you for leaving this comment that documents the one-time existence of one of these rare instruments. I don't recall ever reading about this one in any of the books or periodicals I have, although there are several other accounts of other vanished Welte orchestrions.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

What was the name of the mansion or the original owner? Perhaps a photograph could be found of the orchestrion before the fire, in a local archive or something.

[@Mark-Singleton]

Fantastic Machine! Could you please take a look at my Imhof barrel orchestrion, I really could do with some advice. Thanks

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Kevin Meayers can help with this. In addition to fairground organs, he has restored several orchestrions and chamber barrel organs and does excellent quality work: www.meayersorgans.co.uk/

[@Mark-Singleton]

@@andrewbarrett1537 Thanks for the tip Andrew, much appreciated. 👍🏻

[@rogerbrooks9819]

i. Is this in America or Britain/ roger.

[@Addehiovy]

It is possibly in America, as there appears to be an American type of electrical socket on one of the walls.

[@arburo1]

USA. Durward Center is one of the leading restorers of this type of instrument.

[@TheBill3333]

It seems a bit fast. No need to rush to finish line !!

[@PianoNBS]

1.25 Speed

[@CRH1A-1145]

The pitched instruments are great but the unpitched percussion are not played in time.

[@jacobrau990]

8:08, why does that snare-y sounding drum sound so far out of time? Forgive me, I'm not even kind of an organ builder, I'm just curious.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Question : how can you tell a drum is out of tune? I'm kind of a drummer and find it hard to tell. Yes, this orchestrion has both a bass drum (with three or four beaters, two for tympani effect), and a snare drum.

[@arburo1]

I can hear nothing wrong with the timing of the snare drum at 8.08. It does exactly what the arranger asks for. Durward Center is the world's leading restorer of these large classical orchestrions.

[@jacobrau990]

Andrew, I said time, not tune. It seems to hit pretty far off the beat. I wondered if it was what the arranger wanted or an effect of the machine itself.

[@arburo1]

The reiteration speed of the side drum is mechanically produced and not as per a fairground organ where every beat is cut into the roll, I think! This is certainly the case with the Welte and Imhof barrel instruments and I think they retained this design of snare drum control when they added the roll player. I'll go and check the scale in the book.

[@arburo1]

Just checked the book and this scale appears to have a single track for the snare drum.

[@ranchovistadenada]

we dont need to see ego seekers in front of the machines

[@AquaSerpent9001]

The second tune has to be the can can.

[@arburo1]

There is no second tune. It's all one piece of music.

[@frogman8879]

Most people know the second part as the can-can but it's just a different movement within the same piece

[@thomashogan16]

We know that old fuss budget. You could just have nicely explained it.

[@batscher61]

Ich Liebe diese Orgeln und Orchestrione aber die Blöde Schelle und dann noch der Hund .Hat die ganze Aufnahme Versaut.

[@staspastukh2005]

Organ