I'm having a great (?) time catching up with my email after a week in
Wien (Vienna).  Naturlich, I'd much rather be spending a 2nd week in
Wien, but such is life.

In the Uhrmuseem (clock/watch museum) I did see three flute-clocks
(large grandfather clocks with built-in barrel organs) -- one made right
in Wien, another by the great automata-builder Kaufmann of Dresden, and
of course one from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald).

But the best item there was a "Musikschrank" or musical cabinet -- an
8-foot (2.5m) tall box with a large barrel organ.  Unlike the true
Viennese flute-clock which includes a small clock face, this one made no
pretense to time-keeping -- it was a big barrel organ, period !

Two impressive things about it: First, the foundation rank of pipes was
not stopped (bourdon), but open, with the bass pipes up to two feet (2m)
long, mitered and doubled over!  The longest pipes were relatively narrow
scaled and would have had a string or at least diapason (principal) tone.
(No, it wasn't playing)

Second, this front rank (yes, the smaller, high-pitched pipes were behind
the large bass pipes, rather odd) did not have the usual wooden pipe
mouths.  Instead, the conventional lower lip blew over a circular hole in
the front board, simulating a modern transverse flute or "Querfloete".
I wonder how that affects the tone?  Note this is totally unlike the
German band-organ piccolos.

The largest pipes may have been up front for show, since the entire front
of the case doors was glass.  Not the sides, unfortunately.  There were
one or two ranks of tiny mixture-size pipes behind that I could see,
and some of the barrel keys looked a bit different from the rest and so
may have operated stop registers.

At last year's MBSI convention someone from Austria made a presentation
on such large flute-clocks and played a tape; for all I know the
instrument I saw may have been the one recorded!

In the Old Musical Instruments Collection in the Hofburg Palace I saw a
couple barrel instruments, but their works were nicely hidden by the
beautiful cases.  Same comment applies to some other items whose insides
would be worth seeing.

Fully visible was one of Ben Franklin's foot-rotated glass harmonicas,
with all the nested glass bowls; I've never seen one in its native USA.
This one may have been made in Europe, but the wall plaque gave invention
credit to "the American statesman Benjamin Franklin".  I guess the
Viennese can afford to give a little outside credit in musical matters.
:-)  Other fascinating music makers I'll omit since they weren't
automatic, but had to mention Ben's gadget.

On the last day, hurrying back from the Uhrmuseem to the hotel to clean
up for the Staatsoper that evening, I spotted a "bridge of sighs" between
two buildings with a large clock built in, and paused long enough to snap
a photo or two.  Imagine my surprise to see this clock featured in the
MBSI's journal when I got home.

It originally contained a HUGE book-organ of 1000 pipes, which sadly
was burnt out along with the buildings in WW II.  Today it plays recorded
organ music on the hour -- the Viennese found the original arrangement
manuscripts for the books and had an organist hand-play them on a
concert-hall organ.  Wonder if he had to triple-track the recordings,
or just play the "Gegensang" [counter-melody] with his thumbs?

The opera I saw was the first one I'd have chosen to see in Vienna, and
not entirely off the topic -- it featured a glockenspiel whose owner had
merely to twirl it around to produce dazzling music, and a flute you
didn't even have to blow into (beats a Rollmonica): just hold it up and
amazing things happen.  It plays a phrase, direction-finds young women,
includes a heat shield and SCUBA breather -- it's a Swiss Army Flute to
the 33rd degree.  Probably never find this kind of stuff at an MBSI swap
meet!  Sublime music of Mozart to go with.

And I did visit Robbie's friend's place out in the Bohemian Prater
district, but I had to go in the early afternoon and nobody was there.
I did get a couple photos of his Hofbauer (?) organ, though.

I can't believe I actually thought about it before deciding to go to
Vienna.  This has to be the most beautiful city on Earth (my apologies
to Copenhagen).

Mike Knudsen