Hi Mark

> Uh oh.  I thought that portable organs used reeds.  In any case, I
> _was_ referring to organs that are pre-programmed and don't have a
> keyboard.

reeds? a reed-organ is for me no real organ :-)
But, sure, Aristons for example do have reeds.  While talking about
organs, the first thing to think at are church-organs.  These use pipes.
So why should hand-cranked-organs be only reed-organs?  Its rather
surprising to have a reed organ.

Well, about all mechanical-music-organs are pre-programmed, aren't they?
As well are chip-organs...

> In the USA, circuses are somewhat obsolete, though there are a few
> still around and there are periodic revivals of the business.  Almost
> all of the circus performers in US shows are European, and we are
> assured that, while circuses are a dying art form in the USA, there
> are still lots of circuses in Europe.  What this has to do with crank
> organs is a bit of a stretch--it just seemed that crank organs and
> circuses are art forms that died out in the USA but are still popular
> in Europe.

hmm... I haven't been going to a circus quite some time now, but, there
are indeed lots of them around. Sometimes in the summer you have each
week another one in the town.
While talking about these things to "die out":
It isn't surprising to me, that especially in Europe these things keep
remained. Europe as the "old continent" always also had an eye backwards
on history, keeping old buildings and so on.
In the USA in contrast, people seem not to be as nostalgic and rather
try to "keep up to date". If there's no need for an old building
anymore, so what?  Burn it down, build something new... and that's not
the way things are handled here in Europe.

> Every circus band in the US (and every sports stadium as well) uses a
> keyboard-operated organ, usually an electronic organ that works through
> the public address system.

thetas exactly the way it is in most of the circuses.

> In the USA, we have divorce parties, divorce greeting cards which offer
> congratulations, divorce cakes (the opposite of wedding cakes) and what
> appears to be a developing ritual of celebration that surrounds
> divorces.  Since half of marriages in the US (and western Europe too,
> I believe) end in divorce, the trend is not surprising.

hmm... never heard of that, but... true, ... seems to be just logical.

I just tried to imagine a divorce:
"Oh, hello people! Oh get a drink, take a cake! We are so happy to have
you all here and we are so happy to have our broken relationship come
to an end and to be free for life again! So let's start the PARTY!!!"

hmm... strange, but a way to handle it of course...

And yes, you are right. Also in Europe this is becoming more and more
normal: Not happy in the marriage? well: divorce...

Somehow this makes me think I shouldn't ever marry.
If its common to say in front of god "yes, I'll keep to you until death"
and later say "ooops, must have been a mistake, sorry" and divorce,
then how credible is a marriage?!?

Well, but we went off topic.

>> I think you have a record of a normal Dutch organ.  (Which have been
>> played by hand.  At least at that time.)
>
> I dunno.  The record said Amsterdam.  Whichever city they have that has
> the canals.

err... this wasn't the point. It may be a record of an organ in
Amsterdam.  The point is, that this hardly can be a barrel-organ. Its
rather a Dutch street-organ.

> The popular perception of these instruments in the USA is not a
> particularly positive one.  The organ grinder in our literature and
> history was typically an extremely poor (typically Italian) immigrant
> who contributed to the general gaiety of large cities in the US
> between 1890 and 1930 but was himself unable to cope with life in his
> new country.  He's typically somewhat of a tragic figure.

Very funny. well, what have you thought? its just the same way here in
Europe. Well, not speaking about just Italians, but have a thought:
Bacigalupo, Frati, etc... they have their origins in Italy.
Yes, its been the instrument of the poor people, who tried to make some
money. But that's exactly our point: WE don't just look for money,
WE play, cause this instrument and its techniques and sounds are worth
to keep played and shown. We do try to get rid of this perception.
This can't be done through just stay at home and think
"oh, a barrel-organ is something real nice" but rather through taking
it on the street.

When a millionaire stands behind his organ in the street, don't you
think that this might turn the people's perception around?
You have to inform the people and this is only possible if you take
a really well playing organ with good music and play it on the street.
And of course you shouldn't look like the beggar of the corner.
If you put on your "Tourist"-outfit (sun-glasses and hat, shaved and
being just someway cool) then I think you will have success.

>> :-)  And now you know where to play your organ.  ;-)
>
> I might be able to qualify as the monkey.  I'll wear a little pillbox
> hat.

I have a nice picture here showing a monkey cranking an organ.
So give it a try!

> M Kinsler
                                                greetings by(e) InK
--
ERlanger drehORGEL-Trio, Familie Krause, erorgelt@erlangen.franken.de