Here is a short story about the firm Amelotti.
The firm was located in the south of France, in Nice (Cote d'Azur).
Charles Amelotti (? - 1900) built a barrel orchestrion named in France
the "Piano mecanique" or "Piano bastringue". Amelotti was a famous
organ builder and organ repairer. He managed the firm from 1863 to
circa 1900, and produced many sorts of barrel pianos of good quality.
He died circa 1900 and his wife continued the activity from 1900 to
1914 with the name "Vve. Amelotti". (Vve. is for veuve -- the widow.)
The name was patented in 1910. After 1914 the firm was managed by
Gastaud-Robuchi, and later (1928) by the Eger Company. The best
performance was between 1910 and 1928.
During the years 1910 to 1928 the Amelotti firm made many pneumatic
orchestrions with a paper roll system or with mechanical finger, in-
cluding one or two automatic accordions and also percussions. They
made also an automaton named "Accordeo-Boy", with one accordion-player
and percussion.
Francoise Dussour
fdussour@club-internet.fr
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