In MMD 990219 Ingmar Krause comments on my "definition" from one day
before.  He describes exactly the problem:  There is much confusion
concerning our terminology.

How can we get out of this confusion, especially when a non-native
English speaker, e.g. German, collector will talk to somebody in
Australia, for example?

In my view we first should structure the sources of this confusion.
As I see it, the problems are because of

1.  just language problems
2.  slang expressions
3.  historical terminology (e.g. advertisements of around 1900)

Problem number 1 can be solved easily (in theory): Learn foreign
languages or ask somebody who knows it well.  The problem with this
"somebody" is that he/she has to be an expert in mechanical music
instruments and their history too!

Problem number 2 is more complex:  Very often it is hard, or nearly
impossible, to know, to explain or to prove what the slang expression
really means, or meant historically, in southern Germany or northern
Germany, or Austria, or Switzerland (just to deal with German speaking
countries).

Problem number 3 can be solved partially:  Don't believe all wordings
in advertisements!  If, for example, around 1900 Paul Ehrlich and his
marketing organization advertised the ARISTON (an organette with just
reeds!) as a SALONORGEL, they knew exactly that they used the wrong
terminology, but they used the term ORGEL (organ) because it generates
the impression of a big organ's sound browsing through the SALON (the
well situated citizen's living room with 3-meter high ceiling) of the
turn of the century.

In order to come to a worldwide acceptable terminology we have two
choices:

1.  Start a scientific project with a group of experts from all around
the world, including language scientists, music and musical instrument
scientists, etc., etc.  I will not predict when they might provide a
result, if ever!

2.  Try to make a pragmatic suggestion with keeping in mind the
threefold problem as described above and dealing with it in a
reasonable and adequate way, i.e., set a time limit for the result;
give preliminary results to the many practical oriented experts related
to the MMD; especially care for the most different meanings of similar
sounding terms in different languages (English, French, Italian,
German, Dutch, ...).

And stay -- as far as possible -- with the terminology of well
established and accepted standards, e.g., the "Encyclopedia of
Automatic Musical Instruments" by Q. David Bowers.

The term ORGANETTE, as I used it, is a very good example: It is well
understandable (and can be pronounced easily) in different languages;
it does not conflict with historical expressions; it is defined within
Bowers' Encyclopedia.

To come to a (maybe preliminary) conclusion I will suggest:

The ongoing efforts of the MMD crew in setting up a terminology should
be continued following the pragmatic way.  I am sure that many of the
MMD friends can and will help in optimizing this terminology .

My first contribution deals with the "Project Planning Phase" for the
project "The Terminology":

1.  Make a "Call For Proposals" for a "Structure Of The Terminology":
The starting point for this structure should be (this is my most
pragmatic suggestion!) the headlines of the table of contents of
Bowers' Encyclopedia: Cylinder Music Boxes Terminology - Player Pianos
Terminology - Reproducing Pianos Terminology - etc. - etc.

2.  Compile the incoming suggestions, publish the compilation and make
a "Call For Reviewing the Structure Of the Terminology".

3.  Compile the incoming improvements and publish the result as
"Approved Structure Of the Terminology".

4.  Call for contributions to each chapter of the Terminology.  This
call could be addressed to the MMD friends in general _and_ to the well-
known experts for specific chapters.

5.  Some feedback steps: to be defined.

6.  Publish the "Preliminary Result" and make a "Call For Reviewing the
Preliminary Result Of the Terminology."

7.  Compile the incoming improvements.

8.  Publish "The Terminology."

I think this is a nice suggestion, but I am somewhat hesitating to send
it to you, Robbie, because I am well aware of the problem with the term
"compile" as used above:  Behind this term is hidden a lot of work,
most probably for you.

Musically
Christian Greinacher


 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ I like your idea very much, Christian.  The readers of MMD are our
 [ our experts for this task, because they know what the people in the
 [ streets are saying.  Certainly the tomes published by expert writers
 [ will be consulted, but the compilation must include the slang terms
 [ of yesterday and today, even though some may consider it incorrect or
 [ derogatory, simply because it is _history_.  When the extravagance of
 [ the old advertising is explained (like the Ariston "Salonorgel") then
 [ folks will be more likely to accept suggestions for different terms.
 [
 [ Well-meaning organizations like MMD, or big governments like France,
 [ cannot mandate word usage -- we can only recommend with reasoning.
 [ But we can certainly can present a logical lexicon of standard
 [ terminology, in several languages, for the collectors around the
 [ world.
 [
 [ I will help all I can with the project.  Let's hear now from MMDers --
 [ this is the "Call For Proposals" and my call for helpers !
 [
 [ -- Robbie