Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info

End-of-Year Fundraising Drive In Progress. Please visit our home page to see this and other announcements: https://www.mmdigest.com     Thank you. --Jody

MMD > Archives > October 2002 > 2002.10.15 > 01Prev  Next


Anciaume & Hooghuys
By Bjorn Isebaert

First of all, I want to thank Francoise Dussour for giving more
information about the Anciaume family -- my question has been answered!
(I wouldn't have expected it to be otherwise on the MMD. ;-) ).

Now, perhaps I have to explain a little more: the Anciaume organ
modified by Hooghuys was probably built by the Anciaume family in
Paris, not by an Anciaume in Belgium.  The organ was owned by the Dutch
fairground man Gerard Vincken from Roermond, and there's no indication
at all that this organ was built in Belgium or the Netherlands.

Moreover, when looking at the list of organs repaired or modified by the
firm of Louis Hooghuys (this list is much longer than the list of new
organs, by the way), we find a lot of organs of French origin: there
are several by Anciaume, Gavioli, Gasparini, Limonaire, Poirot, ...

But there also names of builders I haven't yet found anything about:
Comere J., Coppin, Desalle, Laigre, Lausange, Legendre and Mortier
Charles.  In only one case, the invoice just mentions "Mirecourt",
without any detail about the manufacturer.

Most of these organs were barrel organs; some of them were modified
to play organ books.  Unfortunately, we don't have any invoices dating
from after 1908; later invoices were (very probably) lost due to the
fact that the Germans occupied the Hooghuys factory building during
WW1.  The list of barrels pinned by Hooghuys gives us data 'till 1924.
It is striking to note that, at the end, only the barrel organs built
by 'the well-known' manufacturers, such as Gavioli, Frati and Ruth,
seem to have survived.

It is also interesting to note that, in the invoices, Hooghuys made a
distinction between organs built under Anselmo Gavioli and those built
under Ludovico Gavioli.

Regards,

Bjorn Isebaert
Zottegem, Belgium


(Message sent Tue 15 Oct 2002, 06:55:39 GMT, from time zone GMT+0200.)

Key Words in Subject:  Anciaume, Hooghuys

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page