Hello Francoise, while I can't speak for everywhere, but at least
in Germany an "Orchestrion" refers to an _indoor_ instrument, whether
organ or piano is not that much the point as much as it usually was
a multi-instrument (a piano with percussion or accordion or organ)
and it is usually kept in a cabinet-style piece of furniture.
While there is not a clear definition, at least I can tell you what
it is _not_! Every time when a dear friend of ours mentions that he
is "going there with his orchestrion", while actually referring to
a street organ, I feel tempted to choke him really badly. It just
doesn't seem right and by then at the latest I come to think that
someone who doesn't even know that much about mechanical instruments
surely must be spreading a whole bunch of other nonsense about them
as well.
Too bad I can't be everywhere to hit people on their fingers when
they do that.
greetings by(e) InK - Ingmar Krause
Victoria, B.C., Canada
[ Good point, Ingmar. The word orchestrion is used in English just
[ as in German. (The English-language adverts were straightforward
[ equivalents of the German adverts.) But might the same instrument
[ playing outdoors be called a street organ? -- Robbie
|