Open letter from Art Reblitz to Janna Norby, Curator of Collections,
Montana Heritage Commission, and readers of Mechanical Music Digest:

Dear Janna,

It's unfortunate that the terrible videos of four of the Montana
Heritage Commission's band organs that need the most repairs have
appeared on YouTube, along with a few display signs that once were
clever (when the organs still played relatively well and the Wurlitzer
180 was indeed the loudest organ in Montana) but now give the
impression of being self-deprecating.

On the other hand, I hereby issue a challenge to those who have
sent the most critical postings to MMD to do something constructive,
perhaps something as simple as making videos of the best-sounding
instruments in the Virginia City/Nevada City collection and putting
them on YouTube beside the bad ones.

An audio recording of the Wurlitzer DX that my shop restored last
year is already available at the AMICA web site, and we have received
compliments on how good it sounds.  Perhaps that audio could be
submitted to YouTube with a good photo of the piano, along with some
favorable comments about current efforts to improve the collection.

Who among MMD's recent critics of the Bovey Collection has gone to
the trouble to learn about the restoration work and tuning that has
been done in the past few years?  For that matter, has one of them
visited you in Montana, made an attempt to get to know you or any of
your staff members, or offered any constructive help?  Or are they
just trying to stir up trouble in hopes of buying valuable instruments
from the state of Montana, where they will never again be seen by the
public?

Janna, it is most definitely possible to keep instruments working in
a public display if maintenance and occasional restoration are done by
someone who knows how to make the instruments sound good.  Orchestrions
and band organs were made to be used commercially, and they lasted for
many years in their original locations.  Band organs, especially, will
play for decades, given proper maintenance, a new roll or cardboard
music book now and then, and regular lubrication and cleaning.

Unfortunately, certain instruments in the Virginia City / Nevada City
collection have gone without competent servicing for years, and it
will take major work to put them into good sounding condition again,
as you know.  But in a day when almost every automatic instrument made
for commercial use in the early 20th Century is now in a private
collection, forthcoming generations will never know they even existed
if the last few examples are also taken out of the public eye.

How sad it would be if no one ever again saw an authentic Victorian
melodrama, a working steam locomotive, an orchestrion or band organ,
or the many other educational displays presented in Alder Gulch and
other fine Montana state historic sites.  Yes, it takes a lot of work
by dedicated and competent people to keep any of these "living time
machines" alive for future generations to enjoy, but what will happen
if this history is lost?

I could spend an hour or two addressing specific complaints in some
of the more negative postings to MMD, but it would serve little
constructive purpose.  I've found you and other staff members of the
Montana Heritage Commission and Montana History Foundation to be fine
people who should be commended for devoting your lives to preserving
an important part of our nation's history, as did the late Charley and
Sue Bovey.

While it would be nice to have instant restoration of the whole
collection at little cost, it would also be nice to feed the hungry,
cure the sick and bring an end to all strife throughout the world.
In the absence of that capability, we each need to focus on improving
one thing at a time.

To the armchair MMD critic: Instead of complaining about things that
you've only seen on YouTube, get out of your computer chair and spend
a little time each week improving and sharing your own favorite music
machines -- player pianos, roller organs, band organs or whatever --
with people who have never seen them before, so members of the next
generation will have the opportunity to become excited about them too!

If you're genuinely concerned about the condition of instruments in the
Nevada City Music Hall, contact Janna Norby at <Jnorby@mt.gov> to learn
how you might be able to help.

Art Reblitz