I was about to come up with the fact that every band organ, including
the Wurlitzer 150, is transposed. This means, for example, a 150 band
organ roll plays it in the key of C-major, but we hear it in the key of
B-flat major, with it's relative minors. The same thing on the
Wurlitzer 157 band organ. Wurlitzer 165 rolls playing in C, but it is
heard in G, transposed a fifth higher!
Most, or not, European organs are transposed all over the place, i.e.,
Gavioli organ are a minor third higher, but the Bruder and Ruth organs
vary from a minor third to even a perfect fifth down. Is that because
every country (Germany and England) had different tastes on timbre? Or
wasn't the familiar A=440 standard developed prier to 1917 in the US?
Andy Park
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