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 > April 2014 > 2014.04.19 > 01Prev  Next


New Musical Arrangements for Mills Violano
By Wayne Finger

This year, for Easter, I arranged new versions of "Ave Maria" and
"In the Garden" for the Mills Violano Virtuoso, an antique musical
instrument made by the Mills Novelty Company about 100 years ago.
Watch and listen to them play at the following YouTube links:

  In the Garden:  http://youtu.be/bu9Mk_APbiw 
  Ave Maria:      http://youtu.be/o7qvDDaoWsU 

"In the Garden" -- This new arrangement includes some multi-string
violin harmonies which I was very happy to work into the song.  The
song was written about 1912 by C. Austin Miles, an amateur photographer
who had a vision of Mary Magdalene visiting the empty tomb.  In this
vision he saw her leave the tomb and walk into the garden where she
met the risen Jesus.

"Ave Marie" -- This arrangement of Schubert's 1825 melody also includes
some multi-string violin harmonies.  The Mills Violano Virtuoso
presents a unique opportunity to play multiple violin strings with
different note timing and pitches.

This instrument's ability to reproduce such beautiful music is a
tribute to its manufacturer 100 years ago and the quality of its recent
rebuild.  This instrument now plays by either paper rolls or from MIDI
music files from an iPad.

Making play lists and arranging music for MIDI instruments is easier
than I expected.  At the MBSI annual meeting in Florida this October,
there will be a workshop on how you can arrange music for a Mills
Violano or similar MIDI enabled instrument.  You can see all of the
workshop topics at  http://mbsi2014.org/workshops.html 

Hope you enjoy the new music.

Wayne Finger


(Message sent Sat 19 Apr 2014, 20:15:04 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Arrangements, Mills, Musical, New, Violano

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