Hello, I'm surprised that you couldn't find any information on the
Gasparini organs. I looked in the Encyclopedia of Musical Instruments,
Barrel Organ and Musical Automata and they all had mentions of that
firm.
I think Gasparini made mostly larger organs but the one you show is
very similar to those of the other firms that made hand organs. Yours
appears to be a fairly good size trumpet organ but the pipes are in a
rough way and there are some parts missing. If you have pictures taken
from other directions, we could tell you more about its condition, if
you're interested.
This should be a really nice organ when it's restored, especially if
there are good tunes on the barrel and you have the barrel restored.
Please select someone who has plenty of experience with hand organs.
Although they are made mostly of wood, they are not as simple as you
might think. I suspect that you are in Europe, but you can call me
sometime and I'll give you more information, rather than trying to get
into detail here.
Regards
Craig Smith
near Rochester, New York
P.S.: After sending in this comment to MMD, I corresponded with
Jean-Marc Lebout. He told me that they are looking -- specifically --
for information about François Gasparini who worked at Rue de Reuilly
67 à Paris. They know about the Gasparini family in general but not
about this particular member (François ) of the family.
|