Dear friends of mechanical music, today I want to announce that
"Das Mechanische Musikinstrument" Vol. 139, Journal of the German
Association "Gesellschaft für Selbstspielende Musikinstrumente e.V."
(GSM) is on its way to our members and again offers a wide collection
of articles about mechanical musical instruments.

The 139th edition consists of 76 pages. We proudly present a colorful
bouquet of articles. Claudia Nauheim delivered an article about the
German pianist, Oswin Keller, who produced literally hundreds of rolls
mostly for Hupfeld but also for other firms. She gives the very first
complete biography about that nearly unknown artist.

Our Swiss friends allowed to reprint an article by Raphael Lüthi about
musical Christmas stands with more than 50 informative pictures of
those devices. For the friends of musical boxes, Otmar Seemann from
Vienna gives advice for dating the musical boxes from Olbrich (Senior
and Junior) by their hallmarks.

Our GSM chairman, Ralf Smolne, found an interesting, modern carillon
installation in a mall in the city of Meran. He contacted the artist,
M. A. Mayr, who wrote a short summary of his thoughts to and the
"making of" that installation and its effects in the public. Helga Behr
visited a museum called "Huettels Musikwerke" at Wohlhausen, now a part
of the city of Markneukirchen, a former center of production of musical
instruments in Saxonia.

Birgit Heise was lucky: Her planned symposium about mechanical music
instruments from Leipzig could take place even under the circumstances
of the pandemic. Adrian Schmidt gives comprehensive notes of all
presentations and actions throughout the three days of the symposium
with international participation.

Bernhard Haeberle, the former editor of DMM, gives an overview about
a remarkable collection in a remarkable location: Dr. Jochem Steim
invited the members of GSM to his "Junghans Terrassenbau Museum" at
Schramberg in the black forest-area in Germany for their AGM. Junghans
Terrassenbau is the former building of (at that time) the largest
watch- and clockmaker worldwide.

Steim's collection of cuckoo and flute clocks and other mechanical
instruments now resides in that museum and the participants of the AGM
were invited to view the collection and get more information on the
background of it and the history of the monument protected building
"Terrassenbau" which dates from 1918. The usual reviews of
international journals round up the edition.

The board of our association, co-editor Walter Tenten and I wish you
all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Stay safe and healthy!

Uwe Gernert - Editor
Das Mechanische Musikinstrument