Transparent 20-key Belly Organ
Transparent 20-key Belly Organ
(Die durchsichtige 20er-Bauchorgel)
by Robbie Rhodes
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 Earlier
this summer, when I visited at the Jäger & Brommer organ factory
in Waldkirch, Germany, I photographed a cute and very colorful little 20-key
crank organ. Orgelbaumeister Wolfgang Brommer explained:
"It's a 20-note chest organ (belly-organ), and it plays the standard
20-note paper roll music. The case is built of thick transparent
acrylic plastic sheet [like Lucite or Plexiglas, thickness circa 6 mm]
so that you can see everything and how it works. All the pieces of
the organ inside are built in the traditional fashion, with solid wood
and genuine leather."
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| The organ pipes and parts are painted in several bright colors.
I asked, "What do children say when they see it?"
"Oh, they really like it very, very much, because they can see the pump
and the music roll moving inside and hear the lovely sound.
"We have orders now to build several more instruments for musuems, to
show to the visitors and school children. We have had great fun and
success with this product."
See related articles about this little organ at the MMD Archives http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/B/belly.html
and visit Jäger und Brommer Meisterwerkstatt at http://home.t-online.de/home/jaegerbrommer/
Robbie Rhodes
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| Here is another view of the transparent organ, and a photo
of Ron Bopp grinding the Jäger & Brommer 20er in a beautiful burl
walnut inlay case.
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03 November 1999 [return to MMD
Pictures site]
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