What it is
A band organ is a mechanical wind instrument built to be loud. It was designed to be heard over a crowd, outdoors, next to a moving ride. It imitates a military or brass band. It plays marches, waltzes, popular songs and opera tunes.
It sits inside or beside the carousel. Its front, called the facade, is carved and painted to match the ride. Some facades carry small moving figures: a conductor who beats time, or bell ringers who strike real bells.
What it is made of
Open the back and you see four groups of parts.
- The wind supply. Bellows or a blower push air into a reservoir. The reservoir keeps the pressure steady.
- The pipes. Wooden pipes for the flutes and bass. Metal or brass pipes for trumpets and trombones. Each pipe plays one note.
- The percussion. Bass drum, snare drum and cymbal, struck by small pneumatic beaters. Many organs add a glockenspiel of tuned metal bars.
- The reading system. A device that reads the music and opens the right valves at the right moment.
How it reads music
There is no recording inside. The music is stored as holes. Two systems dominate.
- Book music
- A long strip of thick card, folded like a fan. Used by many European makers. It passes over a key frame that senses the holes.
- Paper roll
- A roll of perforated paper wound past a tracker bar. Used by Wurlitzer and many American organs.
- Tracker bar
- A brass bar with a row of small openings. When a hole in the paper passes an opening, air moves and a valve opens.
- Pinned barrel
- The oldest method: a wooden cylinder with pins. Each barrel holds only a few tunes.
Each hole stands for one note or one drum stroke. Its length sets how long the note lasts. A skilled arranger, sometimes called a noter, cut the master. Copies were made from it.
The makers
| Maker | Base | Typical music format |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. | North Tonawanda, New York | Paper rolls; style numbers such as 125, 153, 165 |
| Gavioli & Cie | Paris, France | Folded card books |
| Gebrüder Bruder | Waldkirch, Germany | Barrels, later books |
| A. Ruth & Sohn | Waldkirch, Germany | Barrels and books |
| Limonaire Frères | Paris, France | Folded card books |
Waldkirch, in the Black Forest, was an organ-building town. Several firms worked there at the same time. Many organs moved between countries and were rebuilt to new formats, so one cabinet may hold parts from more than one maker.
What it does to the ride
The organ sets the pace. A brisk march makes a carousel feel faster than it is. It also works as an advertisement. The sound carries across a park and pulls people toward the ride before they can see it.
Handling notes
Paper rolls tear at the leading edge. Card books wear at the folds. Store both flat or wound loosely, away from damp. Leather and rubber cloth in the bellows dry out over time. A silent organ is usually an air leak, not a broken pipe.