The name "orchestrion" has been applied to three different kinds of musical instruments: A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ...
A chamber organ, designed by Abt Vogler in 1785, which in a space of 9 cub. ft. contained no less than 900 pipes, 3 manuals of 63 keys each and 39 pedals.
A pianoforte with organ pipes attached, invented by Thomas Anton Kunz of Prague in 1791. This orchestrion comprised two manuals of 65 keys and 25 pedals, all of which could be used either independently or coupled. There were 21 stops, 230 strings and 360 pipes which produced 105 different combinations. The bellows were worked either by hand or by machinery.
A mechanical musical instrument, automatically played by means of revolving cylinders, invented in 1851 by F. T. Kaufmann of Dresden. It comprises a complete wind orchestra, with the addition of kettle-drums, side-drums, cymbals and triangle.
London Illustrated News, Sept. 20, 1862: The Orchestrion by M. Welte, of Vöhrenbach, In the Zollverein Departement.
Quirin David Bowers: Encyclopedia of automatic musical instruments: Cylinder music boxes, disc music boxes, piano players and player pianos... Incl. a dictionary of automatic musical instrument terms. Vestal, N. Y.: The Vestal Press, 1988.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
These allow the sophisticated orchestrion to play favorite classical, operatic and popular tunes as it does at the end of every tour of the Frick mansion.
In the 19th century, that collection was substantial, at a time when the orchestrion was a prized possession of the rich and the very rich.
The numbers refer to the size of orchestrions made by Welte & Sohne; one is the smallest, 10 the largest.
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