Orchestrion, Jan Štycha (Mnichovice, late 19th century)
Czech Museum of Music, Prague. Karmelitská 2/4, 118 00 Malá Strana.
When we uncover the stories of musical instruments from the exposition of the Czech Museum of Music, we return to the nineteenth century. Until the time that belonged to mechanical musical instruments - automatic telephones. Their improved variant includes an orchestrion.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, orchestrations became a fashion hit, and during the First Republic, the orchestrion used to be in almost every pub. Their brilliant sound had to replace the band and drown out the pub noise so that guests could hear the music and dance in the bar. The whole orchestra in one cabinetThe orchestra playing box used to be a work of art in itself, usually more or less decorated with carved details with various ornaments or superstructures, such as additional cymbals and other instruments. The compositions, which used to be 5-10, are written on a large wooden cylinder, using small iron pegs. As the cylinder rotated, it was they who instigated the instruments hidden in the orchestra's bowels. "The cylinder rotates," explains curator Peter Balog, "and the pins rotate, lifting the individual parts of the mechanism - one pin lifts such a lever, and when it is released, we hear the sound of one of the instruments - piano, drum, cymbal and more. . "
Orchestrion, Jan Štycha (Mnichovice, late 19th century)
Czech Museum of Music, Prague. Karmelitská 2/4, 118 00 Malá Strana.
When we uncover the stories of musical instruments from the exposition of the Czech Museum of Music, we return to the nineteenth century. Until the time that belonged to mechanical musical instruments - automatic telephones. Their improved variant includes an orchestrion.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, orchestrations became a fashion hit, and during the First Republic, the orchestrion used to be in almost every pub. Their brilliant sound had to replace the band and drown out the pub noise so that guests could hear the music and dance in the bar. The whole orchestra in one cabinetThe orchestra playing box used to be a work of art in itself, usually more or less decorated with carved details with various ornaments or superstructures, such as additional cymbals and other instruments. The compositions, which used to be 5-10, are written on a large wooden cylinder, using small iron pegs. As the cylinder rotated, it was they who instigated the instruments hidden in the orchestra's bowels. "The cylinder rotates," explains curator Peter Balog, "and the pins rotate, lifting the individual parts of the mechanism - one pin lifts such a lever, and when it is released, we hear the sound of one of the instruments - piano, drum, cymbal and more. . "