Barrel Organ in Hi-Fi

Street Organ "The Arab" - Barrel Organ in Hi-Fi

released on LP

*much thanks to KL from NYC for this LP

This glorious collection of noises introduces to America the sound of one of the most celebrated sights of The Netherlands, and the music of one of the great street organs of the world, the dazzling instrument known as "The Arab". In Amsterdam, this organ, and others like it, give enormous pleasure to young and old alike, and keep the air ringing with gusty music. In America, the nearest sort of music is that associated with merry-go-rounds and carousels, brisk, lively and bright, and with no pretensions whatever to anything but the merriest kind of entertainment.
And entertainment is what it provides, no matter where it is heard. In its own home, in Amsterdam, a special atmosphere adds to its peculiar allure. The city lies like a spider in a web of waterways, where the air is permeated with the briny tang of the North sea. The people are open-hearted and humorous and romantic, and treasure their old traditions, the old patrician houses dating from the seventeenth century, the narrow streets, the many bridges, the winding canals and that supremely indigenous construction, the street organ.

The organs are pushed by energetic men up and down the bridges, over the rounded cobblestones, around the city. On certain days each week, the barrel organ is to be found at the same spot, where its hardy band of followers pause to listen to its vast repertoire of waltzes, marches and hits of the day. The program played by The Arab here is a sampling of the music heard in the streets of Amsterdam, at any season of the year, in any weather. In the Amsterdam patois, a barrel organ in general is known as a pierement, and one resident has had this to say about the beloved instruments: "If the pierements were to go on strike for a week, refusing to leave their nightly abodes, and cease filling the city with their joyous sounds, to which countless numbers of people sing, dance and in any case smile, the residents of Amsterdam would flock together and start asking each other anxiously what was wrong. The Amsterdammer would find that this city had suddenly become still and grey, as it appears sometimes when the autumn mists descend upon it or it is enveloped in a curtain of rain, a melancholy city; which explains why the pierement plays such a vital role in its daily life: a large, heavy, gaudily-decorated cabinet, which produces a great deal of noise, albeit organized noise, pleasant noise, and noise with an irresistible rhythm and blood-stirring vigor."
Well, that is what an Amsterdammer thinks about organs such as The Arab, and to a large degree Americans will feel the same. It does produce noise, plenty of it, but so delightful and invigorating that it is irresistible. Any one of the selections is a positive delight in orchestration, but those the listener finds familiar will be even greater treats. Perhaps the simplest examples are the Mexican La Paloma and the little Oscar Straus waltz La Ronde de l'amour. Never has the dove flown to such extraordinary accompaniment, such whirrings and clashings and gaiety, nor has the round of love ever been completed with such boisterous high spirits.


As can be seen from the photograph, The Arab is an instrument richly designed to complement its remarkable sound with a remarkable sight. The Arab was built in Antwerp in 1926, by the well-known organ-builder Pierre Verbeeck. In 1948, The Arab was entirely renovated by its present owner, G. Perlee of Amsterdam, also a well-known organ-builder. The mechanism has seventy-five keys, eight of which are for the basses and trombones, ten for the accompaniments, twenty-two for the melody, and seventeen for the counter-melody. The remaining keys are for the percussion instruments (bass drum, side drum and cymbals), the conductor and the registers. The organ has three registers for the melody: violin (fairly strong, string-toned flutes), bourdon (a special barrel-organ register of bright-sounding, sustained flutes), and metallophone (steel plates). There are four registers for the counter-melody: celeste, cello, baritone and triphone. Is it any wonder, then, that The Arab is a mighty experience when in full voice?
Here, then, is The Arab in a program of remarkable virtuosity, demonstrating all its stirring capabilities. Whether in popular favorites such as Mister Sandman and Oh Baby Mine or rousing marches like the March of the Herald, it adds a voice in the sounds of the world that is absolutely unique and unclassifiable. As our merry-go-round organs maintain their special nostalgic appeal, so does The Arab. It conjures up a world where everything is bright and gay, where spirits and hearts are high, and where a childlike delight in the texture of sound can revel in such merry music. Follow along with The Arab a little way, then, and learn the pleasures of such a sunny world. (from the liner notes)
Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Va Pensiero {2:42}

2. Heut' Nacht wenn die Blumen traumen {2:40}

3. Blaze Away {2:22}

4. La plus belle valse d'amour {2:47}

5. Rose-Maria Polka/Anneliese/The Happy Wanderer {2:36}

Side B

1. La Ronde de l'amour {2:12}

2. Oh Baby Mine/Mister Sandman {2:42}

3. March of the Herald {2:17}

4. The Theme from Limelight/Vaya con Dios {2:35}

5. Mit Musik durch's Leben {2:19}

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Raag Yaman/Raag Shri

Pannalal Ghosh - Raag Yaman/Raag Shri

released on LP sometime in the early 1960s

The magic flute of this celebrated artiste was silenced forever as a result of his untimely death in New Delhi recently. And Indian classical music suffered an irreparable loss as Pannalal Ghosh was one if its finest exponents.

Born on the 31st July 1911 in the Barisal District of the former East Bengal, now East Pakistan, he evinced keen interest in music even as a child. Curiously enough it was the humble bamboo flute, which not so long ago was considered worthy only of folk music in India, that took his fancy. In his youth he developed a passion for this simple instrument and his most significant achievement in the realm of music lies in the fact that he more than any one else raised the flute to the status of a full-fledged concert instrument.

There is hardly anything in classical music that Pannalal Ghosh was not able to interpret on the flute and his performances were highlighted by the superb technique of Pure Exposition of the Ragas coupled with the soft, mellow, and soothing tone of his instrument which he specially designed. It is an outsize flute about 32" long and the seven holes on it are so wide apart that no ordinary flute player can play on it with ease and proficiency that this gifted Flutist exhibited in his playing whilst weaving intricate patterns in the course of elaboration of a Raga.

At the time of his demise Pannalal Ghosh was conductor of the National Orchestra of All India Radio at New Delhi in which capacity he distinguished himself with his highly imaginative and delightful compositions based on classical Ragas. Before that for a number of years he was composing music for the films in Bombay, some of which were big musical hits of their time. The changing trends in film music did not however suit his temperament and genius, which were more to the classical side, and he started concentrating more and more on his instrument appearing in concerts and music festivals all over the country before he got his last assignment with All India Radio.

RAAG "YAMAN"

This is a most popular Raga having all the 7 notes both in Ascent (Arohana) and Descent (Avarohana). The usual practice is to expound this Raga in the evening or early part of the night. It creates a very quiet and subdued atmosphere and is very serene in character. The slow moving flow of the exposition unfolding the ever surpassing beauty of the melody in the process of elaboration speaks volumes for the imagination and skill of the artiste. The first part is confined to a Tal (Rhythm) known as "Zoomra". This consists of 14 equal beats divided into two equal parts of 7 each. This is followed by a melody in the same Raga but in a faster tempo and is confined to the Tal (Teental) consisting of 16 equal beats divided into four groups.

RAAG "SHRI"

This Raga too is an evening melody. Its mood and character are serious and dignified and it is very difficult to expound. As the notes permissible in this Raga are also permissible in some other Ragas, the skill of the artiste lies in weaving such note-combinations alone as would distinguish it from other similar Ragas. The artiste after a short "Alap" or introduction in the beginning plays a melody in Tal Talwada consisting of 16 equal beats (Matras) and gradually develops the mood of the Raga by the combination of the notes peculiar to it. Later he switches over to faster melody in Teen Tal which consists of 16 equal beats divided into four equal groups. (from the liner notes)



Tracklisting:

First Side

1. Raag Yaman {18:32}

Second Side

1. Raag Shri {18:33}

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A Tour Through the Music Box Arcade

A Tour Through the Music Box Arcade

released on LP

Rarely do we have the opportunity to hear the sounds of a past era. "A Tour Through the Music Box Arcade" and "Music of the Roaring Twenties" is an L.P. Hi-Fidelity recording of some of the world's most famous and intricate music boxes.

Old timers will recall many of the mechanical marvels recorded here but it will be a new auditory experience for the younger generation.

In 1938 Herb and Bob Horn began the acquisition of what is now the world's greatest collection of music boxes. These date back to 1790 and each has been painstakingly restored to original playing condition. Almost a hundred, of the three hundred in the collection, are described and played in delightful shows in their fabulous Sarasota, Florida, attraction.

In this specially constructed turn-of-the-century building is displayed one of the world's largest and finest restored collections of antique and classic automobiles. Music, settings, costumes and the displays create a charming "Gay Nineties" atmosphere.

Horn's Cars of Yesterday and Music Box Arcade was built in 1952 as a showplace for the extensive collections of these antique music boxes and early American automobiles.

The Horn brothers manufactured school equipment and farm machinery, and in these plants, they acquired the skills necessary for the exacting mechanics of restoration work. They learned every job in the business from precise machine work to inventing, designing and developing mechanical processes.

The love of early mechanical innovations was the motivating force that led Herb and Bob Horn into the hobbies of collecting and restoring the devices that were responsible for changing our way of living.

"A TOUR THROUGH THE MUSIC BOX ARCADE" traces the development of music boxes through the years right up to the hey-day of the phonograph.

"MUSIC OF THE ROARING TWENTIES" presents the machines that were used to attract and hold crowds of people. Some were called nickelodeons and were found in saloons, restaurants and hotel lobbies. Others supplied music for the skating rinks, theatres, circuses, political rallies, sporting events and other outdoor attractions of the period. (from the liner notes)



Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. A Tour Through the Music Box Arcade {25:13}

Side 2

1. Music of the Roaring Twenties {25:50}

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Realm of the Incas

Elisabeth Waldo - Realm of the Incas

released on LP

I would like to share with you another musical exploration into the mystic Realms of the Ancient Americas - the Realm of the Incas! Through his musical instruments, and those of other brilliant Indian Civilizations which preceded him (Nazca, Mochica, Chimu, etc), it is conceivable that the Inca had a high degree of musical development rivaling his other great accomplishments of art and architecture. A semblance of the ancient music still exists in remote areas but is fast disappearing with the discordant advances of modern living.

So whether it was a descendant of these Quechua-Aymara speaking families who hummed an ancient air in my ear, or a reference from the Archives of the Conquistadores, I have striven with these rare instruments of bone and clay, superimposed on modern instruments, to maintain the characteristics and awesome sounds of this nation as it comes alive in my mind.

"Taqui" a "dance-song" was the principal musical form of Incan times. It was always blended in religious expression, and suggests stately rituals and pagan festivals. The simple five tone scale predominates and in turn is plaintive, lyrical and rhythmic. I have used an abundance of appogiaturas, mournful cadences, and suspension endings - all characteristics which make this music definable and contribute to the exotic quality.

Besides the musical possibilities of the Pre-Columbian past, the Entrance of Pizzaro heralded another transformation. The clash of ideals which followed with the impact of the European culture and musical instruments on aboriginal tastes is one of the engaging stories of all times. The results? A hardy "Mestizo" music which is the outgrowth and blending of these two forces culminating in the creation of new American musical forms that could not have been duplicated in any other section of the world.

The Spanish stringed instruments were adopted by the Indians and with their own brand of modification, used freely in interpreting their native music.

I have found that the Indian of all areas leaves his stamp on his musical contributions as indelibly as the African leaves his mark on the better known Afro-forms. Above all, the Indian, of noble soul, strives his entire life to unite the forces of man and nature about him. (Elisabeth Waldo)



Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Land of the Sun Kings {3:35}

2. Song of the Chasqui {2:41}

3. Incan Festival Dance {2:35}

4. On the High Plateau {2:56}

5. Making Chicha {2:12}

Side 2

1. Balsa Boat {4:06}

2. Swinging the Quipu {2:54}

3. Saycusca! (The Weary Stones) {3:38}

4. Dance of the Nustas {2:38}

5. Entrance of Pizzaro {3:47}

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Maracatu [REPOST]

The Elisabeth Waldo Group - Maracatu

released on LP

Performers:

Elisabeth Waldo - violin
Burnett Atkinson - woodwinds
Guy Horn - guitar
Peter Mercurio - string bass
Jose Pablos and Chet Ricard - percussion

Lovers of the unusual will find this album a fascinating offering of music and sounds from the lands of contrast. Mystic - rhythmic - exotic - plaintive - whether the strains that predominate have grown out of Indian, Spanish or African influences, or whether they have their roots in remote jungle lowlands, high mountain peaks or isolated villages - the strains are immersed in the primitive and filled with spiritual symbolism.

Before the advent of the "Conquistadores," no stringed instruments existed in this hemisphere. With the introduction of the violin and the guitar by the Spanish, a fantastic musical change took place with the superimposition of these instruments on the barbaric percussion and the woodwind instruments that already existed in aboriginal America. The Indians and jungle peoples set about carving new instruments in the likeness of those they had seen, thus creating new sounds and scales. And so, the stone hatchet of the jungles, born before the discovery of America, exists today side by side with that which has been contributed by the European culture. This music is the offspring of those two interwoven cultures. (from the liner notes)



Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Siembra {2:51}

2. Carnavalito {1:57}

3. I Coos (Oh Joyous Wind) {2:23}

4. Cueca {2:55}

5. Cancion del Carretero (Song of the Carretero) {2:35}

6. Maracatú {3:51}

Side 2

7. Tun-kul {2:52}

8. Tamborito {2:43}

9. Seri Lullaby {2:20}

10. "La Llorona" (The Weeper) {2:47}

11. Indian Procession (Lament to the Dead Emperor) {2:43}

12. Malaguena {2:55}

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The Art of the Hurdy-Gurdy: From the Middle Ages to Mozart

various artists compilation - The Art of the Hurdy-Gurdy: From the Middle Ages to Mozart

cassette released in 1975

Performers:

Michele Fromenteau - hurdy-gurdy
Francoise Cotte and Brigitte Haudebourg - harpsichords
orchestra directed by Roger Cotte

The hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy (also known as a wheel fiddle) is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin. Melodies are played on a keyboard that presses tangents (small wedges, usually made of wood) against one or more of the strings to change their pitch. Like most other acoustic string instruments, it has a soundboard to make the vibration of the strings audible.

Most hurdy gurdies have multiple "drone strings," which provide a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound similar to that of bagpipes. For this reason, the hurdy gurdy is often used interchangeably with or along with bagpipes, particularly in French and contemporary Hungarian folk music.
...
During the Renaissance, the hurdy gurdy was a very popular instrument, along with the bagpipe, and a characteristic form with a short neck and a boxy body with a curved tail end developed. It was about this time that buzzing bridges first appear in depictions of the instrument. The buzzing bridge (commonly called the dog) is an asymmetrical bridge that rests under a drone string on the sound board. When the wheel is accelerated, one foot of the bridge lifts up from the soundboard and vibrates, creating a buzzing sound. The buzzing bridge is thought to have been borrowed from the tromba marina (monochord), a bowed string instrument.

During the late Renaissance, two characteristic shapes of hurdy gurdies developed. The first was guitar-shaped and the second had a rounded lute-type body made of staves. The lute body is especially characteristic of French instruments.

By the end of the 17th century changing musical tastes that demanded greater polyphonic capabilities than the hurdy gurdy could offer had pushed the instrument to the lowest social classes; as a result it acquired names like the German Bauernleier ‘peasant’s lyre’ and Bettlerleier ‘beggar’s lyre.’ During the 18th century, however, French Rococo tastes for rustic diversions brought the hurdy gurdy back to the attention of the upper classes, where it acquired tremendous popularity among the nobility, with famous composers writing works for the hurdy gurdy (the most famous of which is Nicolas Chédeville’s Il pastor Fido, attributed to Vivaldi). At this time the most common style of hurdy gurdy developed, the six-string vielle à roue. This instrument has two melody strings and four drones tuned such that by turning drones on or off, the instrument can be played in multiple keys (e.g., C and G or G and D).

During this time the hurdy gurdy also spread further east, where further variations developed in western Slavic countries, German-speaking areas and Hungary (see the list of types below for more information on these). Most types of hurdy gurdy were essentially extinct by the early twentieth century, but a few have survived—the best-known of which are the French vielle à roue, the Hungarian tekerőlant, and the Spanish zanfona. In Ukraine, a variety called the lira was widely used by blind street musicians, most of whom were purged by Stalin in the 1930s. Today the tradition has resurfaced. Revivals have been underway for many years as well in Sweden, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Italy, Spain and Portugal. The revival of hurdy gurdies has resulted in the instrument’s use in a variety of styles of music including contemporary forms not typically associated with the hurdy gurdy. (from Wikipedia)

Tracklisting:

1. Danse Royale {1:08}
unknown composer, for hurdy-gurdy and percussion

2. Danceries of Thoinot Arbeau {1:21}
unknown composer, for hurdy-gurdy and percussion

3. Suite of Contredances {3:37}
unknown composer, for hurdy-gurdy and tambuorine

4. Noce Champetre {3:39}
composed by Jean Hotteterre, for hurdy-gurdy, cello and harpsichord

5. "Laissez Paitre vos Betes" {1:54}
composed by Esprit Philippe Chedeville, for hurdy-gurdy and violin

6. Suite Pastorale {6:42}
composed by Charles Buterne, for hurdy-gurdy, harpsichord and bassoon

Side 2

1. "Il Pastor Fido" Sonata No. 1 {8:56}
composed by Antonio Vivaldi, for hurdy-gurdy, cello and harpsichord

2. "La Servante au Bon Tabac" {1:59}
composed by Michel Corrette, for hurdy-gurdy and orchestra

3. "Aire de Fanchon la Vielleuse" {1:18}
composed by J.D. Doche, hurdy-gurdy solo

4. German Dance No. 3 K. 602/Menuet No. 2 K. 601 {3:33}
composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for hurdy-gurdy and orchestra

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Tropes on the Salve Regina

Michael Sahl - Tropes on the Salve Regina

LP released sometime during the late 1960s to very early 1970s [educational guess]

Recently, I stumbled upon a copy of this LP in my favorite local flea market. Of course, I'm familiar with Lyrichord and its killer back catalogue, but this is the first Lyrichord LP or release I've seen labeled 'electronic music'. I wasn't even aware Lyrichord released electronic music until now. I am currently investigating if there were more Lyrichord electronic music releases and if so, how many more and what are they. At least, I'm familiar with Michael Sahl as I had a post about one of his other pieces on this blog a couple of years ago.

I would think that there would be synthesizers featured on this record. No liner notes are placed on this release, but still a safe assumption. When I put this LP on the turntable, I heard meandering electric guitar with echoing heavily processed plucking alongside. Nearly the entire piece is a recording of guitar strumming that is manipulated, processed, and played back at different speeds. There are moments of musique concrete throughout the piece. It wasn't what I expected, but it's still one of my favorite finds of this year which has been sort of a down year so far in terms of finding stuff in the second-hand shops.




Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Tropes on the Salve Regina {24:21}

Side 2

1. Tropes on the Salve Regina continued {16:00}

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Steam Locomotive Rail Sounds: A Farewell to Steam

High Fidelity Recordings, Inc. - Steam Locomotive Rail Sounds: A Farewell to Steam

LP released in 1958

This recording tells a story - the story of that bright winter day, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ran the last train on the Los Angeles Division to be pulled by a steam locomotive.

Many people had thought that Steam would never die, that there would always be trains pulled by giant steamers travelling the Santa Fe mainline from Los Angeles to San Bernardino and Barstow and points east. Steam locomotives and the railroads on which they ran had built the west. The bright, shiny diesels had come in ever increasing numbers since the end of World War II and though Steam was used less and less no one thought that the day would actually come when there would be no more laboring exhaust nor mournful whistle of the steam locomotive. But - that day had come, and to mark Steam's passing a group of railroad and travel enthusiasts known as the Railway Club of Southern California asked to operate the last steam train over this route, to literally say "Farewell to Steam" on the Santa Fe in Southern California! Supported by more than 400 people who "just wanted to ride behind a Steamer once again" the eight-car special train was a complete sell-out, and all along the mainline from Los Angeles to Barstow hundreds more stopped their cars or stood by the track to watch and wave or to photograph and record the passing of Steam. Under the expert handling of Road Foreman of Engines A. F. Murdock, Engineer H. L. Bryant and Fireman C. P. Kyer 4-8-4 locomotive 3759 ended 26 years of faithful service in a blaze of glory that will not soon be forgotten.

Maybe you were one of those who said "Farewell to Steam" that day, or perhaps you have never before heard the sounds of a Santa Fe steam locomotive in action. Now, through the medium of high fidelity recording you may take part in this wonderful adventure in Steam Railroading. To those of you who have fond memories of the steam locomotive and the enchantment that its sounds could bring, this recording is especially dedicated. (from the liner notes)



I'm going on a short yet much needed vacation. I won't actually be on a train although I wish it was so. I should be back sometime next week.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Los Angeles to San Bernardino {17:06}

Side Two

1. San Bernardino to Barstow {8:17}

2. Sounds of Southern Pacific Trains at Santa Barbara {10:11}

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