Orchestrion Zen

Orchestrion is a generic name for a machine that plays music and is designed to sound like an orchestra or band. Orchestrions may be operated by means of a large pinned cylinder or by a music roll and less commonly book music. The sound is usually produced by pipes, though they will be voiced differently from those found in a pipe organ, as well as percussion instruments. Many orchestrions contain a piano as well.

[andrewbarrett]

Thanks for sharing!

This is a very rare Engelhardt BanjOrchestra orchestrion, made probably in the late 'teens or early 'twenties. The early history is unknown, but it went through the hands of the late Jim DeRoin of Castro Valley, California, who removed the banjo, mechanism, original art glass, and most of the original percussion effects, and instead installed a Wurlitzer violin-flute Pianino or Bijou Orchestra two-rank pipe chest with pipes and homemade percussions, and tubed it to use Cremona "M" orchestrion rolls.

So, the case, 58-note piano, suction box pump, roll frame and play-reroll shifter device are still original. I think the piano stack has been replaced with one using Ampico / Amphion unit valves.

He then sold it to the late Edward Zelinsky, the founder of the Musee Mecanique, where it still resides.

Comparison with the only known original Engelhardt F cabinet orchestrion with percussion (formerly in the Henri Krijnen "Mechanical Entertainment Museum" collection in Netherlands, and auctioned a couple years ago to an unknown buyer/location), reveals that none of the percussions in the instrument at Musee Mecanique have the same actions, so it is presumed that the actions in the instrument now were homemade by Jim DeRoin:

[andrewbarrett]

This tune is almost certainly a late 1920s J. Lawrence Cook arrangement, but I don't know the title yet.