Click on the photo for a video!
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Click on the photo for a video!
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Roller Organs and Organettes are hand-cranked free reed playing table-top mechanical music instruments that were produced from the late 1870's through the mid 1920's. Produced in the thousands in both the USA and Europe, they were a popular form of home entertainment from the late 1870's to the early 1900's that afforded a large selection of songs to choose from. They were considered the common man's music box and less expensive than cylinder or disk music boxes. By the late 1890's the phonograph had become more affordable to consumers and soon it began replacing organettes and music boxes in the home. Unfortunately most Organettes and Roller Organs ended up in the attic, in the barn or simply thrown away. So look around.....there might be one waiting for you in grandma's attic, local auction or estate sale!
The media, or music, varied greatly for the many type's of organettes. Click on any of the following highlighted type's of music to see and hear the organette's playing. Some organette's use paper music rolls similar to a player piano, some use metal rings or cardboard disks and others use folded cardboard book-music as the media. Music rolls for organettes is still being produced today and available through Pipes of Pan Music Rolls.
The Autophone Co. of New York produced thousands of instruments called "Roller Organ's" that use pinned wooden cylinders commonly called "cobs" due to their similarity to a corn cob. The name became the standard, and even today paper-roll playing organettes are mistakenly called Roller Organ's. Music strips for the early Autophone Organette are sold through Vintage Musicals.
The Autophone Co. of New York produced thousands of instruments called "Roller Organ's" that use pinned wooden cylinders commonly called "cobs" due to their similarity to a corn cob. The name became the standard, and even today paper-roll playing organettes are mistakenly called Roller Organ's. Music strips for the early Autophone Organette are sold through Vintage Musicals.
The Organette Music Repository
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The Organette Music Repository website is dedicated to providing access to all Roller Organs and Organette music.
Click on any of the links below: Instruments Number of Keys/Notes Format and Size Note Spacing Tuning Scales Organette Patents |
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