Fairground organ


A fairground organ is a pipe organ designed for use in a commercial public fairground setting to provide loud music to accompany fairground rides and attractions, mostly used on merry-go-rounds. Unlike organs intended for indoor use, they are designed to produce a large volume of sound to be heard over and above the noise of crowds of people and fairground machinery.

History

As fairgrounds became more mechanised at the end of the nineteenth century, their musical needs grew. The period of greatest activity of fairground organ manufacture and development is from the later 1880s to the introduction of effective electrical sound amplification in the mid-1920s. The organ chassis was typically provided with an ornate and florid decorative case façade designed to be a further fairground attraction in its own right as with all fairground equipment.
The ornate case façades frequently had different instruments such as a Glockenspiel or drums that provided visual entertainment as they played. There were often ornate human figures such as a conductor whose arm moved in time to the music or women whose arms would strike bells. The mechanics to accomplish this motion were quite intricate and provided a pleasant visual experience in addition to the music.
The organs were constructed so as to be able to produce the popular music of the period. Organs were designed to mimic the musical capabilities of a typical human band. For this reason they are known as band organs in the United States.
The motive force for a fairground organ is typically wind under pressure generated from mechanically powered sets of bellows mounted in the base of the instrument. The instruments, designed to be operated without a human performer, are keyboard-less apart from a few one-off examples. The organ is played mechanically by either a rotating barrel with the music pinned thereon like a music box, a strip of cards perforated with the musical data and registration controls called book music, or interchangeable rolls of paper similarly programmed called music rolls. However, Victory, pictured above, while a traditional mechanism plays traditional books, it also contains a Yamaha MIDI interface and is most often played electronically – with a blank card in place of the traditional book. Owner Willem Kelders uses this interface to link organs together so they all play the same music perfectly synchronised.
Fairground organs were used in many settings such as general fairground rides, static side shows such as bioscope shows and various locations in amusements parks such as ice rinks and the like.
Manufacturers of fairground organs also typically made instruments for indoor usage in a dance hall called a dance organ and travelling street use called a street organ.
Like all mechanical instruments, fairground organs come in a vast array of sizes and technical specifications made by a myriad of manufacturers all of which had their own trademark characteristics. As with all vintage equipment there is a strong preservation movement associated with these instruments and today new instruments and music are still being made.

Operation

Early organs were designed to be compact and operated by an unskilled person or mechanically. These were played via an integral pinned barrel requiring no human input apart from changing the number of the tune being played. These had a fixed repertoire and, if it was desired to change the tunes, a complete new pinned barrel was required. To offer a more flexible choice of repertoire, a system of robust interchangeable perforated cardboard book music was adopted first by Parisian manufacturers Gavioli. Their system became widely regarded as commercially advantageous and other manufacturers followed suit. Book music offered a cheaper and more readily updated alternative to barrel music. Also used by many manufacturers including Gavioli was operation via paper music roll. These rolls were more compact and cheaper to manufacture than book music. Technically, they were more susceptible to poor handling but all systems experienced their own types of characteristic wear and tear during repeated playing. Both "book" and "roll" systems were manufactured with different operating actions which read the music via air pressure, under suction, or mechanically. To extend longevity, mechanically read cardboard book music was typically strengthened with an application of shellac. Music rolls were typically fortified via the use of robust moisture-resisting paper stocks.
All the functions of the organ are operated automatically from the music media. Larger instruments contain automatic organ stop register control and additional control tracks for operating percussion instruments, lighting effect and automaton figures.

Builders

NameCountryLocationFairgroundDanceStreetNotesWebsite
Artizan Factories, Inc United StatesNorth Tonawanda, NY
B.A.B. Organ Company United StatesBrooklyn, NYConverted European organs to the B.A.B. roll system
Alfred Bruder GermanyWaldkirch
Gebrüder Bruder GermanyWaldkirch
Ignaz Bruder Söhne GermanyWaldkirch
Wilhelm Bruder Söhne GermanyWaldkirch
Chiappa & Sons EnglandLondon
Cocchi, Bacigalupo & Graffigna GermanyBerlin
Eugene de Kleist United StatesNorth Tonawanda, NYExpatriate German who trained at Limonaire Frères in Waldkirch. While running his own business in London, was persuaded by American fairground ride maker Allan Herschell to start production in North Tonawanda, New York. Founding the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1892, he created the American Band organ sound. Business partner Rudolph Wurlitzer bought his interest in the business in 1909 after he was elected mayor of North Tonawanda
Dean Organ Builders EnglandWhitchurch, BristolJohn Dean established himself as wheelwright and cabinet maker circa 1818 in Bridport, but it was his grandson, Thomas Walter Dean who moved the family and their business to Bedminster in Bristol, following his marriage in 1899 to the daughter of a local dealer, William Wyatt. Walter Deans son Edwin, moved his business to Whitchurch in 1939 and so established the present site where the retail shop and workshop are today. Under the direction of Edwin Dean's son, Michael, the family turned its attention to the building of new traditional fairground and street organs. It was at this time that the company became known as Dean Organ Builders. The company introduced the 20 keyless book playing organ. The business continues in the hands of Richard and Sue Dean.
Fr. Decap BelgiumHerentals
Decap, Gebroeders BelgiumAntwerpFounded in 1902 by Aloïs Decap, the name was changed when taken over by the four sons: Livien, Frans, Léon, Camille. Maker of dance organs, mechanical pianos, street and fairground organs. Leading maker of dance organs, 1930s-present. Business now runs by Camille's daughter Martha, her husband Louis Mostmans and son Roger under the name Decap Brothers of Antwerp.
Pierre Eich BelgiumGhent
Marc Fournier FranceSeyssuel
Frati & Co. GermanyBerlin
Carl Frei Germany
Netherlands		Waldkirch
Breda		Started in Waldkirch, moved to Breda via Belgium. Returned to Waldkirch after World War II
Gaudin Freres & Cie. FranceParisSuccessors to Marenghi
Foucher-Gasparini FranceParis
Gavioli & Cie. FranceParisAt one point, the largest organ builder in the world. Ceased trading in 1910, with patents, designs and brand sold to rival Limonaire Frères
Theo Heesbeen NetherlandsTilburg
Louis Hooghuys BelgiumGeraardsbergen
Jäger und Brommer GermanyWaldkirch
Johnson Organ Company United StatesFargo, ND
La Salvia ArgentinaBuenos AiresSince 1870
Le Ludion FranceToulouse
Lemoine-Dussaux FranceParis
Limonaire Frères FranceParisFounded in Paris in the 1830s by a group of brothers, the company went through various iterations before becoming the second largest producer of organs behind Gavioli. At their height from 1900 to 1914, they had factories in both Paris and Waldkirch, Germany. Bought the patents and what remained of rival Gavioli from administrators in 1910. German factory was confiscated during World War I, and after return in 1921 sold to Alfred Bruder in 1924. Company ceased trading in 1936.
Charles Marenghi & Cie FranceParis
Usines Theofiel Mortier BelgiumAntwerp
Nederlands Boekorgel Centrum NetherlandsTilburg
Niagara Musical Instrument Mfg. Co. United StatesNorth Tonawanda, NY
Emmanuel Odin FranceSt. Rambert
John Page EnglandMilton KeynesFormerly Page & Howard
G. Perlee Draaiorgels NetherlandsAmsterdam
Elbert Pluer NetherlandsBussumSon of Anton Pluer
Pooker Organ Works United StatesHawthorne, CA
Gebrüder Richter GermanyDüsseldorf
Andreas Ruth & Sohn GermanyWaldkirchMakers of the organ formerly at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion amusement park, now located at a smaller park in the city.
Stinson Organ Company United StatesBellefontaine, OH
Sturm Olivier FranceSaint-Jean-du-Pin
van Steenput Frères BelgiumPuursBuilt and converted fairground and street organs circa 1890-1930
Verbeeck Belgium
England		Antwerp
London		Five generations of family members have built and repaired portable hand-cranked organs, street organs, fairground organs, and dance organs since 1884. Business names have included:
  • Jan Verbeeck
  • J. Verbeeck & Sons
  • Pierre Verbeeck
  • Verbekson
  • Verbeeck Zoon
  • J. Verbeeck: since 1979, Johnny Verbeeck and his wife Marijke have operated the business in St. Job-in-'t-Goor. Since 2015, Jeffrey Verbeeck continued the business
Heinrich Voigt Orgelbau GermanyHöchst, Frankfurt am Main
Gebrüder Wellershaus GermanyMülheim
Fritz Wrede GermanyHanover
Rudolph Wurlitzer Company United StatesNorth Tonawanda, NYAfter collaborating with Eugene de Kleist on the Wurlitzer Tonophone, bought into the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory business from 1897, and then bought De Kleist's interest in 1908. Moved all production of organs to the site, and began heavily investing. Organ production ceased in 1942, with the factory turned over to producing proximity fuzes. Post war, the factory produced various Wurlitzer lines, including radios and jukeboxes. The factory closed in 1973.