Organette

An Organette was a mechanical accordion manufactured in the late 1800s by several companies such as the Autophone Company of Ithaca, New York, and Organillo of New York.

The instrument used rolls of perforated paper on which the music was recorded, playing some 22 to 32 notes through reeds with air produced by hand- or foot-operated, mechanical or electrical bellows. The organette was compact and cheap while the rolls of music were also affordable. [1] Patents credit Henry Bishop Horton (1819-1885) with its invention - he was also a co-founder of the Ithaca Calendar Clock Company. [2][3] The fragile nature of the paper rolls were a major obstacle to its popularity, leading to the development of its successor, the barrel organ. [4]

The most remarkable feature of this invention is the regularity and perfection with which the music is rendered. All of the parts are played and the music is of no mean order.
—Scientific American 19 November 1879

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External links

References

  1. ↑ "Popular Scientific Recreations" - Ward, Lock & Co, London, New York
  2. ↑ http://www.rollerorgans.com/adverts/1885_Death_of_H_B_Horton.txt
  3. ↑ http://ithacacalendarclock.com/1875NEWSPAPERSTORY.html
  4. ↑ http://www.rollerorgans.com/adverts/c1886_Harbach_Organ_Co.txt
  5. ↑ http://www.rollerorgans.com/Roller_Organ_Adverts_a~.htm