Harmonie Orchestrion

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The Orchestrion was self-built over a period of 2 years, starting in 1998 and completed in 2000.

It is constructed using a 1930 Hohner 120 bass accordion and a 31 note pipe organ with percussion consisting of bass drum, snare drum, cymbal, tambourine, woodblock and castanet.

The project started some 10 years ago as an experiment to build an automatic playing instrument. I had no previous experience in organ building, but being a retired engineer, I thought that I could apply certain engineering principles and so blind ignorance led me on to have a go!

When MIDI became the standard in the computer music world, it certainly helped speed up my efforts and in 1998 I had managed to complete an accordion that would play automatically, using MIDI. In retrospect, the accordion did not play very well, but at that time I thought it was just great to get any kind of sound that resembled a tune from it!

It was about this time that I met up with Dave Stubbs, who had written the software for a MIDI translation program called ‘Midioli’, which converts MIDI files to any organ scale and can also print out a paper pattern for punching book music. Dave is skilled in electronics and has an interest in music, the two combined proved to be very much to my advantage.

At this stage in the construction, enthusiasm had taken control and I decided to expand the instrument by adding percussion. After this proved to be a success, I really had a brainstorm and thought that it would sound even better if it was expanded still further by the addition of a 31 note pipe organ.

When this work was in the latter stages of completion, Dave produced his ‘Keymaster’ electronic playing system, which had taken about 6 months of his time to perfect. This was wired to the magnets by Dave and the instrument was powered up with very pleasing results.

A two wheel trailer was built to house the instrument and Albert Lewis Jnr of Manchester was commissioned to complete the decorative paintwork. A name was sought for the instrument and whilst hunting through a travel brochure for the Vienna region (which was also the inspiration for the Alpine decoration), the name ‘Harmonie Hotel’ was found, giving as their claim to fame, that the composer Strauss had once stayed there!

The Harmonie Orchestrion has proved to be extremely popular when playing in public, especially with the younger generation, who really enjoy the sound and are fascinated by the movements of all the different instruments when the orchestrion is playing, without having to strain their necks looking up.

The accordion keys, pipe palettes and percussion are all actuated by electromagnets, 91 in total, using the Midioli Keymaster MIDI system designed and installed by Dave Stubbs of Manchester.

Harmonie Orchestrion

The Harmonie Orchestrion at Morecambe

So the name ‘Harmonie Orchestrion’ was adopted. An ‘Orchestrion’ is an automatic player instrument, comprised of a variety of different instrument types.

The Harmonie Orchestrion is a small, car trailer mounted organ, which will fit into a relatively small space at your event! Despite its size, it produces sufficient volume, even for larger shows.

The Orchestrion began life with its accordion mounted on a ‘stop me and buy one’ ice cream vendor style case. The drum kit was mounted on a board and plugged in to the main unit when on site!

The picture on the right shows the instruments first outing at ‘Mayday Steam’ in Urmston Manchester, May 1999.

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