This Gothic-influenced cabinet contains three wooden cylinders or “barrels” that
are each pinned with a program of 10 tunes, mainly dances and waltzes.
While one barrel is mounted within the instrument for playing, the other
two (shown) are stored in the base on carriages that slide out through
a flap-door.
The six-foot tall, hand-cranked organ features several “stops” so
that the operator can vary the instrumentation at will, including the
ranks of organ pipes as well as percussion (a drum and triangle). The
operator’s dexterity and sense of timing are thus essential to
the interactive performance.
