(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel.)

The Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester standing tall in the West Chicago home of the late Julie Ann Johnson.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel.)

Center front area of the case for the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. Notice the decorative tapestry (above the music roll access door) with a happy musician playing a mandolin to the delight of other party merrymakers.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel.)

The 5-station upright roll changer for the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester as viewed through the front panel music roll access door.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel.)

An overall view of the interior mechanisms in the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. In a general sense, the instrument can be divided into three areas of interest:

1) The topmost area contains 25 wooden violin pipes, the snare and bass drums, and the separate crash cymbal,

2) the middle area shows the electric motor, the 5-station upright roll changer, and at the back of the instrument is the 29-note piano action and to its right is the 17-note ratchet powered mandolin mechanism, and

3) the bottom area contains the 29-note piano stack and the vacuum and windpressure feeder pumps.

(Photograph courtesy of Art Reblitz.)

The trapwork shelf in the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. At far left is the snare drum (with no loud/soft control). At center is the action for the crash cymbal with a striker consisting of a piano hammer. At right is the bass drum with a single beater (with no loud/soft control). The wooden violin pipes are partially visible behind the drums.

(Photograph courtesy of Art Reblitz.)

The interior mid-section of the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. On the far left is the electric motor that powers the instrument. At the center is the 5-station revolver-mechanism and to its right is the adjustable speed windmotor that drives the take-up spool during play. Behind the roll changer and its windmotor is the ratchet powered mandolin effect mechanism.

(Photograph courtesy of Art Reblitz.)

Closeup of the ratchet powered 17-note mandolin mechanism in the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. The individual note activating pneumatics are located at the bottom of the device, with wooden stickers going upward to the top of the mandolin mechanism, where they push against and engage a note action causing it to engage the rotating ratchet. Each note on the mandolin consists of a single string, that when struck with a metallic finger, it gives forth a mandolin like tone. Centered above the note activating pneumatics is a single pneumatic that actuates a dampening mechanism, the default of which is soft (or dampened), so that the mandolin can play loud when the music roll so commands.

(Photograph courtesy of Art Reblitz.)

The small two-tier piano stack in the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. The piano consists of only 29-notes, which is suitable for playing bass and accompaniment to the violin pipes or mandolin effect.

(Photograph courtesy of Art Reblitz.)

The vacuum and windpressure feeder pumps in the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. The windpressure pump for the pipework is in the bottom of the case, and the vacuum pump is above it. The crankshaft is fitted with eccentrics with following rollers on the feeder pumps, instead of the older traditional cranks with connecting sticks common in earlier Philipps Pianella machines.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel.)

Backside of the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. Above the piano backframe is the tremolo mechanism at far left and to its right are the wooden violin pipes. The square heads of two threaded bolts on either side along the back edge of the trapwork shelf are visible, which, when removed, allow the piano frame and piano action to be tilted back for removal from the case, something necessary for piano maintenance and tuning.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel.)

The tremolo action in the Philipps Pianella Modell P.E. (Work Nr. 9916) Violinen Orchester. At the bottom of the device is the wind-pressure reservoir for the violin pipes. Above it is the activating pneumatic for the tremolo effect. Connected to the operating end of the activating pneumatic is a slide valve that causes a reiterating motion used to shake the wind-pressure reservoir. This is accomplished by the long extension arm extending from the backside of the actuating pneumatic, which contacts a leaf spring attached to the topside of the wind-pressure reservoir. The duration of the tremolo effect is determined by the length of the controlling tremolo chain perforation in the music roll.