Original Catalogue Specifications:
-
Philipps
serial or work Nr. 9613.
- Duplex Revolver Mechanism (2 roll changers) Nr. 577 & Nr. 578.
- Integral case and chassis format.
- Duplex 6 station, belt drive revolver mechanism (roll changer).
- Windmotor drive for forward music roll motion.
- Round belt/chain & sprocket reduction for feeder (pump) crankshaft.
- Pneumatic lock and cancel register controls.
- Uses Philipps Pianella Paganini (P.P.) rolls or Wurlitzer Paganini
rolls.
- Uses Philipps Duca (P.D.) expression piano music rolls for piano
music only.
- Tracker Scale: Pianella Paganini (P.P.)
- Height: 9 ft. 2 in.
Width: 5 ft. 8 in.
Depth: 2 ft. 11 in.
Shipping weight: 1628 lbs.
61 Note Musical Scale:
- A high grade Piano (with "Harfe" attachment available at extra
cost).
- 39 Violins (Loud - wood violin pipes with brass freins).
- 39 Violins (Soft - wood violin pipes with brass freins and
regulating screws in toe).
- 27 Flageolets (wood violin pipes with nodule hole and no brass
freins).
- 12 extended octave Violins (wood violin pipes with brass freins).
- 44-note Harmonium (with metal reeds) accompaniment.
- Tremolo - variable speed (an effect applied to the pipework
wind-pressure supply).
Notes:
- This Paganini confusingly has two very different numbers on the
piano sounding board. The first is handwritten in pencil, with a date of
5.5.14, followed by No. 9613, and the letter "g" underneath. This work
number falls in line with an instrument built in 1914. However, the
second number, 12536, stamped in black ink, seems consistent with an
instrument built much later, such as circa 1924-1925, based upon a
serial number extrapolation of the Paganini Orchestrion located in
Utrecht, Holland. More study is needed to understand this apparent
disparity.
- This Paganini Modell 3 is equipped with two six-roll changers, which
permit the instrument to play twelve separate music rolls without any
interaction by an attendant. This roll changers arrangement allowed for
a long program of music to be played, without the need to constantly
change music rolls -- ideal for refined entertainment of a prolonged
nature. First, one roll on the left-hand changer plays, and then when
coming to the end and rewinding the first roll on the right-hand changer
begins to play. Once the end of this music roll is reached it is back to
the left changer with the second music roll and so-forth, until all
rolls had played during each changer's full-circle repertoire. Thus,
there is no break in the music while one music roll rewinds, affording a
continuous and melodious repertoire of expressive and delicately nuanced
violin music with expression piano accompaniment.
- Plan view layout of the pipe
chest (see image below or click here for a full sized pipe chest layout version in PDF format)
 |
Chronological History:
Circa 1914
Manufactured by J.D. Philipps & Sons,
Bockenheim, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
In 1910 Philipps introduced the Paganini line of instruments, designed to
replicate the playing of a string band and named after one of the world's
greatest violinists, Niccolò Paganini (1782 – 1840). Paganini was one of the
most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and he left his mark as one of
the pillars of modern violin technique. Likewise, Philipps Paganini Geigen
Pianos and Orchestrions were once similarly considered to be (at least by
Philipps) one of the musical pillars in mechanically reproduced music. The
sophisticated Paganini Geigen Pianos and Orchestrions with their refined
musical qualities quickly became the flagship line of the Philipps company.
From the Philipps Paganini-Geigen-Piano and Orchestrions catalogue, circa
1911-1912, the Pianella Paganini-Orchestrion Modell No. 3 is noted as: "Oak
case, prettily decorated with beautiful metal ornaments, and mirrored
panels, forming an ornamental piece of furniture. It possesses a perfect and
artistic equipment including Violin, Piano, Harmonium -- 44 tones -- (also
with Harp, at extra cost) and occupies a worthy position amongst the
Paganini Modells, in respect to its wonderfully accurate reproduction of
individual-technique. The revolving mechanism secures a continual musical
performance, the music-rolls being changed automatically."
According to a date on the piano sounding board, this Paganini was
manufactured on or about May 5, 1914, but confusingly a second number
stamped in black ink on the piano sounding board suggests that by
extrapolating a similarly stamped serial number on the large Paganini
Orchestrion in Utrecht, Holland, the estimated date for this Paganini should
be circa 1924-1925. More information and study is required here to
understand this apparent disparity between the two distinctly different
numbers and their relationship with each other.
Circa 1914-1915
Motion Picture Cinema, Šternberk,
Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic).
Reported to have been sold to a cinema in the beautifully picturesque
small town of Šternberk, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), where the
Paganini played accompaniment to motion pictures.
Circa 1974
Technical Museum, Brno, Czech
Republic.
In
1974 the Philipps Style 3 Paganini was purchased from the private collection
of Mr. Karel Zak, located in the small town of Šternberk,
Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). With the Paganini was a large library
of some ninety music rolls. Upon purchase, the Paganini was apparently
hauled to the Technical Museum and partially disassembled, probably in
anticipation of it being restored. The current Curator of Mechanical Musical
Instruments, Petr Nekuza, has never seen the Paganini fully assembled. It
was his colleague, the late Mr. Jiri Cisar, who passed away circa 2006, that
bought the Paganini for the Technical Museum way back in 1974. Thus, the
instrument has remained mostly unassembled and stored in a back corner of
the museum--until recently.
In April of 2011, Petr Nekuza contacted the Mechanical Music Press,
advising that the Technical Museum had a Philipps Modell 3 Paganini, and was
pursuing a restoration of the instrument, but needed some assistance in
understanding more about the instrument. In subsequent emails photographs
showing various parts of the disassembled Paganini were sent, and, in
return, detail photographs of an identical duplex roll changer style 3
Paganini located here in the US were sent to the Technical Museum.
By mid 2011 restoration of the museum's Paganini was getting underway,
and the museum was working with restorer Mr. Radek Janoušek, who operates
his own piano and pianola restoration business, but was formerly a
"technologist of pianos" at the Petrof Piano Factory in Hradec Kralove town. Petrof is widely recognized
in Europe as a manufacturer of high quality upright and grand pianos.
Responding to a request from Radek Janoušek in November of 2011, help in
obtaining measurements for some missing case parts was provided by Ken
Goldman, with the aid of Durward Center (a noted Welte restoration expert).
All requested dimensions and detail casework photographs were sent by email
to Petr Nekuza and Radek Janoušek. Thus, another rare Philipps Modell 3
Paganini is gradually coming back to life.
Mr. Petr Nekuza, Curator of Mechanical Musical Instruments, is currently
planning to have the Paganini Modell 3 in a permanent exhibition, the Salon
Mechanicke Hudby (Salon with Mechanical Musical Instruments). Along with the
exhibition he plans to display a lot of information about each exhibit, both
in the Czech and English languages, and aspires to have a web site regarding
the museum's collection by the end of 2012.
