Original Catalogue Specifications:
-
Philipps
serial or work Nr. 2715 stamped on integral case.
- Revolver Mechanism (roll changer) Nr. 897.
- Integral case and chassis format.
- Standard 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 Wurlitzer "Paganini Violin Piano, Style 3," is the ONLY
surviving Paganini class instrument that was imported and sold by
Wurlitzer for the U.S. market. There are, however, at least two other
Philipps Model 3 Paganini instruments known to exist (both with a duplex
6-station roll changer), as well as one large cabinet style Philipps
Paganini Orchestrion, along with several Philipps keyboard style
Paganini instruments. These "other" examples were originally distributed
to various European locations, although some of the instruments now
reside in the U.S., due to the efforts of American collectors.
- Although Philipps mentions the Harfe (reiterating mandolin
attachment) as an extra, Wurlitzer did not so mention this possibility
in their catalogues. No Paganini instruments are known that contain a
Harfe effect.
- 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 1911/1912
Manufactured by J.D. Philipps & Sons,
Bockenheim, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
Circa 1912
Imported and sold by Rudolph Wurlitzer
Company, New York.
Circa 1914
Glockner Music Company, Los Angeles,
California.
According to a penciled note obtained by Dave Bowers regarding the
pedigree of this particular instrument "the Paganini was built in Leipzig,
Germany by Philipps." It was actually built in Bockenheim,
Frankfurt-am-Main, not in Leipzig, which indicates that whoever wrote the
note had some inaccurate information, casting a shadow of doubt over the
rest of the note. Nonetheless, according to the note, "the Paganini was
brought to Los Angeles for display by Wurlitzer's agent, Mr. William L.
Glockner, at 917 South Broadway. It remained there until 1919 when it was
moved to New High Street (now Spring Street) near the Federal Building. In
1922 it was sold at auction for $375.00. The original price paid was
$4200.00."
Circa 1922
Sold at auction to an unknown buyer.
Circa early 1960s:
By the early 1960s the style 3 Paganini was, as I remember, in the
possession of Iver Becklund, Lakewood, California. But there is the
possibility I am wrong here, the Paganini instead belonging to Jim Main,
Nickelodeon House Antiques, Monrovia area, California. In any event, the
Paganini was not in playable condition and the exterior casework had been
painted white, although upon inspection it appeared that the original finish
had been a dark oak color.
Iver Becklund was a well known and absolutely superb craftsman and
restorer, and collected, appreciated, and enjoyed the finer, more
sophisticated automatic music instruments. Thus, it is likely that Iver
would have valued the Paganini and give it a good home. And I think I
remember Otto Carlsen talking about "dickering" with Iver to buy the
instrument.
Jim Main, on the other hand, was more in tune with the smaller, less
sophisticated coin-pianos, having lots of them around his Nickelodeon House
Antiques store. A large cabinet style, plain looking, violin imitator that
did not play was not the type of thing that Jim would have eagerly placed in
his relatively cramped antique store, as it would have been much too
difficult for him to sell. Jim was geared to novelties, art glass and the
small, colorful coin-in-the-slot "nickelodeon" pianos that could be patched
up and made to play fairly easily and that would sell quickly.
Circa 1964/1965
Otto Carlsen, Monrovia, California.
Otto Carlsen acquired the style 3 Paganini from either Iver Becklund or
Jim Main circa 1964/65. Otto had attempted to get the instrument to play by
patching it, but nothing other than a few non-musical squeaks ever resulted
from his efforts.
Circa 1965/1966
Dave Bowers, Vestal, New York.
Dave
Bowers bought the Wurlitzer Paganini from Otto Carlsen, a long time California collector, and set it up for display in
his Vestal, New York, music room, but never attempted any restoration work
on the instrument. It was an intriguing machine and was the source of much wondrous speculation as to how a large Wurlitzer Paganini instrument might sound. Later, after moving to California, the Wurlitzer Paganini was
offered for sale, circa 1969, through Hathaway & Bowers, Inc., Santa Fe Springs,
California. This author remembers standing in front of the Paganini, while holding Paganini music rolls, and wondering if the instrument could actually meet the almost heroic musical standards intoned by the beautifully worded Wurlitzer catalogue.
Circa 1969
J.B. Nethercutt, Nethercutt Collection, Sylmar, California.
After becoming part of the Nethercutt Collection the Paganini was refinished to
its original dark oak color and the interior mechanical mechanisms
completely restored. Of all the violin imitators (machines using pipework to
produce the sounds of the violin) the Paganini is an exceptionally refined
sounding instrument, especially when playing Philipps music rolls. In sharp
contrast, Wurlitzer Paganini rolls tend to be more or less piano
arrangements with pipework and other effects added, and do not offer the
same superb kind of solo work that is common to Philipps music arrangements.
Although
many of the beautifully restored music machines in the Nethercutt Collection
can be seen and heard during scheduled public tours, neither the Wurlitzer
Paganini Violin Piano or the Philipps keyboard style Paganini in the
Collection are currently on display.
