Original Catalogue Specifications:
-
Philipps
serial or work Nr. 10,640, (or Nr. 10,653, which is stamped on the piano
sounding board).
- Revolver Mechanism (roll changer) Nr. ???.
- Integral case and chassis format.
- Ten station, belt drive revolver mechanism (roll changer).
- Windmotor drive for forward music roll motion.
- Flat belt pulley speed reduction for feeder (pump) eccentric.
- 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: 3,25 Meter (10 ft. 8 in.)
Width: 2,10 Meter (6 ft. 11
in.)
Depth: 1,20 Meter (3 ft. 11-½ in.)
Shipping weight: 800 Kilo (1,764
lbs.)
61 Note Musical Scale:
- A high grade Piano (with "Harfe" attachment available at extra cost)
- Harmonium
- Violin (wood violin pipes with brass freins)
- Viola (wood string pipes with brass freins)
- Violoncello -- Bass Violin (large wood string pipes with wood
rollers)
- Flageolets (wood violin pipes with nodule hole and brass freins)
- Flute (wooden flute pipes, possibly both stopped and open flute
ranks)
- Clarinet (reed pipes with metal boot and cylindrical metal
resonators)
- Tremolo (an effect applied to the pipework wind-pressure supply)
- Chimes, 18 bars (orchestra bells)
- Snare drum, with loud and soft stroke (reiterating action)
- Bass drum, with loud and soft stroke
- Kettle drum (tympani effect using two small wooden beaters on the
bass drum)
- Crash Cymbal (not part of bass drum action)
- Triangle (reiterating action)
- Tambourine (reiterating action)
- Castanets (reiterating action)
Notes:
- Pipework voices as shown above are from a generalized Philipps
catalogue description, and may not exactly match the actual
specifications of the Modell 14 Paganini.
- Although Philipps mentions the Harfe (reiterating mandolin
attachment) as an extra, no Paganini instruments are known that contain
a Harfe effect.
- During the early 1960s, Eugene DeRoy took Q. David Bowers to a
storage area, whereupon Mr. Bowers examined a large Paganini Orchestrion
and made the following notation: Paganini, RC #17, 18 Bells, 26 July
1921 date on the register [unit], Cello 16', Flageolet, Geigen 8', Vox
Celeste 8', Geigen 8', Clarinette 8', Geigen 4', Flute 8' Piccolo 2',
Harmonium, Violon 16' Harmonium, Cello 8', and Gedeckt 16'. It is
unknown if the date observed on the register unit represents a
manufacturing date for the component, or not. It is also unclear whether
this Paganini is the one in the Utrecht museum, or not.
- According to information supplied by Art Reblitz (circa 1998) the
serial number is 10,653 (which is rubber stamped on the piano sounding
board), while Dick van Minnen, a restorer at the museum, reported as of
August, 2000, that the correct serial number is 10,640.
Chronological History:
Circa 1921
Manufactured by J.D. Philipps & Sons,
Bockenheim, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
Circa 1921/22
Original Location: Brussels, Belgium.
The original location for this Paganini Orchestrion is unknown for
certain. In an e-mail communication by Dick van Minnen on August 8, 2000, he
mentions that "the instrument toured around in several places like Bladel (a
"brassserie" / lunchroom in Brussels, Belgium). Whatever the case, the
overall excellent condition of the Paganini Orchestrion supports the idea
that it has had very few owners.
Circa 1950s
Pierre Paul van Roy, Aalst, Belgium.
Pierre Paul van Roy, from Aalst, Belgium, acquired the Paganini
Orchestrion from its original location in Brussels, Belgium. He was a former
employee from Gavioli in Paris, and later produced coin operated barrel
orchestrions, such as the one now on display in the Utrecht museum. His son
in law was the music arranger. Also he was one of the first collectors in
Belgium. In 1958, when he was retired, he sold the 65 Gavioli from his
collection, which came from a Brussels rental firm called Fondu, and the
barrel orchestrion to the Utrecht museum, while he promised to sell the
Paganini Orchestrion somewhat later. The Paganini went from Pierre Paul van
Roy straight to Utrecht in 1962, where Pierre helped set it up and did some
repair work.
1962
Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement, Utrecht,
Holland
(Music Boxes to Street Organs Museum).
The
Paganini Orchestrion was received the Museum Speelklok in 1962, It was from
the private collection of Pierre Paul van Roy, of Aalst, Belgium. When
received it was mechanically complete and in pristine condition, and it is
currently on display at the Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement, Utrecht, Holland, and is reportedly
in good playing condition.
Here is the text from an e-mail attachment from Dick van Minnen (dated
August 28, 2000) relating some of the history of the Paganini Orchestrion:
Dear Sir,
We have received your mail and I am happy in answering you as
follows:
The National Museum bought the Philipps Paganini (serial number
10640) in 1962 from Mr. Pierre Paul van Roy. The instrument toured
around in several places like Bladel (a "brassserie" / lunchroom in
Brussels, Belgium).
When I was 14 years old I was already much involved in the
getting of the instrument (my father was a board member of the
museum). I even helped gluing the bellows!! And now, being a
restorer in the museum, I am still very much involved!
A restoration took place by Mr. de Roy about ca. 40 years ago
when the museum was housed in the wing of the Museum Catharijne
Convent.
Another restoration took place in 1971 when we were housed at
'Achter den Dom' by father and son King [Ed. Former employees of
Philipps. See "The Orchestrion Builders; The Story of the Leopold
King Family" elsewhere in this web site].
The last restoration took place here in Utrecht (1993) by Fred
Bernauw / Jorg. Borchardt / restoration department Museum StP on the
occasion of a museum summer exposition called "Waiter, music".
dick van minnen |
On May 1, 2012, 
Jan
Kees de Ruijter (Collectiebeheer – Muziek at the Museum Speelklok) in an e-mail
submitted some major historical corrections to this page. He also reported
that the museum now has a library of recut Philipps PP rolls, as well as
there had been a recent restoration so that the Paganini Orchestrion is now
playing "quite well."
To date, this is the only factory original Philipps Pianella Paganini
Orchestrion that is currently known to have survived. Keep in mind here that
a Paganini Orchestrion is something quite different than the relatively
small Paganini Geigen (Violin) Piano, which does not contain such things as
reed pipes, chimes, xylophone, or any drums and other trapwork effects. At
least three Modell 3 cabinet style Paganini machines and numerous keyboard
style Paganini Violin Piano type instruments are know to exist.
