Interior Views of the Philipps Pianella Modell 40 Orchestrion
(Ron Cappel Restoration Workshop, 2007 -- Gilson Collection)

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Overall view of the magnificent and stately looking casework for the Philipps Model 40 Pianella orchestrion. Standing 10-feet in height, this imposing oak veneered case is finished in black, with the wood grain filled with a silver glaze. Many of the high relief carvings are embellished with a rich gold colored tint.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Interior view of the Philipps Model 40 Pianella. The instrument is complete, but with all of the access panels removed. In the center of the machine, just above the automatic roll changer, are the two light boxes and associated mechanisms that animate the painted scene on the front of the orchestrion. The lower unit provides the effect of water flowing over a waterfall; the upper a sunset on the distant, snow capped mountain.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Front panel of the Philipps Model 40 Pianella. As the music plays, the waterfall appears to have water bubbling and splashing happily downward over the rocks. Three different lighting circuits provide variations in the way the water appears to flow. Simultaneously, sunlight falling on the distant snow capped mountain recedes from full glow until only the tip of the mountain remains lit, and then even that too falls into darkness. Soon, sunrise begins and reverses the process until the whole mountain is again bathed in full sunlight. The process repeats every 2:20 minutes.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The backside of the Pianella, with the piano and all access panels removed. At bottom are the feeder bellows; above it the main stack. The mass of lead tubing connecting the main stack to the tracker bar are at the center. In the top section is the three ranks of pipes, xylophone, and other trapwork effects.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Right side view into the Pianella. In the bottom opening the crankshaft that drives the feeder bellows is visible, and the end of the main pneumatic stack, but the piano action that it butts up against is temporarily removed. At the top of the bottom opening the orchestra bell (chimes) action is partially visible. The upper opening reveals the off side of the drum shelf, the bass drum above, the snare drum hanging below. The backside of the castanets action is visible to the left of the bass drum.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Central to this picture is the register unit, which controls what musical voices are on or off, and it contains the valves for each of the trapwork assets (percussive effects). At the front is the triangle action, and to the right is the snare drum with loud and soft stroke. The large pneumatics for the bass and kettle drum effect are at the top center of the picture. The large pneumatic attached to the side of the xylophone opens the swell shutters located in the roof of the instrument, so as to provide expression to the music.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This close in view of the center portion of the Pianella shows the automatic roll changer, the electrical coin trip/start mechanism to its right, and the light box and associated mechanisms for animating the front scenic. Notice that for this particular model the roll changer does not have the typical friction disk speed control device. The music tempo is adjusted solely by altering the speed of the electric motor, which was originally accomplished by means of a variable resister, located to the left of the roll changer.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The lighting control (at right) for the animated scene takes about 2 minutes and 20 seconds for one complete cycle. The vertical round belt driving the unit comes from the crankshaft, as does another to power the automatic roll changer. The horizontal round belt going around the smaller pulley operates the endless cloth belt for the waterfall effect. The geared camshaft operates three lighting circuits within the waterfall effect. The crank at the end of it connects by a steel rod to a lever that raises and lowers a metal curtain that produces the animated scene's sunrise/sunset effect.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This front view of the upper section clearly show the bass drum and its action, consisting of a central beater with loud and soft stroke, straddled by two smaller beaters used to emulate a kettle drum effect. The pipework consists of (front to back) a 30-note rank of piccolos, a 42-note rank of violins (30 metal violins (gamba) plus 12 wooden violoncellos), and a 42-note rank comprised of 30 wooden flutes plus 12 wooden violoncellos.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Rear view of the bass drum and associated mechanisms. The central beater is for bass drum and cymbal, while the two side beaters are for the kettle drum effect. There are 3-ranks of pipes. The back (or 3rd) rank consists of 30 harmonic flutes. The 12 wooden violoncellos to their right are the bass extension of the 2nd rank's 30 metal violin (gamba) pipes (directly in front of the flute pipes), and that can be seen sticking up above the flute pipes.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This beautifully restored (by Dave Sorrow) feeder bellows unit provides both wind-pressure and vacuum power to operate the instrument. The front bellows produce wind-pressure, the rear vacuum. The wind-pressure reservoir is built into the top of the unit, while the vacuum reservoir is attached to the back end (partially visible and sticking up at top left). The two rows of holes are air passage ducts for the wind-pressure side intake valves.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This view shows the vacuum (or backside) of the feeder bellows. The two long leather straps, stiffened with small strips of cardboard, comprise the exhaust valve flaps for the vacuum side of the unit. Red paper (similar to the original) lines the wooden surfaces and gussets (stiffeners) for the bellows, so as to provide an air tight seal.