Wurlitzer Style 17 (Regular) PianOrchestra
Philipps Pianella Model Special
Lyre and Orchestra Bell Action

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

The art glass and musical lyre with mechanically operated orchestra bells situated at front center on the Wurlitzer Style 17 PianOrchestra. The soldered brass bell lyre is mounted on a small pedestal just below the art glass panel. The orchestra bells are suspended on a brass framework that is an integral part of the lyre. The art glass is exquisitely constructed with carefully fitted brass piping that holds the pieces of glass in place.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

Wood mounting pedestal and bottom construction of the brass lyre and orchestra bells. The bottom base mounting plate is soldered to a supportive brass overlay that grips the bottom half of the lyre's bottom area, while another similar overlay gripping the upper half supports the lower cross member and vertical legs of the framework that suspends the individual orchestra bells.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

Lyre top construction and decorative finial and surmounting eagle. The brass bar across the top of the lyre supports the top of the framework that suspends the orchestra bells. Each top end of the lyre is fitted with a decorative bird head, with a small hole through the beak. A colorful tassel would have originally been hung from each beak.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

Front center art glass panel and the bell action behind it, but with the decorative lyre and orchestra bells removed. Here the metal bell striker rods are visible protruding through the front wooden guide rail in a vertical row.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

The PianOrchestra's bell action as viewed from its backside. Here the individual pneumatics that propel the striker rods against the bells are arranged in two opposite banks, each one offset from the other, so as to accommodate the spacing of the orchestra bells and their corresponding striker rods. The brass elbows for each pneumatic connect to the trapwork valve chest, which powers the orchestra bells, snare drum, and bass drum with cymbal.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

Detail of bell action driver pneumatics. Each pneumatic has a wooden strap glued to its moving side that is felted on the working end, whereupon the felt pad pushes against the metal bell striker rod when the pneumatic is collapsed. There are two wooden guide rails for the striker rods, one in front, and the other to its rear. This rear guide rail is partially visible in this photograph. A return spring for the striker rods is situated between the front and rear guide rails. Small segments of the wire return springs are visible behind the rear guide rail.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

Bell action striker rod detail. This detail view shows the front striker rod guide rail, with the striker rods protruding through it. Notice that the front end of each rod (where it strikes the bell) is rounded. The wood screws along the side of the guide rail are used to anchor the wire springs that retract the striker rods, returning them to their rest position away from the individual bell bars. Each wire spring passes through a small hole in the striker rod located two hole positions away from where the spring is anchored. There are eleven springs anchored on one side of the guide rail, and two springs anchored on the other side, with the two springs oriented in the opposite direction.

(Photographs courtesy of David Ramey, Jr.)

Top view of the bell action. Notice how the top (and also the bottom) horizontal structural support boards, on which the bell action hangs, are tapered inward from each side, so that each pneumatic bank is oriented at a slight angle. By doing this, the overall arc traced by the felted pad (as the pneumatic collapses) relative to the striker rod would be less then if the pneumatics were mounted flat at a perfectly 90 degree angle to the striker rods. This may have slightly reduced the lateral forces exerted and resulting friction between the striker rods and guide rail holes. The function of the wood screw with the thick leather washer centered in the horizontal support board is unknown; it was not in use when the PianOrchestra arrived for restoration by David Ramey, Jr., and no parts or brackets were noted that might have made use of it.