Wurlitzer Style 29C Mandolin PianOrchestra
Philipps Pianella Model 29 (Mandolino)
(Yaffe Collection, January, 2008)

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Standing tall in Ron Cappel's California workshop, this stunning exterior view of the restored Wurlitzer Style 29C Mandolin PianOrchestra shows the majestic instrument with its decorative electric lights brightly lit and the animated scene illuminated. As the music plays, a moving belt overlaying a light-box mechanism located behind the animated scene generates the effect of water flowing over the waterfall. The sky behind the mountains is also illuminated, providing a very pleasing late afternoon ambiance.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This internal view of the PianOrchestra shows off its complicated mechanical components, starting with the red colored vacuum and wind-pressure feeder (bellows) located at the bottom. Above the feeder pump is the main stack, made up of the main valve chest and pneumatic motors that operate the piano (located at the rear of the machine). Above the stack is the roll changer, and in the upper section is the pipework, xylophone, and other trapwork. In the case top are swell shutter to moderate the volume.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This frontal view of the PianOrchestra's animated scene shows it with all of the lighting effects off. The recreated painting was copied from a catalogue illustration, and painted on vellum in the same style as other orchestrion with similar moving scenes.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This frontal view of the PianOrchestra's animated scene shows it with the lighting effects in operation. Although not obvious in this still photograph, a moving belt and light box assembly behind the painting gives the visual effect of water flowing over the waterfall.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

Splotches of dark pigment dabbed randomly on the cloth belt, which moves downward in front of electric light box assembly (at center ) is what gives the animated scene its rippling waterfall effect. Situated directly behind the lighting apparatus is the 30-note reiterating xylophone. Further back yet are two ranks of wooden pipes and one rank of metal violin (gamba) pipes. Above the xylophone is a reiterating tambourine.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

At the top is the large bass drum with an attached cymbal, and which has loud and soft stroke capabilities. The two drum beaters straddling the central bass drum striker are used for the kettle drum effect. To the font side of the bass drum shelf is a reiterating triangle, and on the backside of the shelf, behind the bass drum, is a set of reiterating castanets. The reiterating snare drum, with loud and soft stroke, hangs underneath the drum shelf.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The PianOrchestra contains three ranks of pipework, consisting of (front to back) a 42-note wooden viola/violoncello rank, a 42 note violin rank composed of 30 metal violin (gamba) pipes plus 12 wooden violoncello pipes, and at rear a 30-note rank of 15 wooden flutes and 15 wooden piccolos.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The register control unit (at center bottom) turns on or off the various music registers, such as the various ranks of pipes, bells, xylophone, and drum soft stroke mechanisms. The belted electrical cam operated switching device at the bottom right corner controls the lighting effects for the animated scene.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The piano and main valve stack are clearly visible in this left side view. The main stack in this model Pianella is composed of two levels, each level with both a primary valve (operated by the tracker bar) and a secondary valve, which is connected to the piano motor pneumatics (on the backside of the main stack), the pipework chest, xylophone, and orchestra bells.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The automatic roll changer holds six individual music rolls, each containing from 1 to five tunes, thereby providing a varied repertoire of music without an operator having to constantly change music rolls. For speed control, the aluminum faced friction disk interfaces with a leather roller that is adjustable upwards or downward, thereby varying the speed of the music roll drive system.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

View of the lower left side showing the set of 13 orchestra bells. The orchestra bell action is single strike, with the strikers rebounding immediately after sounding a bell bar. This quick action arrangement produces a very pure and lingering bell tone.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The view of the left side shows the end of the main valve stack, and the feeder bellows crankshaft. The two functional layers of the main stack are clearly visible. The little white pneumatics visible at the top of each level serve to lift the larger secondary valves.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

This newly replicated cam-operated lighting control device is identical to an original specimen, and is typical for all Philipps orchestrions fitting with animated scenes. The slowly rotating cam sequences three sets of colored lights situated behind the animated scene, thus varying the overall effect with time.

(Photograph courtesy of Ron Cappel)

The feeder bellows occupy the bottom most part of the casework. Attached to the feeder assembly, the fully open vacuum reservoir is at left, while the large and fully collapsed wind-pressure reservoir on top of the bellows assembly. The front feeder produces wind-pressure for the pipework; the back unit creating a vacuum.