Though they are only for show, the gilt pipes on the front of this late 18th-century barrel organ suggest its purpose. Like a music box, music is played when a winding key triggers metal fingers that pluck a set of pins attached to a cylinder. Unlike a music box, however, the barrel organ’s sound is made from air passing through pipes at the back of the instrument. When the winding key is turned, bellows supply the air. The DAR Museum’s barrel organ has three interchangeable cylinders that play many popular tunes of its time, including polkas, minuets and waltzes.
Barrel organs were expensive when new and found only in public places like taverns or in wealthy households. This example is attributed to the London firm of Longman & Broderip, which was known for making unusual musical instruments.
American Spirit, Volume 140, No. 5, September/October 2006, Page 9
Photo by Mark Gulezian/QuickSilver<\small>