Details
Image(s)
TitleStreet Organ 'the Limonaire'
CreatorLimonaire Frères
PlaceParis (France)
Year ca. 1910
Object number0228
Object categorymechanical instruments with organ pipes
Object namestreet organ, organ with book
DescriptionThis 52-key book-reading organ has five stops. The sound sources of such organs originally included several reed registers (a specific type of organ pipe), but these proved not to be very tunable during street operation in widely varying temperatures. Therefore, many of these organs were later rebuilt with less sensitive pipe registers. This organ is the only Limonaire organ in the Netherlands that still possesses the original reed registers of clarinet and vox humana The front is completely covered with linen, to prevent cracking, and then painted.
Accompanying textsSo many organs, so many makers: as an organ builder around 1900, you had to remain inventive in order to stand out from all the successful competition! It was a challenge to give an organ a unique, clear signature. With this organ, the Limonaire brothers from Paris aimed for an especially elusive goal. It had to imitate the vox humana - the human voice! Whether the brothers actually succeeded in faithfully recreating this sound, of course, always remains a matter of interpretation...
To achieve their goal, the brothers built a special set of pipes in this organ, which were supposed to imitate the human voice. Accompanying the organ is a number of copies of original books of the time, but otherwise the newer repertoire is very diverse.
After 1900, the first book organs driven around on pushcarts in the streets of the Netherlands were originally French (fairground) organs (by Limonaire, Gasparini or Gavioli). The Warnies company bought increasingly newer organs in Paris and rented them out for street operation in the Netherlands. The Limonaire organ the "Golden Limonaire" is a fine example of this. Only after World War I were organs bought elsewhere, and later still they were also produced in the Netherlands.
On the organ there are 2 organ figures. Originally these were on another Limonaire organ, the 'Napoleonkassie', which was destroyed in a fire. The figures were preserved and later put onto this organ.
To achieve their goal, the brothers built a special set of pipes in this organ, which were supposed to imitate the human voice. Accompanying the organ is a number of copies of original books of the time, but otherwise the newer repertoire is very diverse.
After 1900, the first book organs driven around on pushcarts in the streets of the Netherlands were originally French (fairground) organs (by Limonaire, Gasparini or Gavioli). The Warnies company bought increasingly newer organs in Paris and rented them out for street operation in the Netherlands. The Limonaire organ the "Golden Limonaire" is a fine example of this. Only after World War I were organs bought elsewhere, and later still they were also produced in the Netherlands.
On the organ there are 2 organ figures. Originally these were on another Limonaire organ, the 'Napoleonkassie', which was destroyed in a fire. The figures were preserved and later put onto this organ.
Dimensions
geheel height: 314 cm
geheel width: 310 cm
geheel depth: 170 cm
geheel width: 310 cm
geheel depth: 170 cm
Digital references