Museum Speelklok Collectie

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Actions	Details Remove from selection Add to selection Image(s) TitleSerinette, 'Bird Organ' Creatorunknown PlaceVosges (France) Year ca. 1820 Object number0748 Object categorymechanical instruments with organ pipes Object namekanarieorgel, organ with cylinder DescriptionThis small organ has a handle that, when turned, pumps air through a bellows and rotates a wooden cylinder with fixed pins, allowing the organ pipes to play the programmed tune. These instruments are often called canary organs or bird organs because they were used to teach pet birds to whistle songs. Accompanying textsThis bird organ has 10 pipes and can play 8 melodies. The range of a bird organ had to match the vocal range of the bird to be trained. This kind of bird organ is usually called 'serinette' in English. Before the serinette, some bird owners used to try to teach their pets to sing by playing the same tune over and over again on a flageolet or recorder. The bird organ was able to automate this process, no doubt to the relief of many owners. Keeping canaries was a huge trend in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There was a vibrant industry (especially in Germany) based on breeding, "training" and exporting these birds. People loved the sound of birds so much that in the United States in the early 20th century, bird songs were even played over the airwaves. Dimensions geheel height: 16.8 cm geheel width: 27.5 cm geheel depth: 19.5 cm Keywordsprogrammadrager: cylinder geluidsbron: organ pipes aandrijving: muscle power Digital references

Image(s)

TitleSerinette, 'Bird Organ'

Creatorunknown

PlaceVosges (France)

Year ca. 1820

Object number0748

Object categorymechanical instruments with organ pipes

Object namekanarieorgel, organ with cylinder

DescriptionThis small organ has a handle that, when turned, pumps air through a bellows and rotates a wooden cylinder with fixed pins, allowing the organ pipes to play the programmed tune. These instruments are often called canary organs or bird organs because they were used to teach pet birds to whistle songs.

Accompanying textsThis bird organ has 10 pipes and can play 8 melodies. The range of a bird organ had to match the vocal range of the bird to be trained.

This kind of bird organ is usually called 'serinette' in English. Before the serinette, some bird owners used to try to teach their pets to sing by playing the same tune over and over again on a flageolet or recorder. The bird organ was able to automate this process, no doubt to the relief of many owners. Keeping canaries was a huge trend in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There was a vibrant industry (especially in Germany) based on breeding, "training" and exporting these birds. People loved the sound of birds so much that in the United States in the early 20th century, bird songs were even played over the airwaves.

Dimensions

geheel height: 16.8 cm
geheel width: 27.5 cm
geheel depth: 19.5 cm

Keywordsprogrammadrager: cylinder
geluidsbron: organ pipes
aandrijving: muscle power

Digital references

Details