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MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AUTOMATIC. 



a street-organ with the internal construction 

 of slotted paper, instead of the old-time barrel 

 and pegs. It is far superior to the one of older 

 date, and is not so liable to get out of order. 



The Organista-Harmoninm. This instrument, 

 in addition to the usual key-board, has an end- 

 less band of slotted cards passing over a mu- 

 sic-chest in the section above the key-board. 

 The performer is enabled to use the manual 

 with his fingers, and work the automatic part 

 by the pedal-movement. It is a French inven- 

 tion, and is simply a combination enabling the 

 performer to assist the mechanical part at his 

 pleasure. The top of the instrument is readily 

 lifted, but nothing can be seen except the mov- 

 ing of the slotted paper. 



The Harmonium & (\limlre et darter. This 

 is an ordinary harmonium, with a music-box 

 cylinder under the key-board. The pegs of 

 the cylinder operate on hooks, which pull the 

 keys down from the under side, while the air 

 is supplied by pedals worked by the feet. The 

 performer can use the key-board at pleasure, 

 but the cylinder is of necessity limited to a 

 small number of tunes. 



The Jtolian Organ is an instrument that dif- 

 fers from the organista-harmonium principally 

 in substituting the slotted-paper system for 

 the slotted cards. An advantage is that paper 

 rolls are more readily interchangeable. The 

 convenience of both instruments consists in 

 the opportunity of the performer to play his 

 own rendering of the tune in addition to the 

 music as rendered by the prepared sheet. 



Small Perforations. The inventions of M. 

 Gaily, of New York, in connection with im- 

 provements in automatic music, consist of a 

 system reducing the large and cumbrous sheets 

 to the minimum of size and convenience, and 

 substituting an extremely small, round perfora- 

 tion for the large, square-cornered slot. The 

 reduction is in the proportion represented by 

 the following notes, the single round being 



equal to the short square, and the six group 

 being equal to the long square. The system 

 also includes winding the perforated paper on 

 interchangeable and adjustable spools, and an 

 apparatus for quickly rewinding the sheet, at 

 the end of the tune, on its original spool. 



Various differing features in the construc- 

 tion of instruments built on the principle of 

 using a slotted or perforated sheet have given 

 rise to names suited to the fancy of the manu- 

 facturer or originator. As a result we have, 

 in addition to those described, the ^Eolian cabi- 

 net, aurophone, cabinetto, celestina, clariona, 

 dulciphone, harmonette, melodia, mandolina, 

 musical casket, musical boudoir-stand, musical 

 table, orchestral cabinet, orchestrina, organi- 



na, seraph one, and tournaphone. Some of 

 these names are barely more than trade-marks. 

 Expression. True music consists of two 

 parts, sound and soul. Sound is merely the 

 body, expression the soul. It is to be noted 

 that in orchestral music there is greater room 

 for the display of the emotions as delineated 

 by the soul of music than in any other form. 

 As an instance, in a full orchestra the number 

 of instruments is so great, and each possessed 

 of such distinctive peculiarities, that, begin- 

 ning with any one that suits the pleasure, 

 there can be an accumulated growth of vary- 

 ing combinations that will embrace the whole 

 range of musical thought. The soft flute-note 

 is suggestive of tranquillity ; as the ear becomes 

 accustomed to the sound, there floats up a 

 seeming echo, which grows on the senses as 

 the tone of the flageolet is recognized; the 

 almost human voice of the violin expresses the 

 sentiment more vividly. The increase of tone 

 is suggestive of a climax. Another instrument 

 adds its tone, and still another, to the increas- 

 ing sounds ; each additional instrument seems 

 to wake some inhabitant of the air heretofore 

 silent, and he leaps forth to add his quota to 

 the growing chorus ; the piercing fife is heard, 

 the piccolo is its rival ; clarionets, horns, oboes, 

 bassoons, join the ranks, and the harmonious 

 blending of the sounds, each moment growing 

 mightier, arouses the deepest interest. The 

 ever- increasing wave of sound has summoned 

 new forces; a rattling, as of hail on echoing 

 rocks, is suggestive of the approaching climax; 

 interspersed are the silvery strokes of the tri- 

 angle ; the great drum gives out its boom, and 

 drums, cymbals, trumpets, horns, fifes, and bu- 

 gles pour out a volume of sound, which, when 

 it can rise no higher, bursts in one harmonious 

 flood and leaves the hearer spell-bound. The 

 whole action, from beginning to end, is under 

 the control of and guided by the Idton of the 

 orchestral leader. Such a growth, reaching 

 such a climax, is not possible in any but orches- 

 tral music. The organist can get some approach 

 to it, provided, while he plays, a skilled at- 

 tendant or two can manage the stops ; but his 

 instrument does not possess all the capabilities 

 of an orchestra, and he must fall short. The 

 violinist does it on a limited scale. The violin 

 is recognized as possessing in greater degree 

 than any other one instrument the power of 

 portraying the passions. In the hands of 

 skilled performer it can depict every range of 

 thought and feeling. In the case of the or- 

 chestra, which gives us the highest degree o 

 expression, the true musician is not any one 

 or all of the performers on the instruments, 

 but the leader who, by the use of all these 

 many means, produces such musical effects 

 express his interpretation of the composers 

 thought and feeling. The measure of his si 

 cess is the extent to which he leads his aud 

 ence to grasp the thought of the composer a$ 

 he himself has interpreted it. We call it 

 expression, and until a very recent period i 



