Klarinet Archive - Posting 000388.txt from 2000/10

From: HatNYC62@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Real musicians don't.....
Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 17:58:51 -0400

In a message dated 10/8/00 4:12:47 PM, klarinet-digest-help@-----.org writes:

<< Actually, I marvelled at them as a child. When I was old enough to
drive, I made a 600-mile trip to a museum of... I've forgotten the name,
all sorts of mechanized instruments from 50-100 years ago. You put a
dime in, and then you watched them play and watched mechanized
gondoliere (sp?) pole their boats across a canal while figurines in
formal dress danced on the veranda of a palazzo and so forth.
But these were special because of the mechanical skills and
inventiveness and visual impact. I suppose that there is skill in
moving a few keys electronically, but the particular instrument that I
saw last night reeked of 'phony'. In the original player pianos and
mechanized 'bands', you could see everything working and you could
admire it. The emphasis was on the builder's skills, not on phony
opulence. >>

I have no idea why I thought of this, but I remember when I was very young my
father found an old 10 inch lp record of recorded nickelodeons. Quite a sonic
feast for young ears. . . xylophones, drums and piano, etc. I especially
remember one band of the record where the machine stopped in the middle of
the song. Another coin was heard being inserted into the mechanism and the
thing finished the song! Ever since, I have been fascinated by nickelodedons,
although I must admit I have seen very few and have made little effort to
find them.

David Hattner, NYC

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