The Carousel Museum Hurdygurdy

[thelarrydbrown]

Organology, the study of the structure, use, and classification of musical instruments, is the science used by museums to classify instruments. They can't just apply any name they want to a musical instrument. Might as well call a guitar a banjo! I've studied and played the Gurdy for years and I know of no countries that refer to band organs as hurdy gurdies. Barrel organs are sometimes called hurdy gurdies, although this is also incorrect. The museum is in error and needs to correct it.

[thelarrydbrown]

Organology, the study of the structure, use, and classification of musical instruments, is the science used by museums to classify instruments. They can't just apply any name you want to a musical instrument. Might as well call a guitar a banjo! I've studied and played the Gurdy for years and I know of no countries that refer to band organs as hurdy gurdies. Barrel organs are sometimes called hurdy gurdies, although this is also incorrect. The museum is in error and needs to correct it.

[Synith]

IT'S ALIVE!

[yvettegr]

@Synith Ha Ha! Someone knows their horror films.

[anglerfly]

Thats a wurliTzer 105 band organ

[anglerfly]

Thisis a wurliTzer 105

[wurly164]

Thats a band organ

[anglerfly]

@wurly164 WurliTzer 105

[sethandbarnes]

This is not a hurdy gurdy. A hurdy gurdy is an instrument with strings and keys that stop the strings so you can play any tune you want. Barrel organs, band organs, and carousel organs play a fixed tune and do not usually have strings, although I have seen band organs with violins that are bowed with a mechanical arm and played with mechanical fingers. Interesting video. Thanks for posting.

[Wurlitzer157]

@sethandbarnes

The violin one would actually be a orchestrion.

[sarahlockettstewart]

There's an old carousel in Riverside, RI. At least I think it's still around. Used to hang around there as a teenager.

[breyerponies]

love carousel horses im getting one for my new rooom:D

[yvettegr]

Love Breyer Ponies. Do you also collect them?

[breyerponies]

well not carousel horses but im getting an old antique one.my mom said the one i might get used to be a carousel horse but its legs r broken off:(

i dont care though she said its multicoloured and has and american flag saddle.

[yvettegr]

There are places that restore Carousel horses, though it might be expensive. Still, an antique carousel horse is worth a bit. But, I don't think it's something you would sell. Someday you should try to get to the Carousel Museum in Connecticut.

[breyerponies]

ya the one Im looking at has his legs broken off but somebody offerd to restore them.the guy is only selling it for 200 dollars so...

tommorow we might pick it up :D

[yvettegr]

Take your camera and make a video of picking it up and having it restored.

[breyerponies]

ok ill be sure to :D

[na5m]

player piano type instruments are so cool. kinda the forerunners of the programmable computer.

[ken7291]

I did some volunteer work there! And that place Rocks!

[DragonWorshipper]

HOW DARE YOU call that a hurdy gurdy?!!

[yvettegr]

I'm going by how the museum designated it.

[DragonWorshipper]

tisk tisk ;) Ah who cares anyway... as long as people don't get used to labeling things wrong...

[MrRandomPerson]

actually i read somewhere barrel organs and band organs were originally called hurdy-gurdies, and i think there are some countries that still call them that (in their language of course)

[yvettegr]

Meanings of words change overtime. Hurdy-gurdy is a correct reference to the instrument in my video.

[1955thekeeper]

@yvettegr I agree with you. I am 56 years old and in my youth I was privileged to be able to go to several museums which dealt with turn of the century modes of entertainment and every time one of these contraptions were present the term "Hurdy Gurdy" was applied. One I remember had a crank in the end of it like the old starting crank on a Model T. When you turned it it charged up a spring until the tension became too great then the device would begin to play until it wound down. TFP

[yvettegr]

@1955thekeeper Yeah, language is not stagnant, and some terms mean different things in different parts of the country. The Carousel Museum referred to it as a Hurdy Gurdy. What museums did you go too? I'm always looking for new museums to visit.

[theorganguy]

I just want to point out, that this is not a hurdy gurdy. Pls wikipedia the term hurdy gurdy. This is a fair- or band-organ. (If it is associated with Carousels, then fairground-organ sure fits best as description)

while some instruments were "hand-crank-able"; this one certainly wasn't, as it was meant to automatically supply background music for the fairground-attraction next (or around) to it

[wurlitzer153duplex]

Generally the terms are interchangeable. Wikipedia makes no reference to any carousel/MGR difference, along with most manufacturers. There is, however, a difference between American carousels and English gallopers. In North America and parts of Europe, carousels turn counter-clockwise. This is to allow riders to have their right hand free to catch the brass ring. In England and some of Europe, carousels turned clockwise to allow for proper mounting, the ring game not being a factor.

[yvettegr]

I was writing historically about the difference between Carousels and Merry-Go-Rounds. English and American carousels go in the direction racetracks go in their country, not because of reaching for the brass ring or mounting. Races run counterclockwise (anti-clockwise if you're English) in the United States, clockwise in the UK.

[lloydhofer]

Yvette, thanks for the trivia. I remember the, well I guess I'm not sure what, because I thought it had a combo of up-down animals as well as fixed animals and seats, but anyway there were several in the amusement parks in Portland when I was a kid. Now they are hard to find, only one active amusement park left and it's only a shadow of it's former self. I liked the music box, was it originally hand cranked?

[yvettegr]

I don't think there are any Merry-Go-Round police to enforce the no up/down tradition. Maybe the one you remember was breaking the rules.

I don't think this was ever handcranked. Steam engines and steam everything was big back then.