Welte Philharmonic Organ - Style 10 Orchestrion

[1854Sherlock]

What a melody begins to play at 0:25? I'm very like it!!!!!

[tregnier279]

Would it be possible to get a full recording of the roll with selections from the Mikado?

[MichaelEGordon]

Such an elaborate instrument and no automatic roll tracking?

[abisocerQt]

I am a welte :) my great great sumthing grandfather made them :)

[bigcity233]

Your family made some of the greatest musical instruments of all time. In the US, the Welte-Mingon reproducing piano (19teens thru 20's) was well known.

[ThirtyTwoFoot]

It's the biggest one left! Southborough, Kent, UK

[northumberlandgirl]

why do you have to rub the top of the roll?

[earlnut]

He's doing that to get it to "track" where he wants it to. The perforations on the paper need to line up with the holes on the tracker bar. It will take care of itself after it gets started into the music.

[Welteboy]

Having researched and restored Welte Orchestrions over the years, I can offer some information. There are four Style #6 Weltes extant and one Style #7 in Pelesch Castle in Siniia, Romania. It is the largest of the orchestrions to utilize a 75 key roll. The 8, 9 and 10 play a 120 key roll like the Salomon organ. There are no larger instruments of the Concert Orchestrion series known to exist by me.

Best,

Durward R. Center

[octave4]

Welteboy - I had the privelage to maintain one of the largest existing Welte organs in Boston in late 1957-1959. Masterpiece of engineering. Real orchestral organ with some unbelieveable reed and string stops. Not a player but a real 4 Manual 85 stop organ. Absolutely magnificent. This thing as a one man band. How about the Aeolian organs - Lovely.

[Welteboy]

Wonderful! I have been waiting all my life (at least the last 40 years) to hear a Style #10 Welte roll. Must hear more. Please make a CD of these rolls on this organ. Congratulations to all involved in the restoration of this important Welte.

Durward R. Center

Baltimore, Maryland

USA

[KawhackitaRag]

By the way, has anyone turned up that style 9 that was owned by the maharajah of India or something? #9's use the style 10 rolls too. I'm not so sure about the style 7 or 8. Supposedly they use the smaller 75-hole rolls, but the #6 uses these rolls to full capacity, so I imagine anything larger using them would be overkill.

[pianolasociety]

Nothing larger than a 6 is known so far as I am aware. Nobody living has heard an original 10 nor anything inbetween. Whilst there were 10 standard models custom variations were made and the company catalogues even offered to build something bespoke larger than a 10 if anyone so desired. The age of giant orchestrions for the wealthy perhaps was more a 19th rather than 20th century thing. Most large 20th century instruments were for commerce use whereas earlier ones were aimed for mansions etc.

[KawhackitaRag]

So, I'm guessing that at least part of the pipework is voiced exactly (or close to) the equivalent style 10 pipework so that the rolls sound alright? (I know the percussion ok). This would mean that (if true), besides being able to play the rolls, they have a complete style 10 Welte within the main organ!

[pianolasociety]

yes, it is fair to assume that the sound structure for the style 10 has been carried over as faithfully as possible into the available pipes in this organ. As it was designed this way from new i.e. specifically to play Style 10 rolls I think this is a fair assumption. The original owner upgraded from a Style 10 afterall. If you listen to it playing Style 10 it's not too much to imagine this is a faithful sound and playing style of a big Welte 10 in there.

[Musicmany2k]

Absoultely amazing. What an instrument, what a sound!

[pianoman1984]

I just love the instrument.... I didn't know restoration was ready yet... so an extra surprise for me

[coolowl2006]

Great to see the front to get some idea of the size of this instrument! Standing inside it must be a similar to being inside of 'Taj Mahal' - just fabulous. Thank you for posting it :-).

[kinsler33]

That's quite an instrument.

Is there a problem with the take-up reel such that you have to keep pushing the roll one way or the other?

[pianolasociety]

no, it's just a very long roll, very wide and also very old so he's just making sure it spooled up squarely and snug at the start. There are 300 original rolls at present but many are quite tired after all these years. They are all being re-cut to presrve them.

[KawhackitaRag]

300 original (orchestrion) rolls? good lord! Is this a complete or nearly-complete collection of style 10 rolls? Do they have any old roll catalogs that might list rolls they do not have?

[pianolasociety]

The 300 are Style 10s and Philharmonics. I don't know exact numbers of each but there's plenty of each. There's no roll catalogs but there os other documentation. Look up the Salomons House on the net (on Canterbury University's site) and there's history, photos and inventory of almost every Salomons memento and aftifact and all about the family...very interesting stuff!