Weber Unika Piano & Violin Orchestrion plays Hören Sie Zu! Schlager Potpourri

After much editing, here's a fascinating interior look at the workings of the Weber Unika while it's playing - with two different cameras and four different full-length video clips, and the inevitable slight difference in tempo between each take, this took some time to put together! You will be quite amazed at just how intricate and complex the various pneumatic actions are in this orchestrion: particularly interesting is the vibrato motor for the violin pipes. Of course, a special thanks to the owner who kindly dismantled the instrument for me!

Here the Weber Unika (Piano and Violin Orchestrion) plays a roll called 'Horen Sie Zu!' (Listen In!), a Schlager Potpourri of 1927/28 containing many popular melodies of the time and created by Walter Borchert, arranged by the talented Gustav Bruder. Thanks to Peter Mackett, Bietebouwer and Robbie Rhodes for all the tune titles!

00:54 Ca c'est Paris / Paree! (Jose Padilla)
01:22 Dinah (Harry Akst)
02:02 Auf der grünen Wiese
02:30 Du, nur Du (Walter Kollo)
03:20 In My Gondola
03:52 Ein bisschen Feuer
04:50 In der Pfalz (J. Benes)
05:26 Any Ice Today, Lady?
06:02 Mary-Lou
07:23 In Nischni-Nowgorod (Richard Fall)
07:56 Zwei Rote Rosen, ein zarter Kuß (Walter Kollo)
08:35 Liebe Katharina, komm' zu mir nach China
09:00 Ça c'est Paris / Paree! (reprise)

Gebr. Weber (Weber Brothers) was founded in 1880 in Waldkirch, the Black Forest, Germany. They were a small company (Orchestrion-Fabrik) which made around two instruments a week, but the quality and workmanship, and particularly the musical qualities, are among the best ever made worldwide. The musical talents of Gustav Bruder contributed greatly to their success after he joined the company in 1913.

The Unika featured here was made in 1924 and comprises a piano, with expression, accompanied by a rank of violin organ pipes. These are no ordinary off-the-shelf violin pipes, but are meticulously and carefully voiced to sound as close to a real violin as possible - a feat which any organ builder will confirm is extremely difficult. The Unika was the Weber equivalent to the Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina - that instrument had real violins but required frequent maintenance and tuning, whereas the Unika performs reliably and capably on all types of music.

The capabilities of the Unika include:

61 Playing Notes
Mandolin Attachment
Sustain Pedal
Half Blow (Soft) Bass
Half Blow (Soft) Treble
Piano Pneumatic Regulator
Violin Pipes
Piano Treble Shutoff
Violin Vibrato
Swell Shutter
Shutoff
Rewind

Quite impressive from just a 66 hole trackerbar - the secret is in the use of a clever duplexing system which uses two simultaneous holes to perform a different function to either of the holes on their own.

The paper roll is 'read' by use of pressure, not the more common vacuum, using a set of pinch rollers and a weighty trackerbar metal roller, similar to that used in paper roll organs. The pinch rollers also pull the paper roll across the trackerbar, ensuring the speed of the roll remains unchanged throughout (the take-up spool has a friction clutch to allow for this).

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• weber
• unika
• maesto
• otero
• brabo
• grandezza
• orchestrion
• nickelodeon
• piano
• violin
• pipes
• roll
• pressure
• vacuum
• waldkirch
• black
• forest
• gustav
• bruder
• interior
• mechanism
• vibrato
• pneumatic

[princeboudewijn]

Damn! This is a nice roll!!!!!!!!

Where is this unika located?

Thank you so much for posting!

[nickn5nl]

@princeboudewijn Thanks! It is in the UK but I am not able to say exactly where the instrument is. The roll is excellent, one of Walter Borchert's great Schlager medleys with Gustav Bruder magic added.

[nickn5nl]

merci pour vos commentaires :)

[bietebouwer]

Indeed a very fascinating view - many thanks for posting this!

09:00 is Ça c'est Paris (V.Scotto)

The tune just before it was composed by Walter Kollo, I think, but I don't remember the title.

[nickn5nl]

@bietebouwer Thanks for your comment and information! Pleased you enjoyed the video too.

[organophone]

tres belle restauration,bravo et merci

[oldbear52]

Great video, Nick!

Congratulations on your 200th and as Peter said, here's to many more!!!

Thanks for sharing!

[GDupons]

@nickn5nl No matter if he arranged for an orchestrion or an fair organ, Gustav Bruders work was always amazing! He had the ability to let an instrument perform at its best. I would say he was musical genius!

[nickn5nl]

@petermackett37 Heh - yes I listened to Valencia on my player piano this afternoon and realised my mistake too... ah well. That piece 'Dinah' I know well, but can't think why, and of course I couldn't remember the title. Thank you for the help with titles :)

[petermackett37]

@nickn5nl 1:22 Dinah.

7:56 Zwei Rote Rosen,ein Zarter Kuss. - Walter Kollo. and 9:54

9:00 Ca C'est Paris. (Paree).

These are the only ones i recognize,Nick,as you can see it's not Valencia but Jose Padilla's other big hit,Paree!

[nickn5nl]

@amellov65 Very glad you like it! Thanks :)