Orchestrion Weber Unika Waldkirch Roll Piano Violin plays 'In a Persian Market'

An excellent arrangement of 'In a Persian Market' or 'Auf einem Persischen Markt'.
Music composed in 1920 by Albert William Ketèlbey (9 August 1875 -- 26 November 1959), born Ketelbey, who was an English composer, conductor and pianist.
This was among the most popular 'descriptive' musical pieces of the turn of the century. The composer was best known for these descriptive pieces, and it provided excellent material for pianists and pit orchestras that accompanied silent films with exotic subjects.

- The camel-drivers gradually approach the market.
- The cries of beggars for 'Baksheesh' are heard amid the bustle.
- The beautiful princess enters carried by her servants.
- She stays to watch the jugglers and snake-charmer.
- The Caliph now passes through the market and interrupt the entertainment,
- The beggars are heard again
- The princess prepares to depart and the caravans resumes its journey.
- The themes of the princess and the camel-drivers are heard faintly in the distance and the market-place becomes deserted.

Gebr. Weber (Weber Brothers) was founded in 1880 in Waldkirch, the Black Forest, Germany. They were a small company 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 (Soft0 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
• brabo
• otero
• waldkirch
• violin
• piano
• orchestrion
• nickelodeon
• black
• forest
• gustav
• bruder
• ketelby
• persian
• market
• roll
• paper

[nickn5nl]

@organophone Thanks for your comment! :)

[organophone]

magnifique restauration ,bravo+++

[nickn5nl]

@protte225 Thanks for commenting! It might well be partly down to the video - certainly when listening to it in real life I think the balance of volume is just perfect between piano and violin. But of course these things are always very subjective!

[protte225]

I just wish the violin organ pipes were a bit louder; they only come through well when the piano is playing softly, or so it seems to me.

[nickn5nl]

@sanderorgeldraaier Hi - you are very observant! But it is a roll playing Arburo - yes there are videos of that playing too, if you search my channel for 'Arburo' you should find I think four videos. :)

[sanderorgeldraaier]

I see in the mirror a decap. you got videos too