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Author Topic: early melodica  (Read 7150 times)

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Morrisbox

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early melodica
« on: June 13, 2013, 04:47:56 PM »

Just returned from the musical instruments auction at Gardiner Houlgate near Bath with an early Victorian melodica in boxwood.  If anyone is interested I can post pictures, but in the meantime here's a link to the catalogue lot  http://gardinerhoulgate.co.uk/Catalogues/mi130613/lot0234.html I have to say it leaks considerably, but all the keys function. 

Just let me know if there is any interest in more pictures, and I'll sort some out over the next few days.

Trevor
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Morrisbox

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #1 on: June 13, 2013, 05:47:56 PM »

Quote
is it a mouth operated one row four stop, that would be funny to watch?  Or does it sound like a modern melodica?
   it's more cross between melodeon and mouth organ, different notes on push and pull, and sounds melodeon rather than melodica.  It leaks terribly at the moment, as the wrapping has come out of the joints, which makes it very difficult to get the notes to sound.  I've learned a lesson about not trying to suck on an old instrument before it's been cleaned!

If I can get it more airtight (and that may take some time) I'll try and upload a soundclip.

Trevor
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rees

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #2 on: June 13, 2013, 07:25:00 PM »

Blimey, what an unusual thing - never come across one of those in all my born days!

I'd love to see some more photos, inside and out.
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Rees Wesson (accordion builder and mechanic)
Gungrog, Welshpool, Wales, UK
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Morrisbox

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #3 on: June 13, 2013, 07:27:33 PM »

Quote
I'd love to see some more photos, inside and out.

I'll try and do some more pictures over the weekend.  It seems to be held together by pins at either end.  The auctioneer also said he had never seen one before, and they do 3 or 4 specialist musical instrument sales a year.
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OldDog

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2013, 01:38:03 PM »

It's a 'Blas Akkordeon' (blow accordion). Probably made by Gebr. Ludwig about 1900. It appears in the Sears catalogs in 1894 and 1908. They called it a' Clariophone.'
   
Hope this helps,
Paul N.
Tonawanda, NY
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Morrisbox

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2013, 01:52:49 PM »

Paul

many thanks for that, most appreciated

Best regards

Trevor
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Owen Woods

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2013, 01:53:53 PM »

Wow! Want one!
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ACE

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2013, 08:32:29 PM »

they do 3 or 4 specialist musical instrument sales a year.

I had a browse through the online catalogue, How were the prices the instruments went for in regards to the estimates? a couple of hurdy gurdys caught my  eye, but I let them pass time.
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Morrisbox

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2013, 08:47:40 PM »

Quote
I had a browse through the online catalogue, How were the prices the instruments went for in regards to the estimates? a couple of hurdy gurdys caught my  eye, but I let them pass time.

Prices were mainly around estimate, a few things went way above.  The hurdy gurdys went for around £450 I think, one was ok, the other was not up to much.  even the ok one seemed like it needed work.  I'm always cautious when there is more than one item in a lot, it means the items themselves(or at least one of them) don't merit their own lot.   I generally find the Gardiner Houlgate auctions worth a look, often have the more unusual items.
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Morrisbox

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #9 on: June 16, 2013, 08:20:13 PM »

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I'd love to see some more photos, inside and out.

Some rather poor pictures, but it is quite difficult to get pictures of the interior, but very like a melodeon with seperate reed plates waxed in.

Pictures should be here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201459614115349.1073741825.1325478438&type=3&uploaded=14

Please let me know if you can't access these.  Incidentally, a very similar one is here http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/180016020?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=Clariophone&pos=1
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Owen Woods

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #10 on: June 16, 2013, 10:34:07 PM »

Nope, I think it's friends only on that album.
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Morrisbox

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2013, 10:48:30 PM »

Quote
Nope, I think it's friends only on that album.

Thanks, I'll try and sort that out in the next day or so
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OldDog

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2013, 08:59:18 PM »

I you want to see more pictures of the Clariophone (although it's not called that here)  as well as other types of Blow Accordions and an awful lot of old harmonicas, go here:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/17142243/John-Whiteman-Harp-Anthology

It's a huge file, but page down to Ludwig and it's toward the end of that section. There are other types under Hohner, Koch, and 'Unknown mfrs' as well. If you like old harmonicas, you could get lost in here for hours.

Enjoy,
Paul N.
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2013, 01:56:24 PM »

Quote
is it a mouth operated one row four stop, that would be funny to watch?  Or does it sound like a modern melodica?
   it's more cross between melodeon and mouth organ, different notes on push and pull, and sounds melodeon rather than melodica.  It leaks terribly at the moment, as the wrapping has come out of the joints, which makes it very difficult to get the notes to sound.  I've learned a lesson about not trying to suck on an old instrument before it's been cleaned!

If I can get it more airtight (and that may take some time) I'll try and upload a soundclip.

Trevor

Yep, never suck anything until it's been cleaned.
I once had a mouth organ type guitar tuner once. " suck for A" and the result was a mouthful of Earwigs. 
I never recovered and never touched a Guitar again.  :o
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Ranzo

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2014, 11:58:11 PM »

I'd love to hear an update on this. Was the blow accordion made to work? Does one really blow and draw on it?

I wonder why these seem so rare. They look like they were sold often enough - so many models were offered.

On the other hand, they were probably able to offer so many models because they could just convert cheap accordions that were already being made.
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Grape Ape

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2014, 01:50:01 AM »

Hohner made something that looked very much like that in brass. Sold on ebay a couple of years ago for nearly a grand.
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triskel

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2014, 01:58:43 AM »

... a very similar one is here http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/180016020?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=Clariophone&pos=1

Only I wouldn't really agree with the Met. describing it as "A late version of the psallmelodicon" - seeing that the latter had six fingerholes, two thumb holes and 25 keys distributed around its body, played only on the blow and was very differently made; http://www.concertina.com/chambers/michaelstein/#anchor-2-keyed-mouth-organs - in fact it was only one of a considerable variety of "keyed Aeolians" being made around that time, another being Charles Wheatstone's Symphonion that was the direct ancestor of the concertina.

But, I do have the advantage of owning one of the two (I think, or did I hear of a third one somewhere?  ???) Psallmelodikons that are known to still exist - the other one is in the Antwerp City Museum; http://www.antwerpen.be/docs/Stad/Bedrijven/Cultuur_sport_recreatie/CS_Musea/Inhoud_PDA_handcomputer.pdf (bottom of page 96).

The "Clariophone" was simply a variation on the later "blow accordion" family (though that should maybe be "blow-suck accordion"  :o) that was popular in the late 19th/early 20th century. Here's a page of them from the catalogue of the US wholesaler Buegeleisen and Jacobson:



Edited to add page number

Ranzo

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2014, 01:59:30 AM »

The one owned by Morrisbox is one of the dedicated styles, evidently, though many more were simply made of accordions without the bellows!



EDIT:
Oops, posted a similar thing at the same time as triskel.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2014, 02:01:25 AM by Ranzo »
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Ranzo

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2014, 02:13:51 AM »

Quote
(though that should maybe be "blow-suck accordion"...)

That makes me wonder, too: If in German the English accordion is a "Handharmonika" and the mouth-organ is a "Mundharmonika," then just what kind of "harmonica" is this?  :o

Quote
that was popular in the late 19th/early 20th century.
I lead a "maritime music" group, and I have suggested that melodica could be entertained as an appropriate instrument—not historically accurate, of course, but rather in "the spirit" of the music. I don't see any reason necessarily why sailors would not have possessed and used these blow accordeons, though at the same time I have no evidence (yet!) that they did! (And "blow" "flute" "accordion" are not very productive terms for search engines!)
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triskel

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Re: early melodica
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2014, 02:50:36 AM »

If in German the English accordion is a "Handharmonika" and the mouth-organ is a "Mundharmonika," then just what kind of "harmonica" is this?  :o

In German the word "Harmonica"/"Harmonika" is used to describe all three species of free reed instrument - there's the "Handharmonika" (hand-harmonica) group that includes all kinds of hand-blown bellows versions, so accordions, melodeons, concertinas, Bandonions etc., the "Physharmonika" (foot-harmonica) group that takes in all the foot-blown bellows ones, including the harmonium and American organ, and "Mundharmonika" (mouth-harmonica) describes any mouth-blown members of the clan, including the mouth organ/harmonica, melodica and all their forbears, like the "Blas-Akkordeon" (blow accordion) etc.

Quote
I don't see any reason necessarily why sailors would not have possessed and used these blow accordeons, though at the same time I have no evidence (yet!) that they did!

I see absolutely no reason why not, in fact I might even have seen a picture somewhere, sometime...
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