Orchestra: description of the instrument, composition, sound, history

An orchestra is a mechanical musical instrument that plays automatically. Belongs to the class of harmonics. The name is also applied to other instruments with a similar design.

The first model was created at the end of the 900th century. The instrument designer is the German composer Abbot Vogler. The orchestra was similar in design to the organ. The main difference is the ease of transportation due to the reduced dimensions. The invention consisted of 63 tubes. The number of keys is 39. The number of pedals is XNUMX. The sound resembled an organ limited in range.

Also in the XNUMXth century, a similar instrument appeared in the Czech Republic. Inventor: Thomas Kunz. A feature of the invention is the combination of organ elements with piano strings.

The mechanical orchestrion was invented in Germany in 1851. Creator – F.T. Kaufmann from Dresden. It is a mechanical brass band with added timpani, cymbals, tambourine, triangle and snare drum. Externally, the invention looked like a cabinet with a cutout for a coin. Inside was a mechanism with pipes. After the coin was tossed, pre-recorded melodies were played.

The mechanical harmonica gained great popularity in the 20s of the XX century in Germany. The orchestrations were produced by M. Welte & Sonne. During World War II, the company’s production complex was completely destroyed.