West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1880-06-05
Hand Organ Music.

"rhc popular taste just now seems to
run more to light and comic than 20 serious
and sentimental music. said Mr. TAYLOR.
Americas only hand-orgau maker, pressing
down the ashes in his pipe bowl and medi-
tauvely giving a twist TO the nearest crank,
which brought forth protesting yowl from
the instrument. ''But, of course, " he con
tinued, 'when they get their musical car.
goes 10y the hand-organ line, they have to
take them mixed. We put up the tunes m
assorted lots, as you may say. For spring
styles just now, the principal choice seem
10 be selections from the Pirates of Pen
2ance, Ed. Harrigan's airs, The Pitcher of
Beer and The Jumping Jack !" airs from
/ 'Faunitiza and a variety of iigs, reels and
waltzcs. What are we doing from the
'PiratesY Well, the opening chorus, the
second chorus from the policemen, and the
aria of the Generals daughter. Published1 2
! Wei, believe some of the Pirates music
is published, but I'm not certain. 1t isn't
necessary for us to wait until music is
! printed 10 get IL ON our cylinders can
listen To a piece of music once and write il
out aitcrward correctly, without It is terri
bly, complicated. But the Pirate is weak.
viewed from the hand-organ standpoint II
lacks taking airs, melodies such AS Pima
fore was rich in, things that everybody
gets TO know and that the children sing
We had a great rush ON 'Puaforc' airs last
season, but now they are never called for.
/ only make organ barrels OF cylinders, TO
order, and the person ordering picks out for
himself the tunes he wants put on; so there
is no regularity about the arrangement. and
no two are alike. AS | said the demand
tins year is lively for music more than ever
before, but still there are somc serious tunes
that hang ON well. Silver Threads Among
the Gold is one of them, and the Sweet
By and by will always bc good i'm the
West and through Connecticut Some of
Moody and Sankey's tunes are good to have
In working the rural districts, particularly
the sort OF lively ones, such as where is
My Boy No night = and Hold the Fort is
a good, steady standby An opcratic air,
one from some old, good standard opera is
always well TO throw in.
NEGRO minstrel airs are very seldom
called FOR now. That sort of music seems
To have I'm great measure died out, and it's
a pity, Tor some Of the sweetest purely
American music was written for the burnt
cork brethren. / have good deal to do
putting In old country songs, German and
Italian, generally, that people come and
whistle or sing 10 me for the purpose of
getting them set up. But the popular fav-
orltes, you may say, for the coming season,
those which you will hear on more organs
than any others, will be the Jumping
Jack and pitcher of Beer ''No. | don't
make great many Instruments / can
turn out about two week, if | want To.
but the demand is limited, and most of my
work is in repairing and making new cyl
inders. A cylinder with eight or nine
tunes for hand organs cost from $32 TO $40,
and for paror and sdc-show organs from
S33 TO 500, according to size. The score
of Instruments you see about you all belong
to individual owners who are having some
thing done to them. The large ones come
from the carousel sat Jones Woods, Coney
Island and some other places of summer
resort. l don't hire out any organs, but
there is an Italian on Baxter street who
rents out dozen or more during the sea
son. ] never tried that but / did try once
selling hand organs on the installment
plan II didn't pay. Organs are too light
and handy TO get away with