Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-12-24
TEACHING BIRDS.
An interesting Operation That
Requires Much Patience.
a Specially Constructed Organ Is Also
Necessary for the Purpose-Some
of the Airs Employed in
the Lessons.


heord of bird organ" or saw
one They are made only in France,
and are imported to this country
in small numbers. as dealers in mu-
steal boxes have few calls for them,
and generally send for them only upon
orders from customers They are
made solely for teaching tunes to
canaries and bullfinches. a wooden
box about foot square contains Il
large roller covered with pasteboaTd
upon which brass pins are set accord
ing to the system used in preparing
the rolls of music boxes. Beneath the
roller is small pair of bellows, and in
the back of the box is set Il row of ten
metal pipes about the size of n long
lead pencil. When the crank on the
outside Of the box is rapidly turned
wind is forced into the pipes, as the
valves open when the metal tongue be-
longing to each is struck by n pin on the
roller The music is therefore pro-
duccd on the principle of set of
Pans pipes, and is very shrill and high,
yet sweet and full.
The ten notes produced by the ten
pipes range from middle q in the staff
to +, above, or an octave and three notes.
I hat is. he bird music is written in the
octave used in the musical notation
for the human voice, but properly
would be written in an octave higher
when comparing the voice of canary
with the voice of Il soprano. However,
he quality of the tones differ so great
~ that the shrill, clear pipe of the bird
makes it's voice sound as if it were
pitchrd much higher than is really the
case.
The bird organ" is pitched in exact
~ the same tone and key as the voice
of the canary, or perhaps this is put
ting the cart before the horse, for the
bird strikes fautlessly the key and
tone of the pires. 1t is more accurate
to say. after all. that on the hand the
organs are pitched TO be with the ca
nary's voice. as the result of the eX-
perienrc of the builders. and that the
canary shows wonderful pOweE of inn
itation in falling IN with the tone quail
itics OF its teacher. If one note in the
organ is of the key in the slightest de-
gree the bird takes the same tone, and
IL it once learns that note wrong it
will always carry the blcmish in the
harmony. All of the airs used in these
organs are written in the keys OF &,
one sharp. or in G.. and as they have
only the range of ten notes. from &
to Il, it is very difficult to adapt many
tunes TO the limitations Of canary
music.
There is Il dealer in music boxes on
Ridge avenue who sells bird organs
and writes music for the canary teach
ers I!c has drawer filed with man
uscript music which he has arranged for
use in these bird organs" and he also
puts tunes to order on the rollers. He
has bird organs which pipe n roper
toire of seven airs, with "Mulligan
Guards" Yankee Doodle ~ Dream
of Love" Lucy Gray" down Went
McGinty," and You Can't Play in My
Yard" all on one roller.
"One tune is all that man tries to
teach canary" he said, and he will
never let the bird hear more than that
one. lie keeps the bird in a quiet room
while he is teaching it and doesn't let it
hear the voice of another bird. y ca
uary's brain is not very big, and he gets
his musical memory tangled it he hears
more than the same old tune. | have
heard of birds that could whistle two
airs, but these are very rare, and it is
IL risky undertaking. For when Il
bird is working on the second tune
he is likely to get mixed with
the first, and then all your troubles
gone for nothing. It's simply a ques-
tiou of time and patience. You've just
got to play the tune on the organ as
often as you get chance; the more
the better; you'll grind away for two
or three months, or longer, perhaps for
six months.
IF you have the luck to get Il bright
bird, he'll begin to notice the tune in
three months. At first he'll sing two or
three bars, then falter and start over
again. When he has learned the air all
the way through his voice is weak and
uncertain. but it gets stronger and
more confident all the time. When he
once picks it up your troubles are over
It's simply matter of time and prac-
ticc then. It's all luck in getting a
bright bird with n good ear, and the
sweetest singer may turn out a failure
as trained soloist. Bullfinches are cas-
ier to teach, but they are so short-lived
that the results are scarcely worth the
trouble. y canary will keep his voice
and memory for eight or ten years.
and he makes the sweetest music in
the world"
The Germans patience and love of
music make him most successful in the
trimming of canaries, and nearly all
Of the schooled songsters in Philadel-
phia have been educated by Germans
The man has sold several at an average
price Of about $l00. There are many
curious industries in a great city, but
none more unusual than the educating
of canaries, and the adding to ones in
come by selling bird organs" and writ
ing music for these little soprano stars.
The music furnished is very simple, and
accidentals, grace, notes, runs and
quavers are ruled out. But the adapter
has not an easy task with his imitation
of key and range, and earns all that he
gains in this unique fashion. Occa-