The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-12-30
TEACHING BIRDS TO SING.
Patience and an Organ Required in the
Interesting Operation.

| Interesting Operation.
Probably not one reader in thous-
and ever heard of "bird organ" or
saw one, says the Philadelphia Press.
They are made only in France, and
are imported to this country in small
numbers, as dealers in2 musical 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 bull
6nches. A wooden box about foot
square contains large roller covered
with pasteboard, upon which brass
pins are set according 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 row Of ten metal pipes,
about the size of a 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 belonging
to each is struck by pin on the roll
er. The music is therefore produced
on the principle of set of Pan pipe,
and is very shrill and high, yet sweet
and full.
The ten notes produced by the ten
pipes range from middle G in the staff
to B above, or an octave and three
notes. That is, the bird music is
written in the octave used in the mus
cal notation for the human voice, but
properly would be written an octave
higher when comparing the voice Of
the canary with the voice of soprano.
However, the quality of the tones diff
fers SO greatly that the shrill, clear
pipe of the bird makes it's voice sound
as if it were pitched'much higher than
is really the case.
The ''bird organ is pitched in exact
ly 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 faultlessly the key and
tone of the pipes. 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-
perience of the builders and that the
canary shows wonderful power of imi-
tation in falling in with the tone quail
tiles of its teacher. If one note in the
organ is off the key in the slightest
degree the bird takes the same tone,
and if it once learns that note wrong
it will always carry the blemish in the
harmony. All of the airs used in
these organs are written in the keys Of
G., one sharp, or in G, and as they have
only the range of 10 notes, from G to
B, it is difficult to adapt many tunes
to the limitations of canary music.
There is dealer in music boxes on
Ridge avenue who sells "bird organs"
and writes music for the canary teach
ers. He has drawer filled with man
uscript music which he has arranged
for use in these 'sbird organs" and he
also puts tunes to order on the rollers.
He has bird organs which pipe re-
pertoire of seven airs, with "Mulligan
Guards" +" "Yankee Doodle" ga
Dream of Love, ""Lucy Gray, =" 'Down
went McGinty," and "You Cant Play
in My Yard" all on one roller.
One tune is all man tries to teach
canary he said, "and he will new
er let the bird hear more than that
one. He keeps always the bird in
quiet room while he is teaching it,
and doesn't let it hear the voice of an
other bird. A canary's brain is not
very big, and he gets his memory
tangled if he hears more than the same
old tune. I have heard of birds that
could whistle two airs, but these
are very rare, and it's risky under
taking
''For when the bird is working on
the second tune he's likely to get
mixed with the first, and then all your
troubles gone for nothing. It's sim
ply question of time and patience.
You've just got to play tie tune on
the organ as often as you get a chance;
the more the better. You'll grind
away for two or three months, or long
er, perhaps for six months.
eff you have the luck to get 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 strong
and more confident all the time. When
he once picks it up your troubles are
over. It's simply a matter of time
and practice then. It's all luck in
getting bright bird with a good ear,
and the sweetest singer may turn out
failure as a trained soloist. Bull
fnchcs are easier to teach but they are
so short lived that the results are
are scarcely worth the trouble. A ca
nary will keep hisrvoice 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
training of canaries, and nearly all of
the schooled songsters in Philadelphia
have been educated by Germans. One
man has sold several at an average