Page 71 - Jahresrückblick_2021_web_engl

#fürfansvonfans 71

SEPT

Beginning of September
The Grande Dame of mechanical music

... resounds in new splendor! Since 2019, the museum has been
undergoing a transformation: new exhibition or theme areas were
added, floors were newly laid and storefronts were painted. In the
course of this, the largest dance organ in the world (8 meters wide,
7 meters high and 4.4 meters deep), built in 1912 by the Belgian
company Mortier, also got a new spot. At the same time we took
the opportunity to have this huge exhibit restored. The specialized
site of historical music automatons (Fachstätte historischer
Musikautomaten) took on this mammoth task. This renovation
was to take a full two years: each of the more than 900 pipes was
washed, re-tuned, all wind channels and wind chests were freed
from over 30 years of dust, the two accordions were overhauled,
leaks were eliminated, bridges were polished and the 130 bellows -
one for each key or tone - were re-covered.

The large dance organ was also musically adapted to the new era:
A new music book was implemented which can also play ragtime
and boogie-woogie. The entire musical repertoire of the Mortier
Lady, three endless music tapes with 30 titles each and more than
1,000 individual pieces of music, is ready to be implemented into
a specially designed 10 x 4 meter roller cabinet directly behind the
Grande Dame. After the seven-meter-high front has been installed
and with a few fine adjustments made, it can now shine and
resound in all its glory once again.