JP Seeburg Orchestrion - Danse Macabre

Rebuilt by Roger Puls in 2013. www.puls-inc.com

[@kegginstructure]

If ever there was a perfect instrument for the intended eerie nature of the composition, this has to be it. I can imagine a Disney "ride" with this instrument playing this dance with ethereal skeletal figures twirling around the floor, and the orchestrion in a dimmed spotlight and the keys playing, but nobody's there.

[@frayleaf]

This thing does whatever it's doing the best it could be done, that's for sure

[@bertjesklotepino]

believe it or not, but we just destroyed such.
They called it the Haunted House.
It was located in the amusement park in the Netherlands called De Efteling.
It was one of the first "rides" you could take. Basically walking along a wall of glass and inside was a great scene of all kinds of stuff.
Moving skeletons, all of it. Gravestones dancing.
And this song playing on the background while you attended the ride.
Unfortunately the park decided it was a great idea to build something new, and so they ripped down this wonderful piece to replace it with something new.
I have yet to check the new stuff.
The old Haunted House (or as we call it: Het Spookslot) was opened on May the 10th, 1978.
So not to burst your bubble, but it existed for decades here in the Netherlands.
But they demolished it.
Perhaps they did use this music in the new "ride". I have no clue. Have yet to visit the park again.
But they have been changing a lot in the park. Old stuff is getting torn out and replaced by new stuff.
Some i can not agree with. I mean: Just enlarge the park to build new stuff. Dont tear out old history which started the park.
But then again, it is located in a very nice piece of nature in the Netherlands. One of the few parts that has not yet been spoiled entirely.
And so to enlarge the park would mean less nature.
If you do not know De Efteling, the dutch amusementpark, pls, look it up.
It has a wonderful history, wonderful "rides", all the rest of it.
And what you have described..... we had it for almost 5 decades.
So, no need to imagine it. It was done.
Been there, done that. Like the moon. No need to ever go back to it, right?
(that last line was a bit of sarcasm, and a joke towards those who still believe in fairy tales like the ones shown in the Fairy Tale Forrest (Sprookjesbos. I dunno how to translate it in better english. But there are a lot of people who still think the dancing shoes move on their own without any trickery. And there are a lot of people who still believe people actually set foot on the moon.Same kinda fairy tale.)

[@DeadKoby]

When I was a kid I was fascinated by these machines... I think it's awesome that people are keeping these devices alive and well.

[@Ichigo_Keba]

but this one is really out of tune

[@itchingbitch]

I'm thrilled too! I can't believe the engineering feat that these machines are! Thanks for bringing us this video, Roger Puls.

[@tuileriesantiques9057]

This orchestrion and this song go perfectly together. will never get old. if only i had one

[@mattperkins7038]

eBay sent me. Sir, this is an INCREDIBLE engineering marvel and the restoration is top notch. I’m blown away

[@anthromorphe]

An instrument that is truly worthy of a prominent location in your home, and not the garage.

[@melchezi8818]

Prominent location at the Smithsonian!

[@gmmix]

Lots of variation in the sounds produced. Marvelous instrument. Incredible engineering. Thanks for this posting.

[@CHESShireCat]

If this was on Spotify I would listen to it all the time

[@stephenspark776]

There is something wonderfully sinister about watching the keys depressing for this atmospheric piece of music. Even the slightly off sound (not sure if it's the instrument or the acoustics of the room) adds to the other-worldliness of it all. Fabulous! (But I'd love to see a film of it playing somewhere more atmospheric than a sterile-looking garage - perhaps at Miss Havisham's dining room or in the ruined hall of some gothic mansion.)

[@kegginstructure]

The pipes are wooden, so that means their tuning is subject to swelling caused by variations in humidity. A few notes will therefore sound like clunkers. It also looks like an old upright piano, which is slightly harder to tune because their sound boards are more compact. But definitely a well-kept machine.

[@vincelarusso2454]

thank you for sharing this marvelous instrument with us. I've never heard this piece done mechanically before. Simlpy outstanding.

[@ChristianValerius]

Roger, every minute invested in restauration and maintenance to this mechanical masterpiece is worth its time. Working in the digital industry this is vacation for the brain. Well done - and thanks for sharing!

[@jimbilton1956]

How wonderful. I have such admiration for the brilliant minds which enabled the creation of this machine. Fantastic craftsmanship.

[@dominiquedescottes8314]

Ce piano mécanique est un véritable chef d'oeuvre
Tout comme ce qu'il interprète
J'adore ce genre de variations musicale

[@DavidGiumenti-sm6yi]

Truly a grade instrument love it

[@kyletodaro4946]

Absolutely amazing. I saw a decommissioned orchestraion at the Crescent Hotel main lobby in Eureka Springs and had to look up a video of a working one! Stunning!

[@bisem433]

This machine is incredible......but please tell me how or why anyone would give this beautifully recorded video a thumbs down!

[@warthouse]

That is wonderful. Beautifully restored. it's got everything

[@vickieevenson9309]

Oh my gosh, I love this!!!

[@larryjohnson6385]

Totally awesome 👍
Very cool 😎
Thanks for posting this 🙏

[@echodelta9]

Macabre tuning, chilly garage compared to when it was first tuned in summer.

[@organbuilder272]

That is simple amazing. Wonderful. All these are in private collections or museums. What a shame people don't listen to these instead of the ******* that passes for music today. It's a shame that this wasn't tuned before recording for this post. But those are difficult to get at and, of course, weather makes a big difference ont he pitch of the pipes and such. But the wonders of creativity are revealed here. It is ingenious what was done outside of the world of pipe organs. - and here is a little one that also plays piano and a toy counter.

[@AffordBindEquipment]

it's now on ebay for you to buy!

[@PiotrBarcz]

I just want to say, this is by far one of the best filmed orchestrions I've seen. You're camera work and editing was excellent on this video! I loved the close-up shots of the keys depressing, there's something so satisfying about the keys coming down in a player piano or other instrument! The audio could've probably been better if you used a microphone but this is amazing!

[@100PercentOS2]

Such a beautiful player piano. The sound was awesome too. I'm more impressed with this than the street and circus organs.

[@SpaceCadet45s]

Me too! I've been binge watching these videos. I'm in love with the Centenary Organ ❤

[@mumzly1]

I love these thing. There’s an amusement park near me called Knobles and their grand carousel has an Orchestrion in it. It’s great.

[@Myavorg]

Интереснейший аппарат! До недавнего времени и не знал о таком оборудовании, которое совмещало бы в себе и фортепиано, и орган, и барабан, да к тому же с автоматическим воспроизведением заранее записанных композиций.
Как-то в официальной истории развития индустрии устройств звуковоспроизведения о таких оркестрионах (а их разновидностей множество - и с аккордеоном, и со скрипкой, и просто автоматическое воспроизводящее пианино и многие другие) практически не упоминается.
И как прекрасно, что все эти устройства в наши дни не забыты, приводятся в рабочее состояние, и радуют нас прекрасной живой музыкой!

[@rufust.firefly2474]

Myavorgls are tiny, carbuncle like pustules which form on the underside of the perineum.

[@grandcarriage1]

That's really cool. It reminds me of trips to "House on the Rock" as a child. That place was full of these things...

[@wurly164]

Check out American Treasure Tours in PA, they have over 200 machines

[@dennisspinkshappyforbusker2523]

Brilliant!

[@oberek92]

nice work, bravo !

[@seanbryant2848]

Amazing, and so beautiful!

[@MegaGeorge1948]

Creepy piano playing a creepy song in my living room! Good for Halloween maybe?

[@backbayboy1]

Super video and restoration !

[@julessw11battersea67]

What a glory! I didn't even know of this model. Wonderful - thanks j

[@reneegoocey164]

4:45 sounds like someone is having a party at their house and then their parents walk in.

[@birdwife589]

Wish i had one of these. so cool

[@pliniogoiania]

I can't believe the 26 half-wits that disliked the video. What were you expecting, that it sounded exactly like the Wiener Philharmoniker as conducted by Herbert Von Karajan in the perfect acoustics conditions of the Musikverein concert hall?

[@dennisthebrony2022]

This question is for Coin Operated Pianos in general; When does a coin operated piano know when to stop playing when the song/track is over when the roll is not at the end yet?

[@greggraham4114]

There is one hole used only to stop. The paper roll has a hole punched at the end of each tune. There are often many tunes on one big roll. Another hole is reserved for rewind at the end of the roll. Then it goes back to the beginning and repeats until someone changes the roll.

[@maunster3414]

"Danse Macabre" on an orchestrion. Exceptionally spooky.

[@vincelarusso2454]

Mr. Puls, your restoration of this machine is simply outstanding.

[@marc49lewis]

Beautiful unit that needs a good tuning. Fantastic restoration!

[@spencerbergquist781]

Bravo !

[@rolandvonmalmborg1905]

I would nut recommend retuning a xylophone - once cut you can not get a deeper tone. So the pipes and strings should be tuned to the xylophone.

[@michaelbauers8800]

logical

[@arburo1]

Not necessarily. It is possible to tune a xylophone up and down. Up by removing from the ends, down by removing from the centre. Exact positions for removal are understood by the builders.

[@57thorns]

@@arburo1 On the other hand, will the xylophon tuning change with wear and tear?
If not, then the piano can be tuned from the xylophone. and then the pipe are brough to the party at the correct temperature.

[@arburo1]

@@57thorns Xylophone and Glock bars will not change their pitch with age and wear. On orchestrions the piano and pipes must be tuned to the xylophone or glock. I am not familiar with American orchestrion tuning, but European ones are usually tuned to A435 rather than A440. My Unika must be tuned to A435 as the pipes cannot be tuned up to A440. My Pianella has a xylophone tuned to A435 so the piano must be tuned to that. One needs to get a piano tuner who can work to your instructions. Any pipes must be tuned at the appropriate room temperature, such as 20 deg C. The instrument will then sound wrong if it is played when too cold, ie, below about 16 deg C.

[@itchingbitch]

Well, for an out of tune "orchestrion", it's still worth a listen and "Danse Macabre" Is a good choice.

[@MechanicalMusics]

WOW! It is not often you hear piece like this on a nickelodeon!

[@watchmakerful]

Amazing...

[@anthonybullock9165]

Nice to see the old gal so splendidly brought back. Long may she play.... Thanks. A in G

[@oldfarthacks]

Now just stick this in an old abandoned house and get a bunch of teens in there. Spooky.

[@MathsYknow]

It sounds like the instruments aren't all tuned to the same pitch.

[@arburo1]

I think you're correct. The xylophone should be tuned to the piano, but the pipes will be tuned at a specific temperature to the piano. Usually this will be 20 deg C, but can be whatever the owner asks for, if he understands such things. It is important that the instrument is only played at, or near to, this temperature. More than a five degree difference will lead to the pipes being out of tune with the piano and xylophone. Organ pipes change their pitch with temperature and a person with a good ear can detect the dissonance between the piano and the pipes when the temperature has dropped by five degrees or more. The instrument playing here sounds as if it is operating at a lower temperature than that at which the pipes were tuned, so the pipes are flat.

[@michaelbauers8800]

It does sound slightly discordant, but one could consider that charming maybe? I personally like discordant music, at least somewhat.

[@ericalbany]

The piano also sounds a bit muffled- of course because it is buried behind everything. Still, classical isn't what this sort of machine is really best at

[@andrewbarrett1537]

I would tend to agree...

[@a440pianoservice]

arburo1 no the pitch of the xylophone should be matched and piano and pipes tuned only to 435

[@modifish68]

Very cool. Love the music too. I would love to hear a Prog Metal band do a version of this.

[@Z0MBAZINATOR]

I imagine this music playing to turdeau enacting all his draconian laws.

[@hunterleach5710]

There should be a 2.0 build of this instrument, which supports MIDI from your phone, but AI can truly be beneficial at helping rebuilding replicas of antique things like the musical instrument in the video

[@FranzFerdinandVIII]

or have some form of bluetooth connectivity and software so that you can play any kind of music.

[@hunterleach5710]

That's what it's going to be, it won't rely on the internet but it will rely on Bluetooth connectivity so the midi data will be transferred through Bluetooth to the orchestrion itself I mean MIDI .​@@FranzFerdinandVIII

[@benzo4029]

Fabulous historical machine! So great to hear. Unfortunately the pipes need to be all tuned higher. They all play flatter than the piano and xylophone. This performance suffers from this lack of basic musical pitch regulation. The hand carving of the cabinetry is superb. Thanks for sharing!

[@adrianaslund8605]

Its like an ancient sampler.

[@crabula]

This is awesome!

[@lawrencephelps3181]

Way too cool!

[@viktor87roma]

Superbo! Mi piacerebbe averne uno!!! :-D

[@Ichigo_Keba]

I am not a expert on the tuning of a woodwinds instrument but that's out of tune and badly

[@organbuilder272]

This is not a woodwinds instrument. It is a combination of organs pipes, percussions instruments

[@reneegoocey164]

He means the pipes IN it.

[@TheLuvschool2]

What if we had a rush e sheet and played it on this machine

[@franceskinskij]

I know the orchestrion s old
but it needs to be tuned

[@maunster3414]

kvetch

[@johnferguson8993]

Fabulous!

[@wasabihansen]

I wish Nancarrow composed something for this instrument.

[@petermichaelfiore6608]

Wonderful

[@Leclercqr1]

Waar kan men dit toestel zien spelen?

[@b43xoit]

How are the sheets or rolls cut?

[@imogen1]

You go over to his place and this is what's playing. wyd?

[@horloger1232]

Bonjour, ou avez-vous trouver cet instrument ?

[@BOHEMIANMEX]

This is a museum piece!

[@MegaGeorge1948]

The haunted piano.

[@hapanjuuri]

Great instrument. Sounds like It needs some tuning.

[@pierredufresne996]

Love it, but the organ badly needs tuning.

[@deborasgomes2022]

🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@SofiaCheriasova]

Good thing for a carousel

[@1HeatWalk]

That house is haunted! I suggest you get an exorcist.

[@staspastukh2005]

А с какого мультфильма это музыка?

[@maunster3414]

Не мультик. Музыка называется «Danse Macabre».

[@Yaledmot]

Please re-record after the pipes are in tune. A great machine, but a quarter step flat to the piano is not good. It is possible the wind supply is not to the correct pressure for the pipes. Great machine, plays well mechanically, but the tuning is ghastly.

[@Keith-re2nw]

Dancing skeletons!

[@TheRenamay]

Der schräge Otto!

[@maironef]

この曲はサン・サーンス作曲「♪動物の謝肉祭」の中に登場する「♪化石」の元ネタである。
これも小学校の器楽合奏曲としてアレンジすれば面白そうだ。

[@byrdsmaniac]

played by ghosts! :D

[@theodoremikellguerrant4918]

It's even more "macabre" by being out of tune! :>)

[@louhouck4189]

Out of tune, certainly...it is an old...very old...MACHINE. It is a beautiful
restoration. You want perfect pitch...patronize your local symphony.

[@gramaphoneman1]

The machine plays great, but not well tuned.

[@maunster3414]

kvetch

[@ranchovistadenada]

should have chosen a better roll to show this off. no impressed, especially for $200K

[@maunster3414]

kvetch

[@lawrencephelps3181]

Go play in traffic, grouch.

[@stevetoyne]

The organ is howling out of tune.
Clearly it's not owned by a music lover.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

organ pipes are so out of tune. horrible . its cacophony

[@maunster3414]

kvetch