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Have you ever searched for "just the right piece" to top off your private collection or for a world-class museum of mechanical music? The Automaton Band is just such a piece. According to Bower's "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments", the Band was produced by the German Blessing family who built some of the finest instruments in the world during their "hey day" (ca. 1823-1920's).
The Automaton Band was imported from Germany to the United States in 1950. It was used as part of a traveling, mechanical music display, from Washington D.C. to Maine, until 1968. A 1957 New York newspaper article shows the Band performing outside the Smithsonian Institute in Washington in Trailer 7 of 7 used by the owner Bob Gillam.
The Band performed wonderfully in Walt Bellm's "Music and Cars of Yesterday" from 1972 to 1995 when we acquired this one-of-a-kind piece*. Walt Bellm sold his museum and the remainder of his world-class mechanical musical items in 1997.
Beginning in 1997, the Band was restored in Canada, by Ronald Schmuck, who returned the piece to museum-quality condition (as shown above). The Band's "Beer Garden" enclosure measures 18 feet wide (from street light base to street light base) and 12 feet high (to the top of the turn-of-the-century musical motif art glass filled with cut-glass "jewels"). The band is about 6 feet deep. The street lights are fully functional; adjustable intensity back lighting was added to highlight the three Blessing figures and the beautiful three-piece art glass on top. The Band disassembles into 40 easy-to-handle and ship sections which will pass through standard (double) doors.
This rare Band has three "larger than life" figures, each (if standing) would measure almost 7 feet high. The standing , male accordionist "plays" the 41 note keyboard on his full-size instrument. The female piano player has a beautifully restored 1924 Stroud player piano on which she performs. The drummer actually plays the snare drum, bass drum and rhythm cymbal. When appropriate for the music, he also "plays" an Indian block, triangle and large "crash" cymbal. Each automaton figure has up to 12 elements of movement including eyes, head, eye brows, lips and chest (drummer), both arms and both hands, both feet (drummer) and upper body sway (accordionist).
The Band performs with lightening speed from either custom paper rolls or the MIDI system that was installed during the 1997 restoration. Seven hours of magnificent custom music was produced by Stephen Kent Goodman to maximize the musical and mechanical movement capability of this rare, one-of-a-kind musical automaton. The tunes include music from countries all over the world to includeaGermany, Switzerland, France, other European countries, South America and, of course, from the United States. Additional custom music for any country is available from Stephen Goodman, should a buyer desire other specific melodies.
The movements of the three figures are very life-like. Everyone who sees the figures when they move and "look" straight at them is amazed. The comedy routines with the three figures interacting are outrageous. The drummer actually plays the drums superbly and often whistles along with the melody. (The drummer has 16 flute pipes in his chest.) As he puckers his lips and pushes out his chest(as if breathing), he produces beautiful melodies to accompany the accordion, piano and drums.
The drummer is usually the "trouble maker" by flirting with all the girls and setting the tempo for every tune. Sometimes he insists on fast-tempo music while the others wish to play slower music. The comedy routines are extremely funny without disrupting the beautiful arrangements.
A professional 30-minute videotape of the Band is now available. The selling price including mailing is $25 each in the U.S. and $35 each outside the U.S. The performances of the Band are impossible to describe but the video will assist your imagination.
If you want to see pictures of the Band which were taken before and at various stages during the restoration process. Click on Show the Pictures There are also some additional pictures in this page showing what the Band looked like in the 1950s.
Contact our Shoppe if there might be any interest in this piece.
Inventory Item #149 on the "Availibility and Price List" -
Orchestrions and
Automata
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