Gavioli Concert Orchestrion Only One Was Ever Produced
	The only Concert Orchestrion ever produced by the famous builder, Gavioli & Cie, Paris, France, is now in our inventory and ready for purchase by a museum or top-end collector. Gavioli is known world wide for its magnificent fair ground organs, band organs and crank organs but little was known about its Concert Orchestrion, until recently. Just before the turn of the century (ca. 1898), Gavioli produced a large self-contained classical 101-key book playing Concert Orchestrion. Gavioli envied the "popular organs of the "day" produced by Welte. Therefore, he studied the Welte organs in the Black Forest of Germany and decided he could produce the "largest and best" concert orchestrion ever built. Gavioli had a vision of producing 13 of these fine instruments (expanded range Weltes), for installation in the walls of large homes in France or with cabinets requested by the buyers. It has now been confirmed by a world's authority that instrument design was based on a Welte 6 Orchestrion with range and features up to a Welte 10, the largest produced by Welte. THIS IS THE ONLY ONE IN EXISTENCE AROUND THE WORLD, produced by Gavioli in 1898. This first instrument was placed in a magnificent case with "gold" filigree, over 252 metal and wooden pipes, lots of carvings, a 90-key book playing mechanism, a rank of exposed facade pipes and a keyboard with 11 pull stops for manual playing. Twenty-one classical "Gavioliphone" organ books, dated December 3, 1900, were produced and are in "like new" condition today. After producing this first concert orchestrion, Gavioli decided against his plans for the production of 12 more instruments. Production costs for this high quality instruments were above the turn-of-the-century market so no more were ever produced by Gavioli. Perhaps Welte "objected" to the "copy cat" design with his friend Gavioli Sr.??

Actual Recordings
Play Tune 1 476Kb - 1:56 min	Play Tune 2 588KB - 2:25 min

Our instrument contains more than 10 ranks of pipes including:         Melody (6 ranks w/ 25 pipes per rank)   * Stopped Accompaniment   * Metal cello   * Wooden Cello bass pipes   * Two other Stopped Ranks         Counter Melody   * Two ranks of pipes on Counter Melody         Bass   * 12 Open Bass wooden pipes.         Percussion   * (e.g. brass shell snare, tympani, bass drum, cymbal, block and triangle).         Pipes   * There are a total of 243 playing pipes and 9 facade pipes -252 total.   Ten Automatic Registers   1. Gambe Bass I   2. Gamba Bass II   3. Voix Celeste Basses   4. Forte   5. Expression   6. Gambe Dessus   7. Voix Celeste Dessus   8. Bourdon Dessus   9. Flute Douce   10. Hautbois and a range of 66 notes on this instrument to "flavor" the music. A "famous" Style 6 WELTE has only 7 registers and a range of 54 notes. This instrument's range likely competes with the Style 10 WELTE .... (extremely rare.) (Precise listing of components is available on request.)

Recently obtained historical information shows this instrument was likely used as a "demonstrator" in the Gavioli office / factory in Paris, France, at the turn of the 20th century. As business slowed, Gavioli focused on their worldwide sales of fine band and fairground organs and less on their new adventure into the Concert Orchestrion market. "Gavioli & Cie" became "Gavioli S.A." in 1904, confirming that the Gavioli we now own was produced before that time. Recent information confirms that this instrument was designed after the Welte orchestrions and is declared as "the most important mechanical instrument during the 20th century" in an upcoming, authoritative book on "orchestrions". This orchestrion is a magnificent 12-1/2 foot high instrument, which includes a wonderful carved gallery. At the center top of it's 10 foot high main case, in brass inlay, is "Gavioli & Cie" and underneath is "Paris." Its history after the turn of the century and its "disappearance" from the Gavioli factory were recently clarified. The instrument was shipped to a collector in Italy and returned to France just before WWII, where it remained until 1999. At that time, most items in this French collection were offered to buyers all over the world. The Gavioli Orchestrion is totally original and complete. Overall, it measures approximately 12-1/2 feet high, over 6 feet wide and about 5 feet deep. It weighs about 1,500 pounds (uncrated and assembled). There are 21 original classical music 90-key books for the instrument. In addition, more classical books will be produced in Europe in the Spring of 2007 by Arthur Prinsen, world-renowned music arranger and producer. IN ADDITION, the Gavioli has a non-obtrusive 100-key MIDI Welte player installed along with several hundred original "Concert Welte" midi melodies for SPECTACULAR, ORIGINAL PERFORMANCES. The organ has received a "100 points + historical restoration" in the wonderful shops of a well-known fourth qeneration international restorer; one of the finest restorers in the world, with over 80 years of family operation and experience. This one-of-a-kind, confirmed "historically significant" orchestrion deserves only the finest collection or museum. Its absence from Europe will be sorely missed. It's return to its "birthplace" in Paris, France, is doubtful. Acknowledgments: I wish to express my sincere appreciation to those who furnished historical knowledge on this important Gavioli instrument, particularly Arthur Ord-Hume of Europe. If you want to see more pictures of this rare instrument click on Show the Pictures. Inventory Item #186 on the "Availability and Price List" - Orchestrions and Large Organs