Program notes
The barrel organ is a mechanical wind instrument classified as an organ. It is part of the “automatophone” family, a term that encompasses all the instruments that produce music by mechanical processes.
The musical quality of barrel organs varies from one instrument to another. It exists in various shapes, ranging from the smallest (that can be worn over the shoulder) to the largest, called a “Limonaire”, which could be found in cafes or ballrooms in the early twentieth century.
The origins of the name are somewhat surprising to the curious among us, and gave rise to a great many legends. One claimed its name came from its sound, which was less noble than that of the church organ. Today, the barrel organ is used in Scotland, especially in Edinburgh, and in some parts of Germany and the Netherlands. In France, it has been slowly making a comeback over the last 15 years.