Mark Twain's Orchestrelle project

2010

Mission: Raise the money to restore Samuel Clemens beloved reed organ/Vocalion called AEolian Orchestrelle

  Samuel Clemens wrote all those classic American books with all American characters such as:   Huckleberry Finn; Tom Sawyer; Becky Thatcher; Aunt Polly under the pen name of Mark Twain.  He owned a fine musical instrument called an Orchestrelle 

This is the special order 1903 AEolian Orchestrelle that Mark Twain purchased for his New York Apartment a few years before his death.

Visit the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum site

The museum has been unable to play this instrument for well over a decade.  When it fell silent or got so bad it did not sound good they played tapes of it over a tinny speaker.  The full majesty of this organ has not been heard as it should be for several decades now. 

This project has two parts:

1. Once funds are raised, Restore a smaller Orchestrelle which will be taken to the museum to show the visitors while Mark Twain's organ is being restored.

2. Once funds are raised, dismantle and transport Mark Twain's Orchestrelle to the restoration shop for complete historic restoration to original condition. The Organ will be kept as original but it will have a MIDI playing system installed which will be totally removable without altering the historic condition of the instrument.  This will allow the organ to be played and save wear and tear on the rolls.  Alternatively a recut project will be mounted to copy all of Mark Twains rolls in order to save wear and tear on the originals and play the copies.  Any extra funds will be spent to add new rolls to the collection and to maintain the organ in playing condition for decades to come.

This Orchestrelle is owned by the State Historical Society of Missouri which regularly has exhibits of Mark Twain items and scholarship.  Here is the latest exhibit of Mark Twain illustrations by Tom Benton.

The organ is on permanent loan by them to the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal which includes Mr. Clemens boyhood home and several houses owned by the real people immortalized in his famous books.

Here is a photo of the Orchestrelle years ago in the Sam Clemens boyhood home:

Here is the most recent photo of the instrument with the Museum Curator, Henry Sweets on the left and Doug L. Bullock of the restoration shop Piano World Enterprises at right.  This was taken at the time Mr Bullock and his crew dismantled the Orchestrelle and moved it into its new location next to the Norman Rockwell painting and drawing illustration collection.