Monday, February 21, 2011

"Jumbo Scotty" #4

Another of my dad's letters loosely referring to Mr. Scott.
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Posted by Buckles at 2/21/2011 06:29:00 AM

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Giant Myriophone [also Myriphon] was illustrated in the B&B program, The Realm and probably other advertising in the 1903-1904 period. It consisted of a series of vertical disks mounted on horizontal shafts, arrayed to form something of a wall. When spun, the disks gave off a musical tone. It would have taken a musical Vanna White to play "Ode to Joy." Professor Karsey and his wife manipulated the device. They were able to issue "soul-stirring harmony."

Does the description of the instrument mentioned in the letter survive?

Musical novelties were then the rage. Some were devised by J. C. Deagan [organ chimes, rub chimes, unafon, musical saw blades, musical door bells, musical cow bells, etc.], others by Edwin R. Street [hand bells and sleigh bells] and R. H. Mayland [orchestra chimes]. There were cat and rooster orchestras in the sideshow [animals inserted into painted tin figures], miramba players in the ethnological congress, acts consisting of a variety of instruments played by skilled virtuosos or clowns laying on their backs, or with bells on their ankles and wrists.

One vaudeville act had a group of saw players, whose bows were electrified, causing showers of sparks to be generated during their playing.

21 February, 2011 09:59
Anonymous said...

There's an image of the Myriophone here: http://yesterdaystowns.blogspot.com/2009_02_01_archive.html

Another description is here:http://www.arcade-museum.com/mtr/MTR-1902-34-23/MTR-1902-34-23-33.pdf

Also see your posting of 10 August 2007.

21 February, 2011 10:17

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