Gavioli
Encyclopedia
Gavioli & Cie were a Franco
–Italian
organ builder
company that manufactured fairground organ
s in both Italy and later France
.
Gavioli was founded in 1806 in Modena
, Italy
, by Giacomo Gavioli (1786–1875). Giacamo's hobby was the development of automatic playing musical instruments like bird organs
and flute clocks. His son Anselmo was a very clever inventor; he built a large orchestrion organ the "Panharmonico" for the Duke of Modena, who refused to buy the instrument. Ludovico then took it to London and Paris. In 1852 Ludovico Gavioli (1807–1875) moved the business to the trade capital of the organ trade, Paris
, France
. From 1858 on he started his own organ building company in the Rue d'Aligre. Ludovco had three sons: Anselme, Henry and Claude.
Each contributed to the business, but it is Anselme the inventor whose name is remembered, when in 1892 he patented the use of book music
to play organs. Up until this point, pipe organs were played by a large wooden cylinder, using a system akin to the modern musical box
. This limited the length of music which could be played to the size of the cylinder, and secondly the number of cylinders which could be stored limited the variation of music and where they could be played. Book music used a series of zig-zag folded sheets of carboard in a folded book, which allowed mechanical arms to feel the holes and hence open the valves to allow compressed air to play the pipes of the organ. The development marked a turning point in the history of the mechanical organ, by allowing music to be almost infinitely long, and made Gavioli until the most famous and prolific fair organ builders. The Gavioli family had branches in cities such as Barcelona
, Manchester
, New York City
and Waldkirch
.
After Anselmo's death in 1902 the business passed to Anselme's son Ludivico II. Then the business took a series of tragic circumstances. Gavioli ceased making organs in 1912 and the remainder of the business was transferred to Limonaire Frères
of Paris. Afterwards, a number of their engineers went on to build their own organ companies, including Carl Frei
.
The Steam Carousel
in the Efteling
theme park in The Netherlands features one of the many surviving Gavioli organs. Many Gavioli organs still exist, mainly in the UK.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
–Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
organ builder
Organ builder
-Australia:* William Anderson * Australian Pipe Organs Pty Ltd* Robert Cecil Clifton * William Davidson* J.E. Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works* Fincham & Hobday* Geo. Fincham & Son* Alfred Fuller * Peter D.G. Jewkes Pty Ltd...
company that manufactured fairground organ
Fairground organ
A fairground organ is a pipe organ designed for use in a commercial public fairground setting to provide loud music to accompany fairground rides and attractions...
s in both Italy and later France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Gavioli was founded in 1806 in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, by Giacomo Gavioli (1786–1875). Giacamo's hobby was the development of automatic playing musical instruments like bird organs
Serinette
A serinette is a type of mechanical musical instrument consisting of a small barrel organ. It appeared in the first half of the 18th century in eastern France, and was used to teach tunes to canaries. Its name is derived from the French serin, meaning “canary.”Serinettes are housed in a wooden...
and flute clocks. His son Anselmo was a very clever inventor; he built a large orchestrion organ the "Panharmonico" for the Duke of Modena, who refused to buy the instrument. Ludovico then took it to London and Paris. In 1852 Ludovico Gavioli (1807–1875) moved the business to the trade capital of the organ trade, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. From 1858 on he started his own organ building company in the Rue d'Aligre. Ludovco had three sons: Anselme, Henry and Claude.
Each contributed to the business, but it is Anselme the inventor whose name is remembered, when in 1892 he patented the use of book music
Book music
Book Music is a medium for storing the music played on mechanical organs, mainly of European manufacture. Book music is made from thick cardboard, containing perforated holes representing the musical notes to be played, with the book folded zig-zag style...
to play organs. Up until this point, pipe organs were played by a large wooden cylinder, using a system akin to the modern musical box
Musical box
A music box is a 19th century automatic musical instrument that produces sounds by the use of a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc so as to pluck the tuned teeth of a steel comb. They were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called carillons à musique...
. This limited the length of music which could be played to the size of the cylinder, and secondly the number of cylinders which could be stored limited the variation of music and where they could be played. Book music used a series of zig-zag folded sheets of carboard in a folded book, which allowed mechanical arms to feel the holes and hence open the valves to allow compressed air to play the pipes of the organ. The development marked a turning point in the history of the mechanical organ, by allowing music to be almost infinitely long, and made Gavioli until the most famous and prolific fair organ builders. The Gavioli family had branches in cities such as Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Waldkirch
Waldkirch
Waldkirch is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is known as "the place of mechanical organs", where fairground organs are manufactured and played on the streets from well-known manufacturers, such as A. Ruth and Sohn, Bruder and Carl Frei .-Sights:* The Catholic Church St...
.
After Anselmo's death in 1902 the business passed to Anselme's son Ludivico II. Then the business took a series of tragic circumstances. Gavioli ceased making organs in 1912 and the remainder of the business was transferred to Limonaire Frères
Limonaire Frères
Limonaire Frères were an amusement ride and street organ builder, based in Paris, France, during the 19th and early 20th century. In the heyday of La Belle Époque, only the other Parisian firm of Gavioli was larger....
of Paris. Afterwards, a number of their engineers went on to build their own organ companies, including Carl Frei
Carl Frei
Carl Frei was a German organ builder, composer and music arranger who founded a company that manufactured fairground and street organs....
.
The Steam Carousel
Steam Carousel (Efteling)
The Steam Carousel is an attraction of the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. It is an indoor carousel situated in what is now known as the "Carousel Palace" The Steam Carousel is an attraction of the Efteling amusement park in the Netherlands. It is an indoor carousel situated in what is...
in the Efteling
Efteling
Efteling is the largest theme park in the Netherlands, and as it opened in 1952, it is one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand, and has received over 100 million visitors....
theme park in The Netherlands features one of the many surviving Gavioli organs. Many Gavioli organs still exist, mainly in the UK.