"The Whistler and His Dog" 89 key FAIRGROUND ORGAN System Gavioli Music

"The Whistler and His Dog", written by Arthur Pryor in 1905, played on one of my 89-key fairground organs. Recorded at the Shrewsbury Mechanical Organ Festival 2025. Note the group of dog walkers at the end (perhaps they were whistling?).

The organ plays automatically from perforated cardboard 'books', read using metal keys which convert the holes into pneumatic signals, which via further pneumatic relays control the pipes and percussion. There are 315 pipes emulating instruments from trombones to trumpets, clarinets to piccolos, cellos to violins, and percussion comprising bass drum, snare drum and glockenspiel. Most pipework is from old organs (including Mortier), and the key frame is an original Gavioli example circa 1905, with the organ playing standard G4 Gavioli scale 89 key perforated card music. The bellows, windchests, case, and facade were all new in 1998, built by Theo Heesbeen and the late Hands Brink as commissioned by previous owner JH Wolters. It was uniquely built in an extremely compact case to achieve a big sound from a modestly sized display trailer that can be towed with a car instead of an HGV tractor unit.

Now part of the Nick Williams collection, this impressively versitile fair organ is available to hire for your events across England and Wales along side other mechanical instruments big and small... please visit www.jollity.org

If you're enjoying the music and wish to tip me towards the organ's maintenance and help fund new music for future videos, you can do so at: www.paypal.com/paypalme/jollity