In my
travels over the last several months I came across an unusual instrument originally
from Spain.
The owner told me that this instrument was
shipped from Spain in the 1930’s when several of his family members moved from
that location to North America.
During that
time period Spain had protection on the removal of historical objects, so this
instrument would have been taken out of Spain without proper documentation or
permission.
This is a
Spanish pianola, or barrel piano. Inside the instrument there is a large drum
with tabs on the outside of the drum.
In the
photo set below on the left side of the instrument are all of the controls to
operate the pianola along with a list of ten different songs the instrument can
play. The controls on the left side determine which songs will be heard.
When the
crank on the left side of the front is turned the piano plays the desired song.
I have seen several photos of the barrel piano but have not come across one in
original condition such as this one.
