| Street organs and carillons are to the Dutch what | | | | select group of carillonneurs pound the keys |
| bagpipes means to the Scots, and they bring out | | | | during occasional concerts. These live |
| the same mixed feelings. The elaborate street | | | | interpretations of the works of classical and |
| organs meaning barrel organs developed from | | | | modern composers are often played with a |
| hand-held barrel organs that were once popular | | | | surprising amount of feeling if one considers the |
| throughout Europe but have now all but | | | | natural limitations of the instrument. |
| disappeared. Though they are almost extinct now, | | | | Street-organs are linked to the Netherlands like |
| one of the factors that ensured their survival in | | | | the tulips, the wooden shoes, and the giant |
| the Netherlands was a leasing system established | | | | water-works. Almost every tourist in a Dutch city |
| in Amsterdam in 1875: grinders leased their organs | | | | can meet one of these characteristic Dutch |
| from owners who looked after maintenance and | | | | instruments playing in the streets. |
| tuning, which ensured reason able standards | | | | Nevertheless, the chance of such a meeting has |
| upheld by strict licensing laws. Even today, | | | | decreased dramatically over the years. In the |
| grinders are assigned limited hours in particular | | | | twenties and thirties of the 20th century a |
| areas of the city so they are evenly distributed, | | | | multitude of the present amount of street organs |
| and they can spend five minutes on the same | | | | was playing in the streets of our country. In the |
| spot before having to move on. | | | | city of Amsterdam alone more than 30 of these |
| The collection includes anything from Tulips from | | | | instruments were crossing the town every day. |
| Amsterdam and The Blue Danube to weird | | | | Music by self-playing organs was not just audible |
| renditions of the latest hits. Fluctuations in | | | | in the streets. At the village and town fairs all the |
| temperature and humidity still play havoc with | | | | music was made by fairground organs, with a |
| tuning; sometimes result in a cat's-wail outcome. A | | | | distinctive different sound; nearly every attraction, |
| street organ at full tilt is a pretty impressive bit of | | | | big or small, possessed such an organ. Apart from |
| machinery. They used to be operated by hand | | | | that, many dance-halls, public houses, hotels |
| but now little generator motors do the hard work. | | | | etcetera had automatic musical instruments within |
| The Dutch fascination with mechanical instruments | | | | their walls. Those who did not have a dance hall |
| extends to the out-of-tune carillons that adorn | | | | organ or orchestra hired one for the duration of |
| many public buildings, especially church towers. | | | | the fair. |
| They're usually operated by machines, though a | | | | |