1922 Mortier Dance Organ

Throughout Europe from the turn of the century until after World War II public dance halls were the center of entertainment. Serving food and drink, the halls needed lively entertainment for dancing. Although live orchestras played often, a large mechanical organ was often purchased to make sure the music was non-stop. The largest company to build these instruments was the Theofiel Mortier Company in Antwerp, Belgium. This company alone built over a thousand such mechanical organs in a variety of styles and sizes. Accidental fires, and the bombing of two world wars destroyed most of them. The remaining handful are mostly owned by private collectors. The Amaryllis was built for a dance hall called the "VICTORIA PALACE" in Ypres, Belgium in 1922. The facade is heavily carved from hardwoods and ornately painted and leafed. Within the instrument are hundreds of organ pipes imitating violins, flutes, saxophones, clarinets, tubas, trombones and other orchestral sounds including a rosewood xylophone. For accompaniment there is cymbals, a bass drum, snare drum, triangle, and wood block. No longer in use, it was brought to this country after World War II and stored until it was restored by staff in 1981. The organ plays from a collection of cardboard books featuring all the popular dance tunes of the 1920's - 1940's. New books allow the organ to play some contemporary music as well.