The 1990 "World's Largest Carousel & Other Selections from the House on the Rock" promotional album is now available on YouTube.
Guest
15-Apr-2024 15:38
To my understanding, in the Carousel Room, the way the Gebruder Bruder was set up was that the organ unit wasn't playable by itself (as it traditionally would) but a handful of it's pipes would have been separated from the organ and mounted inside it where they would be normally in the traditional format but air to that was supplied from a source (likely a photocopier blower like what runs the rest of the pneumatic music apparatuses in that exhibit) not traditional to the organ. The data on the audio control tracks (in the manner of operating the percussion in the exhibit would also activate the Bruder pipes at times). If I understand correctly, Dave Ramey. Sr was who was behind incorporating the Bruder pipes into the Carousel Room in the day (in the early/mid 1980s?). The late David Kraehenbuehl was the composer to the music heard there that was at least featured in the early 1990s with the Bruder pipes as a part composed into them (and this of course what is featured on the 1990 "World's Largest Carousel & Other Selections from the House on the Rock" promotional album once sold which would have been made in the 1980s sometime?). Featuring these music arrangements in the early 1990s appeared to follow the functional pipes being properly tuned/voiced to that audio loop (unknown who did this work following Jordan's death unless it was Dave Ramey. Sr as there was no indication of John Hovancak working on this instrument).
Guest
14-Sep-2018 00:29
The Carousel seemed to have had mostly different music in the 1980s and 90s then it does now. At one time, they sold a cassette tape and later a CD which featured the House on the Rock carousel music. None of these are available anymore. I don't know why they changed it around, perhaps it had to do with removing this band organ in the mid 2000s. I thought the Strauss Jr and Waldteufel arrangements featured on the cassette were pretty incredible. Now, it seems more heavy on the tympani drums then anything else making it so you can't really hear any of the melody.
Guest
15-Feb-2007 06:56
This is the Gebruder Bruder fairground organ that is now fully restored. I have no idea what happened to that bass drum and action on the left; I'm not sure if it was original. The whole organ has been taken back to the original condition based on a factory photo of the same organ. This means it can play book music again, and the facade is back to the original whitish color with highlights and gold leaf, new center statue, etc. When I visited in August 2006, the organ was located (and probably still is) on the ground floor of the Transportation building, right behind the white picket fence, and near one of the village buldings. No one around seemed to know much about it that day (it had just recently come back from restoration), so I didn't get to hear it. Hopefully, they now have someone stationed near the organ who will operate it on request. Last I saw, the cherubs, etc. were still in the carousel room, but a black sheet covered the space where the organ once was.
