European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 5, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                World Tecl j music by Mary Neth staff writer former social worker Siegfried Wendels life now revolves around his Back in great grandpas gaslight Days when he and his lady stepped they like modern Guys and gals liked to go danc for one needs there was no the cities of the world didst Start lighting up with it until the late no no record play and of no As far As that even the Windup phonograph haunt been didst appear until the late if there want a live band at that local place Down the there was no dance right there was music everywhere mechanical music including whole bands inside pieces of furniture that looked like handsome buffets or big and out on the streets there was too the mechanical music of the Organ in Berlin at one time 300 of them roamed the streets and song writers used them to gauge the popularity of their latest Compo first they tried out new music with the if it proved they had it if youd like to hear How the popular music of those times take a trip to Siegfried mechanism chem Musik Nabinett mechanical music Cabinet in rides Heim on the Siegfried Wendels collection includes mechanical instruments from the 18th to the 20th Century music barrel player Early phonographs and a number of grand Allione mechanical orchestras from Losche and pop the Jaunty recorded hits of the 1800s As delivered in saloons and out on the Street were All a matter of spiked perforated pasteboard and Metal the principal was one that went Back to the Peg chime Waltzes of ancient in those instruments Finger like connected with either a Bell Hammer or Are lifted and released by spikes or pegs set into a moving Colin As the levers and the Clappers Are forced Forward by their own weight to strike the the mechanical music makers of the 1800s refined this Basic to include numerous musical effects and finally added pneumatic systems in which the instruments were played by streams of by the time radio appeared and knocked out the the craftsmanship had been refined to the extent that player pianos could accurately reproduce the Torii a and True tone of the piano virtuosos of the Siegfried collection includes some pretty sophisticated for theres the  est ration which features 10 instruments inside one the percussion Section alone consists of a jazz Kettle Large Small and the rest of the sound is provided by a Olin and imitation of there was than one or two the jazz band came with replaceable music Orch Cabi Drun trial mans More four did Siegfried begin collecting these rare old Tim ifs Italy he with an already ongoing collecting Back in the he was noted far and Widen Germany As a clock he want sed when one Day a junk dealer appeared at his Doon Vith a clock to re e opened the door to his dilapidated Van and from dirty Blanket pulled out a Beautiful Walnut recalls the lid was decorated with its a musical clock and still the Man told he pulled a brass Knob and a magical Melody rang Siegfried  hide his but the Price being asked brought him Back to he wanted 500 at the that was More than i made in a month As a social the of was to sell some of his other he did and the handsome polyphony with its the lust Rose Melody was continued to remain Siegfried main in he looked upon buying and Selling old recording instruments As mainly a Means of earning capital for his clock then came a trip to the United states and All that taken to lunch at Knotts Berry farm in he saw a collection of player pianos and automatic instruments harking Back to the old recalling the Cowboy look of the Siegfried asks remember those old Western movies after a shootout in a the gimmick was to have the camera pan in on Bullet riddled player bodies Lay Here and there but it just kept playing he pauses and it  one Hole in the pneumatic and the piano is he s s photos by Dave Didio Siegfried shows How the music was in any the most prize piece at the Knotts Berry farm exhibit was a coi operated music player from the Phillips firm of fascinated by the he says he was struck by the thought that there should be something similar in Germany where the majority of these instruments had been for it was becoming a Choice Between clocks or mechanical music after three sleepless Siegfried inner Battle was won by the clocks were sacrificed to build up a collection of the old Melody makers that could be exp in one he happened on a particularly Nice old it was had brass a Beautiful Glass front and several music be sides providing piano it included a xylophone and an auxiliary there was Only one prob it was huge and was located in a room in the second floor of a Small House near Siegfried decided that a professional piano moving company was the Only he was Given a Price of 80 Marks for delivery and a Date and the Day but the Losche didst come until hours after it was when the movers arrived he was handed a for not but 280 they explained that they had to practically tear Down and rebuild the House to get the instrument and even that haunt been when they opened the door to the moving i saw what they they had taken it completely that was the last time Siegfried says he has Ever paid the services of moving since Hes provided the moving muscle he the tragedy of the torn apart lbs Chc provided new direction to his in putting the Losche Back together not an easy he was struck by the exacting workmanship he it want Clear to How and valves and Rolls of paper punched with holes could pro Duce one was if the people in the old times had been Able to build these 1 certainly could learn to restore them and understand How they he quickly found out that literature on the instruments was practically through tips gained from contacts in America and he was Able to locate an Organ builder in who had been one of the last to work on these in this Man directed him to his who had worked for 36 years for the Phillips Siegfried gives this Man credit for most of what he has Learned about rebuilding and restoring these instr at present he and Peter a Young Organ Are and at the same a very old mechanical music maker that incudes he explained that he received Only half of the but was Able to locate the other half through another since we have to copy part of the in any it Only makes sense to make a museum he the two have been working on the project for two years and expect it will take another two years to com in the years since he opened his exhibit in rides interest in the collection has in in he and his instruments were invited by Helmut then Chancellor of West to an offi Cial Garden party in it was a great Honor and despite All the transportation everything worked beautifully except the  noted on hearing the slightly of key Grieg and Busoni didst really play in such a silly fashion during their the Musik Nabinett is open daily from 10 to 10 from april through Entrance is six Marks for adults and three for Peter Geuggis at the collection includes Early phonographs its tiny but if plays Siegfried a 1920 behind it la a fancy hurdy gurdy