Thursday night my friends and I had the most wonderful musical adventure with a guided tour of the Bayernhof Music Museum in Aspinwall PA. Thank you Judy for arranging this delightful and informative experience. So many different mechanical musical instruments and a wide range of sounds. You’d think you were in Bavaria as Mr.Brown collected not only musical instruments but art and wood carvings, Hummel figurines, antlers, chandeliers and beer steins. You name it, it was on a wall, a mantel or sideboard.
Joel and Georgeann were wonderful hosts. We were introduced to quite a range of instruments including two Reproducing Pianos which is never heard of before. .
Here are a few of the instruments we listened to. The tour is quite extensive and if you come to the Pittsburgh area you should plan a tour. This enormous home was built by Charles B Brown III in 1976 and upon his death became a mechanical musical instruments museum.
The first one Joel played was this Wurlitzer Automatic Harp but you have to put a nickel in first. Click here to listen
To listen to a clip from the Welte Number 2 Cottage Orchestrion Click here
And click the Automatic Banjo to listen
Put a nickel in!
only 16 of these in the world
Early disc click to listen
There were so many interesting, unique artifacts throughout the museum.
A favorite were two board games you might recognize.
There was even a telescope in an observatory
G
