MBSGB In LONGIANO
Society
Members Attend the 8th
International Organ Festival organized by AMMI -
Associazione Italiana Musica Meccanica -
8th
& 9th
September 2007
On Wednesday 5th
September 32
members of the Music Box Society of Great Britain assembled
in the departure lounge of Stansted Airport, bound for
Italy on the first Society overseas tour. Our destination
was Cesinatico, a seaside resort on the Adriatic coast
north of Rimini in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy &
our purpose, to attend the Longiano Organ Festival
organized by AMMI, the Associazione Italiana Musica
Meccanica.
A
very late arrival in Cesenatica followed by an early start
the following morning did nothing to dampen enthusiasm as
we left for a conducted tour of the Marini Museum near
Ravenna. This privately owned museum held a comprehensive
selection of mechanical music instruments from small
fairground organs down to small cylinder musical boxes. An
organ by a less often seen builder, Richter Bros of
Dusseldorf, was noteworthy but the basement held the
biggest surprise. It was filled with nearly 20-30 barrel
pianos of various makes and types. Also lining the walls
was an interesting selection of organs. Most of the pianos
did not play, and if they were playable they were somewhat
cacophonous, to say the least. Some of the organs were
played for us, however, with the one that also controlled
an automata fairground scene particularly impressing
members. On reflection, mausoleum rather than museum would
be more appropriate title for this establishment but, on a
brighter note, AMMI is working towards getting some of
these many interesting items restored to working order.
Lunch
followed at the adjacent La Gramadora restaurant where we
were treated to an excellent five-course lunch in the
Italian style, complete with 2 pasta courses!
We
then left for the home of Franco Severi, our host for the
tour, to see and hear his collection of Piano Melodica. His
home is in a beautiful location in the Romagna Hills
overlooking the coastal plain with lovely views out to the
Adriatic shoreline. This was a fitting location for what is
probably the largest collection of these instruments under
one roof in the world as Longiano is only a few miles from
Bologna where the Racca factory produced them in their
thousands during the early part of the
20th
century.
Members were able to play Franco’s own 72 note Racca.
However, sad though it might seem to mechanical music
enthusiasts, the show was stolen, if for male members only,
by Franco’s other prize possession, a 1922 FLINT tourer
motor car, one of only 4 ever built in the USA which Franco
brought out from its garage and allowed his guests to
subject it to a full examination and critique.
After
a group photograph with Franco posing in our midst, we
reluctantly left his home for the Villa Silvia also set in
the Romagna Hills, and now being established as the new
seat of AMMI & its collection of mechanical music.
Here, we were able to examine some of the items forming
part of AMMI’s collection before being welcomed officially
by the Mayor of Cesena, Giordano Conti, Cesena being the
provincial capital of the Forli/Cesena Province of the
Emilia-Romagna Region in which Longiano is situated.
Following the welcome speeches, we were treated to yet
another 5 course dinner in the Italian style. Two on the
same day!
A
late night and another early start saw us on the way to
Ravenna for a cultural rest from mechanical music. Ravenna
was established by the Romans, first as a port and then as
the seat of government during the latter days of the Roman
Empire when Rome itself was under threat from the Barbarian
hordes. Ravenna was full of interest & we were told and
that the mosaics there were far better than those of
Venice. That might be a bit subjective, but, when we
entered the Basilica di San Apollinare & the Tempio di
San Vitale, the mosaics were truly outstanding. The
intricacy of their designs and the brilliance of their
colours were both most impressive.
From
Ravenna we left for Longiano, a superb buffet lunch at
Hotel delle Colline followed by an official welcome by the
Mayor of Longiano in the Petrella Theatre. We then had a
conducted tour of the Period Disc Museum, with its
collections of musical discs ranging from those of the late
19th
century through
to the late 20th
century with
small collections of many recent 20th century artistes. A
guided cultural tour of Longiano followed, which for a
rather small town with a population of only 7000 or so, was
surprisingly extensive. First the Castle site, then the
Italian Museum of Cast Iron, established in the
18th
century Church
of Santa Maria delle Lacrime, rebuilt after being
devastated during the 2nd
World War.
Next, we were taken to the Museum of Sacred Art and then to
the Museum of the Comedy Paintings of Domenico Neri.
Finally, to a rural life museum stuffed full of bygones of
rural & domestic life, many of which were recognized by
our members from their younger days.
That
evening, members from other countries attending the
Festival joined us for dinner in a typical regional tavern.
We all stood in tribute to Pavarotti, news of whose passing
had greeted us on our arrival in Italy. Our hosts had
arranged not only another Feast Italienne, but also
entertainment in 21st
Century style,
with a singer & saxophonist complete with electronic
background noises and amplification extraodinaire, to which
the more energetic, if so disposed, could dance. However,
for many, the highlights of that evening were the two short
interludes in which L’Ammi Group, a group of seven male
voice singers, sang several items for us. They were a
delight to listen to and, as they were taking part in the
Festival, we were to hear them again and again over the
next two days.
A
later start the following morning, to compensate for the
late nights so far, was a welcome break. Many of us took
the opportunity to walk to the seafront at Cesenatico, only
to find the beach covered from promenade to shoreline with
sun-loungers as far as the eye could see. Then off to the
Turkhi Olive Oil Mill, for refreshments and a lunch of
fresh fish caught that morning, & then to Longiano for
the opening of the Festival at 4pm. Here, until 10pm, we
were able to stroll up and down the main street and listen
to the 40 or so Organs & other Mechanical Music
Instruments that had been brought to the festival by fellow
enthusiasts. Here, also, was a chance also to renew old
acquaintances and to take up an offer to play their
instrument. To add to the colour, some of our party changed
into period costume for the remainder of the day.
In addition to
the street musicians, AMMI had organized a number of inside
events to run concurrently in several venues in the town.
In the Teatro Petrella, the Arrivano dal Mare Company gave
a Marionette & Puppet Show, “Don Giovani Dentro
L’Organo”, literally “Don Giovani Inside the Organ”, an
original version in pantomime style, of “Don Giovani” with
the accompanying music from Mozart’s opera being played on
a barrel organ which formed the centrepiece of the set. In
the same venue at other times, a concert by Dorothea
Walther from Berne, storytelling & singing to music she
played on a Racca Piano Melodica. Then there were the
open-air concerts by l’AMMI Group in which they made
extensive use of a Racca Piano Melodica & Barrel Organ
to provide them with an accompaniment as they sang an
almost continuous selection of music from opera, operettas,
Neapolitan songs and other items. Finally, a Concert of
Classical Music was given in the College Church of San
Cristiforo played on four organs by the well-known
Biermanns & Frickers. This was notable for some well
chosen and well presented musical items which were a
delight to listen to, perhaps the most so being the
Overture to Flotow’s Opera “Martha”, a 9 minute “tour de
force” which the Biermann’s played without once losing
synchronism between their two organs.
As
the evening advanced, the sun went down & it picked out
the red tones of the two churches on the hill in the centre
of the town and the air was filled with the sound of the
many musical instruments & the quiet buzz of human
voices. The whole scene was very picturesque, emotive &
evocative, and perhaps enabled one to appreciate how
different is our noise-sodden world of today from that of
100 or so years ago. One could not help being reminded too
of “The Little World of Don Camillo”, that classic of
Italian humour, & to expect Guareschi’s hero, Don
Camillo, to appear round the corner with his rival, Peppone
the Commuist Mayor, in dispute over some aspect of life in
the town.
Sunday
morning saw our party split with those attending Mass in
Church of SS mo Crocifisso in Longiano, leaving early from
the hotel. The Mass was a formal part of the Festival and
the music and the sung items provided by the AMMI Group,
accompanied this time by their barrel organ. Afterwards,
the remaining members of our party re-joined us and we had
an opportunity to examine the many items of mechanical
music for sale on the open-air market, again, an organized
part of the Festival. Many of the items on display were
exceedingly tempting and, during the day, several of our
members added to their collections, some substantially.
Amongst the items purchased were a 48 Note Racca Piano
Melodica in a polished wood case, a large interchangeable
Cylinder Musical Box complete with matching table and
storage drawer containing four cylinders, and three smaller
cylinder musical boxes of various types, including one of
Austrian or Czech origin most probably originally housed in
a picture clock, but now mounted in a more conventional
music box case.
The street musicians performed again from 3pm to 7pm and
one item was specially staged for our party, the “Organ
Player and the Marionette”, performed by Sina & Arnold
Gotthard from Heidelburg.
The Festival’s
Farewell Banquet for all the participants was held in the
Il Settico restaurant, where we were served with another
excellent Italian meal, followed by some rather boisterous
ad-hoc entertainment by some of the various national
groups, including, of course, the l’AMMI Group. Votes of
thanks and presentations followed, and when our President,
Arthur Cunliffe, had expressed to Franco the gratitude of
the MBSGB members, we spontaneously joined in “For He’s a
Jolly Good Fellow!” Typically British, very staid and
sober, but nonetheless appreciated by our host. That
concluded the evening and we returned very late to our
hotel to pack for a very early start for home on the
Monday.
The
consensus of opinion was that the visit as a whole, whilst
tiring for some, was very successful indeed with an
excellent & enjoyable programme and our thanks and
appreciation must go to Daphne, our tour organizer, for her
part in arranging our visit and for putting up so patiently
with our whims and fancies. However, our biggest thanks on
this occasion must go to our Italian hosts, Franco and his
team. So, to Franco and all his helpers who, in any way,
worked so hard to make the Festival what it was, to make us
so welcome and to provide us with such an entertaining and
memorable visit to Italy, it is to you that our party owes
a considerable debt of gratitude. Viva AMMI!
Ringraziamenti
I would like to express our members thanks to Franco, and
his
team of loyal supporters for their superb hospitality and
friendship. We all thoroughly enjoyed every moment of
our visit,
the Marini Museum was very impressive and we all hope that
one
day everything will be restored for the whole world to see.
Our
members were also very impressed with our visit to Franco's
home, to be able to see so many Racca Pianos all under one
roof
will stay in our minds forever. Then we had the delights of
the
Music Festival, we were all happy to join in and were
delighted to
see the way in which the international communities came
together
with their common interest in street entertainment and
mechanical
music.
Daphne