Caha di orgel

The Caha di orgel is sort of barrel piano is a unique musical instrument that blends elements of a barrel piano and an organ. It holds a significant place in Aruba's folklore. The caha di orgel is also known in Papiamento as caha di musica (music box) or tingilingi-box. These organ names are actually misleading because there is no organ pipe to be seen, but because it is derived from an organ with cylinders the name has remained unchanged.[1]

Caha di orgel
Wooden L-shaped frame with the soundboard coverd in red
Other namesCaha di musica
Tingilingi-box

The first barrel pianos were crafted in Germany and gained popularity across Europe under various names such as street organ, barrel organ, or barrel piano. At the end of the nineteenth century, c. 1880, after Mr. Sprock encountered it in Venezuela, he built the first organ in Curaçao. From Curaçao, the instrument became known on Aruba and Bonaire. After an initial period of success, interest waned until a revival occurred in the mid-twentieth century on Aruba. Over the years, this tradition has been brought to the Netherlands, where the practice of playing the instrument has been actively embraced. Some players tour the country to provide performances upon request.

In Bonaire, it was a tradition; currently, it is hardly actively practiced on the island. Meanwhile, the Aruban Kaha di òrgel variant is slightly faster than the Curaçao variant.[2]

The caha di orgel consists of a wooden box with strings inside, featuring a rotating cylinder with pegs. Because the cylinder can only accommodate half the number of notes compared to a regular piano, the caha di orgel is best suited for specific types of music, including waltzes, mazurkas, dances, and marches.[3]

In the 20th century, notable figures like Rufo Wever in Aruba and Edgar Palm in Curaçao were known for crafting and fine-tuning the cylinders of the caha di orgel. Playing this instrument requires one person to turn the crank while another plays the keyboard.

Since 2016, the music box has been officially recognized and registered in the Intangible Heritage inventory of the Netherlands.[4][2]

Mechanics inside the Caha di orgel
Caja de musica competition, two players (crank, scrape the wiri) (1963)

Source
  • Palm, E.R. (1992). Handleiding bij de studie van onze Kaha di Orgel [Manual for the study of our Kaha di Orgel].

References
  1. Overheid, Aruba (2018-11-09). "Caha di orgel". www.overheid.aw (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  2. "Kaha di òrgel". Immaterieel Erfgoed (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  3. Palm 1992.
  4. Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap (2019-12-06). "Advies voordrachten Unesco-verdrag immaterieel erfgoed - Advies - Raad voor Cultuur". www.raadvoorcultuur.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-10-08.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ka'i organ (cylinder piano).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.