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an advertisement on page 1 of the Gleaner -
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Whether or not Charles Coote had a Prince melodeon in mind when he composed the Prince Imperial Galop, the piece works very well on the instruments for which George A. Prince was famous. Coote was active in America during the 1870s and '80s. This Galop was first published in Boston for piano-four-hands in 1873; later it appeared as a piano solo, and as this "Parlor Organ Gem," arranged by W. F. Sudds in 1879. Sudds himself published several volumes of arrangements and original works for reed organs. This Galop has been re-printed in the "Manufacturers Music Album," a compilation of twelve pieces dedicated to American reed organ builders; it is available through the Reed Organ Society at www.reedsoc.org.
The instrument is a melodeon (a reed organ pumped with the right foot only), built by Geo. A. Prince of Buffalo, New York in the late 1870s. Although the rosewood cabinet looks like an early parlor organ (which would have two treadles to operate the bellows), this instrument has the two stirrup-shaped treadles common to melodeons. (The left treadle opens a swell shade.) The instrument has an 8' rank of reeds always available, and a second 4' rank, added here at 1:34. The melodeon stands in the parlor of the Peralta Hacienda, built in 1880, now a house-museum and community center in Oakland, California. Many thanks to the museum staff for their cordial welcome and enthusiasm. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 19 April 2011. |