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- _P_CCINFO 2-14330
From THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR, April 21, 1972-
HE MAKES THE MUSIC GO AROUND AND AROUND
We could have a ball on the Nicollet Mall dancing to Ozzie Wurdeman's violin-piano. You put a nickel in it, look through the glass cover and you'll see and hear a violin play "The Merry Widow" waltz to piano accompaniment.
The violin-piano machine Wurdeman owns is about as rare as he is. Wurdeman 69, 4400 30th Av. S. is one of the few experts around who make a living repairing and restoring antique music machines. In his garage he works on 19-century violin-pianos, band organs, calliopes, player pianos, theater organs and music boxes.
I should point out that the neighbors don't mind hearing the music and the youngsters there just love it.
Wurdeman learned his trade as a youth when his father was the area distributor for the Mills Violin Piano machine. For almost 20 years Wurdeman has spent summers in Virginia City, Mont., working on a splendid collection of old music machines. The collection was put together by Charles Bovey, a former Minneapolitan, who was active in restoring the historic town.
Wurdeman said the music machines had their heyday from about 1900 until 1930 when the amplified phonograph became popular. The "Violano Virtuoso" machine was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair. In 1912 at the San Diego Exposition, the machine was designated as one of eight "greatest inventions" of the era.
"Every candy store, soda fountain, restaurant and saloon had some kind of a music machine in those days," Wurdeman recalled. "I hate to think of it now, but when they went out of style, Dad and I broke up about 250 of them and hauled them to a dump. Nobody wanted them then. I wish I had them now. Everybody wants one."
Wurdeman not only can fix the machinery inside the boxes, but he also has a machine that cuts music rolls. He can duplicate old rolls of tunes. He can also add new music. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," for example, is a 1970 hit that is ideal for a music machine, Wurdeman said.
Electric player pianos, violin-pianos and organs were indoor instruments. "Band organs and calliopes are for outdoors," Wurdeman said. "Older calliopes were powered by steam engines. A few of them are still to be heard at the circus museum in Baraboo, Wis. But you can hear a good band organ on the merry-go-round at Excelsior Amusement Park."
At Virginia City - and nearby Nevada City, Mont., another ghost town restored by Bovey - tourists can buy a recording of music from the antique machines Wurdeman has restored.
Wurdeman showed me one hand-cranked music machine. It was about the size of a small hi-fi set. "There weren't to many electric machines operating until about 1910," Wurdeman said, "and those would be in downtown areas. At Excelsior Park in the old days the band organ used to be operated from the streetcar current."
Wurdeman doesn't plan to retire , but he also won't do as much traveling to repair machines throughout the country. He has trained his son to do the intricate work, however, and a grandson is also interested.
Since Wurdeman began his repair work, it has become obvious that people have learned to live with more noise. In the 1930's, the only place he could find space for a shop was on a bridge over busy railroad tracks. In those days, people couldn't tolerate the shrill sounds that resulted when Wurdeman tuned his band organs and calliopes. Today, life is so noisy that those sounds are barely noticeable. To me, it's a cheerful sound. That's why I think it would be great to install a music machine on the Mall.
All we have to do is find one. Wurdeman is available to keep it in tune.[ColfaxDeutschlandPlatte.FBK.FTW]
From THE MINNEAPOLIS STAR, April 21, 1972-
HE MAKES THE MUSIC GO AROUND AND AROUND
We could have a ball on the Nicollet Mall dancing to Ozzie Wurdeman's violin-piano. You put a nickel in it, look through the glass cover and you'll see and hear a violin play "The Merry Widow" waltz to piano accompaniment.
The violin-piano machine Wurdeman owns is about as rare as he is. Wurdeman 69, 4400 30th Av. S. is one of the few experts around who make a living repairing and restoring antique music machines. In his garage he works on 19-century violin-pianos, band organs, calliopes, player pianos, theater organs and music boxes.
I should point out that the neighbors don't mind hearing the music and the youngsters there just love it.
Wurdeman learned his trade as a youth when his father was the area distributor for the Mills Violin Piano machine. For almost 20 years Wurdeman has spent summers in Virginia City, Mont., working on a splendid collection of old music machines. The collection was put together by Charles Bovey, a former Minneapolitan, who was active in restoring the historic town.
Wurdeman said the music machines had their heyday from about 1900 until 1930 when the amplified phonograph became popular. The "Violano Virtuoso" machine was introduced in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair. In 1912 at the San Diego Exposition, the machine was designated as one of eight "greatest inventions" of the era.
"Every candy store, soda fountain, restaurant and saloon had some kind of a music machine in those days," Wurdeman recalled. "I hate to think of it now, but when they went out of style, Dad and I broke up about 250 of them and hauled them to a dump. Nobody wanted them then. I wish I had them now. Everybody wants one."
Wurdeman not only can fix the machinery inside the boxes, but he also has a machine that cuts music rolls. He can duplicate old rolls of tunes. He can also add new music. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," for example, is a 1970 hit that is ideal for a music machine, Wurdeman said.
Electric player pianos, violin-pianos and organs were indoor instruments. "Band organs and calliopes are for outdoors," Wurdeman said. "Older calliopes were powered by steam engines. A few of them are still to be heard at the circus museum in Baraboo, Wis. But you can hear a good band organ on the merry-go-round at Excelsior Amusement Park."
At Virginia City - and nearby Nevada City, Mont., another ghost town restored by Bovey - tourists can buy a recording of music from the antique machines Wurdeman has restored.
Wurdeman showed me one hand-cranked music machine. It was about the size of a small hi-fi set. "There weren't to many electric machines operating until about 1910," Wurdeman said, "and those would be in downtown areas. At Excelsior Park in the old days the band organ used to be operated from the streetcar current."
Wurdeman doesn't plan to retire , but he also won't do as much traveling to repair machines throughout the country. He has trained his son to do the intricate work, however, and a grandson is also interested.
Since Wurdeman began his repair work, it has become obvious that people have learned to live with more noise. In the 1930's, the only place he could find space for a shop was on a bridge over busy railroad tracks. In those days, people couldn't tolerate the shrill sounds that resulted when Wurdeman tuned his band organs and calliopes. Today, life is so noisy that those sounds are barely noticeable. To me, it's a cheerful sound. That's why I think it would be great to install a music machine on the Mall.
All we have to do is find one. Wurdeman is available to keep it in tune.
Original individual @I03303@ (@MS_WURDEMANNGM.GED1@) merged with @I4547@ (@MS_WURDEMANLEGACYG0@)
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1901 - 1973 (72 years)