The Faventia, also known as a Barrel Piano, was manufactured by Vicente Llinares in Barcelona, Spain in 1950 as an attempt to mechanically automate piano music. It was powered via a hand crank on the front of the device, with a crank on the side to change what song was being played on the barrel. In pubs and cafes, Barrel Pianos were coin operated and powered by clockwork. It was often confused with the Barrel Organ and, surprisingly, the Hurdy Gurdy. Barrel Pianos were very popular among street performers, as it was transportable, and they could change the speed of the song by turning the hand crank slower or faster.
While the Faventia was made in 1950, it is not the first Barrel Piano people have seen. In fact, Barrel Pianos have been around since the 19th century! However, they were never placed in people’s homes in a significant fashion, but they were favored by street performers and entertainers for background music.
It is believed that the Hicks family of Bristol, England had begun making musical instruments in circa 1805. In fact, the Hicks family was credited with creating the very first street Barrel Piano in Bristol at the time. By 1816, the firm of Joseph Hicks was well established as a leading supplier of street pianos and organs, and his patterns were so popular many people began copying them. Another known manufacturer of Barrel Pianos was Welte, originally from Vohrenbach in the Black Forest.
Another variant of the Barrel Piano was the Laterna, also known as the Rhombia. This form of a Barrel Piano could be found in Greece from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Laterna was shaped like a big wooden trunk that could be strapped onto the player's back, and propped on top of a foldable wooden leg. The first Laterna was crafted in Istanbul (Constantinople) by the Italian Guseppi Turconi and Greek Joseph Armaos.
Laternas have an average range of three and a half octaves, and are big enough to play 9 songs. Like the Faventia, the Laterna was also powered by a hand crank mechanism on the front of it.
The Faventia we have is not from within the time period of the SS Sicamous or other steam boats on the Lake, but worth inclusion here as an example of people wanting to have music that was portable so that everyone could enjoy.
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