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Gebrueder Bruder 80-keyless Elite Orchestra 'Apollo’ Band Organ

© Bette Sue Gray
Date of picture: August 03, 2005
The Corona Park Bruder is one of just three 80-keyless Elite Orchestra Apollo organs known to exist. The B.A.B. Organ Company of Brooklyn converted the organ to play from their 87-key rolls. Max Nowicki, a long time organ repairman, converted one of the frames to play from Wurlitzer 165 rolls.

The pipework in an 80-keyless Elite Orchestra Apollo is very orchestral and is similar to that of a large French fairground organ with baritones, wood trumpets, brass trumpets, and many ranks of violin and cello pipes.

The Elite Orchestra Apollo organs are deeply pitched and are a pleasure to listen to -- just ask anyone who enjoys a Wurlitzer 165 which is based on the Elite Apollo design! The expression of the organ is controlled by seven automatic registers as well as swell shutters. The organ's scale has 10 bass notes, 14 accompaniment notes, 23 melody notes and 20 counter-melody notes.