barrel piano

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barrel piano

musical instrument

Also known as: street piano

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also called:: street piano

Related Topics:: stringed instrument; piano; chordophone; automatic instrument

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barrel piano, stringed musical instrument (chordophone) in which a simple pianoforte action is worked by a pinned barrel turned with a crank, rather than by a keyboard mechanism. It is associated primarily with street musicians and is believed to have been developed in London early in the 19th century. The centre of its manufacture later moved to Italy.

It is sometimes confused with two older street instruments, the barrel organ and the hurdy-gurdy, as these are also operated by a crank. It is also wrongly referred to as a hand, or handle, organ.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Alicja Zelazko.