Nostalgia Sunday – Music box museum falls silent

January 2, 2011 - 8:50 PM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Art, education, Entertainment, General, History and Culture, Immigrant Moments, Life, Music, News, Nostalgia Sunday, Pop Culture, Profiles, Travel 

The Cabinet today approved a NIS 15 million plan to rehabilitate and upgrade the essential infrastructures serving the communities in the area of last month’s Carmel wildfire. According to the plan, the rehabilitation will include structures that were burnt; damage to sewage, water, electricity and communications infrastructures; paving access roads; repairing gardening infrastructure; building playgrounds; cutting trees and general clean-up; and dealing with highways and traffic arrangements.

Sadly, the plan as described doesn’t extend to the many gems that were lost in the fire, such as the Nisco Museum of Mechanical Music. Founded by Nisan Cohen, an 84 yera-old former filmmaker who came to Israel from the US 15 years ago, the museum contained a unique collection of antique music boxes and more. In addition, there was an archive of old Yiddish-language gramophone and photograph records.

For over four decades, Cohen collected music boxes and hurdy gurdies, as well as an automatic organ, a reproducing player piano and hand operated automatic pianos. The museum also contained a collection of 100 year old manivelles (hand crank music boxes), gramophones and many other mechanical musical instruments. More than half the collection was destroyed in the blaze.

In a radio interview during those terrible days, Cohen tried to play one of the surviving music boxes; the wheels turned once, then it fell silent. “The heat was so intense that even those music boxes not reached by the flames had the [mechanical] cone destroyed so they don’t have their music anymore,” he told the Forward.

“More than anything,” Cohen told City Mouse weekly, “I wanted to open the collection to the public and share with Israel my great love of music.” Cohen — who also lost his home — added his hope that, with the help of experts from around the world, he would be able to save at least a portion of the collection.

According to City Mouse, Cohen is optimistic. “Since the incident,” he said, “People have contacted me from New Zealand, Australia, USA and of course Israel, to try to help even a little with the restoration of the museum. Some of them have contributed money and others want to donate old Yiddish records and antique music boxes. I will not allow a fire to kill the music. I’ll restore the museum and we will once again present concerts and quality music.”

Here’s a video from happier days that captures some of the magic of what was — and hopefully will be again — the Nisco Museum of Mechanical Music.

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Foto Friday – Pearls of Music at Azrieli contest

May 29, 2009 - 11:55 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Pop Culture 

With so many top-flight orchestras and musicians, Israeli is a feast for lovers of classical music and folklore That population is well-served by Pninei HaMuzika or Pearls of Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing Israeli and international artists – in variety of musical styles: baroque, classical music, liturgical music, jazz, Klezmer, Irish, Balkan, gypsy, country and other folk music, flamenco, as well as children plays — through festivals and concert series. Pearls of Music selects unique venues, from Jerusalem’s Ticho House, churches, monasteries, and caves, to, in this case, the stark modernity of the Azrieli Center, which will serve as the backdrop for a unique photo competition.

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The contest, which was just announced this week, offers music loving photographers the opportunity to participate in a competition that combines music with the urban landscape of the Azrieli Center Amphitheater, an open-air venue located on the third floor rooftop of the Azrieli Mall, at the base of the Center’s towers.

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This year, the Amphitheater will host a series of festive summer concerts, presented by Pearls of Music, kicking off on June 11 with Celtic Fire, a celebration Irish music and dance – yes, that’s them looking like Riverdance — followed on June 20 by the Latino-Argentino Ensemble featuring Natan Formansky who, together with Israeli tenor Yotam Kohen, will perform Latin American songs on acoustic guitars and and exotic instruments. celtic-fire-sm“Brazilian Carnival” an evening of Samba, Salsa, Bosa Nova, Lambada and Capoeira, happens on July 4; an evening of Viennese dance music – from the waltz to the polka – with harp, flute and orchestra on July 24; Israeli folklore on August 13; Jazz, Blues & Swing on August 29; and others to be announced. The series of concerts runs from June 11 to September 25, and tickets can be ordered via the Pearls of Music website.

Now, as to the competition. Check out this trippy pic. Clearly there is plenty of room for improvement and I guess Photoshopping is allowed!
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It is sponsored by the Geographical Photography College, Azrieli Malls and Pearls of Music. Participating photographers will be allowed to enter eight of the 11 concerts, with entry limited to six photographers per performance, to take pictures before during and after the show. (Two photographers per performance will be GPC students). Photos will be judged for quality and originality, as well as fidelity to the competition theme “Pearls of Music at Azrieli”. The winning photos will go on display in October at the Azrieli Center gallery. Winners will receive a free subscription to the 2010 Pearls of Music summer concert series, and runners up will receive a course in photography at the GPC.

Interested photographers should contact Giora Shalmi of the Geographical Photography College at: giora@gpc.co.il.

CREDITS: The top two photographs come courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The latter two are courtesy of Pearls of Music.

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