Componium

(Ger. Komponium).

A Mechanical instrument of the Orchestrion type, invented by Diederich Nikolaus Winkel in 1821. Winkel's instrument, which survives at the Brussels Conservatory, comprises wooden and metal organ pipes, a triangle and a drum, all activated by two pinned wooden barrels. It also includes a device for automatically sequencing two-bar units of music from each barrel in turn in order to produce endless variations on a single theme.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

V. Mahillon: Catalogue descriptif et analytique du Musée instrumental du Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles, i (Brussels, 1893), 449–56

A.W.J.G. Ord-Hume: Barrel Organ (London, 1978)

P.J. van Tiggelen: Componium: the Mechanical Musical Improvisor (Leuven, 1987)

J.G ORD–HUME