German family of mechanical organ builders. Andreas Ruth (b Waldkirch, 26 May 1817) learned his trade with the firm of Bruder, and began by making musical clocks. In 1841 he established his own organ-building firm, working with his brothers Michael, Josef and Xaver. The firm was incorporated as A. Ruth & Sohn on 23 October 1887, and under the management of Andreas’s son Adolf (i) (b 21 April 1845) and grandson Adolf (ii) (b 18 Feb 1878; d 26 Feb 1938) the enterprise prospered until it became a victim of the recession of the 1930s. The firm built street, dance and fairground organs. Their musical arrangements were always superb and in keeping with the ‘Waldkirch school’ established by such makers as Imhof, Bruder and Gavioli.
E.V. Cockayne: The Fairground Organ: its Music, Mechanism and History (London, 1970)
A.W.J.G. Ord-Hume: Barrel Organ: the Story of the Mechanical Organ and its Repair (London, 1978)
H. Rambach and O.Wernet: Waldkircher Orgalbauer: zur Geschichte des Drehorgel- und Orchestrionbaus; Kirchenorgelbauer in Waldkirch (Waldkirch,1984)
ARTHUR W.J.G. ORD-HUME