French family of mechanical organ makers. Coming originally from the Basque region, Antoine Limonaire started making pianos in Paris in 1840. His sons, Eugène and Camille, made fairground attractions in Paris until around 1880 when they began making mechanical organs. They concentrated on small- to medium-sized, well-voiced, prompt-acting organs for the fairground and the dance hall (see Fairground organ), calling their largest models ‘Orchestrophones’. Their organs became renowned for their characteristically ‘Parisian’ sound. For a short while (1898–9) they operated a factory in London. Limonaire-Frères bought the Gavioli business in 1912, including the Waldkirch factory where Gavioli were making organs for the German market. The brothers ceased to make fairground and dancehall organs in 1918, but continued the production of automatic café pianos until the business finally shut in 1930.
E.V. Cockayne: The Fairground Organ (Newton Abbot, 1970)
J. van Dinteren: ‘More Light on Limonaire’, Music Box, vii (1975–6), 281–4
A.W.J.G. Ord-Hume: Barrel Organ (London, 1978)
ARTHUR W.J.G. ORD-HUME