Serinette

A serinette is a type of musical instrument consisting of a small hand-cranked, pneumatic barrel organ.

The crank pumps a bellows to supply air to the pipes, and also turns a wooden barrel by means of gears.

Different tunes are selected by lifting the bar carrying the keys, then shifting the barrel along its length.

Most serinettes contain one rank of ten metal pipes at 2' pitch and play eight different tunes.

A paper label pasted inside the lid lists the tunes available; one of the most common was “La petite chasse.” Serinette construction was remarkably consistent.

Serinette made by Bennard from Mirecourt, France, in 1757.
A serinette made after 1877 by Thibouville-Lamy in Mirecourt, France . Among the pieces this instrument plays is “ Cloches de Corneville .”