gilles butin orgue de barbarie

ARTICLE DE PRESSE
JAKARTA POST

24th June 2001

By Maria Endah Hulupi

BUTIN TRAVELS AUROUND THE WORLD WITH HIS BARREL ORGAN

Clad in a white shirt, black vest and pantaloons, and a cap on his head and a bandanna around his neck, French singer Gilles Butin had a spécial way of adding little nuances from his country to the atmosphère.

Gilles is one of a few people who make a living singing with a antique musical instrument called orgue de Barbarie, which is also known as the barrel organ.

He greeted passing guests with a warm gaze and a friendly smile while singing in a corner in front of La Brasserie restaurant at Le Méridien Hotel.
His beautiful voice, accompanied with the music of his bright red mechanical instrument, filled the air.
"I like to sing and I enjoy meeting people from différent background and countries", Gilles told The Jakarta Post during the cheese festival held at the hotel................
Orgue de barbarie was popular in the 19 th century to enliven fairs or play. It is a portable decorated box with flutes inside and a handle outside.
When the handle is cranked, it will put pressure on the flutes and play a tune that is recorded in a perforated card.
The lenght of a hole in a perforaded card defines the lenght of a specific note.
The instrument enabled people to enjoy music without having to be a musician,or earn a living, because it could drawpeople when it was played on the streets of france.
When he travels, he carries about 30 perforaded cards.
He posseses a collection of tunes from the 1500 era to modern French Song and he can make every kind of song that are know in the country of destination.
They include Plaisirs d'Amour, La Vie en Rose, le Temps des Cerises, and some that he wrote himself.
" I sang rap songs several times with this instrument in front of a group of teenagers. It was easy, I just wore my cap rear side front and did my trick", he said laughing