piano organ
Definition
- Noun:
- A type of mechanical musical instrument that combines features of a piano and an organ. It typically produces sound by means of a rotating cylinder or perforated paper roll that activates keys or pipes, often used in public spaces or for automated music.
Usage Examples
- (A mechanical instrument that plays music without a live performer.)
- (A collector of such instruments.)
Advanced Usage
- "piano organ" is sometimes used interchangeably with "player piano" or "orchestrion," though strictly it refers to a specific hybrid instrument. In historical contexts, it may denote a portable organ with piano-like keys.
- The museum displayed a 19th-century piano organ from a travelling fair. (A specific historical instrument.)
Variants and Related Words
- Organ (n): a large musical instrument with pipes or electronic tones, played using keyboards.
- She played the organ at church every Sunday. (A different instrument, not the hybrid.)
- Piano (n): a stringed keyboard instrument.
- He practiced the piano for hours. (A different instrument.)
- Player piano (n): a self-playing piano using a perforated roll.
- The player piano filled the room with music. (Similar but not identical to a piano organ.)
Synonyms
- Orchestrion: a mechanical instrument that imitates an orchestra, including piano and organ sounds.
- Barrel organ: a mechanical organ that plays music from a rotating cylinder, sometimes called a "piano organ" informally.
Related Idioms
- "Play the same old tune": to repeat the same action or argument, not directly related but using a musical metaphor.
- He kept playing the same old tune about his problems. (Repeating himself.)
(Note: "piano organ" is a specific term with no common phrasal verbs or idioms.)