4/72 "Fortissimo" Petites Musique by Paillard Vaucher et Fils circa 1884
Bought at auction January 2026
Nickle plated movement in beautiful Amboyna case. Serial no. 1507
Most likely to be by Paillard, Vaucher et Fils, who invented the Fortissimo style but the tune sheet is not attributed to Paillard (or anyone else).
Nickle plated movement in beautiful Amboyna case. Serial no. 1507
Most likely to be by Paillard, Vaucher et Fils, who invented the Fortissimo style but the tune sheet is not attributed to Paillard (or anyone else).
Photos after restoration. Note £2 coin for scale
See also 4/82 Chevob Fortissimo. Much larger but also with a Nickel plated movement
See also 4/82 Chevob Fortissimo. Much larger but also with a Nickel plated movement
An interesting mix of tunes which are:
1. Those Evening Bells - From a Russian themed verse by Thomas Moore (1818), music composed by Ivan Kozlov and Alexander Alyabyev in 1828. Moore published his first collection of National Airs including his verses and musical scores by John Andrew Stevenson. The title of one verse from the Russian Airs was Those Evening Bells with the subtitle Air: The bells of St. Petersburg. It started with:
Those evening bell! Those evening bells!
How many a tale their music tells,
Of youth, and home, and those sweet time,
When last I heard their soothing chime.
Those evening bell! Those evening bells!
How many a tale their music tells,
Of youth, and home, and those sweet time,
When last I heard their soothing chime.
2. Dancing in the Barn (Military Schottische)- composed by Tom Turner & Ed W Orrin around 1878. The piece was a major "society fad" in the ;ate 1800's and early 1900"s, frequently performed by military and brass bands and was recorded by the United States Marine Band in 1895/96. In the folk tradition, it remains a well known tune played for barn dances and ceilidhs and often described as a "funny tune" popular in parlour music settings for its light hearted rhythm.
3. The Blue Bells of Scotland words written by Dora Jordan (1801).
Joseph Hayden wrote a piano trio accompaniment for this song. George Eugene Griffin incorporated the tune into his Piano Concerto No 1 in 1797, which became a popular success in England. It was published in 1805.
O where and O where does your highland laddie dwell;
O where and O where does your highland laddie dwell;
He dwells in merrie Scotland where the bluebells sweetly small,
And all in my heart I love my laddie well.
Joseph Hayden wrote a piano trio accompaniment for this song. George Eugene Griffin incorporated the tune into his Piano Concerto No 1 in 1797, which became a popular success in England. It was published in 1805.
O where and O where does your highland laddie dwell;
O where and O where does your highland laddie dwell;
He dwells in merrie Scotland where the bluebells sweetly small,
And all in my heart I love my laddie well.
4. Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns (1788) is a Scottish song traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke or midnight on Hogmanay / New Year's Eve. It is often heard at funerals and graduations and a farewell or ending to other occasions. The test by Burns was based on an older Scottish folk song. In 1799 it was set to a traditional pentatonic tune which has since become standard.
This is what AI did for the tunesheet. Less than a minute and no errors.
