The organ grinder is an almost forgotten profession. It is quite infrequent to see an organ grinder turning a crank of a wooden case in a European city – it is an oddity even there. But now the residents of Russian remote regions may have an opportunity to listen to charming melodies.
Born in a Fairy Tale
The barrel organ player is a solid-looking man wearing a fedora and a long black coat. Round black glasses make him look like a character from The Adventures of Pinocchio novel. 74-year-old Gennady Chumachenko had lived for almost fifty years in Tashkent before he moved to Russia in the 90s. He had worked there as a photographer travelling across Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Karakalpakstan. It was then when he loved a life of a rambling man: new places, new people and new impressions... Apart from travels, Gennady has always had one more passion –a barrel organ.
When he became a retired man, he learnt the "profession" of a street musician. He couldn't afford buying a manufactured electronic barrel organ because its price was comparable to that of an economy-class car. Therefore the retiree made the instrument himself. He spent around one thousand Euros for components.
It took about half a year to find, order and receive all required parts from different countries. "Professional cabinet makers helped me to make carved items," the musician says. "I bought the card reader from French manufacturers on-line, bought the MIDI-system in the USA, batteries were delivered from China and music was found in Holland. The sheet music is very expensive. A price of one melody may be from 7 to 10 Euro. I had to sell some things from home."
Joy to Make People Smile
The musician's repertoire consists of 80 melodies. They are mainly Italian and French melodies or such a popular hit as the Phantom of the Opera. A melody is produced when the player turns the crank. During six hours of his working day, Gennady makes 17-20 thousand turns. "My muscles had ached until I got accustomed," the player confesses.
A box for money sits in front of him. "These are sort of donations, people give as much as they can," the organ grinder says. "A part of the collected money pays for the apartment I rent in a strange city. I use the rest to improve the instrument and buy new music."
This occupation for Gennady is with the soul component – he loves to share good mood with people. "If I don't play for a week I feel bored without music and listeners and want to come out to the street," he confesses. "Passersby stop to listen to music and ask to make a picture with me. Some people just smile, then all this has not been in vain."
The rambling musician travels across Russia together with son. Konstantin also plays the barrel organ. After Tula, they will go to Rostov-on-Don, then to Anapa and Gelendzhik... To the places where there will be more passersby with smiles on their faces.
