(Oranjestad)— The cah’i orgel music box is an important and unique instrument that is used on the ABC islands in the Dutch Caribbean. This instrument is a staple in our folklore music, and its significance in the traditions of Aruba has and continues to bring together the old and young.
The origin of the cah’i orgel is said to have come from Europe around 150 years ago. A cross breed between the barrel piano and the organ, the most popular stories said that the instrument came from either England or Germany, but made its way to Italy down to Venezuela, where in 1881, Mr. Horatio Sprock (1866-1949) from Curacao was first introduced to it. After that, Sprock made his own cah’i orgel “Josefina”, and successfully debuted it on the streets of Barquisimeto. Back in Curacao, he started his own cah’i orgel business along with his brother Luis. In Aruba, it is said that the cah’i orgel was introduced by Rufo Wever, who later in his career became one of the composers for the Aruban national anthem.
Rufo Wever was a young musician in 1937 when he established his own cah’i orgel business on the island. Before that he experimented with his uncle’s cah’i orgel, and he over the years he learned to build and repair the instrument. In fact, he was incredibly skilled in this, and he was one of the few to have recognized from the start that the cah’i orgel is an instrument that needs preserving.
As mentioned, the cah’i orgel is a music box. made from mahogany wood, it contains a cylinder with a maximum of eight music pieces. By rotating the lever on the front side of the box, the cah’i orgel produces music similar to that of a piano, and is accompanied often by someone else playing the “wiri”, a percussion instrument made out of steel and reminiscent to the Spanish guiro. Back then, you would often also find someone playing the triangle alongside the cah’i orgel and wiri. In Aruba, the cah’i orgel and wiri is used for traditional music genres, such as the Aruban waltz, tumba, mazurka and more.
Fun fact: another name for the cah’i orgel is the “tingilingi box.”
Source: “E Cilinder Magico entre Aruba y Curaçao” by Marilyn Alcalá-Wallé, Herta Parabirsing-Balentina and Nidia Rosaria-Wallé.
