First Festival of Organ Grinders in CDMX
Music, parade and exhibitions of these traditional instruments.
May 19
2023
12:00 a.m.
Mexico City, ZIP 06010
The music that resonates through the streets of Mexico City is varied in terms of genres, however, the organillos are instruments that have enlivened our walks since ancient times. To recognize its cultural relevance, the first Festival of Organ Grinders.
The activities will take place at different venues in Mexico City and so that you do not miss any detail, here we bring you everything you need to know.
What will be at the Festival of Organ Grinders?
In it First Festival of Organ Grinders there will be lots of music, exhibitions and a parade. These activities aim to make visible, rescue and preserve this iconic CDMX tradition for future generations.
This event will take place from May 19 to 21. So go preparing your agenda for this weekend.
The inauguration of the festival will be on May 19 at 10:00 a.m., in Plaza Tolsá, located at Calle Tacuba 8, Centro, 06010 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX.
On May 20, a ceremony will be held in which recognitions for trajectory of more than 65 years will be delivered to different organ grinders. This event will be held at the Auditorium of the Autonomous University of Mexico City (Centro Histórico campus), which is located at Talavera 20, Centro Histórico, Centro, Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX.
That same day, but sharp at 4:00 p.m., there will be a musical presentation by the organ grinders at the Santo Domingo Square.
On the other hand, on May 21, the organ grinders and chinchineros will parade through the streets surrounding the Historic Center of CDMX. They will leave from the Monument to the Revolution to go towards Plaza Tolsá. The parade will begin sharply at 10:00 a.m., so take your precautions.
In addition, there will be an active sample of instruments from our country, as well as from the rest of the world:
- Germany (Berlin).
- Austria, Vienna).
- Holland (Amsterdam).
- Santiago Chile).
You will also be able to appreciate the sample of seven chinchines that are used by one-man bands. It is expected that 90 organ grinders will participate in this festival, of which 30 are Mexican, 30 from CDMX, and another 30 from Chile.
The activities are free and the atmosphere will be completely familiar, so you can spend a great weekend with your loved ones, while you learn more about the diverse Mexican culture.
It is important to point out that these activities will be possible thanks to the initiative of the capital’s organ grinders.
History of the organ grinders in Mexico
The first organ grinders arrived in Latin America at the end of the 19th century, their feat occurred in England in the same century. They arrived in Mexico thanks to German migrantswho founded the house of instruments Wagner and Levien.
Initially they were used to provide music for circus shows and fairs. Subsequently, immigrants rented the instruments so that people could earn money by playing them in the squares or at events such as serenades. During the 20th century, new models from the “Frati & Company” factory began to be imported.
Subsequently, organ owners created authentic instrument concession companies. Some of them had up to 250 copies, as is the case of Pompous Ganoa. When the instruments were discontinued in Germany in 1930, the Mexican owners gained a monopoly on the barrel organs. Little by little, popular music was incorporated into the devices, for this reason Pancho Villa had a barrel organ in his platoon.
Over time, the instruments were stolen, disassembled for parts, and the rentals ceased to be a business. In order to preserve the tradition, the organ grinders decided to organize the union “Union de Organilleros del Distrito Federal y la República Mexicana” in 1975. To gain an identity of their own, the union wears a brown military uniform in honor of the clothing of General Francisco Villa. In addition to this guild, there is another called “Free Union” with a gray uniform.
Current situation
Today we continue to see them carry that enormous baggage that weighs about 50 kilograms. His melodies dissolve in the music orchestrated by the large squares. The hand moves in circles and the music emerges, although no loop is the same as another, each one has its own own melancholy.
Each organ can have up to eight melodies, the most common are the mornings and The swallows. The music sounds thanks to a large cylinder with a wire that allows the notes to sound. For a melody to be updated on a barrel organ, painstaking work is required, which is difficult to do today.