John Wolff's Web Museum

Catalog of music rolls for the "Tanzbaer" Automatic Accordion

The "Tanzbaer" is a mechanical roll-playing accordion that was popular in the early 20th century. Its German name "Tanzbär" is written in English as "Tanzbaer", and translates as "Dancing Bear". It was made in many different shapes and sizes, and had an extensive catalog of music rolls. Similar instruments with electronic mechanisms are still being made today.

The three PDF files on this page have been scanned and carefully restored from original Tanzbaer documents in my collection:

1. An early (undated) 8-page catalog describing three versions of the Tanzbaer Automatic Accordion, and a list of over 500 music rolls for the "Model 1a" 16-note instrument. The catalog pages measure 240 x 310mm, and are printed in German, English, and Spanish. Download PDF (8.4Mb).
   
   
2. A supplementary one-page list of additional 16-note rolls. The list is undated, but towards the end is Walter Donaldson's 1926 hit "That's why I love you". Download PDF (400kb).
   
   
3. An elegant page of operating instructions for the Tanzbaer, in German and English. Download PDF (1.8Mb).