POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'Boomerang' mouth organ by J Albert & Son

Object No. 85/2098

The J Albert and Son 'Boomerang' mouth organ was an iconic Australian musical instrument during the late nineteenth century and throughout much of the twentieth century. Being compact, portable, tuneful and cheap it became immediately popular with the Australian public upon its release onto the market in 1897. Between late 1896 and late 1897 an estimated 44,000 mouth organs, including the 'Boomerang', were sold by Alberts (see Grieve, p.19). Promoting their uniqueness upon their release Sydney's Sunday Times described 'Boomerang' mouth organs as having a "high quality of tone,…a quality of tone we have never heard before." ('A New Feature In Mouth Organs', Sunday Times, 24 January 1897, p.2). Prior to their introduction Alberts had sold other mouth organs with appropriate local names such as the 'Woolloomooloo Warbler' and the romantically named 'Kangaroo Charmer'. Mouth organs were not the only instrument to bear the 'Boomerang' name and tin whistles and accordions as well as the famous Boomerang Songster lyric books based on popular songs carried the brand. From their introduction the instrument remained popular supporting a notion of Australian identity, bolstered by broader national concerns such as Federation in 1901 and later, World War One. Being pocket sized, mouth organs generally became a popular instrument amongst Australian soldiers providing a welcome distraction to the rigours and tedium of war. Ironically most mouth organs including the 'Boomerang' were made by German manufacturers such as CA Seydel and Son of Klingenthal in Saxony, who manufactured the 'Boomerang' mouth organs for Alberts. Alberts produced other mouth organs using a variety of Australian names apart from the 'Boomerang' range. These included 'The Kangaroo', 'The Walleroo' and 'Kookaburra' and in New Zealand 'Moa' and the 'Kia-Ora'. Other rival mouth organs followed with similar Australian names - the 'Crackajack' by Allan & Co in Melbourne and the 'Cobber' by Jackson & McDonald in Sydney. 'Boomerang' mouth organs came in a variety of pitches, styles and sizes, most being the more common rectangular shape. From about 1924 the production of an instrument actually shaped like a boomerang, complete with similarly shaped box, created a unique design that would always be associated with Australia. Michael Lea Curator, music & musical instruments March, 2014 Further Reading: Jane Albert; House Of Hits (Hardie Grant Books, Melbourne, 2010). Ray Grieve; A Band In A Waistcoat Pocket (Currency Press Ltd, Sydney, 1995)