Vrouw met orgel en kind 1827

This drawing was made by Pieter Bartholomeusz. Barbiers in the 1800s. We see a woman carrying a child and a portable organ. This is a depiction of an organ grinder, someone who plays an instrument in public, often accompanied by a monkey or other animal, for money. The organ itself, beyond its musical function, emerges as a symbol laden with cultural memory. Think back to antiquity, to the myth of Orpheus, whose lyre could charm beasts and move stones. The organ, in a sense, becomes a modern echo of Orpheus’s lyre, a tool for civilizing and harmonizing the world through music. This echoes in depictions of King David of the Old Testament, who also plays the harp, or lyre. There is an enduring human fascination with the power of music to soothe, to uplift, and to connect us with something beyond ourselves.