Mexico's Organ Grinders, Once Beloved, Feel Shunned Azam Ahmed - The New York Times
go to original December 13, 2016

Mexico's Organ Grinders Dwindle in Popularity (CCTV America)

Business was not going well for Moisés Rosas. A saxophonist was down the street, making decent money. A young woman was loudly hawking eyeglass repair services. And Super Mario, stationed at the entrance to the pedestrian path, was drawing a crowd.

Mr. Rosas’ portable organ was no match. Even in the center of a busy thoroughfare, the crowds flowed past as a river might a rock, parting to avoid him and then rejoining seamlessly.

“This is a dying art,” Mr. Rosas said as he turned the dull metal lever of his instrument, wrenching out a troubled squawk. “The youth don’t really value us.”

So it goes for Mexico City’s organ grinders, among the city’s more curious class of street performers. For years, they were beloved by residents, but now they are in a gloomy mood, convinced that their art - and a central part of the city’s culture - is fading away.

Interviews with a dozen organists around town turned up mostly grievances, but their numbers tell a different story. According to their union president, there are more organ players now than there were at any time in the last 30 years.

But the organists say that while their numbers may be growing, their wallets feel much lighter — a fact that union officials acknowledge.

They are losing fans. Many young people, forced to listen to their music while out at a restaurant or in a square, pay them to leave. The ranks of older patrons, who recall the organ grinders with nostalgia, are thinning.

Then there is the competition, which has multiplied in recent years. There are break dancers, mimes, movie characters, musicians, artisans and the afflicted, all vying for spare change.

Competition aside, many residents said they thought that the organs themselves sounded awful. Some of the machines are more than 50 years old and sound every bit their age.

Read the rest at The New York Times

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