HISTORY
Rediscovering the rich history of the music box
Music is about more than just the melodies. There’s a fascinating story to be told about the technologies that bring the music to us, and how they changed who we are as a culture. The 20th century, with its vinyl records, cassette tapes and compact discs, is the age of popular music as a mass-produced commodity.
Those carriers have been superseded by today’s MP3s and other virtual technologies. Yet a steadily growing number of music lovers is reverting to vinyl, tape and cd – each comes with its own timbre, type of nostalgia and cultural significance. A similar type of nostalgia applies to the technology that preceded Edison’s invention of the phonograph, and that is very different to all the technologies that followed it – the music box.
Two types of music boxes
The first music boxes have a cylindrical mechanism. Around 1890, a second type is introduced, playing steel discs. This type could play different discs and would therefore soon overtake the first one in popularity.
They are the link between the expensive music boxes of the 19th century aimed at a small, wealthy market segment, and the mass-produced music machines of the 20th century.
From bell tower to carillon
The 19th century was the age of the music box. If you wanted an object that played music all by itself, this was your go-to instrument.
Music boxes weren’t the first mechanically playing musical instruments – there are stories about a 16th-century bell tower where the pins mounted on a barrel moved the hammers that literally ‘hammered out’ a tune. The 17th century saw the introduction of hydraulic organs, and the 18th century witnessed mantle clocks with small bells mounted inside.
In 1796, Antoine Favre patented a ‘carillon without bells and hammers’. Those bells and hammers were replaced by a steel comb with tuned teeth. The music box is born, but it will take a while yet before they appear on the market.
Mechanical birds as eyecatchers
A special type of music box is the birdcage. Often the eyecatcher in a public place, they contain a mechanical bird that produces a song in exchange for a coin.
A Swiss affair
A few French and Austrian exceptions notwithstanding, manufacturing cylindrical music boxes is an almost exclusively Swiss affair. The country’s famous watchmakers have the expertise to completely corner the new market. Initially, music boxes are still part of the base of a clock, but from 1820, they become standalone objets d’art, each one unique.
For about a century, music boxes were highly desirable additions to the homes of the wealthy and cultured elites throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
Overtaken by the tide of mass-produced music technology of the 20th century, the music boxes became a relic of a bygone era. Now, a hundred years after their demise, a new audience is discovering their rich history, unique design and – certainly not least – their beautiful music.
HAVE A LOOK AT THE NEW ARRIVALS
Sign up to our monthly newsletter
Stay informed on new additions to the collection, upcoming events and more interesting news on antique musical boxes related information.