2025/02/19 10:30
Music Box has changed its role with the history
Many people will have images for music box such as Jewel box to play fantastic melody at opening its lid. However music box had produced and developed as much exquisite and bigger automatic playing system for professional music listening in Europe.
Cylinder music box was developed at end of 18th century, and disc type of music box was developed around 100 years later.
The rich people e.g. Royal family and the nobility loved these music box. And music box played role to spread music to many people.
It is history before popularized Gramophone by Edison.
To Tell the Time to people
It is said that the original form of a music box was the bell to be called Carillon❶ which was placed in a large clock tower to tell the time to people throughout the town in the Middle Ages in Europe. Afterward, the invention of spring and the development of clock made bells small. Large bells of Carillon were replaced to small bells, and later formed into the current music box with applying the tuned teeth of a steel comb. The music box functioned as a time signal device by being a part of clock.
To Listen the Music Anytime, Freely
"We want to listen to the music anytime, freely!" The dream and the wish of the people in those days have pushed to developing the technologies of music box and also separated the music box from clock as automatic musical instruments.
Music box soon entered the golden age as only audio instrument. Objects from this period are known as ‘antique music boxes’.
In the end of the eighteenth century, Cylinder Music Box❷ was produced mainly in Switzerland. Later Disc Music Box❸ was invented in Germany, and entertained people with its beautiful sounds.
At the same time, invention of Phonograph❹ led music box to end its role of popularizing and telling music moreover. The music box industry declined with approaching the footsteps of the World War I.
❶ Carillon
It is said that in the fourteenth century Carillon was first placed in the Nicolas Karc Tower in Brussels, Belgium.
❷ Cylinder Music Box
The cylinder music box was invented in Switzerland in the 1770s. It was the first successful device to play a musical tune.
Early history
The first music boxes were small enough to fit in a pocket watch.
They used a tuned-steel comb to play pins set in a cylinder.
The design was influenced by large bells used to tell time.
The cylinders could be changed to allow different musical selections.
Later history
In the 1890s, cylinders were replaced by a large-diameter metal disc.
The discs could be easily changed, and disc music boxes became more popular than cylinder models by 1900.
By 1910, music boxes had been largely replaced by the phonograph.
❸ Disc Music Box
The disc music box was invented in 1885 by Paul Lochmann, a German. The disc music box was a mass-producible alternative to the cylinder music box, which required manual insertion of pins.
The first maker of disc music box to go into mass production was Symphonion of Leipzig, Germany.
The Polyphon was a disc-playing music box invented in 1870.
Polyphon Musikwerke, in Leipzig, Germany, manufactured the Polyphon.
❹ Gamophone
Music box was soon taken its place of leading role as mechanical instrument to Gramophone which was invented by Thomas Edison in 1877 and wide spreading of Disc gramophone to be invented by Emil Berliner in 1887.
Takako Japan Store provides cylinder and disc music boxes by Nidec, which reproduce a sound similar to that of an antique music box.
Which type of music box do you love?
Enjoy music box ！
