The History of Antique Windup Music Boxes

The modern windup music box is rooted in medieval European history.

Popular today as children's toys and collector's items, modern music boxes are the result of five centuries of musical and mechanical innovation. Beginning with one particularly massive ancestor in medieval Europe, the size and construction of music boxes went through many transformations to become the compact, windup instruments we know and appreciate today.

Basic Construction of Music Boxes

A basic understanding of the music box's construction is useful to understanding its progression throughout history. Music boxes are a type of "automatophone"--a term the Harvard Dictionary of Music defines as "an instrument that plays itself without the agency of a living performer." The simplest music boxes require only a metal comb with variously tuned teeth and a revolving cylinder with projecting pins to engage these teeth; these music boxes are often small enough to fit inside a pocket. Larger and more ornate models do exist, however, some the size of a piece of home furniture. The windup technology that is widely associated with the late 19th and 20th century music box evolved from the earlier, crank-turned mechanism.

Inspiration in Medieval Europe

According to the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association (AMICA), the mechanical process of a comb and revolving cylinder was initially inspired by the 15th and 16th century carillons found in medieval steeples. These massive instruments consisted of a massive rotating wooden cylinder with projecting pins, which triggered large bells to ring in sequence. In medieval Flanders and Germany, these designs frequently incorporated miniature figurines that moved mechanically to the music, adding an element of visual entertainment. As this invention gained popularity across Europe, smaller home-sized models came into demand first by the aristocracy, and later by the general public.

Early Music Boxes

AMICA observes that the carillion concept was first adapted into reliable music boxes in 1796 by Antoine Favre of Switzerland, who replaced bells with "pre-tuned metal strips that made possible a broader scale and more precise sound." This led to subsequent innovation, including "a clock-like spring driven mechanism, an on/off switch and removable cylinders." By the 1850s, the most sophisticated music boxes contained 300 tuned teeth, and the crank/key had been replaced by the "lever spring winder."

Innovation in the Late 19th Century

According to Amica.org, disc music boxes--or "symphonions"--began to appear in Leipzig, Germany, in the late 1800s. This newest innovation to the music box concept made a great deal of new music available, as the mechanism for plucking the tuned teeth was now a simple, removable steel disc with small projections on the surface. A predecessor to the phonograph machine, this contraption became the primary music box sold in Europe until the time of World War I.

Music Boxes in the Post-War Era

Although two World Wars and the American Great Depression slowed the music box industry, the 1950s and following decades saw a renewed interest in the instrument. Amica.org attributes this partially to the discovery of European music boxes by U.S. soldiers stationed abroad. The rise of Japanese and Chinese industry also allowed a great number of music boxes to reach worldwide consumers.

References

• Book: "The Harvard Dictionary of Music, Fourth Edition," Don Michael Randel, 2003
• Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association