Music boxes: history and description of models

The music box is a vintage piece associated with romance, antiques, full of secrets and family stories, and graceful antiquity. And there is indeed some magic in the music box, a special flair. An amazing thing from the past fits perfectly into the modern interior, becoming a bright decorative part of it. And also a music box is a great gift and a way to pleasantly surprise a loved one.

The first jukebox-like jukeboxes have been known since the early Middle Ages. Excellent examples of such devices were found in Byzantium and in some Arab countries of the East. The fashion for music boxes came to Europe in the 18th century. And this is due to the development of watch mechanisms. First, there were musical snuff boxes, which were later transformed into boxes.

Thanks to the Geneva watchmaker Antoine Favre for the first musical mechanism. He built the mechanism into the watch and, more interestingly, into the perfume bottle. Unique snuff boxes were compact and easily hid in your pocket. In 1815, the first factory was opened in Geneva, which specialized in the manufacture of caskets. Branches of this production soon sprang up in the USA. But ancient art might not have reached us. The "Great Depression" experienced by the West in the last century left no chance for the direction. After a couple of decades, antique boxes began to be in demand, and these devices began to appear in the business plans of entrepreneurs again.

The first boxes were created on a metal disc; at the beginning of the 19th century, a roller appeared in the mechanism. At the intersection of the 19th and 20th centuries, vending machines on paper punched tape entered the market. These are pianoforte add-ons that turned into piano reproducers: high-tech devices for that time made it possible to enjoy the performance of famous pianists. The musicians' play was also recorded on punched tape. But gramophones began to compete with this technique, they could reproduce the voice, and therefore won this battle. Today, music boxes with their own melody are produced for every taste: they can be storage for jewelry that also sounds. Models are available in a wide variety of styles - from hi-tech to retro, from laconic and simple devices to complete replicas of antiques.

There are 4 bases in a standard music box: a handle, a cylinder with pins, and a flat comb and bed (all the parts are on it). The mechanism of the product can be manual or winding. As you might guess, a manual or winding device has to be turned, while a mechanical one sounds automatically. And although the second option seems easier, in fact, many lovers of such retro gizmos prefer models with a handle that needs to be twisted.

How does it work:

• a rotating handle rotates a cylinder with pins, they pinch a steel comb made of numerous teeth of different length;
• the handle or key winds the spring mechanism, which prolongs the playing of the melody.

If the box plays not one, but several melodies, it means that the device contains more than one pin set.

Sounds are created by thin steel plates that differ in length and thickness. They are arranged in an acoustic box in a certain sequence - a harmonic scale. To extract sound from the box, you need to rotate the drum. It works like this: the pins on the drum are located according to the intended melody. If you rotate the drum evenly, the pins will touch the plate in exactly the right sequence. And if the pins are rearranged, you get a different melody.

The creation of a musical construction is a process as graceful and painstaking as the creation of music itself. For example, cylinder pins are created purely by hand. The stage is jewelry, because it cannot be mechanized.

Traditionally, music boxes were made of wood. Only valuable types of wood were used, therefore it is not surprising that unique products were passed down from generation to generation, and time did not destroy them. They were exquisitely decorated, and this was the main competition between the models: inlaid with stones, ribbons, pearls, the use of expensive fabrics and ivory.

Metal boxes competed with wooden samples. Some of them represented a small chest of drawers with two or even three drawers. Like a doll's product, it attracted and forced to open all the boxes immediately: the upper tier was occupied by the mechanism of the box, and in the two lower ones it was possible to store jewelry.

Separate boxes were made in the form of a piano, a little later - in the form of a gramophone. Modern mass-produced boxes look much more modest than their predecessors, but they are also more affordable in terms of price. If you want to give a gift to an adult, it should be a vintage piece, but girls under 12 will gladly accept as a gift a modern box of delicate shades with dancing ballerinas or, for example, unicorns.

If you are a collector of music boxes, then for sure you will strive to ensure that all the grandees of the production of these exquisite items were on your shelf. The Swiss give a sense not only in the production of high-precision expensive watches, but also in the creation of music boxes. Take a company for example Reuge music: the brand is already a century and a half. And the story began with the watchmaker Charles Rouge, whose son moved from watchmaking to the production of fashionable music boxes.

An Italian company competes with the Swiss brand Ercolando, whose main hit is model "White glory"... To this day, craftsmen work by hand, following ancient technologies. Caskets are an equally excellent choice. Hilltop, which are stylized as the best examples of the 18th century. Can't complain about lack of demand and company models Jakos: True, there is no antique elegance from them. These are more laconic models, but all with the same lovely themes - ballerinas, fairies, princesses, girls and bears.

And here the most interesting choice begins: what theme the box will have, whether you decide on replicas of old products and more modern options. The most popular models are as follows.

• Piano. What is called a classic of the genre. It will decorate the classic and neoclassical interior, will be a great present for the connoisseur of retro and small elegant gifts. A great gift for a music teacher.

• Pirates of the Caribbean. The famous film in several parts inspires teenagers to this day. And if your child (or you yourself) is not averse to "sheltering" such a fan at home, pay attention to the brutal wind-up boxes with the image of Jack Sparrow.

• Two hearts. A romantic box that is usually given to lovers, newlyweds or those who are celebrating their wedding anniversary. Made in different colors, the most popular is the model in a dark case with a golden-red "core".

• Swan Lake. Caskets with graceful ballerinas are a recognizable image loved by many generations. A wonderful gift from the past. Has many variations.

• With a dancing couple. Another classic option that can remind you of the beginning of a relationship, a beautiful and carefree time. A win-win gift for romantic natures.

A small box is something intimate, warm, with a touch of antiquity and nostalgia for the outgoing nature of beautiful times. It will be a reminder of bright dreams, the value and uniqueness of the moment, the life-giving power of music. And she will also remind you of who presented such a touching thing.

How to make a music box with your own hands, see the video below.