HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ANTIQUES OR COLLECTIBLES?

Send me an E-mail
(Please, no questions
 about value.)

Instructions for sending photographs of your pieces with your question.
 

Which department store originated the concept of selling artistic home furnishings?

Macy's
Harrod's
Liberty & Co.
                     To see the answer

Arts & Crafts:
From William Morris to Frank Lloyd Wright

by Arnold Schwartzman

The author focuses on a British craftsmen, such as William Morris and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who turned their backs on the mass production of the Industrial Revolution to form a ‘Round Table’ in order to establish a means of returning to hand-crafted products.

                                  More Books

 WATCH VIDEOS

How Was It Made? Block Printing William Morris Wallpaper

This video recreates the painstaking reproduction of a William Morris wallpaper design from 1875, a process that can take up to 4 weeks, using 30 different blocks and 15 separate colors.

Click on the title to view.

And look for other videos in selected articles.

Have Bob speak
 on antiques to your group or organization.

More Information

Can't find what
 you're looking for?

Go to our Sitemap

Find out what's coming in the
2024 Spring Edition

of the
THE ANTIQUES ALMANAC

"Art Deco World"

COMING IN
May

Share pages of this ezine with your friends using the buttons provided with each article.


Download our
Decorative Periods and Styles Chart
 

Read our newest glossary:

Antique Furniture Terminology
 from A to Z

courtesy of AntiquesWorldUK

Videos have
come to


The Antiques
Almanac

Expand your antiques experience.

Look for videos in various articles.

Just click on the
arrow to play.

FEATURED
ANTIQUE




Argyle Chair
Charles Rennie Macintosh

Music and the Mechanical Age
by Bob Brooke

 

Up until 1800, the only music people heard was made by them, playing musical instruments. Daughters of wealthy families learned to play musical instruments as part of their cultural education. And families gathered in the parlor or music room after dinner to listen to music or sing along. But with the invention of the music box, everyone had the opportunity to have music in their home.

When people think of mechanical music, most think of music boxes, for not only are they still made today, they were also made in large numbers from about beginning of the 19th to the early 20th century. The term “music box,” itself, covers a variety of mechanical music inventions, including: cylinder and disc boxes that played tunes on steel combs, reproducing and player pianos, violin-playing machines, clocks with mechanical mechanisms, musical toys and novelties, coin-operated nickelodeons, orchestrions, fairground and dance organs, and even organ-grinder's monkey organs. "

Essentially, mechanical music is a live performance of music, played by a machine, without any human intervention. Its invention allowed people to enjoy music before the development of electricity, when the only option was a live performance, or creating your own music

The Origins of Mechanical Music
The origins of mechanical music go as far back as the 14th century, with the invention of the carillon, which automatically played music on tuned bells actuated by hammers on levers actuated by a pinned drum. Primarily used in churches to play hymns, the drum could be programmed to play different song selections by moving the pins from one location to another.

With the dawn of the 15th century came the mechanical pipe organ, an instrument which, through valves actuated by pins on the drum, allowed selected pipes to play organ music mechanically. During the 16th century, the mechanical pipe organ became widely popular in Europe and soon expanded beyond churches and public buildings to the homes of the wealthy. Before long, cabinetmakers began producing large desks and cabinets to encase them. And famous musicians, including Beethoven, Handel and Mozart, wrote pieces specifically for these mechanical organs. I

It was the late 18th century before another significant change happened to mechanical music by way of Antoine Favre, a Geneva clockmaker who patented his "means for making carillons without bells or hammers" in 1796.



Favre's invention paved the way for cylinder boxes, the basis of which is a comb of hard steel with a series of tuning forks or teeth, which graduated from long and thick to short and thin. Pins, placed on a rotating cylinder, plucked the teeth, producing a variety of tunes when the cylinder was moved sideways..

From the late 18th to the late 19th century, the industry saw many advances in technology which influenced the development of cylinder boxes. Eventually makers were able to produce over 20 different musical effects by changing the size, placement, tuning, and arrangement. of the musical combs and pin placement on the cylinder.

While the cylinder music box revolutionized the industry, it had its limitations. Though interchangeable cylinders allowed for the playing of different tunes, it was a somewhat cumbersome process. All that changed in the late 1880s with the introduction in Germany of the disc musical box. This revolutionized the industry because of two unique qualities. Instead of the slow and delicate process of inserting pins in cylinders, the discs could be stamped out by machine. Also, the discs could be easily changed on the machines thus making it possible for people to hear the latest tunes.

Manufacturers mass-produced the disc box from 1885 to around 1915, with sizes ranging from 4 to 32 inches. After a time, they began making music boxes that changed discs automatically. In America, the Regina Company of New Jersey produced them from around 1894 to the start of World War I and captured 90 percent of the market. Though Regina produced many different models which played discs that ranged in sizes from 8 to 32 inches, boxes of the 15-inch disc size were the bulk of its business. .

While the 19th century also witnessed the development of many other forms of mechanical music, none could hold their own against the evolution of the phonograph. By the 1920s, the popularity of music boxes had declined.

Types of Mechanical Musical Instruments
At the turn of the century, no high-class dance hall, restaurant, or hotel could possibly go without fine music. While across Europe and the United States, impressive orchestrions played the hits of the day, other mechanical instruments catered to a variety of music tastes and styles.

Experts consider the Hupfeld Orchestrion the absolute best of any of the self-playing instruments. Its superb musicality and precise German engineering make it music absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, World War I’s toll on Germany's economy significantly hindered Hupfeld's production of these instruments. And after ceasing operations in the late 1920s, World War II resulted in many instruments being scrapped for metal and possibly even bombed during raids.

Violin orchestrions are certainly incredible to watch as well as listen to. Hupfeld's Phonoliszt-Violina is almost haunting in its ability to accurately play with human-like expression, this type of orchestrion being one of the most sought-after instruments in all of automatic music.

The Mills Violano was the United States's answer to a violin orchestrion. Hailed as one of the greatest inventions of the early 20th century, this machine differed from almost every other mechanical instrument being electrically instead of pneumatically operated. This instrument was so popular that experts estimate that around 1,000 of them still exist.

The unique Welte 4 Concert Orchestrion, with its warm mellow sound, excels at playing lighter classical works. Turn-of-the-20tth-century high-end hotels and restaurants often had one.

Designed to play a wide variety of music spanning from polkas to ragtime, dance organs were always a favorite. They featured a variety of percussion and visuals, often accompanied by real accordions. These were incredibly popular in dance halls and cafes in Europe.

Today, there are only a few dozen Wurlitzer Style 30-A Mandolin PianOrchestras left in existence, and they’re some of the most valuable and cherished of automatic musical instruments. Very few automatic instruments play ragtime and other early American jazz quite like a Wurlitzer PianOrchestra. Its variety in percussion, instrumentation, and registers enabled it to produce the sound of both an orchestra or a ragtime band.

Player pianos outsold regular pianos in the early 20th century. The foot pumped player is still common in homes to this day and serves as a link to the past, playing music exactly as it did decades ago. Reproducing pianos are able to almost perfectly replicate the sound of a live pianist, be the music classical, popular, or a complex jazz piece! Commercial coin operated pianos drew customers to speakeasies, restaurants, hotels, and made money while doing it.



After the enactment of Prohibition, cabinet nickelodeons or coin-operated player pianos became extremely popular after the Prohibition was enacted. These small pianos were able to fit in just about any corner of a speakeasy. Featuring a fairly large amount of instrumentation and percussion, these truly excelled at being some of the most innovative music machines.

The Market for Mechanical Music Machines
As with other antiques, condition, rarity and market demand affect the price. Also, some of these pieces are too large for the average home.

And because they’re machines, they need to be serviced. Music boxes aren't just decorative items; they must be in tune to sound their best. While music boxes may need tuning if restoration is required, after tuning music boxes usually stay that way. But the pneumatic machines like nickelodeons, orchestrions, etc. need periodic tuning much like a traditional piano or organ or any other musical instrument. Above all, it’s the sound of mechanical music that resonates within us, capturing the collector's heart.

LISTEN TO THIS 19TH-CENTURY SWISS CYLINDER MUSIC BOX

This fine quality six air Overture music box was made in Geneva around 1860 by one of the principal manufacturers of the time. It plays 6 overtures— Balfe's Bohemian Girl, Donizetti's Don Pasquale, Othello, L'Italienne a Alger & Tancrede by Rossini, and Auber's Cheval du Bronze.

< Back to Antiques Archives                                             Next Article >

FOLLOW MY WEEKLY BLOG
Antiques Q&A


JOIN MY COLLECTION
Antiques and More on
Facebook

LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE
The Antiques Almanac on Facebook

No antiques or collectibles
are sold on this site.

How to Recognize and Refinish Antiques for Pleasure and Profit

Book: How to Recognizing and Refinishing Antiques for Pleasure and Profit
Have you ever bought an antique or collectible that was less than perfect and needed some TLC? Bob's new book offers tips and step-by- step instructions for simple maintenance and restoration of common antiques.

Read an Excerpt

Auction News
Get up to the minute news of antiques auctions around the country and the world.

Also see
The Auction Directory

Antiques News
Read breaking news stories from the world of antiques and collectibles.

Art Exhibitions
Search for art exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world.

Home | About This Site | Antiques | Collectibles | Antique Tips | Book Shop | Antique Trivia | Antique Spotlight | Antiques News  Special Features | Caring for Your Collections | Collecting | Readers Ask | Antiques Glossaries | Resources | Contact
Copyright ©2007-2023 by Bob Brooke Communications
Site design and development by BBC Web Services