As the pins on a rotating cylinder struck the teeth of the comb, notes were produced. Much like early musical clocks, these machines were spring-wound. In 1810, David LeCoultre, of the famous LeCoultre watch-making family, designed a brass cylinder to play notes on a straight length of tuned steel teeth. Longer cylinders could be pinned for multiple tunes and adjusted laterally to switch between songs. A few years later, Francois Nicole, of the famous Nicole Frères firm, created a steel hairspring damper to soften the ring of each note, and the modern music box was born. However, it wasn’t until 1875 that the first music box factory was opened by the Paillard company in St. Croix, Switzerland. Previously, all music boxes were produced through smaller cottage-industry operations using the skills of different craftspeople to assemble a complete product. These early musical contraptions were an expensive luxury item favored by the aristocracy, primarily playing hymns and operatic songs. Later versions added mechanical automata to their complex musical tunes for increasingly magical effects. By the late 1800s, music boxes were built with removable cylinders whose tunes could be changed by replacing specially designed drawers.
Selected Products
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Music Box Castle In The Sky
Over The Rainbow Music Box
Music Box Happy Birthday
Music Box Mechanism Comb
Music Box Turntable
Josef Music Box
Music Box Classic
Music Box The Beatles
Music Lps Box Sets
Music Box Pink
Hello Kitty Music Box
Music Box Imagine
Music Box Table
Music Box Teaching Clock
50 Note Music Box
Music Box Boys
Music Box Prime
Music Box Silver
Music Box Dancing
Music Box
Music Box With Ballerina
Music Box 36 Note
Music Box Valentine
Music Box Wind Up
Music Box Beatles
Harry Potter Music Box
Music Boxes For Women
Ballerina Music Box
Music Box Snow Globe
Music Box Romantic
Music Box Hedwigs Theme
Ardleigh Elliott Music Box
Music Box Player
Music Box Winding Key
Cylinder Music Box
Music Box Teddy