| The delicate sounds of a ballerina music box, | | | | |
| inlaid music box, musical jewelry box, or | | | | One of the most basic elements of mechanical |
| music trinket box is loved by many a music | | | | music is how storage of the music is in a |
| box and antique collector. Some collectors | | | | barrel or sheet, both of which rally make the |
| and lovers of mechanical music may not | | | | memory of the instrument. The music was then |
| realize the interesting history that is part | | | | set on the barrel with pegs and pins and on |
| of the world of music boxes and mechanical | | | | the actual sheet as perforation or |
| music. Let's discover what that is. | | | | projections. When rotated steadily and evenly |
| | | | against the levers, the levers then played an |
| Attempts to create mechanical music | | | | organ or carillon. |
| reproductions really began in the third | | | | |
| century B.C. Plato had an idea for making a | | | | In 1502, the first mechanical music was made |
| water clock that would sound the hours of the | | | | in the form of a barrel organ. The most |
| night on pipes. He felt this was needed since | | | | famous one was the organ made in Salzburg for |
| darkness made it impossible to read the face | | | | L. Von Keutschach. It had 350 pipes from |
| of a clock. No one knows whether or not the | | | | which music from a barrel was played. The |
| clock was made, but it did reveal that | | | | organ only had one tune for centuries until |
| interest to produce music automatically | | | | Leopole Mozart composed 11 more in 1753. Now, |
| occurred very early in history. Singing birds | | | | only 9 tunes survive on the original barrel. |
| and organs, which were worked hydraulically | | | | Announced with a grand and might chord, the |
| likely, were developed from Plato's clockwork | | | | locals have nicknamed it the "Salzburg Bull". |
| idea. | | | | |
| | | | It is fascinating that mechanical music has |
| After clocks were invented in AD 1000, more | | | | been around for so many centuries. It puts a |
| advances were made. Soon carillons of bells | | | | unique perspective on the history of |
| were made which played simple tunes on a | | | | collectibles such as music boxes, antique |
| barrel. Next came the barrel organ, which had | | | | music boxes, ballerina music boxes, inlaid |
| air for the organ coming from bells driven by | | | | music boxes, musical jewelry boxes, and music |
| clockwork. | | | | trinket boxes. |