This is my essay.



To the Photos of the Music Box Museum




What do you imagine, if you would hear the music box? I think most people might say, "Ah, It is the one, often fixed in the jewel box. It is something like a toy, from which a simple sound is emitted". Or others would say, "It is an existence like the relic of the machine civilization age" etc. To tell the truth, I was the one of these people too. However, when I visited the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments in Bunkyo Ward and I totally changed my recognition on the music box. It is never children's toy and relic but a wonderful instrument, which has more mysterious sound than CD. The more I hear its performance, the more I feel its attractiveness. Also from the viewpoint of the industrial and technological history, the music box is very interesting.

This museum of the music box has about 300 music boxes (automatic performance device) that develops from the 18th century to the 20th century. They are cylinder music boxes, disk music boxes, automatas, street organs and automatic performance pianos. Th museum offers us two courses; the performance course and the museum course. I took both courses and enjoyed not only performances and history. I had a very good time for two hours.

First of all, I didn't know that the word of "Orgol (Music box)" was a homemade word. In the 18th century, a Dutch brought and automatic performance instrument, whose name was Orgel (Olgel). While this word had been speaking with a local accent and finally it fixed as the new word, Olgol.

In 1814, Francois Lclt of Switzerland invented the first practical music box. this is the type to create sounds by rotating pins and parts of the cylinder. It is assumed that origin of his invention should be the automatic performance device of the bell of the machine clock in the clock tower in Europe of the 14th century (carillon). This cylinder music box had developed into various types. One type had two or more teeth of the comb, that is the mandolin box. The second one is so-called sub-lime harmony, which had more than two comb, which are used for accent of sound or better quality sound. The third one is the Orkestoral box, which could realize orchestral performances. I heard the performance of the Orkestoral box. I was so impressed by the human-like and soft-tone sound of this music box. I couldn't imagine that this sound was created by the teeth of the comb of iron.

For the purpose of manufacturing the cylinder music box, the craftsmen had to fix more than a few thousands of pins into a rotating cylinder very precisely. It takes a lot of time and energy to manufacture it. Therefore the cylinder music box was not suitable for the mass production. Naturally the main customers of the cylinder music box were limited. They were either kings or nobles in Europe. At that time, there was no radio nor record. So the cylinder music box was so precious. Thus, the cylinder music box had become most popular in 1880s.

In the middle of 1880s, the disk music box was invented newly.

It became the middle in 1880's, and This is a technology of turning the cogwheel of the star type named Starwheel by using the disk of the plastron (disk) instead of the cylinder. This type of music box was suitable for the mass production. If only making the original of the disk, what the manufacturers should do was only pressing the original disk to the metal plate. Moreover if only you could change the disk, you could hear many music that you wanted.

It was Gale Boom, who invented the disk music box. He got the patent in 1882.However his patent seemed not to be so useful. In 1885 and 1886, Ellice Pearl of Britain and Paul Lochman in Germany had acquired a variety of patents about the disk music box. At first, they were the rivals to each other. however they gradually had cooperated to each other. the Shinfonion Co. Ltd. was the first company which manufactured the disk music box commercially. This company was set up by Lochman in 1886.

It was the time just when the Industrial Revolution was successful and the middle class had risen. They asked for the cultural goods. So various type of the disk music box, such as the house-use small type, coin-started music box of bars. Even the prototype of the juke box was invented. The period from the end of 1880s to around 1905 was the most prosperous time for the disk music box. The Regina company in the United States, the Shinfonion Co. and the Porifon Co. in Germany were the three giant of the music box market. However there three companies were so competitive to each other that they couldn't afford to uniform the standards of the disk music box. As this result, if the manufacturer was different, the disk could not be used to other manufacturer's music box.

However the prosperous time of the disk music box didn't last long. Once the phonograph that Edison invented appeared in the market, the performance was far better than the disk music box. Naturally the disk music box had been expelled by the music market. Of course the manufacturers of the disk music box had endeavored for not to be away from the market. For example, they made the dual use of the disk music box and record. However their effort was in vain. the last company of the disk music box closed their business in 1921.

Could you remind of something that you heard of this story? I think the history of the music box is very similar to the history of the modern music industry. For example, The record took over the status of the disk music box. The CD, which was on the market in 1982 took over the record market within 20 years. The CD will be took over by the iPod and Internet. Moreover, the issue of the standards of disk music box reminded of the battle of standard between VHS and beta of video tapes or between HD and Blue Ray of the DVD next generation. There was even such fight, using patents and mass production. I found that the modern industries were facing the same problems of the music boxes. To learn from the history is the right words.

By the way, there are automatic performance pianos, dolls of the machine beginning named Automata's and the street organs in this museum. The origin of these machine comes from the technologies of the clock. Since the electronics age had come, they had gone. However the more I know them, the more I am impreesd by them

This photograph is a replica of the music box made in France at the end of the 18th century. This clown was writing letter the light of the lamp. However the clown was sleepy and the light was naturally put off. Then the clown got up. He pushed the lamp to put on again and continued to write. All of these movement was mechanically done. How wonderful it is! This is the the machine civilization. I hope that some day you should see this clown.

(September 19, 2005)





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Essay of My Wonderful Life

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