The Music Box ~ Julie Lence

courtesy of 1st Dibs

In my newest release, Hunter, Tawny Monroe is visiting with Nadine Barlow when she spots a musical box on Nadine’s mantel. The rectangular shaped box (as depicted in the photo to the left) reminds her of the one she left behind when she fled her childhood home and how she enjoyed swirling around her room with a broom as her partner while the tune played. Tawny's poignant memory is something many girls from the early 1800's through today share, with some able to vividly remember the tune. 

courtesy of Noise, cylinder box

History suggests the music box originated in Switzerland in the 1770's and fast became a household item. (They were replaced by the piano player and phonograph in the early part of the 20th century). The tune played is made possible by metal teeth mounted in a line on a flat comb that’s made to vibrate when coming into contact with a revolving brass cylinder. The cylinder is driven by a clockwork (or watch) mechanism, and as it revolves, small pins mounted on its surface pluck the pointed ends of the metal teeth and cause them to produce the music. The notes played are determined by the arrangement of projections on the cylinder.    

courtesy of Noise; disc box

Originally, the music boxes were so small they it fit into a pocket watch. Slowly, the mechanisms evolved into rectangular wooden boxes.  A large box had 96 steel teeth and the cylinder was 13 inches long. Cylinders could be swapped to allow a person to listen to different tunes, but the storing and changing of the cylinders proved tiresome. In the 1890’s, the cylinder was replaced with a large metal disc that had slots on its surface to pluck the teeth. The discs were easily changeable and by the early 1900's  had replaced the cylinders.

courtesy of Hammacher Schlemmer
Thomas Kincaid

During the height of popularity, some music boxes were as tall as a grandfather clock. Most of the boxes were crafted in England, Italy, and the United States, with a pay-to-use version in public places (similar to what we know as a juke box). Thomas Kincaid is one of the most popular designers of the music box. His works are recognized for their Christian themes and inspirational designs, along with glowing lights and pastel colors.     

As technology improved, so did the music box, to include sound quality and production. Today’s modern music box comes in a variety of styles; toys, jewelry boxes and books (I had a musical jewelry box with a little ballerina when I was young), and is something generations to come will surely enjoy, too.