History of Music Box

August 25, 2017

Though the wave of technological advancements tend to have swept some devices in and under as they have been outdated. Nevertheless, there are many devices that have remained- although with some improvements- evergreen. Such is the case with the music box. The music box [which is conventionally known to produce music mechanically] basically comprises of a set of metal prongs, steel comb, pins, spring and disc.

But how did it come about?

The music box is believed to have been invented by Swiss watchmaker, Antoine Favre in 1796. The initial design of the music box made it impossible for an individual to add the songs of his/her choice to the music box. However, with the use of symphonion disc [in music boxes], it became possible to tune the device to one’s taste and/or satisfaction. There have been further improvements on this (symphonion disc) and such improvements include the ‘Polyphon’ which was developed in Germany and the ‘Regina’, an American variation.

It is interesting to know that music boxes were once what a music player in the mold of MP3 players today- they could be carried in the pocket while one is on the go. Notwithstanding, the increase in size has not in any way affected its acceptability even as more individuals appear to be ‘winding back the time’ to revive its (music box) use in the contemporary times.