Music Box [Polyphon]
Maker and role
Polyphon Musicwerke AG, Manufacturer
Production date
Circa 1900
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
1982.216
Maker
Description
Polyphon Music Box.
Part 1: Square wooden Polyphon (15½") music box. The box has a walnut casing with a lid that opens upwards on a hinge at the back. At the front of the box, there is a metal key hole. On the proper right hand side of the music box, there is a raised metal circle with a floral design around a central cavity for a removable crank handle to be inserted. Next to this, there is a small protruding metal knob. In side the box, there is a metal plate with "POLYPHON" embossed on the left side. On the other side of the metal plate, there is a raised cylindrical drum which runs horizontally along a multiple pronged metal comb. The drum is able to be lifted and lowered to enabled a Polyphon disc to be placed. To the right, there is a metal wheel with protruding spines. The lid has a metal support on the left side and on the inside of the lid, there is a black and white image of a number of putti romping around in a garden.
Part 2: Removable metal crank handle for Polyphon music box. The handle connects to a cylinder at a right angle at one end and at the other has a wooden grip.
Part 1: Square wooden Polyphon (15½") music box. The box has a walnut casing with a lid that opens upwards on a hinge at the back. At the front of the box, there is a metal key hole. On the proper right hand side of the music box, there is a raised metal circle with a floral design around a central cavity for a removable crank handle to be inserted. Next to this, there is a small protruding metal knob. In side the box, there is a metal plate with "POLYPHON" embossed on the left side. On the other side of the metal plate, there is a raised cylindrical drum which runs horizontally along a multiple pronged metal comb. The drum is able to be lifted and lowered to enabled a Polyphon disc to be placed. To the right, there is a metal wheel with protruding spines. The lid has a metal support on the left side and on the inside of the lid, there is a black and white image of a number of putti romping around in a garden.
Part 2: Removable metal crank handle for Polyphon music box. The handle connects to a cylinder at a right angle at one end and at the other has a wooden grip.
Brief History
Polyphon-Musikwerke AG of Leipzig, Germany produced music boxes, mechanical pianos, phonographs, and other music making devices around the turn of the 20th century. The heyday of mechanical music boxes was relatively short-lived with the spread of other machines such as the phonograph and gramophone.
The Polyphon is a clockwork music box that plays metal disc records. The clockwork motor turns a studded drive wheel which interlocks with holes in the outer edge of the discs. As the disc rotates, projections formed in the underside turn a set of star wheels that in turn pluck a tuned metal comb. Lead resonators suspended beneath the comb provide better sound transmission and tuning.
As the outer edge of a disc travels faster than the centre, the higher pitched and faster melodic lines are positioned towards the edge, whereas the slower basslines are positioned near the centre.
This particular Polyphon is tuned to a C major scale with several accidentals. Some notes feature more than once, particularly in the upper register. This allows the machine to more rapidly repeat the same note.
The Polyphon is a clockwork music box that plays metal disc records. The clockwork motor turns a studded drive wheel which interlocks with holes in the outer edge of the discs. As the disc rotates, projections formed in the underside turn a set of star wheels that in turn pluck a tuned metal comb. Lead resonators suspended beneath the comb provide better sound transmission and tuning.
As the outer edge of a disc travels faster than the centre, the higher pitched and faster melodic lines are positioned towards the edge, whereas the slower basslines are positioned near the centre.
This particular Polyphon is tuned to a C major scale with several accidentals. Some notes feature more than once, particularly in the upper register. This allows the machine to more rapidly repeat the same note.
Marks
POLYPHON Casting
Media/Materials
Credit Line
Polyphon Musicwerke AG. Circa 1900. Music Box [Polyphon], 1982.216. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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