What is mechanical music?
Mechanical music is produced by self-playing, or automatic musical instruments; these may be versions of pianos or organs, or unique instruments such as musical boxes or organettes. In all cases, rather than being selected by the fingers of a human hand, musical notes are determined mechanically by a programme either pinned on wooden barrels or metal cylinders, or punched on discs or strips of metal, card or paper.
About the society
Based in the United Kingdom, where it was first founded, the Musical Box Society of Great Britain is an international organisation for those who are fascinated by the mechanisms, intrigued by the ingenuity of their invention, or simply enjoy listening to the unique sounds of self-playing instruments. It also maintains valuable links with sister organisations in this country and throughout the world. Membership is open to all ages and backgrounds, and you do not need to own a mechanical instrument to join.
Our History & Aims
Formed in 1962 initially for lovers of musical boxes, its scope now embraces all forms of self-playing instruments from minute singing bird automata, musical snuff boxes, cylinder and disc musical boxes, through to organettes, barrel organs and pianos, self-playing pianos and ‘pianolas’, fair organs and orchestrions.
Its purpose then and now is to foster a greater appreciation of musical boxes and other self-playing instruments through sharing the enjoyment of and knowledge about them through its various activities, with the aim of promoting best practice in restoration and repair, and their preservation for future generations.
Some of the society’s founding members were internationally well known in their field: e.g. Arthur Ord-Hume and Cyril de Vere Green. Its first president, John T Clarke, wrote the very first general book about musical boxes; others (Graham Webb, David Tallis, H A V Bulleid to name a few) along with Arthur Ord-Hume producing guides to collecting, identifying and repairing or restoring them.
Since 2000 the Society has published a number of books related to mechanical music. Its international membership now numbers several hundreds. It also maintains links with sister organisations throughout the world.
Activities
Here is a selection of the activities carried out by the Society.
- We hold national and local events to socialise and enjoy mechanical music.
- Maintain a comprehensive archive
- Generally try to help with queries
- Promote and sponsor research into mechanical music topics
- Publish our journal, The Music Box
- Manage a unique register of cylinder musical boxes
- Organise occasional auctions or sales
- Facilitate networking
Publications
Over the years the Society has published a number of books, most of which are still in print, and available exclusively through MBSGB. These are valuable reference works for the collector or enthusiast and serious researcher alike.
The society also publishes its triannual journal The Music Box.
The A D Cunliffe Cylinder Musical Box Register
The A D Cunliffe Cylinder Musical Box Register is a unique data base of over 15,000
existing cylinder musical boxes containing, where known, details of maker, date, serial and
gamme numbers, tunes and style of box. Forming an invaluable research resource, it was
initiated by the late Arthur Cunliffe, who spent decades voluntarily compiling it. As an on-
going project, it is managed by the MBSGB’s Registrar, to whom all enquiries, as well as
new data, should be sent.