Music Players and Musical Boxes

Even with the presence of modern-day musical instruments, classic ones continue to mesmerise us. One widely used consumer electronic gadget today is a music player. With a good storage space, long battery life, and great earphones, the music player can become a fantastic companion anytime, anywhere. Nevertheless, it has not totally killed people's fascination towards a musical box.

A musical box is a classic musical instrument that automatically produces sounds using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc that works like plucking the tuned teeth of a steel comb. The tone of a musical box is unique and can hardly be duplicated using other musical instrument. More often than not, the musical box features an enclosure that opens to reveal a ballerina dancing to the tune of the music.

Musical boxes were developed from musical snuff boxes of the 18th century and called "carillons a musique." The box would usually have a lever or button, which will cause music to play when activated. Simple ones can only play one short, simple song. However, there were more complex musical boxes that featured tiny drums and bells along with the metal comb. There were also coin-operated ones that can play several tunes. These types were usually found in train stations and amusement parks. More recent models can automatically change metal discs and became the forerunners to jukebox. Today, musical boxes are mostly powered by a battery.

Although the musical box can only play one or few short songs, it can easily outwit the very modern music player through its distinct value. The musical box is a timeless piece that lends a centuries-old aura even when it is not playing.

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