Wound-Up Opera Played by Rare Antique Music Boxes

Wound-Up Opera Played by Rare Antique Music Boxes

Before radio and playback devices such as CD players, portable MP3 players, and the phonograph were available, people had to attend live performances to listen to music. Not everyone had access to live musical performances, however, there was another way to listen to music. I believe that the earliest playback device available was the music box. The music box is a wind-up device that offered people the chance to listen to songs and excerpts from lengthy classical music pieces. The music box was limited as the sounds made by the music box consisted of only a few tones (but beautiful tones) and the music box usually had only one song or musical piece available. The sounds were made by a steel comb that struck the pins on the rolling cylinder underneath the steel comb. If someone wanted to hear the piano and violin for example, obviously someone would have to attend the live performance of those instruments being played.

After the phonograph became more widely available in the marketplace, the demand for music boxes dropped as they were no longer needed. Only a few people made music boxes anymore.

However, music boxes became collectible antique items which helped ensure the survival of music boxes. Ironically, the medium (the LP record) that contributed to the demise of music boxes is used for helping preserve the sounds of the music box by recording them and putting them on LP copies. In this case, this is a collection of excerpts from operas played on music boxes. The music from the music boxes usually lasted around a minute which is why there are a lot of tracks on this release.

The tracks below are listed as: the name of the composer in all caps, the name of the excerpted musical piece, the opera the musical piece is from and the name of the music box in parenthesis.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. VERDI: La Donna e mobile, from RIGOLETTO (Bremond Bell) {0:40}

2. MOZART: Non più andrai, from THE MARRAIGE OF FIGARO (Regina) {1:08}

3. VERDI: Sempre libera, from LA TRAVIATA (Nicole Frères) {1:01}

4. WAGNER: Pilgrims' Chorus, from TANNHÄUSER (New Century) {1:17}

5. ROSSINI: Una voce poco fà, from THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (Malignon) {1:53}

6. VERDI: Anvil Chorus, from IL TROVATORE (Stella) {1:30}

7. ROSSINI: Ecco ridente, from THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (Ducommun Girod) {1:45}

8. VERDI: Parigi o cara, from LA TRAVIATA (Nicole Frères) {0:59}

9. THOMAS: Je suis Titania, from MIGNON (Baker sublime Harmonie Timbres) {0:49}

10. VERDI: Libiamo ne, from LA TRAVIATA VERDI (Nicole Frères) {0:50}

11. ROSSINI: Overture, from SEMIRAMIDE (Malignon) {2:16}

12. MEYERBEER: Ombre legère, from DINORAH (Nicole Frères) {0:54}

13. VERDI: Miserere, from IL TROVATORE (Regina) {1:05}

14. VERDI: Quartet, from RIGOLETTO (Plérodiennique) {2:43}

15. GOUNOD: Waltz, from FAUST (Stella) {1:04}

Side 2

1. BIZET: Toreador Song, from CARMEN (Mandoline Oiseau Chantant) {1:29}

2. MASCAGNI: Intermezzo, from CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA (Regina) {2:37}

3. VERDI: Di tale amor, from IL TROVATORE (Nicole Frères) {0:52}

4. WAGNER: March, from TANNHÄUSER (Regina) {2:37}

5. VERDI: Stride la vampa, from IL TROVATORE (Nicole Frères) {0:52}

6. ROSSINI: Overutre, from THE BARBER OF SEVILLE (Malignon) {1:57}

7. MOZART: Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen, from THE MAGIC FLUTE (Regina) {1:03}

8. GOUNOD: Soldiers' Chorus, from FAUST (Nicole Frères) {0:52}

9. ROSSINI: Belo si celebri, from SEMIRAMIDE (Malignon) {1:56}

10. VERDI: Dell'invito, from LA TRAVIATA (Nicole Frères) {0:58}

11. GOUNOD: Waltz, from ROMEO AND JULIET (Regina) {2:41}

12. ROSSINI: Overture, from WILLIAM TELL (Nicole Frères) {1:46}

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