Music boxes originated in Europe, where technicians were familiar with the clockwork mechanisms of watches and clocks and the pinned barrels of carillon bell towers. By the end of the 18th century, the technology was available to tune thin steel teeth and use a rotating pinned disc or cylinder to pluck them. It is thought, not without some controversy, that the inventor of the music box was a Frenchman by the name of Antoine Favre. Because the music box relied on a spring-driven mechanism, the industry naturally gravitated to the French part of Switzerland. Throughout the nineteenth century, the music box was the only self-playing musical entertainment device available for domestic use. These early music boxes played either a pinned disc (known as a sur plateau movement) or, more commonly, a pinned cylinder. Usually the teeth are in sections. 

 

In the early 1800s, manufacturers included members of the Nicole family of music box manufacturers, LeCoultre, Rivenc and others. Their merchandise ranged  from small snuff boxes, necessaries, and bird boxes to larger table top music boxes. Cylinder music boxes were limited by the music pinned on each cylinder, but by the late 1800s it became common to produce interchangeable cylinder music boxes. By the end of the 19th century, the cylinder music box was on its way into becoming a mere novelty and low-class device faced with the high appeal of the disc music box, playing standardized, cheaply bought metal tune-sheets.

In the late 1800s, the idea came about to make disc music boxes. The original disc music box maker was Symphonion of Leipzig, Germany. The new disc music box industry quickly grew to include other German and Swiss makers Polyphon, Kalliope and many others. In the early 1890s, the Polyphon company wanted to make money in America and sent a team of employees to establish the Regina Music Box Company, in Rahway, NJ.

 

That brings us to Regina. Regina was one of the most prolific American makers of music boxes, and produced music boxes small enough to fit on a small parlor table or large enough to project music into an entire restaurant or saloon and provide entertainment to hundreds of customers. Other American manufacturers also produced disc music boxes following similar formats as Regina, although different enough not to interfere with Regina's closely guarded patents. Other competitors in the U.S. entered the scene in the 1890s. The main benefits of the disc music box were the ability to buy newly arranged music, popular music, cheaply and quickly, and the cost savings resulting from assembly-line style production at the factory.

 

However, the success of disc music boxes did not last long, as the invention of the phonograph allowed families to hear both music and speech at home. The music box was becoming obsolete. As a last attempt to stay competitive, most of the music box manufacturers made combination units utilizing both the music box and able to play phonograph records. However, faced with player pianos, nickelodeons, Victrolas, and jukeboxes, the music box industry became marginalized after the turn of the century.

 

Today, music boxes are generally of the small cylinder type or having discs under 6" in diameter. Such novelties are enjoyable, but only hint at the grandeur of years past!