For Amusement Only: Arcades and Cafes -- exhibit at the Morris Museum

The news story in the video above reports on the new exhibit at the Morris Museum titled For Amusement Only: Arcades and Cafes. The exhibit explores the fascinating world of coin-operated entertainment from the early twentieth century. Visitors will see fortune-tellers, strength testers, penny arcades and gambling machines, as well as mechanical musical instruments.

The exhibit runs through October 10, 2016

Special demonstration dates:
Special Exhibit Demonstration, Saturday, July 23, 1:00PM
Special Exhibit Demonstration, Friday, August 12, 3:00PM
Special Exhibit Demonstration, Monday, October 10, 1:00PM
Curator’s Tour, Thursday, September 15, 6:30PM

Location:
Morris Museum
6 Normandy Heights Road
Morristown, NJ 07960
Phone: (973) 971-3700
Online: http://www.morrismuseum.org

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Musical marble machine created by Martin Molin plays amazing song

Videos of this machine have been all over the internet for the last few days. Many of you and taken the time to write to me to make me aware of it. I thank you all!

The machine, made by Martin Molin, uses an elaborate marble track system to create a sophisticated song. There are some 2000 marbles raised by a tracked elevator which is powered by some vigorous hand cranking. As they descend, the marbles strike the right parts of a glockenspiel, percussion instruments, and bass guitar. A lever system allows the operator/musician to turn selected instruments on and off. This allows the machine to be played in a way that goes beyond simply turning the crank and allowing the programmed track to run.

It's an amazing accomplishment technically and musically. Bravo!

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Giant hand-cranked music box serves as street art in Cincinnati

Here is some really nifty street art in Cincinnati, Ohio!

From the project web site:

Here is a short video showing our Spinnradl sculptures in action in Cincinnati. The video features two songs on two nearly identical sculptures, sited about a block apart from each other along Pendleton Street. The songs are played by turning a crank, which spins a large cylinder that triggers an analog music box. Turning the crank also powers a pulsing, radial Moire animation on either end of the sculpture’s housing. Each song lasts about thirty seconds when spun at the optimal speed, and repeats as long as the crank is continually turned.

Here is the project web site where you can see more pictures and read more about the development of the Spinnradl.

Thanks Steve & Jere!

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Photos and drawings of life-size Trumpeter automaton from 1810

Check out this fascinating trumpet-playing automaton that is featured on Cyberneticzoo.com. This life size clockwork-driven trumpeter was build by a German man named Freidrich Kaufmann in 1810.

Check out more photos, drawings and history in the full blog article located here.

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News segment about the Guinness Collection of automata and mechanical music in New Jersey

Here is a segment on the Morris Museum that was broadcast by WMBC-TV in the New York City & northern New Jersey area last weekend. The first two-thirds of the video is on the mechanical music instruments, and the rest is about the automata. Not only do we get to see and hear some of these wonderful machines, but we also get some valuable commentary from the both the Conservator and Curators of the collection. Ever wonder why so many of the old automata feature monkeys dressed up in fancy cloths? Watch the video to find out why!

Here is where you can learn more about the Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey

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Musical Machines and Living Dolls: The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata

Yesterday's post reminded me to remind you about this book I posted about back in 2011. The Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ is home to the Guinness Collection of 750 antique, mechanical musical instruments and automata. It is one of the biggest, best, and most well-managed collections I know of.

The museum has created an illustrated book featuring pieces from its permanent exhibition titled Musical Machines and Living Dolls: The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. Written by Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier (former Curator of the Guinness Collection), this 144-page hardcover features 138 photographs and over 20 illustrations on beautiful glossy paper.

Evenly divided between automata and mechanical musical instruments, the book is a wealth of information on the history of both. It is a beautiful and well-written book, which offers a rich view of an extremely important collection. I recommend it. It makes a great gift for those with a serious interest in the subject.

Here is where you can order Musical Machines and Living Dolls.

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Ro-Bow - a robot that plays a real violin

Seth Goldstein dropped me a line to let us know about a machine he created which plays tunes on a real a violin. This mechanical wonder was recently featured in the New York Times. Here is a link to the article on Seth Goldstein's RO-BOW. In the video, Goldstein explains the basic components of the machine and how they work together make the machine perform musical magic.

Machines that play the violin are not new -- some may be seen at The Morris Museum in New Jersey. Check out the wonderful book on the collection called Musical Machines and Living Dolls. Still, Goldstein's robot is of a differnet, more modern variety, capable of replicating any tune that can play on a keyboard. It works on some very unique and ingenious principles. Truly amazing.

You can find out more about Seth Goldstein on his web site, which has information and video showing his other pieces Why Knot? and Cram Guy.

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Sotheby's to auction exquisite pieces from the Frank & Lore Metzger collection

We've gotten word of an upcoming sale at Sotheby's in New York City which will features some of the exquisite pieces from the Frank & Lore Metzger collection. The sale includes several different styles of mechanical singing bird, the most astounding being a rare example by Courvoisier & Co. (Lot #63) that features caged, double singing birds that flit towards and away from each other, the cage sits on a base that contains a clock and musical movement.

From the video description:

A very rare Empire Ormolu and Mahogany musical automaton bird cage clock, with twin flying birds and a fountain. The clock is signed by Courvoisier and Comp., famous Swiss clock makers, and sets off the music and bird mechanisms hourly or at will.

This piece is estimated to bring between $150,000 to $250,000 USD.

There are many other amazing pieces in the sale including a George Pyke organ clock (Lot #62), dating to around 1765. The musical clock features an animated scene.

The catalog is online in graphical PDF form. Check out Lots 43 thru 63 for the musical and automata items. Lot 43 starts on page 40. And twelve videos of pieces from the collection can be seen on YouTube.

The preview begins this Saturday, December 6th, 2014. The sale is on Wednesday, December 10th, 2014. Here is where you can get more information on Sotheby's Important Watches sale. For further information contact Daryn Schnipper, Chairman, International Watch Division, at Sothebys, NY (212)606-7000.

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Intel creates kinetic art robotic music system inspired by an animated video

A couple of years ago, a video made the rounds on the internet. (Strangely, I don't think it appeared here on The Automata Blog.) It was a 3D animation of an intricate musical system in which bouncing balls triggered notes on an assemblage of musical devices. It was pretty convincing. I think there was a bit of confusion in some circles as to whether the machine was a real thing or not. It wasn't, but now it is. The folks at Intel have used that video as inspiration to create a machine that does more or less what the one in the video did! That's what you see above.

For reference, here is the original video titled Pipe Dream:

Here is where you can learn more about the embedded Intel technology for industrial automation that was used for this project.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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Douglas Fisher now offering Golden Age automata, singing birds, and musical boxes

The firm of Douglas Fisher of London has launched a new web site which offers Golden Age automata, fine singing bird boxes and cages, and unusual cylinder musical boxes.

The list of offerings features many examples from the most renowned makers: Vichy, Roullet-Decamps, Griesbaum, Bontems, Phallibois, and others. Every piece they offer is shown in static images, video with sound, and in a 360-degree view. According to their web site, the majority of thier pieces can be viewed at their gallery at 75 Portobello Road in London. They will also be exhibiting at various fairs in Europe, USA and Asia.

Here is the web site for Douglas Fisher Antique Automata Ltd.

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Spooky Love: A Danse Macabre - automaton book by Thomas Kuntz

Check out this recent work by sculptor and automaton maker, Thomas Kuntz.The beautiful leather-bound book when opened, features a pair of well-dress skeletons dancing under the moonlit sky. The music box movement, made by the renowned Reuge company, was adapted to power the scratch-built cam and lever system that makes the skeletons dance and the moon change size. Some interesting still shots towards the end of the video show some of the artist's in-process shots.

See more automata by Thomas Kuntz on his web site.

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Black Forest flute clock circa 1770 features blackbird automaton

Justin Miller of Blackforestclocks.org sent this video along. This musical clock was made in the Black Forest region around 1770. The piece features a blackbird automaton. The movement plays 5 different birdsong-themed songs at the top of the hour, while the blackbird figure moves from left to right and opens and closes its beak as if singing the tune.

For more information on this type of clock, you will want to check out Miller's outstanding book Rare and Unusual Black Forest Clocks. Among the most comprehensive volumes ever produced on the subject, this large format book features over 700 images showcasing the finest examples of clocks made in the Black Forest region.

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Music box discovered to be the source for two tunes from the opera Madame Butterfly

Legend had it that Puccini, composer of the the famous Japanese-themed opera Madame Butterfly, was inspired by melodies he heard from a Japanese music box. For over one hundred years, historians have searched in vain for the Japanese music box that Puccini heard. Musicologist Tony Shepard, on a recent chance visit to the Morris Museum in New Jersey, heard something quite surprising. Among the dozens of automata and mechanical music machines housed at this extraordinary museum, Shepard happened to listen to a Chinese music box. Something familiar caught his ear. A discovery was made in that moment. As research continues, it seems more and more likely that a music box now at the Morris Museum is the very one Puccini heard. Not only do two of the tunes match those in Madame Butterfly, the ownership of the box can be traced to the composer. Cryptic symbols inside the mechanism of the music box look like those often penned by Puccini himself.

The Morris Museum features an exhibition of over 150 pieces from the world-renowned Murtogh D. Guinness collection of mechanical musical instruments and automata.

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Marie Antoinette's clock and automaton to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Nemours Mansion and Gardens in Wilmington Delaware recently prepared a very special musical tall case clock for journey to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for a rare temporary exhibit starting at the end of this month. The clock is remarkable, as is its history.

Details about the clock from Steve Ryder:

This rare clock was made for Marie Antoinette c.1785, and it plays an organ and a dulcimer combined. Its case was made in the workshop of the German cabinetmakers Roentgen, who catered to the French Court, amongst others. The clock itself and portions of the musicwork are from the hands of Peter Kinzing of Neuwied, Germany. The musical mechanism was restored by my brother Jere Ryder with Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume in 1997, and ever since then, this clock has served as the musical show-stopper on museum tours of the Nemours Mansion, former home of the late Alfed I. DuPont. Jere was called in to prepare the clock for shipment.

The exhibition at The Met is entitled, Extravagant Inventions: The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens. It will feature some of the greatest works by Abraham Roentgen (1711-1793) and his son David Roentgen (1743-1807).

The exhibition will also feature an Automaton of Queen Marie Antoinette (1784), depicting a likeness of the queen at a clavichord. The automaton will be set in motion at select times during the exhibition.

The special exhibition will run from October 30, 2012 through January 27, 2013 at the Metropolitan.

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Restoration of a tiny ship automaton and music box

Back in January of 2012, I posted about a tiny ship automaton and music box that was presented by Michael Start from The House of Automata. His video showed the mechanism in motion, but we didn't get to see the case that once held it or hear the tune that it once played.

As it turns out, Brittany Cox at West Dean College in the UK, was on a team tasked with the conservation of this tiny ship automaton from the early 19th century. She wrote the last of a three-part series on the project -- part one focusing on covering the case in shagreen and part two focusing on other details of the case.

In this wonderful post, Brittany Cox takes us step-by-step through the process of figuring out how the ship was made, what it did, and finally what she did to get it working again. The mechanism's music-box components were mostly intact, but not functioning. The tune played by the mechanism was not known.

Follow along as she goes about dating the piece, repairing the mechanism, and conducting experiments to get the musical component to function once again. She also performed an analysis that allowed her to confirm the tune played by the automaton. There's far more to her post, but I won't repeat it all here. I assure you, it is both educational and fascinating.

Here is where you can read about the restoration and repair of The Automaton Ship and Silver Shagreen Case.

[ Thanks Kim! ]

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Mechanical music collection at Musical Mystery House in Wiscasset, Maine

Some time ago, I did a short post about the Musical Wonder House in Wiscasset, Maine. Though the video shown here is a little dated, the House is open and alive with the sound of mechanical music.

This museum has a collection of over 500 machines representing nearly every form of mechanical music. Among the collection are a number of player pianos, assorted disc music boxes, cylinder music boxes, musical clocks, musical toys, and automata.

A guide is on hand to provided a personal tour, which includes playing many of the instruments and explaining their history and unique qualities.

If you will be in New England this summer, a visit to the Musical Wonder House is a must. It is an amazing collection of machines, each one expertly restored, and beautiful to hear.

If you want to do some research ahead of time to enhance your experience, Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments by Q. David Bowers is the definitive reference on this subject. The book has over 1,000 pages with hundreds of black-and-white photographs, advertisements, and reproduction company brochures. All you will need to complete the experience is to hear the machines in person at the museum!

Address for the Musical Mystery House: Musical Wonder House
16-18 High Street
Wiscasset, ME 04578

Hours:
Memorial Day Weekend through Halloween
Monday through Saturday, from 10AM - 5PM and Sunday Noon - 5 PM
Web site: http://www.musicalwonderhouse.com/

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Mechanical toys of a bygone era: dancing and boxing figures powered by rotating phonograph

I've posted in the past about this interesting variety of mechanical toys which were powered by a rotating record. I'm not exactly sure how this one works but in others the toy is mounted on top of the record player and a friction wheel behind the figure rides along the edge of record album causing it to "dance" to the music.

It may seem like folly to place a dancing figure on top of a delicate stylus and record. One little mishap and the needle might be broken or the record scratched. The existence and popularity of this type of toy says something about the time in which it was created. Here are a few thoughts on the matter:

1 - The early phonographs were among some of the first automatic music machines to enter the home, but was auditory medium only. The addition of the mechanical figures added an interesting visual element.

2 - Most early phonographs were spring-driven, suggesting that electric motors were not yet commonplace. The relatively rare motor in the gramophone, Victrola, or phonograph could do double-duty by also powering the dancer or boxers.

3 - Toys often represent popular trends. I expect the ones shown here are no exception. Dancing and boxing were probably both popular forms of live entertainment at the time.

The toys shown here dates to the early 20th century and were made by National Co, USA. The dancing figure is interchangeable with the boxers. The set is currently up for auction on eBay.

Here's where you can learn more about this set of phonograph-powered mechanical toys.

[ Thanks McDrunk! ]

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French automaton of singing taxidermy bird in brass cage

Phalibois is a famous name in the history of automata. Apparently the father and son team made some singing bird automata to compliment their more typical automata which depicted monkeys, tight-rope walkers, and conjurers.

From the eBay description:

Here is a very rare to find "Jean Phalibois" (French made) bird automaton. An amazing work of J. Phalibois (most likely would date it around 1890 or even earlier). This is a very unique larger-size bird cage (brass wire cage on a molded plaster and wood decorative base). It is a rare and nice high-end cage. This bird is authentic/original taxidermy bird with amazing condition. The whole original taxidermy bird was installed on a brass bird body with inside mechanism (A very rare bird! Please, we welcome a bird expert contact us, to give us information about what kind of bird is this.) Real natural feathers (iridescence blue/green wing feathers, iridescence head, chest and neck feathers and some iridescence tail feathers. They change colors depending on the light. Pictures do not do justice to these beautiful feathers. Looks beautiful and very attractive. The bird, flooring, cage, bellows and the Mechanical parts are all original and in excellent condition. Bellows and the clock-work automation work perfectly like new. Overall condition is undamaged and truly excellent, with the slight patina of age. This is a true antique, not a reproduction, and one that is sure to appreciate in value over time.

Here is where you can see many more pictures and two additional videos of this French automaton of singing taxidermy bird in brass cage.

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Among the automata at the Morris Museum in New Jersey

The Paris Review recently featured a great article on the the Morris Museum and its fascinating collection of automata and mechanical music machines.

From the article Among the Automata:

The collection's permanent exhibit, more whimsical than steampunk in aesthetic, attracts huge numbers of schoolchildren during the week. Even empty, though, it felt busy, alive with click and chime and jingle. The sound is artificial: the objects are designed to move, but in a museum setting and for conservation purposes, they mainly can't. Behind their glass cases, the automata look more or less like dolls, albeit gorgeous in a kind of Baudelairean "old acrobat" way. But the museum provides videos in which the visitor can watch them move: the blinking calfskin eyelids, lips pulling back over a mouth of sharpened teeth, jointed fingertips tapping as they meander over a flute. There are animals, too: suede pigs with bellows inside them so they squeal while walking around on their little wheeled feet, a wind-up peacock that spreads its real feathered tail, a mournful-looking tiger that jerks suddenly upright.

Here is where you can read the full article Among the Automata by Jenny Hendrix.

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Ghost illusion automaton by Thomas Kuntz titled "Moonlight Sonata"

This automaton by Thomas Kuntz features a miniature ghost illusion using two automaton figures. When the hand-crank is turned a music box is heard. A figure plays the organ and turns his head occasionally to reveal a macabre visage. A ghost playing the violin appears, then disappears and a flower spontaneously rises from the vase.

More about the automaton from Thomas Kuntz:

The mechanism is hand cranked and machined from solid brass steel and other metals all very tightly organized into the rather small cabinet. Visual foreshortening and special painting techniques give the impression that the box is much deeper than it actually is.

As is typical of Thomas Kuntz, all of the sculpting, machining, painting, ornamental details and model work are his own. The video shows us some incredible shots of the exposed mechanism in operation. The beautifully crafted brass machine looks like the fine historical examples of automata. It's a comfort to know that someone is still making such masterful automata in this way.

See more automata by Thomas Kuntz on his web site.

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