1885, Switzerland
The music box originally derived from the mechanism used to sound carillons, or bell chimes, in church clock towers in Switzerland and other countries in the 16th century. Later in the 1830s, the cylinder music box was created as a mechanical musical instrument completely independent from clocks.
This “Classical Orchestra” is a cylinder-type music box manufactured in 1885 by Nicole Freres in Switzerland. The compact and beautiful instrument features a bell rung by a silver arm, a drum struck by 8 gold-colored drumsticks, and castanets clicked by six rods.
