No matter where we travel, MMD friends await!  I just returned from
the MBSI Tour to the GSM meeting in Bruchsal, where I was pleased to
meet Hans van Oost, and chat with Hauke Marxsen and Philippe Rouille.

This tour traveled through London to Utrecht, Netherlands, and its
spectacular museum devoted to mechanical music, and then on to Ruedes-
heim on the Rhine, Germany, where we celebrated the 30th anniversary
of Siegfried Wendel's museum with some very good local wine.  Then to
Bruchsal for the GSM meeting and the tour of the museum there.

Some of us had the opportunity to hear the spectacular musical box
collection of Walter Behrendt before continuing on to Switzerland and
a visit to the not yet opened Seewen museum.  On to Neuchatel to view
the Jaquet Droz automata with the "up close and personal" explanation
by their "caretaker", Mr. Amstutz.

Following days were spent visiting the horology museum in La Chaux
de Font, the Sandoz collection in Les Locle, the Reuge factory and
the CIMA museum in Ste. Croix, and the Baud museum in L'Auberson.
The final day was spent in Geneva before flying home from Luzern.
All of this one week after the MBSI Fiftieth Anniversary meeting
in Philadelphia!

"Brain clutter" is a kind term for what most of us suffered from by the
end of the trip.  And then to arrive back in Philadelphia only to find
that Florida was closed due to Hurricane Irene, which of course we knew
nothing about, having had far better things to do than watch the news
about the USA.

As most of you know, I am a musical box collector, so I want to
mention some of the outstanding musical boxes I saw.  Others who were
there may add other items.  But a "duplex" snuff box -- two cylinders
playing in unison -- was a first.  The largest cylinder I have ever
seen: a 6-overture box, with a cylinder nearly six inches in diameter,
that played over 2-1/2 minutes per revolution.

A forte piano box with a solid single piece chevron shaped comb --
talk about doing things the hard way!  And a gridded notation forte
piano overture box in a case in one of the museums; it hadn't been
played in several years.  How sad!

How about a Polyphon disc box playing a _new_ disc arrangement of one
of Vivaldi's Four Seasons?  This particular disc made the discussion
of the importance of the musical box arrangers take on a whole new
dimension!  A book of tune lists with numbers which may help us
identify more tunes.

And a visit to one of the musical box factories in L'Auberson, with the
personal attention of the wonderful gentleman who was the last of the
line and the last owner, before Reuge purchased the company in 1991.
And the new exhibits dedicated to Guido Reuge and to Claude Marchal,
both men who had great importance in the musical box collection in
Switzerland.  And of course, the music.  Which is why we collect these
instruments, isn't it?

If there is a need for definitions of some of the terms used in the
above narrative, let me know.  I'm always happy to add to the group's
knowledge of musical boxes whenever possible!

Beatrice Robertson

 [ Definitions of the acronyms:
 [
 [ MBSI - Musical Box Society International;   http://www.mbsi.org/
 [   "Journal of Mechanical Music" published three times each year,
 [   "News Bulletin" published six times each year.
 [ GSM - Gesellschaft fuer Selbstspielende Musikinstrumente e.V.;
 [   Journal "Das Mechankische Musikinstrument" published three times
 [   each year.  http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2831/
 [ MMD - Mechanical Music Digest;   http://mmd.foxtail.com/
 [   published about 365 times each year!  :-)
 [
 [  -- Robbie