Enjoy and Respect all Mechanical Music Forms

Kevin Kline's comments about the many areas of mechanical music brought
back memories to me.

Ruth Bornand was responsible for the establishment in 1949 of the
Musical Box Society (MBS, now MBSI).  The founding members were her
friends and customers.  Ruth was a delightful, wonderful lady, and she
had many of both.  Ruth urged me to join, which I did a bit later in
'49.  I am proud to claim to be a "founding year member", but not a
"founding member".  I believe only one of those founders is still
alive, Marguerite Fabel.  I don't know how many other "Forty-Niners"
there may be still with us.  I may be the last!

I was very active for several decades.  In the 1960s, my work had me
travelling all over the country.  I carried the membership list with
me.  In nearly every stop I managed to find a collector who invited
others over for a social afternoon enjoying each other's favorite
instruments.  Many of those groups became chapters in MBS as it
expanded from the original northeastern US group to a truly national,
and then international organization.

During that period of time and later,  we saw interest grow about
player and particularly reproducing pianos.  MBS wasn't particularly
welcoming to this, so AMICA was created through the efforts of Bill
Knorp on the West Coast, and others.  I was an early member there as
well.

Then interest in the numerous forms of talking machines grew.  For
years, MBS resisted any inclusion of talking machines in their
activities.  A number of talking machine societies sprang up around
the world, some of them issuing outstanding journals.

I am proud to have been one of those who helped overcome the MBS bias,
along with my friends John Bishop, Douglas Evans, and Alan Koenigsberg.
I am pleased to credit the late MBS President Harvey Roehl with opening
up MBS to all of these fields.  To be expected of this outstanding man,
a true gentleman and sharer of his enthusiasm and knowledge.

I did and do understand that there is a romantic element surrounding
musical boxes.  Cottage industry, magnificent hand-made mechanisms,
mechanical dolls and automata, clocks, outstanding arrangements of
popular and classical music, and those gorgeous cases, many with
magnificent marquetry.

Has anyone stopped to think that about the only forms of furniture made
today which approach the loving care and beauty of the musical box
cases are ... caskets?!  I don't mean Regina "casket models" either.
I mean those gorgeous creations which are consigned to a short life and
then burial!  What a waste!

True, the romantic elements of 19th century instruments are somewhat
lacking in phonographs and gramophones.  Plus, it's generally
understood that it was the phonograph which basically drove out the
music boxes and then the player piano.  Then to see all driven out by
radio.  It's not surprising that until Ruth Bornand started putting out
music box albums in the 1940s, there are no 78 rpm recordings of music
boxes or player pianos, because most homes which bought the new talking
machines and their records already had the earlier instruments.  Why
buy a recording when you have the real thing to play?

I believe that what finally persuaded the powers that be in MBS were
several things.  First, MBSGB opened its doors to an active, vocal and
erudite talking machine popularity in Great Britain.

I refer to "musical boxes" here in a broad sense.  This includes such
as player zithers, harps, banjos, entire orchestras -- you name it!

As these music boxes and allied instruments soared in cost beyond the
capacity of many existing or would-be collectors, many turned to
talking machines, which offered a dizzying array of choices and types.

Their popularity, of course, caused them in time to increase in cost as
well.  Now if we could only figure out what the next collectible rage
will be...

Mr. Kline is correct in encouraging tolerance, interest and understanding
in all of these fields.  I hope that MBS reflects his laudable
attitude.

Lee Munsick
Appomattox County, Virginia USA