Dear Readers of the Mechanical Music Digest,

I am a music historian, based at Williams College, Williamstown,
Massachusetts, and I am currently visiting at the Institute for
Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.  I have recently embarked on
a large scale research project focusing on the use of Chinese tunes
in all forms of mechanical music in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries.  My focus so far has been on cylinder and disc music boxes
and I am particularly interested in Swiss cylinder boxes manufactured
in the 1860s-1880s.  I have worked closely with Jere Ryder at the
Morris Museum here in New Jersey and he suggested that I should contact
you directly.

At this point I need to gather data from as many tune cards as possible
that list Chinese melodies.  I also need to hear recordings of as many
boxes with Chinese tunes as possible.  I would like to trace how many
times particular tunes appeared, when and where these music boxes were
made, and how the tunes were actually pinned/set on these boxes.

Another important goal is to locate the original manuscript
transcriptions and instructions for transferring these tunes to the
mechanical instruments.  My ultimate goal is determine the original
written and published sources that were used for creating boxes with
such tunes as "Sinfa," "She pah moh" (or "She pah mah"), "Shanghai
Mody," "Poutzi," and "Loe Tee Kun Stin."  Each of these tunes appears
on tunes cards with slightly different spellings.  The first two tunes
are by far the most important for my research.

I would be very grateful for any information that you or your
readers might be able to provide and would certainly acknowledge this
assistance in my final published article.  Please also let me know
whether you are aware of articles that have been written on Chinese
music boxes from this period.  I am also interested in the use of
Japanese tunes on music boxes but have not had much luck with such
searches.

Thank you so much for your time and any help that you are able to
offer.

Yours, Tony Sheppard

W. Anthony Sheppard, Professor of Music
School of Historical Studies
Institute for Advanced Study
Princeton, New Jersey
w.anthony.sheppard@williams.edu.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 [ In addition to his research interest in images of Japan in American
 [ music, Dr. Sheppard also explores general American music history,
 [ opera and musical theater, and film music analysis.  -- Robbie