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MMD > Archives > April 2013 > 2013.04.05 > 01Prev  Next


Unknown Tunes on 55-Note 8-Tune Musical Box
By Kenneth Christ

Thanks for all the helpful replies to my request (130329 MMDigest) for
info and tune names for the music box video I posted here:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkXXItTbRZg 

Sorry for the delay getting back; partially I was waiting for any added
replies here and at YouTube so I could consolidate my reply, partially
I got busy, and I also spent some time trying to analyze some of the
tune suggestions.  For tunes, so far I have, from MMD and YouTube:

#1 is "Washington Post" March, 1889 (very recognizable).

#2 is "The Honeysuckle And The Bee", by Fitz and Penn, 1901.

#3 - Several titles offered.  I think "Ma Blushin' Rosie", by Smith and
Stromberg, 1900, matches to my ear, but also very close is "My Irish
Molly O", by Jerome and Schwartz, 1905.  I downloaded the sheet music
and these lines of these songs are near identical. "Blue Bell", 1904,
was also suggested; it's similar but not as close as the others, to
my (not-very-trained) ear.

#5 always 'grabbed' me as very catchy.  I was a bit horrified that it
was identified as "Coon, Coon, Coon (How I wish my color would fade)"
by Jefferson and Friedman, 1900.  I actually had trouble finding
examples of it (though it was touted as a number 1 'hit' of 1901),
probably due to how that genre is viewed today, but I did find one
on YouTube and it seems like a direct match.

Here are links I found, if anyone is interested:

#2 - "The Honeysuckle And The Bee"
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9wYs5LV2kM 
#3 - "Ma Blushin' Rosie"
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2In32ia65Y 
#3 - ? "My Irish Molly O"  ~ 30 sec in...
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFRXhoS-Vgg 
#5 - "Coon, Coon, Coon"
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgL32QCZ56I 

So I'd still be curious about numbers 4, 6, 7 and 8 if anyone has further
suggestions.  It's been fun to learn more about this family heirloom.

Regarding the ball and spring mechanism I asked about, several people
said that it is to help protect against a 'run'.  That thought had
crossed my mind, but it just didn't seem to me that ball could swing
out fast enough to accomplish that, but clearly that was what it was
designed for.

Several people mentioned that this movement was probably removed from
a slot machine.  One private email identified it as being made by
Paillard, in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, around 1900 to 1905, and that
the 6-digit serial number on the cylinder would determine its age.
That number is 121759 (I'll also reply directly).

Thanks again to all.  I will update my YouTube video with this added
info, and I welcome any more suggestions.  And I'll follow up later
with the restorers who replied.

Regards,
Ken Christ


(Message sent Fri 5 Apr 2013, 03:28:52 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  55-Note, 8-Tune, Box, Musical, Tunes, Unknown

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