For sale: a sectional comb, large, François Alibert music box.  This
is a very rare and interesting music box with an intriguing tune list.
Lots of French history going on here.  I'd say the box was made in late
1830 or 1831.

One of the songs is La Parisienne which was the French National Anthem
after the July Revolution in July of 1830.  This revolution sparked the
August revolution in the southern Netherlands (the Belgian Revolution),
which followed a performance of Daniel Auber's La Muette de Portici
(The Mute Girl of Portici).  Lot's of music tied to French and Swiss
patriotism!

Tune list:

1. Tirollienne de Guillaume Tell
2. Amis, la matinée est belle; La Muette de Portici, Auber
3. la Parisienne, French national anthem 1830, music by Auber
4. Voyez Sur cette Roche, Fradiovolo (On Yonder Rock Reclining)
5. le Rans des Vaches, traditionally played on the horn
   by Swiss Alpine herdsman
6. la Marseillaise, French National Anthem 1795, another revolutionary
    song

The tune sheet is glued to the lid and is signed by the maker,
Alibert, rue J. J. Rousseau No. 10, Paris

François Alibert generally made small movements as far as I can tell;
this is very large for one of his boxes.  It is key wound in a plain
box.  The cylinder is 1-3/4" by 10 inches.  There are 24 sections on
the comb with 4 teeth per section except the treble-most section which
has 6 teeth and is intact.  13 of the sections are damaged for a total
of 22 broken teeth.  The comb is not rusty and the leads are in very
good condition.  The box and governor runs well, with a chip of razor
blade in place of the jewel.

This box will need a complete restoration, but all the pieces are
there, and it runs.  It will need re-pinning, but the cylinder is in
very good shape, the governor runs well.  The original key is still
with the box.  The box seems to have been dropped as the winding arbor
is bent and the hinges were split out of the lid.

I'd like to see this box go to some one who will restore it; I think
after surviving 187 years it deserves it.  I will send pictures to
anyone interested.  Best offer above $200.00.  Plus shipping.

Randy Hayno