In response to Alison bidens post MMD 200219: If we concentrate our focus
upon the other Christmas Hymns on the number of music boxes Mrs. Biden
mentions: Hark the Herald Angels Sing (31 examples) and Adeste Fideles
(51 examples) this simply adds further value to the argument of a lack
of commercial appeal to Silent Night & Seasonal Hymns on a sequential
fixed programme cylinder box.

The numbers Mrs. Biden supplies, represent a combined figure of around a
half of one percent of the aggregate total of the 12,500 or so boxes
recorded on the register.

It would be interesting to know the proportionate values of how many of
these combined 82 boxes highlighted my Mrs. Biden, fall into the category
of either musical Christmas novelties? . . . Or the many Nicoles mentioned??

The simple math alone here suggests a cylinder box with a fixed programme
including Christmas, or indeed Easter music commercially unviable.

If we were to recalculate further, with the undisclosed Christmas novelties
out of the equation, and offer proportional representation on the actual
combined number of tunes left in the remaining traditional boxes, then
this representation would shrink further, possibly into the hundredths of a %

However, by stark contrast, almost without exception, the main manufacturers
of Organettes, built and marketed during the peak period of the industrialised
output of the cylinder musical box, from the mid/ late 1870’s onwards(?)
offered a catalogue of anything between 4 & 12 Christmas tunes. Silent
Night apparently a firm favourite.  Played here on a period Gem Roller Organ
https://youtu.be/chd-EBLHn44 

Therefore logic suggests it would give a wholly inaccurate representation
if one were to attempt charting, or question the popularity of a Hymn such
as Silent Night, based on Mrs.Bidens evidence of a handful of boxes (which
include Christmas novelties) when the Hymn was seemingly very popular in
many spheres of the Victorian era, including our own interest, mechanical
music, albeit organettes & disc players. Where the music could simply be
changed at will.

Kind regards,
Mark Singleton MBSGB