Polyphon Music Box - Large Disc Changing Music box

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- In this Episode of Music Machine Mondays we are looking at The Polyphon disc changing Music Box. A coin operated automatic music box that later evolved into the Juke Box. Enjoy! Martin & Co
Name: Polyphon
Type of Instrument: Disc changing music box
Year Built: ca. 1900
Maker: Polyphon Musikwerke A.G.
Place of Manufacture: Leipzig, Germany
--------------------
Video Made by Martin Molin & Hannes Trainerds Knutsson
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[@KVVUZRSCHK]

could you imagine this playing at a train station? like an old train station with wooden bars and big clocks? people wearing top hats, big choo choo trains. magical

[@L_P69]

yes

[@jonathanfalix2875]

Choo choo trains :)

[@yuele2516]

LOL

[@roselite4661]

OMG YES

[@Nobody-ug5nv]

@@denimanemone yes

[@ktsince83]

These people were absolute masters back in the day. It's amazing what they used to create.

[@Wintergatan]

So true!

[@ktsince83]

Wintergatan The engineering involved is pretty unreal. Makes what you're doing all the more great. Thanks for these videos =)

[@TheMovieCreator]

The best part is that to make a melody for this, you first have to calculate the angle at where to put all the tones from sheet-music. Then you have to shift everything the linear distance it takes to turn a star wheel just enough to sound a tone. THEN the combs and star-wheel assembly has to be perfectly aligned within 10ths of millimeters on all the music boxes that are produced. On this particular model, the innermost track moves at about 2 millimeter per second. At 120 bpm, that's 0.25mm for each full 16th note.

[@jacketylon]

"used" to create. I totally agree with you

[@Mark_Cook]

Johni Kruger The funny thing is that in the modern era of today, the engineering feats dwarf those of 100 years ago. The only reason we perceive it as so impressive is that we tend to underestimate the capabilities of people 100 years ago. It really is humorous to think about. However the craftsmanship of things like this impress me more, it truly is amazing, by today's standard as well.

[@capitanesejapitalism1679]

2 men perfectly describing chorus without using the word

[@davido1487689]

The local art gallery where I grew up in the UK had a single disk polyphon which had been adapted to take modern coins. We used to play it every time we visited. And I remember seeing a horizontal polyphon in a music box museum elsewhere in the UK with a disk featuring 'As the World Falls Down' by David Bowie. It's a really iconic instrument.

[@edelweiss-]

The Polyphon comes from my beautiful city Leipzig 😊. "Mein Leipzig lob ich mir, es ist ein Klein-Paris und bildet seine Leute" that quote is from Goethe 😊

[@kyleethekelt]

Oh, wonderful memories. When I was a high school Rotary exchange student in Australia in the early 80s one of the families had a Polyphon disc changer similar to that one. It didn't acept pennies but the discs were 13-15 inches if memory serves. It was the largest of their music box collection which also included a Symphonia and a Britania. The Polyphon seems to have favoured marches as I still have a recording of theirs playing Soldiers of the Queen. Thank you for showing us this beautifully preserved music box.

[@Warrior0fDoom]

2:12 when he bends the music disc, I freaked out !

[@Spott07]

I'm sure that the disc they're handling is a smaller, much less valuable disc they're using as a demonstrator, and have decided to use for this sacrificial purpose. It's used to help people get involved and understand the function of the machine, without exposing the much larger, rarer, and more valuable discs to wear and tear, and possible damage.

[@Colaholiker]

Scott Anderson - I agree. Maybe this disk already has some kind of defect and can therefore still be used for this type of demonstration and can't be played any more. I remember back in the days of _expensive_ hard disk drives, I saw one (that would originally cost more than 10k Deutschmarks) on exhibition that was "working" with the whole cover removed - you could see the disks spinnng and the heads moving, and you knew that it didn't do any good to the drive. But Later I learned that it had suffered from a head crash before, was therefore no longer trustworthy, didn't have any data on it and was run like this for demonstration purposes. Or to rephrase ist - these people are trained professionals. They know what they're doing. :D

[@ginfonte3386]

Wes Tucker I have an old music box that uses these discs. They are designed to bend, as they must when the arm comes down to press them against the roller. The tension allows the points to play properly.

[@alfhosskin2841]

Wes Tucker same

[@iscander_s]

It is probably a broken disc, that they have for demonstration purposes. In our college computer museum we have similar things, like broken opened hard drives, fried CPU's, floppy discs and other stuff, that we use to show our visitors and can give it to them for look without worrying about other valuable items. Sorry for broken english, i'm russian.

[@moniquereed3294]

Martin, if you are ever in the U.S., the Shelbourne Museum in Vermont has a marvelous collection of music boxes. Some of them are disk units like this one, and several have mechanical figures that move with the music. That is just one part of what is actually a group of many buildings, each housing its own museum collection.

[@BlackFlagHeathen]

They have one of these at a local museum in my hometown. There really is no way describe how they sound besides “absolutely magical.” I cannot hear one of these without grinning from ear to ear. Especially when they’re playing a Sousa march, which I also can’t hear without grinning from ear to ear. 😍😍😍

[@Davesuno]

So funny that I just saw a simpler version of this very music machine in a restaurant in Tokyo! They had a drawer with the discs, since that model didn't have a selector, but it was really nice to hear it play live.

[@habeasporpoise8327]

It is cool how they figured out the concept of resonant de-tuning that long ago. I didn't really think about it until I started programming patches on a synthesizer and it really fleshes out the sound.

[@Lucius1958]

This is the same principle used in traditional gamelan orchestras, where one set of instruments is tuned a few beats apart from the other, giving it that characteristic "shimmering" sound.

[@VulpesVulpes42]

Amazing! The Polyphon Music Box looks gorgeous and sounds beautiful!

[@Indrakusuma_a]

Oh my goodness! That sounds exactly like heaven to my ears! I've been loving music box for so long and this one here is just pure eargasm for me!

[@Mr.Stacey-L-SCC]

Thanks so much for bringing us this peek into this wonderful museum!

[@exzisd]

I found this series today and I'm binge watching all of the videos on it. I hope they find more interesting and unique instruments and museums to keep this series going. The history behind these instruments is intriguing as well, there's a sort of magical historical quality to it. To think that people so long ago thought how to construct these technical objects on their own with no guides is inspiring. The fact that they still can play music is almost like a musical time machine. I imagine the bars where these music bars were played where men with mustaches sat eating peanuts and drinking whiskey late into the night while the sound of laughter and the glass of beer bottles moved the music to the background. I just get this sort of magical picture in my head of what it might have been like. Thanks for sharing these videos.

[@pixelasm]

Awesome to learn about the mechanics and the tonal theory at once. I have no connection to music or mechanics via my professional work but I find it super interesting to learn about other fields as well. :D

[@Griffinstorm09]

wintergan is basically the only thing i have left at this point but like its ok

[@ky-gp4sz]

dan objectivity

[@4pThorpy]

what about osrs?

[@ky-gp4sz]

What hello? Why did I advertise another great KZbin channel?

[@rochafabio]

I'm from Brazil and came to Utrecht inspired by the Marble Machine and by automatas. I went to the Speelklok Museum and wow, now I know what was your feeling there, was mind blowing! Thanks for make it public!!

[@williamcole4878]

This is the polyphon model 5 music box that plays 22 1/2" disc and has 16 saucer bells it is a beautiful nice sounding polyphon music box good video.

[@finncool]

I went to the exhibition, passed out, took a picture with Martin, WORTH IT!!

[@lianrobintribunal484]

Animusic Pictures at an Exhibition Cathedral Pictures

[@MrKlove01]

Absolutely love these videos. Thanks for putting these together. I will likely never be able to make the trip there myself, but these are a wonderful substitute.

[@leonielson7138]

What I love about this series is the historical references - the dates of the patents and the period of the instrument.

[@the_mysterious_gamer1657]

My favorite instrument from music Mondays is the piano with the three violins

[@acpllc3]

This series seems a wonderful candidate for the BBC, and for PBS in America!

[@noelaruldas1152]

I love tunes played by music-boxes. I congratulate and praise those who makes much efforts to make these types of music-boxes. I also congratulate and praise those who installs these types of music-boxes in some chiming clocks to make it play these types of musical chiming melodies just before or soon after striking the hours on bell or gong. I like such type of clocks. Nowadays these types of music-boxes and chiming clocks are electronically imitated by some quartz clocks because they contains circuit board of electronically recorded and programmed sound chips connected to speaker.

[@nintendy]

The Victorian Era was a wonderful Era for marvelous and wonderful inventions without the technology we have today - it's a credit to them!

[@BaliAgha]

I need to buy or have that machine in my house... The version of Washington post and tone is by far the best. Bioshock feels all day.

[@jerryraley8316]

Swell video....magical disc changing music machine !! Have cd's of antique players playing & have ordered a antique home model , this week. JR

[@brandonkayes5530]

This is the coolest series ever, super excited every monday!

[@HockeyCrab]

antique technology is so cool, everything is mechanical with gears and cogs and stuff, no electricity or motors. you never see stuff like that in today's world

[@aureliusb65]

That musical piece reminded me so much of the Toreador's March (yes, from FNAF, yes I know I'm trash)

[@TuneEditsfx]

Antique things are always so beautiful, you can see the care that went into it.

[@ExperimentarEnCasa]

I watches the marble machine video at least 50 times and showed it to all my familly 😊

[@richardmunozhenao8518]

Experimentar En Casa what are you doing here.... Xd

[@timfml]

Easily the best channel on KZbin.

[@Spintown]

I LOVE this series.

[@Erzahler]

Europe has some great museums!

[@HannekeDebie]

Funny thing; I live in the netherlands and before seeing this video I didn't really know about this museum. Soon after seeing this video I visited this, and also saw the marble machine! Thanks for introducing me to this amazing museum in my own country.

[@paulc7683]

Love this series. Love Wintergatan. Keep up the good work:)

[@thompascoe8463]

I cannot get enough of this content.

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

I know he knows what he's doing, but when he started bending that music disk back and forth like that my heart skipped a beat.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

Polyphon built some of the first successful disc-changing musical boxes, but weren't the only maker. More famous in the USA are the Regina Co. of Rahway, N. J. who built self changing boxes (and more conventional single disc types) by the thousands. Regina were actually an immediate corporate descendant of Polyphon. Further, it should be mentioned that the Symphonion Musikwerke, also of Leipzig, the earliest commercially successful disc box maker and major competitor of Polyphon and Regina, made a relatively few disc changers of different design that are extremely rare today. Also, the American F. G. Otto and Sons, makers of the popular "Capital Cuff", "Criterion", and "Olympia" musical boxes, attempted to introduce their own disc changer, but, despite many mechanically awkward workarounds in the design to try to get around Regina's patents, still had the pants sued off them by Regina and only about 15 were built, of which I think 2 are known extant today.

[@andrewbarrett1537]

This info paraphrased from "The Encyclopedia of Disc Music Boxes" by Mr. Q. David Bowers.

[@dlocorriere8762]

Beautiful surreal sound. Some of the overtones are a bit nightmarish in that spooky, childhood way. Love it.❤

[@user-qy5qf6ts8h]

I played this song in a brass band. this is a memorable song ：D

[@sandrabermudez7511]

Need you to make a live concert in spaiiiin💖💖💖 i admire all about you, wintergatan, your channel and the people who works with you, you're all awesome!! You all give me faith to human being again😍💕 Faithful fan from spain here maaan💖 all you do is magic!!

[@kwijung]

What a beautiful looking machine

[@aronricardovideo]

Es genial! Será interesante colocar minicamaras dentro de la caja, para que los visitantes puedan conocer como trabaja todo el mecanismo. Felicitaciones por haber conservado estos tesoros.

[@daniluvsuall]

This just has to be the most beautiful thing ever.

[@AZNIHamza-uln]

cool to discover how music and music machines have evolved over the last centuary, thanks, keep doing a great job

[@Stellalightroom]

what a beautiful system

[@charlieguy6872]

wow absolutely gorgeous

[@mikorinnchann4066]

hope you can upload the outro music you always use in the video, really like it 😊

[@jan_harald]

Mikorinn chann me too I think he has a video featuring it full length though...

[@theotherhive]

jan harald what? Where?

[@nathanricketts2415]

It's pretty rad, it's called darude sandstorm

[@adibiman9217]

Abam Apam..?

[@mikorinnchann4066]

Adib Iman nope,gamba je abam apam,orangnye org lain 😂

[@segelwaldi2010]

Ein sehr schöner Klang. Tolle Maschine.

[@Ginga7r]

Amazing technology for a machine that's nearly a hundred and twenty years old Love it.

[@CharlieStudios]

Yesterday i have got to see the marble machine! It was incredible!

[@Morph2o]

that sounds amazing

[@saitenotoshuitsnaini]

the difference of using a cylinder and disc on music boxes deconstruct the whole dimensionality of the 'gadget'. got to admit, this series made me want to dissect those historical instruments just for the sake of curiosity like any other toys and stuffs i ever posessed while i was a kid.

[@FonFonConCon]

The creation of the Polyphon Music Box is one of the greatest achievements in human history. @JAPAN

[@Llamallover13]

My family owns something similar that is twice the size. It is nice that the box can play.

[@MichianaFisherman]

Music machines are great! Thanks!

[@JoySilla]

Spain's national library shared an article with one of these discs. I just had to see how they worked. Great vid!

[@sooth15]

It would have been nice to include the information about the bells in this model. Not all Polyphon (or other company) disc music boxes had bells in them. Some also had an option for bells On/Off with a switch. I believe the bells are activated by a certain section on the disc.

[@theorganguy]

I was looking thru the comments to find anything just about that! I thought I heard bells, yet nobody mentioned them...

[@JustinNathanielAdams]

This is the coolest museum I've ever seen

[@jesterblackguarde8464]

That giant hand-crank machine is amazing. I would love to see it focused.

[@cleaningagent101]

man, i love this channel so much

[@NieveAndrea]

BEAUTIFUL!!!

[@lianrobintribunal484]

Its like Music Box of Wintergatan's Box without paper to progam

[@sixmonthssleep3057]

I really really love all these videos as well as all of the videos detailing the process of creating the Marble Machine X, Well done man!

[@Ngontih]

I saw one of these in a restaurant during my trip to germany a while ago and was wondering how exactly it worked, pretty cool to see this video now.

[@PierreWapata]

How many people help you with theses videos ? Usually, it's well made, but recently, it's even better ! Congratulations ! Keep making such good things !

[@elizzievb]

Beautiful - thank you!

[@andy4an]

that was magical

[@enzovinbest]

Wow.. masterpiece of Hunan intelligence. Fantastic

[@KSMSDRPEPPER]

Fun! I have seen horizontal drum music boxes before. I can't hear all the notes... but I still like the feel of it...

[@JulianGrayMedia]

You're easily my favorite youtube channel. Absolutely adore your uploads.

[@Stephen__King]

Thanks for recording in stereo. This sounded amazing with headphones.

[@matthiaswynants4857]

Hi Martin the technique of the detuned notes is also common in pipe organs search vox Celeste stop sry for my bad English

[@dcseain]

I laughed aloud at the first stains of The Washington Post March. I'm from Washington, DC, and have heard or played that, and a lot of other Sousa, through my life. :-)

[@reallunacy]

I'll be going to this place in early November.

[@Engineer9736]

What a beautiful antique machine :) I might visit the Speelklok Museum coming days maybe. It’s 1.5 hours by public transport from where i live. Fingers crossed that the marble machine is still there. That would be awesome to see :) Ah it was only there until the 20th of August. Shit happens :-)

[@theliteralicecreamman]

When it comes to creativity in inventions and quality in craftmanship, this one music box alone may best the finest of the industrial assembly line. On the other hand, that's just because this is a beautiful little wonder isn't it? You don't suppose we could play the toreador march, or maybe Le Chanson De L'Oignon on the music box? I suppose a peg, a hammer, and a really precise arm were all it took to make those discs back then.

[@dacasman]

I really love these videos.

[@marhar2]

Thank you for sharing this, It is beautiful machinery with enchanting sound. I hope they make a Wintergatan disk!

[@CornishMiner]

It would be really cool if you could make a new disc for the Polyphon so that it could play a Wintergaten tune.

[@mossyanna]

I love the intro music

[@redpolarbear1492]

I tink its time to visit the Speelklok museum its not far away for me

[@seanthomasrauchert1695]

Great series!

[@dorgodorato]

The semitone sounds haunting as heck!

[@queenofyeay]

Hearing John Philip Sousa's Washington Post March got me to wondering how famous that song is overseas... Sousa was so famous here that they made a movie of his life called Stars and Stripes Forever, released in 1952. One thing I was not aware of is the origin of the song... This is from an article in the Washington Post on June 14, 2014. "Today marks the 125th anniversary of the first public performance of arguably the most recognizable piece of music ever written in Washington. “The Washington Post March,” composed by Marine Band director John Philip Sousa at the behest of the newspaper you are holding (or the Web site or mobile application you are viewing). The march was created in 1889 to celebrate the first awards presented by the Washington Post Amateur Authors Association. This was a club created by The Post to encourage District schoolchildren to write." Most Americans, at least older Americans (like myself) will have heard this song many times in their lives. Other than this machine's disc playing it, are Europeans, or for that matter, are people the world over, familiar with it? John Philip Sousa was somewhat of a musical star in the US many of his songs became big hits and were played around the world at that time, but many are still famous (to a degree) here in the US. Unlike other times I have heard mechanical machines play there was an instant familiarity with the Washington Post March (even though I did not recognize the title) Thousands of bands across the US play the Washington Post March every Fourth of July!

[@lightdreamer_]

This is absolutely beautiful. I own a toy music box that uses discs

[@popcorny007]

Best of luck, you truly deserve every view you get

[@santiagoperez5431]

This is amazing!

[@mh7719]

This is amazing!! Thanks for sharing

[@meguda3477]

"Amazing!!!!!"

[@VAXHeadroom]

Thank you for recording this in stereo! Very nice imaging!

[@63256325N]

A penny at the turn of the century.....only a Rockefeller could play it. lol. Thanks for the video.

[@edelweiss-]

This was made in my beautiful Leipzig 😥. " I praise my Leipzig, its a little Paris and educates its people" Goethe once said.

[@TobyIKanoby]

Someone probably said this already: the guide mentions the bass notes can be off a little sometimes, because of the different speeds the bass notes in the middle basically have a lower resolution. If the pin is a little too much to the left or to the right it has a bigger impact on the timing than more to the outside of the ring.

[@ExperimentarEnCasa]

Amazing channel. Keep the awesome work buddy

[@kelli217]

If it weren't probably such an expenditure of time to do it, I would suggest trying to build a disc for this machine to play the Marble Machine song. :)

[@NeoZorkke]

No way! I have the sheet music for Washington Post this is so cool!!!

[@mversantvoort]

Very interesting, thank you!