Saturday, January 10, 2009

Grandma's music box

Here's more or less how the music box looks when put together, except that you can't really put it together any more. Notice the plastic-like outside is peeling off.


The top, the part on which you see my hand, is where the music box is housed.

All the toiletry items are sadly cracked and broken; they were in fine shape in the 1950's, but this is how it all came to me.

This silk originally hid the wooden covering of the music box.

The way it worked was, you wound it up, and as long as the top was up, music played. If you closed the top, the music stopped. On the bottom of the music box the tunes are named: Bill Bailey (which I recognize) and Cliff thinks the other one is "Sunset Saturday Night". I wasn't so sure about the word "Sunset". Anyway, I haven't been able to google up anything about that song. Bill Bailey was written in 1902.

There was a string that made it start and stop playing when the top was raised and lowered. That string broke shortly after I got the box. The clock guy put a new string on, but you have to pull the string to get music to play, and then it stops after one song. Pull it again, you hear the other song.

Does it work properly? No. But if you knew the feeling I get when I hear those songs play, you'd know why it means so much to me.

The man who got it playing said it's probably worth a lot of money, even in the sad state it's in. It doesn't matter; as long as there's a cousin of mine who remembers standing in Grandma's bedroom listening to those songs the way I do, it is staying right in the Stevens family, where it belongs. What happens to it after all us cousins are gone is not my worry. I imagine if a person were willing to spend hundreds of dollars on it, it could be restored. All I wanted was to hear it play again. Like this:


9 comments:

  1. That was beautiful! I wouldn't get rid of it either.

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  2. To have something that can transport you back in time like that is such a treasure. I think it is fabulous. Definetly a keeper.

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  3. Somethings are just worth more than their monetary value.... Enjoy your Music Box!

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  4. Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing
    'On Ya'- ma

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  5. Oh Ms. Donna, I was NOT ready for this (the video at the end). I immediately thought it was beautiful, both as an antique and because it was your grandmother's. Add to that the fact that I once collected music boxes and, well, I was sooo touched by this. I was imagining the use of the hand mirror as your grandmother would have checked her hair and perhaps rouge. But then I saw the video and I honestly got a bit choked up before I hit the play button. I couldn't believe you actually brought this item to life for us via video. THANK YOU! It was absolutely beautiful to hear and this post was very special.
    Blessings,
    ~Toni~

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  6. you may be able to find out more if you knew the manufacturer

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  7. MV, there's no sign of the manufacturer anywhere that I've seen. The man who got the music playing again found what he thought was the year it was made, 1871 I think. However, "Bill Bailey" wasn't written until 1902. The song titles are on a piece of paper stapled to the bottom of the box.

    The clock guy said he had never seen anything quite like this box.

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  8. Anonymous8:18 AM

    much fancier than the music box I have from my great grandmother!

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  9. Oh so beautiful Donna...I would treasure that as I know you do.
    love,
    carlene

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