School trip to Museu da Música Mecânica

Some texts that were written by the students

The instrument that I chose is called "La Charmeuse" and was manufactured in 1902. The reason for my choice was that this instrument has a lot of functions in just one object, like piano and drum, making it a very versatile musical instrument, so you only need to buy one device even if you want to play many.

by Rita Sousa, 11º B

As we walked by the many fabulous instruments in the museum, there was one that amazed me. That instrument is a phonograph called "Pathé jour et nuit" and it was manufactured in 1918.

I chose this instrument because its French glamour was reflected in each golden line of construction; its acoustic was good, and the history of the musical instrument refers to the 19th century (a quality that makes it more vintage).

by Clara Antunes, 11º B

The invention of this musical instrument cannot be attributed to one person. In fact, numerous mechanisms have been invented over an extended period, during the second half of the 19th century. One of the first examples was the Pianist developed by Henry Fourneaux in 1863.

The mechanical piano is a piano from the family of mechanical musical instruments, usually old, which plays music automatically from punched cards, usually made of canvas or cylindrical roll.

I chose this one because it was from there that it was possible to emulate the execution of a human pianist and to record a human pianist in a perforated reel, being a great innovation at that time.

by Guilherme Neves, 11º B

The instrument I chose was the "Grand Roller Organ", which was built around 1900 in The United States of America, and played several types of music, such as waltzes, marches, polkas, mazurkas, sacred music, etc. I chose this instrument as I thought it wasn't very extravagant, as other pieces in the exhibition were, and therefore, it would be a great decoration.

by Manuel Ferreira, 11º B

Last Friday [Friday, 3rd February 2023] I had the opportunity to visit Museu da Música Mecânica and was captivated by the "Musical Cork" I saw. It was made at the beginning of the 20th century in Germany.

The acoustics of the "Musical Cork" is amazing, and the way it was designed to produce music from such a simple material is truly remarkable. I was amazed by the art and skill that were required to create this instrument, and I was incredibly happy to have had the chance to see and hear it.

The "Musical Cork" was one of the highlights of my visit to the museum.

by Duarte Bastos Pereira, 11º B

 I chose to talk about the "Aeolian Orchestrelle – Model W".

 It was made in 1908 in England by "The Orchestrelle Company". This piece is a self-playing organ that was designed to sound like an orchestra. This was achieved by including a wide variety of registers that go from Trombone to Aeolian Harp and Viola that can be activated by pushing buttons on top of the keyboard. It also has the functionality to be played as a normal organ making it enjoyable for people with and without musical background. This "Orchestrelle" can produce more interesting sounds from a musical standpoint than most of the other pieces in the museum, making it the most impressive piece in Museu da Música Mecânica.

by Francisco Sousa, 11º B

In Museu da Música Mecânica we could see various instruments. The instrument that caught my attention most was the Violano Virtuoso, manufactured in 1992 in the USA.

This piece, one of the most important of this collection, combines the sound of a violin and a piano, which I found fascinating. It already used electric current for its movement, and it was considered one of the wonders of modern technology.

Another reason for me to have chosen this instrument was the fact that a similar MODEL destined for the dance Hall of Titanic was waiting for the ship’s arrival in New York.

I really enjoyed this visit and I hope to return there soon!

by Madalena Bernardes, 11º B