School trip to Museu da Música Mecânica

Texts written and illustrated by the students 

During the visit to the museum, we had the opportunity to see the evolution of mechanical music throughout the centuries. It was interesting to learn how people used to listen to music since nowadays we can listen to whatever we want with just one click.

Above all the mechanical instruments, the Aeolian Orchestrelle was the one that stood out the most for me. It was built in England in 1900 and it was described to us as “a home orchestra” which is a very fascinating concept since an orchestra brings you a diversity of feelings that transport you to a different world where you just want to enjoy what you are listening to, whether it is the most peaceful waltz or the most powerful symphony. Everyone could hear the music by pedalling, it didn’t matter if they were music experts or pure enthusiasts.

by Margarida Nunes, 11º B

During our school trip to Museu da Música Mecânica, one of the instruments that caught my attention was the "Pathé Jour Et Nuit", a gramophone, whose sound could be more intense or less, according to the will of the owner.

This instrument was made in 1918 in France, potentially by Pathé Records, a French label producer of gramophones, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.

I think the main reason for me to find this instrument so much enjoyable, besides being one of the first reproducers of music, is the fact that it was designed to play not only during the day, with the sound coming out of the two horns of the instrument, but also during the night, with the sound coming out of just one horn, in order not to disturb the neighbours.

by Guilherme Duque, 11º B

My favourite instrument

The instrument I chose was the Phonopostal-Sonorine, manufactured in 1903 in France. It was used to record postcards that were mailed to the recipient who could hear them on his gramophone.

Although there were several incredibly beautiful, elaborate instruments with original sounds, the one that caught my attention the most was this device, as it was the first device that allowed people to communicate at a distance only through voice, so it was a very original idea.

It was also accessible to everyone because if people didn't have a gramophone at home to listen to the message, they would hear it at the post office, just as they could also record it there.

This instrument makes us wonder how easy it is now compared to how it used to be to communicate at a distance.

by Carolina Guimarães, 11º B

Seeing the Museu da Música Mecânica was such a pleasant experience. A variety of different instruments caught my eye, but for my text, I chose to talk about the Pathé Jour Et Nuit.

This big, beautiful, and elegant instrument is the junction of two gramophones to try to control, for the first time, the volume of the music emitted. It consists of the same record playing in the two gramophones at the same time - of course, with a delay which caused an echo - and when people wanted to hear the music lower, they would put the record playing only in one of the gramophones.

The Pathé Jour Et Nuit was manufactured in France in 1918.

While this piece was presented to us, I was fascinated by the thought of humans inventing this kind of mechanism, which made me wish to experience hearing this instrument playing in the past.

by Ásia Galante, 11ºB

The Regina Hexaphone (1910) was the first fully automated coin-operated jukebox, and it could play six-cylinder records instead of flat discs.

I chose this instrument because I thought, first, that it was an exceptionally beautiful and aesthetic piece, so it immediately caught my attention, and second, I also thought it marked the beginning of a new era in the history of mechanical music because it was the first machine that was powered by coins and not a lever or a different mechanism.

 by Jacira Costa, 11ºB

The instrument I chose from the museum was the Polyphon.

The polyphon was invented in 1870 and it is a large disc-operated music box.

I chose this instrument because I am fond of vinyl discs and have always loved the sound that they produced so it was remarkably interesting to see this older version of them. The discs really impressed me, with how large they were and all the mechanisms of the little metallic parts that form such a piece of complex music. One other thing that made me choose the polyphon was the sound. I have studied music since I was little so the sound of things is important to me and has a profound impact. The greatness of the tone and how it was extraordinarily little off-key really impressed me. It's amazing how such an old instrument can still have that capacity to resound in the room.

by Ana Lima Pita, 11ºB

I choose the Organette Amorette, a mechanical instrument that is exhibited in the Mechanical Music Museum. This specific instrument was manufactured in Germany in about 1900, but the first Organettes started to be produced around 1870 and were discontinued around 1920. Organettes Amorette used metal discs. They were hand-cranked and designed for tabletop use in the home. Organettes were popular and had a wide selection of music produced for them, but as the phonograph became more affordable, they were replaced.

The reason I choose the Organette was that during the visit it caught my attention to the structure, the details behind it, the way it works, and the sound was very peculiar, and I really thought it was interesting the whole story behind it. 

by Raquel Antunes, 11ºB

 One of the instruments I liked the most when visiting the museum was the “Phrynis” Gramophone, one of the most recent pieces at the exhibition. It dates to 1920, and it is an example of beautiful vintage art. The reason this specific piece caught my eye was due to its vibrant pink and red colour and the shape of its horn, resembling many flowers we frequently spot in nature. Despite being a simple instrument, it was extremely aesthetically pleasing and displayed an enormous number of delicate details, such as the eagle at its base, which indicated the brand and country of manufacture (Switzerland). Whoever was the previous owner of this astonishing piece would proudly boast it on every occasion to delight all his guests.

by Maria Margarida Santos, 11ºB

Orchestral Music Box "Conchon"

While visiting the Museum of "Música Mecânica", I learned a lot about many instruments, which I did not know before.

The instrument I chose to talk about is an orchestral music box, whose name is "Conchon". It was manufactured in Switzerland in the late 19th century. The manufacturer, F. Conchon, created this machine with six cylinders that can play forty-eight melodies!

I chose this piece because it is really interesting the fact that people, since this creation, would listen to the sound of a whole orchestra (a lot of different instruments) in just one box. This work demonstrates an incredible richness and diversity of instruments, such as bells, stringed instruments, and percussions.

This is amazing and it shows a great ability in the manufacture of that time.

People would take a new concept of concerts to their houses. thus, revolutionizing the way music was heard.

by Lúcia Mendes, 11º B

Limonaire Fréres Organ

Limonaire Organ is a mechanical organ painted in bright colours in a firmly Art Nouveau style. It was founded in Paris in the first half of the 20th century (1909) by Limonaire Frére.

Limonaire is one of the names most associated with mechanical music in France. The box is composed of violin trebles and pipes for the melody, cellos and bourdons that are the basis for the accompaniment and the drums that give a sound that is different and that makes it recognizable among all. 

The reason I chose this instrument is that it has colours that go well together. When I looked and listened to the music that the organ produced, I felt like a happy child, even because this instrument was an organ from an amusement park and carousels. It produces French music that uses books and cardboard folders where the music is inscribed.

by Letícia Silva, 11º B