History
The human desire to have music play automatically has been known since ancient times. Heron of Alexandria (1st century) not only opened temple doors with his 'Automata', but also built music machines. Outstanding minds, who were mostly in the service of a ruler, repeatedly tried their hand at figure machines, e.g. Leonardo da Vinci built three mechanical lions.
Watchmakers who combined clocks with a musical mechanism are known from the 17th to the 19th centuries. In the Black Forest, flute clocks were produced in large numbers from 1770 to around 1850. They were used for entertainment in wealthy homes, but could also be found in restaurants.
On the next page you can hear a flute clock from 1850.
Description
Movement: Wooden case with side door with signature and melody index, wooden plate movement (slide-in movement), wooden spindle with brass wheels, hook passage, armature shaft in metal, walking and striking mechanism with weight drive via chains, flute mechanism via cable pull, hour strike on gong with Subsequent activation of the flute mechanism, large wooden play roller with brass pins, flute mechanism with 36 flutes and two registers, design of the flute mechanism: closed back bellows design.
Shield: Wooden shield with Roman numerals, lateral floral decorations, in the middle a transverse oval landscape, in the upper part a stage with two musicians moving to the music, in the gable floral decorations.
Hands: Cut-out brass hands.
List of melodies: 1st night ..., 2nd contredanse, 3rd ... Lander, 4th Écosaisse, 5th aria, 6th Lautenbach waltz, 7th hop, 8th march from Muskau
This flute watch is an example of the development of the Black Forest watch industry. It was probably ordered by a Dutch officer in the Black Forest. The intersection in Utrecht's city view still exists, the house shown no longer does not exist.
Flute clock
The Black Forest flute clock has a play with eight different melodies and 35 whistles: the 1st register with 21 laid pipes, the 2nd register with 10 open whistles (one octave higher) and two basic pairs DD + DC. Walking and impacting can be inserted, lie side by side and are wood-spindling. The drive movement consists of floor wheel with wooden drum, heart wheel, crankshaft, windscreen and locking lever. The housing has a simple fir wood frame, is covered with pear wood and stained black. It comprises two maple wood panels with a copper engraving from Utrecht on the upper table and with the image of two soldiers on the lower table. Both are colored with lasur colors and blue. The roller is equipped with eight melodies.
