The Royal Music Treatment
Blue Danube
Swanee River
Prior to the development of the changeable disk sheet, music boxes repeated the same song on their single metal cylinder, but a German businessman, Gustav Brachhausen, introduced the luxurious opportunity to switch moods and tempos for dining, dancing and enjoying tea with almost as much ease as the flip of a switch with his new U.S. company. The Regina Music Box Company in Rahway, New Jersey produced the best quality product in the United States and its exquisite sound could not be match by any competitor between 1892 and 1915.
Our 1899 Regina music box features a double comb making it capable of playing 78 different notes. The star wheel rotates the metal punched metal disk “plucking” the comb to produce a melody. The mechanism allows for one revolution or continuous play, hand cranking as needed. You can also adjust the tempo with a lever so waltzes can be distinguished from military marches. A wonderful bargain at $ 14.95 – 78.95 as listed in the Sears & Roebuck Company catalog 1897. (Sears Catalog 1897)
The invention of the phonograph brought an end to the music box era, but the Regina Company “switched” gears and became a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners. The brand was popular until the 1990s. Regina Vacuum Cleaners Wiki
If you like what you hear on this website, you can download Regina Music onto your MP3 player from eMusic Regina Music Downloads and others online.
The Latin word meaning queen, regina is pronounced reh-gee-nuh. If you’re planning to visit Regina, Saskatchewan CANADA, make sure to say it like the locals reh-JY-nuh.
To learn more about Regina Music Boxes visit these interesting sites on the web:
www.drloriv.com/appraisals/regina
www.interique.com/ReginaNotes.html
www.deadmedia.org/notes/25/250.html