swiss music boxes

reuge music

We are a leading reseller of the world reknown Swiss musicbox maker «Reuge Music». In our  > Shop in Interlaken and in our  > webshop, we have a big selection of current and older Reuge items.

musicboxes «alscher.swiss»

In our workshop we manufacture handmade musicboxes, equipped with a Swiss movement of the maker «Reuge». The cases are made in Italy or Switzerland. Available in our  > shop in Interlaken or in our  > webshop.

The history of the music box

The origin of the music box can be traced back to 1796, to Antoine Favre, a watchmaker from Geneva. At first, only an addition to clocks, perfume bottles, jewelry, etc., the music box brought fame to the town of Sainte-Croix (western Switzerland) during the second half of the 19th century. At that time, this industry accounted for 10% of all Swiss exports and was a source of joy for rulers from Europe to China.

The invention of the phonograph by Edison, World War I, and the 1928 Great Depression were severe blows to the music box industry. After World War II, music boxes became more popular, thanks to American soldiers who brought them back to their homes as souvenirs and gifts.

In 1960, a Japanese company began mass-producing inexpensive small music mechanisms, and later Chinese products entered the market. As a result, most of the more than 30 Swiss manufacturers had to stop production because labor costs in Asia were only a fraction of those in Switzerland. Unfortunately, this also greatly reduced the selection of melodies.

Today, the Swiss music box manufacturer "Reuge" offers the widest range of music mechanisms, from small mechanisms with 17-note combs for pocket watches to exquisite music boxes with interchangeable cylinders and 144-note combs.

Music box variations

Disc boxes

This invention emerged at the end of the 19th century and preceded the invention of the phonograph. The use of discs is very simple. Unlike cylinder music boxes, the music comb is not tuned differently depending on the melody. Thus, one can always buy additional discs (of the same type) and expand the collection of melodies. In 1986, the Swiss company Reuge took over the production of this product from the Thorens company, which was known worldwide for its disc music mechanisms. In 2010, Reuge stopped producing disc boxes. We still sell discs and occasionally receive disc boxes from partner companies.

Small cylinder boxes

Music boxes with one cylinder (roll) are more common than disc boxes. Below - and on our website - we use abbreviations to classify music mechanisms. A music mechanism with one melody and 36 teeth (notes) on the comb is called a "1.36 music mechanism." The smallest music mechanisms with one melody, 17 teeth on the comb (1.17), are used for pocket watches and mini music boxes.

The next size is 1.18, often used in small music boxes and jewelry boxes. Although it has one more tooth than the 1.17 music mechanism, it is much cheaper because miniaturizing the 1.17 mechanism is more difficult to achieve. There are further music mechanism sizes, such as 1.22 and 1.28, which are mainly used in jewelry boxes.

1.36 music mechanisms are used in "better" jewelry boxes and music boxes and have a significantly better sound than smaller music mechanisms. 1.50 music mechanisms are mainly used in music boxes.

Cylinder boxes with melody changers

In music boxes with melody changers - a fascinating technology - the cylinder is laterally shifted at the end of a melody so that different teeth are placed in front of the comb for the next melody. When all 3 or 4 melodies have been played, the cylinder jumps back to the original position to play the 1st melody again. The most common ones are 3.72 music works, which are highly valued by music box collectors worldwide. 3.144 music works consist of 2 3.72 combs placed next to each other on the music work. Cartel music works

Music boxes with a cartel mechanism are more complexly constructed than the music boxes mentioned above. Medium and large antique boxes often have this cartel mechanism to wind up the music work. The winding is not done with a key, but with a ratchet. The driving spring is not in a screwed-in spring housing, but in a rotating, cylindrical housing. The wind wing is manufactured more elaborately than in other music boxes. Music works with interchangeable cylinders

Music boxes with interchangeable cylinders are designed so that you can choose between the 5 supplied ones. As with other boxes, you have to decide which set of melodies you want before buying. You cannot buy additional cylinders later, as the comb is tuned differently depending on the melodies used. The usual sizes are 5.50 (5 cylinders with 1 melody each) and 15.72 (5 cylinders with 3 melodies each). Very special boxes, e.g. with 20 melodies with 155 notes, are also available, but often in limited production and correspondingly expensive. Manufacturing process of a music box

Production steps of a musicbox mechanism

Arranging the melody/melodies: This step is only necessary if a melody is created anew for a music box. The melody must be reduced to its essence so that it can be played back in 17, 24, 36 or 50 seconds (depending on the size of the music box). This work is done by a professional musician/composer.

Machine processing: Manufacturing the brass base plate.

Punching: Various punching machines produce mechanical parts of the music work, mostly made of brass and steel.

The comb: The combs are first cut out as a block, and then the teeth are cut in with machines specially made for this by Reuge. The comb is then heated and dipped in oil to create a thermal shock. This achieves the right hardness and thus the necessary sound quality. The exact settings of this process are secret. Lead is then soldered on for the low notes. Now the comb is tuned. This is a computer-controlled operation. Each tooth has a frequency, and a grinding wheel grinds the tooth until the desired frequency is reached. Finally, dampers are glued under the teeth with lower notes to prevent reverberation and improve sound quality.

The cylinder: The brass cylinder is created mechanically and holes for the cylinder pins are drilled. Then, 0.25mm thin steel wire is inserted into the holes. In the Reuge factory, each cylinder is checked by eye to see if all the pins are inserted and straight. Finally, the ends of the cylinders are closed, a shaft is inserted and the pins are cut to a uniform length.

Fixing: This is the first time in the production process that you can hear the melody. The "fixer" assembles the music work parts on the base plate and checks the music work. The comb is mounted by hand, not too close and not too far from the pins of the cylinder. This work requires a well-trained ear and good eyesight.

About the box

Music boxes are usually not made in the same workshop as the music works. The inside of the boxes are often made of elm wood, a very sturdy wood. A valuable root wood veneer (natural or dyed) is then glued to the outside of the box.

The bottom of the box acts as a "speaker" for the music box. It must be thin enough to vibrate like a violin, but sturdy enough to support the music mechanism and not be damaged during transport.

The paint consists of 1 to 3 layers for cheaper boxes. For exquisite boxes, over 20 layers are often painted. The lacquer must dry for 3 to 4 days after each layer. Before painting, the box is polished and cleaned again.

There are also boxes made from other materials, such as acrylic glass, ceramics, and our own custom-made vinyl plates.

Inlaid boxes: Many music boxes are decorated with inlaid work, which is usually handmade. Sometimes over 500 wooden pieces are used. After cutting out the wooden pieces, they are assembled on a piece of paper, and then transferred to the box. The paper is removed during the polishing of the box. The shadows in the inlay are created by briefly placing the wooden pieces in heated quartz sand with tweezers to singe them.

Assembly

The music mechanism is installed by hand into the box. After attaching the mechanism, the starting mechanism is checked and adjusted. The melody label and winding key are attached, and finally the finished music box is inspected.

Music Box Melodies

The following lists of melodies serve as a reference. Not all melodies are available! All melody lists for music boxes by the company Reuge (labeled "Reuge", "Romance" or "Ste-Croix"). Some music mechanisms have one long-playing melody (just under 2 minutes) instead of three melodies. Numbers marked with an asterisk (*) indicate music mechanisms currently produced by Reuge.

song list 3.72

Running reserve until rewinding the movement is 12-16 minutes; each melody/part plays about 38 seconds.

004
Minuet, Bach
Gigue, Corelli
Allegro, Mozart

005
Gavotte, Händel
Aria, Händel
Gigue, Händel

006
Tristesse (3 parts), Chopin

007
The Thieving Magpie (3 parts), Rossini

008
>Nabucco (3 parts), Verdi

009
Turkish March (3 parts), Mozart

010
Hungarian March (3 parts), Liszt

011 *
March of the Toy Soldiers, Tchaikovsky
Waltz of the Flowers, Tchaikovsky
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Tchaikovsky

012 *
Clair de lune / Moonshine (3 parts), Débussy

020
For Elise (3 parts), Beethoven

021
Piano concerto Nr. 2 (3 parts), Rachmaninov

023
The Four Seasons (3 parts), A. Vivaldi

027
18th Variation of a Theme of Paganini (3 parts), Rachmaninov

029 *
The Magic Flute, Mozart
Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Minuet), Mozart
Turkish March, Mozart

030
William Tell, Rossini
The Barber of Seville, Rossini
The Thieving Magpie, Rossini

033
La Traviata, Verdi
Nabucco, Verdi
Il Trovatore, Verdi

044 *
Canon (3 parts), Pachelbel

073
Swiss Yodel
Le vieux Chalet, Bovet
Swiss Love Song

080
Les roses blanches, Raiter
Plaisir d'amour, Martini
On n'a pas tous les jours 20 ans, Raiter

082
Send in the Clowns (3 parts), Sondheim

083
Music box dancer (3 parts), Mills

084
Bolero (3 parts), Ravel

086
Chariots of Fire (3 parts), Vangelis

087
Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Webber
Chariots of Fire, Vangelis
Memory (Musical "Cats"), Webber

088 *
Polonaise (Till the end of Time), Chopin
Tristesse, Chopin
Unfinished / Impromptu, Chopin

090
The Craftsmen of Dreams - Walzer (3 parts), Schuhknecht

091 *
Ave Maria, Gounod
Ave Maria, Schubert
Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring, Bach

656
Unchained melody / movie "Ghost" (3 parts), North

660
The Four Seasons (3 parts), A. Vivaldi

672
Serenade (3 parts), Schubert

674
Candle in the Wind (3 parts), Elton John

697 *
Lyric Waltz (Jazz-Suite 2), Chostakovitch
Waltz No. 1 (Jazz-Suite 2), Chostakovitch
Waltz No. 2 (Jazz-Suite 2), Chostakovitch

698 *
Solveig's Song (Peer Gynt-Suite 2), Grieg
Anitra's Dance (Peer Gynt-Suite 1), Grieg
In the Hall of the Moutain King, Grieg

701 *
Hungarian Dance No. 1, Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 19, Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 5, Brahms

703 *
Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley
Strangers in the Night, Frank Sinatra
My Funny Valentine, Nina Simone

704 *
Am Flusse, F. Hensel-Mendelssohn
Allegro Non Troppo, C. Wieck-Schumann
In meines Vaters Garten, A. Mahler-Schindler

721 *
La Campanella (3 parts), F. Liszt

731 *
Should I Stay Or Should I Go, The Clash

738
Piano Sonata No.8, Beethoven

song list 1.36

• Running reserve about 8 minutes.
• Melody plays for about 30 seconds (if 2 songs per cylinder, about 14 secons per tune).

1477   Gavotte (Louis XIII), Minuet (Mozart)

1484   The Blue Danube, Tales from the Vienna Woods (Strauss)

1485   The Blue Danube, Vienna Life (Strauss)

1495   Serenade (Schubert), Famous Minuet (Mozart)

1498   Rigoletto, Aida (Verdi)

1510   Silent Night (Gruber)

1524   Moulin Rouge, Schwedische Rhapsodie

1530   Waltz (Brahms), Romance (Mozart)

1547   Allegro, Menuett Don Juan (Mozart)

1592   Minuet in G (Beethoven), Dream of Love (Liszt)

1604   Clair de Lune/Moonshine (Débussy), Anniversary Song (Ivanovici)

1696   Gavotte en Rondeau, Rondeau des Songes

1698   Minuet (Mozart), Minuet (Boccherini)

1701   Vienna Life, Roses from the South (Strauss)

1728   Lara's Song / Doctor Zhivago (Jarre)

1738   Edelweiss / The Sound of Music (Rodgers) *

1855   Glockenspiel / Magic Flute (Mozart) *

1857   Minuet (Beethoven)

1869   The Trout (Schubert)

1880   Musicbox Dancer (Mills)

1883   The Harmonious Blacksmith (Haendel)

1885   Waltz of the Flowers (Tchaikovsky) *

1886   Tristesse (Chopin)

1888   Minuet (Paderevsky)

1889   Waltz (Brahms)

1898   Canon in D (Pachelbel) *

1908   Spring Theme / The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) *

1915   Memories / Musical "Cats" (Webber) *

1919   18th Variation on a theme of Paganini (Rachmaninov)

1926   I just called to say I love you (Stevie Wonder)

1929   The Rose (McBroom)

1974   Water Music (Haendel)

1978   For Elise (Beethoven)

1980   Unchained Melody / movie "Ghost" (North)

1985   The Wind Beneath My Wings / movie "Beaches" (Henley)

1987   All I Ask Of You / Phantom der Oper (Webber)

1988   Music of the Night / Phantom of the Opera (Webber)

1994   Ode to Joy / 9th symphony (Beethoven)

1995   As time goes / movie "Casablanca" (Hupfeld)

1996   Imagine (John Lennon)

1998   On the wings of Love (Schless)

1999   Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)

2000   Masquerade / Phantom of the Opera (Webber)

2008   Don't it make my brown eyes blue

2009   Allegro / Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart)

2010   Nocturne (Chopin)

2011   Unforgettable (Gordon)

2012   Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach)

2013   The first time I ever saw your face (McColl)

2022   The Beauty and The Beast (Menken)

2047   Casta Diva La Norma (Bellini)

2048   As if we never said goodbye / "Sunset Boulevard"

2055   A whole new world

2057   The Blue Danube, Vienna Life (Strauss)

1485   Happy Birthday

2059   Can you feel the Love / The Beauty and the Beast

2063   When I Fall In Love (V. Joung)

2082   Barcarolle / Tales of Hoffmann (Offenbach)

2083   The Moldau (Smetana)

2084   Concerto 21 Allegro (Mozart)

2089   Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy / Nutcracker (Tschaikovsky)

2090   Amazing Grace

2095   Blue Hawaii (L. Robins)

2109   Part Of Your World (Menken)

2123   My Heart Will Go On / movie "Titanic" (Horner)

2135   Waltz No. 2 (Chostakovich)

2155   Auld Lang Syne

2160   I'm gonna sit right down

2166   La Vie en Rose (Edith Piaf)

2171   From This Moment On

2187   Waltz No. 1 / Jazz Suite 2 (Chostakovich)

2189   Solveig's Song / Peer Gynt-Suite 2 (Grieg)

2192   Hungarian Dance No. 1 (Brahms)

2202   Strangers in the Night (Frank Sinatra)

2218   Song of Weggis (Swiss Folk Song)

song list 1.18

Running reserve about 4 minutes, melody plays for 15 seconds until it repeats.

0043   Lullaby; Brahms

0044   Who's afraid of the big bad wolf

0140   Whistle while you work

0148   Heigh Ho

0164   Trink, Brüderlein, trink

0168   Wer soll das bezahlen?

0361   After the Rain, Sunshine (Swiss folk song)

0363   Niene geit's so schön und lustig... (Swiss folk song)

0369   Song of Weggis (Swiss folk song)

0377   Les Armaillis (Le Ranz des Vaches)

0380   Grindelwald Song (Swiss folk song)

0388   Emmental Song (Swiss folk song)

0389   Vo mine Berge muess i scheide (Swiss folk song)

0401   Ich han en Schatz am schöne Zürisee (Swiss folk song)

0402   Holiday in Switzerland

0403   Min Vater isch en Appenzeller (Swiss folk song)

0404   O mein Papa

0412   Lauterbachwalzer

0418   S Träumli (Swiss folk song)

0447   The Bats

0469   Tales from the Vienna Woods

0496   The Blue Danube; Strauss

0501   Emperor's Waltz; Strauss

0539   Hatikvah

0605   Happy Birthday

0654   The Third Man

0674   La Paloma

0865   Weisst du wieviel Sternlein stehen

0882   Silent Night (Christmas Song)

0911   Ihr Kinderlein kommet (Christmas Song)

0918   Adeste Fideles (Christmas Song)

1058   Jingle Bells

1112   Rhapsodie suèdoise / Swedish Rhapsody

1554   La fontaine des amours / Drei Münzen

1579   The Bridge at the River Kwai

1615   Lullaby; Mozart

3045   Anniversary Song; Ivanovici

3068   Moulin Rouge

3092   How dry I am

3146   Around the world in 80 days

3153   I could have danced all night

3154   On the street where you live

3335   Roses from the South; Strauss

3438   My Lady Greensleeves

3606   Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be

3697   More

3748   Alle Vögel sind schon da (German folk song)

3763   Sleep my baby

3773   Auf Wiederseh'n

4002   Never on Sunday

4055   La derniere valse / The last Waltz

4056   Love is blue

4078   Ballade pour Adeline

4240   I left my heart in San Francisco

4298   Strangers in the night

4300   Chim Chim Chérie

4417   Lullaby; Chopin

4421   Lullaby; Schubert

4706   Puppet on a string

4807   Yellow Bird

4809   Lara's Song / Doctor Zhivago; Lai

4842   Try to remember

4872   Romeo and Juliet

4878   Aquarius (Musical Hair)

4894   Raindrops keep falling on my head

4895   Yesterday; Lennon, The Beatles

5301   Gavotte; Louis XIII

5306   Gavotte en Rondeau; Lulli

5316   Gavotte; J.S. Bach

5317   Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring; J.S. Bach

5321   Largo; Händel

5326   Serenade; Haydn

5327   Kindersinfonie; Tchaikovsky

5331   Minuet; Boccherini

5340   Minuet Don Juan

5341   Famous Minuet; Mozart

5342   Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Mozart

5343   Serenade (Eine kleine Nachtmusik); Mozart

5347   Dein Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön

5348   Vogelfänger (Magic Flute); Mozart

5350   Reich mir die Hand mein Leben

5361   Romance; Beethoven

5362   5th symphony; Beethoven

5365   Serenade; Schubert

5366   The Trout; Schubert

5370   Wedding March; Mendelsson

5371   Spring Song

5376   Mazurka; Chopin

5385   Dream of Love; Liszt

5391   Mignon Gavotte

5396   La Traviata; Verdi

5397   Aida (Triumph March); Verdi

5406   Faust Waltz

5410   French Cancan

5415   Waltz; Brahms

5421   Sleeping Beauty (Waltz); Tchaikovsky

5422   Caprice Italien

5425   Humoresque; Dvorak

5435   La Bohème

5440   Clair de Lune (Moonshine); Debussy

5450   Bolero; Ravel

5511   If I were a rich man

5537   Superstars

5538   I'd like to teach the world to sing

5547   The Godfather

5621   The Entertainer

5941   Send in the clowns

5988   Memory od. Memories / Musical "Cats"; Webber

6105   You've got a friend

6235   Limelight; Charlie Chaplin

6306   For Elise; Beethoven

6307   Edelweiss (Sound of Music); Rodgers

6309   Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera); Webber

6310   Glockenspiel (Magic Flute); Mozart

6311   18th variation on a theme of Paganini; Rachmaninov

6312   Lara's Song (Dr. Zhivago); Jarre

6342   Canon; Pachelbel

6382   Turkish March; Mozart

6389   Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky

6608   My Heart Will Go On (Titanic); Horner

Music discs "AD 30" type

• Disc diameter 11 cm. discs new or used (with scratches).
• Disc color silver or black, labelled "Reuge", "Romance" or "Thorens".
• Price per disc: 20 CHF  >inquiries about availability

0020   Cloches du Monastere / Klosterglocken, Lefebvre SOLD OUT

0024   Over the Waves SOLD OUT

0026   Freischütz SOLD OUT

0029   Röslein auf der Weide SOLD OUT

0034   Silent Night, Gruber - wieder an Lager!

0037   Estudiantina SOLD OUT

0050   Morning Leaves SOLD OUT

0053   Wedding March, Lohengrin SOLD OUT

0054   Anniversary Song, Ivanovici SOLD OUT

0058   O du Fröhliche SOLD OUT

0059   Am Weihnachtsbaum SOLD OUT

0060   O Christmas Tree SOLD OUT

0061   Ihr Kinderlein kommet (Thorens schwarz)

0083   Tannhäuser March SOLD OUT

0090   Martha SOLD OUT

0237   Annie Laurie SOLD OUT

0277   Tales of Hoffmann, Offenbach SOLD OUT

0326   Humoresque, Dvorak SOLD OUT

0343   Dream

0382   Star Spangled Banner

0401   Stephanie Gavotte SOLD OUT

0402   Habanera (Carmen), Bizet SOLD OUT

0403   Faust Waltz, Gounod SOLD OUT

0406   Il Trovatore (Anvil Chorus), Verdi SOLD OUT

0409   The Bells of Cornveville, Planquette SOLD OUT

0417   March (Aida), Verdi SOLD OUT

0418   La Marseillaise (French national anthem)

0441   Santa Lucia SOLD OUT

0446   Il Toreador (Carmen), Bizet SOLD OUT

0456   La Paloma SOLD OUT

0474   Le Ranz des Vaches (Thorens schwarz)

0488   William Tells Prayer, Rossini (Romance schwarz)

0489   William Tell Tyrolienne, Rossini SOLD OUT

0490   Thorens: Il Trovatore (Anvil Chorus), Verdi SOLD OUT

0709   Wine, Woman and Song SOLD OUT

0711   Vienna Soul

0745   Unter dem Lindenbaum

0747   Walzertraum, Strauss SOLD OUT

0752   The Merry Widow (Waltz), Lehar SOLD OUT

0801   Am Brunnen vor dem Tore SOLD OUT

0816   Emmental Song (auch Emmentaler Lied SOLD OUT)

0817   Song of Weggis

0825   La Suisse est belle (Die Schweiz ist schön)

0833   Vo mine Berge muess i scheide SOLD OUT

0842   Das stille Tal SOLD OUT

0872   Weisst du wieviel Sternlein

0879   Ein Männlein steht im Walde

1174   Komm lieber Mai SOLD OUT

1179   Roses from the South, Strauss SOLD OUT

1244   Frère Jacques (Brother Jacob)

1300   Der Mai ist gekommen SOLD OUT

1403   Happy Birthday, Hill SOLD OUT

1404   Mary had a little lamb

1410   My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean

1429   Adeste Fideles, Reading SOLD OUT

1430   Jingle Bells, Blair SOLD OUT

1433   Ave Maria, Schubert SOLD OUT

1438   Invitation to Dance (Waltz) SOLD OUT

1445   Dream of Love, Liszt SOLD OUT

1446   The Blue Danube, Strauss

1448   Mozart's Drawing Room SOLD OUT

1483   After the Rain, Sunshine SOLD OUT

1500   Ave Maria, Gounod SOLD OUT

1509   The Magic Flute, Mozart

1515   Anniversary Waltz, Dubin SOLD OUT

1547   Serenade, Schubert SOLD OUT

1548   Spring Song, Mendelsson SOLD OUT

1551   Wedding March, Mendelsson SOLD OUT

1568   Edelweiss, Rodgers (Reuge, Thorens schwarz)

1569   Lara's Song (Dr. Schiwago), Jarre SOLD OUT

1572   Do Re Mi SOLD OUT

1579   Romeo und Julia (A Time for Us) SOLD OUT

1589   Isola di Capri, Grosz SOLD OUT

1650   La Ci Darem La Mano, Don Giovanni SOLD OUT

1652   You Pass Me By SOLD OUT

1659   Memories (Cats), Webber SOLD OUT

1662   On My Own, Schoenberg SOLD OUT

1663   All I Ask Of You, Webber

1666   Swan Lake, Tchaikowsky

1667   Blumenwalzer, Tchaikowsky SOLD OUT

1668   My Heart Will Go On (Titanic), Horner SOLD OUT

1669   Music of the Night, Webber SOLD OUT