Museum Speelklok Collectie

Sidebar content	Main content
Actions	Details Remove from selection Add to selection Image(s) TitleLongcase Clock with Bell Playing Movement Creator Jan van der Swelling PlaceLeiden (The Netherlands) Year ca. 1780 Object number0940 Object categorymechanical instruments with bells, timepieces with musical movements Object nametimepiece with bells, longcase clock DescriptionBell-playing clocks play a melody at set times on a series of tuned bells. A pattern of pins is set into the music cylinder. When this cylinder is activated by the mechanism, it rotates and the pins strike the ends of hammers. These hammers then strike the right bells at the right time to produce the programmed melody. A bell-playing clock has an average of 14 bells and usually several hammers per bell, allowing for faster tone repetition. A cylinder often has multiple melodies on it, usually about 12. Accompanying textsPopular melodies were often programmed on 18th-century clocks. Among other things, this bell plays an allemande (written here as "Almande"), a well-known dance type. Whenever there is an allemande on this type of bell-playing clock, it is actually always the same melody. We know this one from a French ballet from 1702. In the Netherlands, various lyrics were invented to this melody. The technical ingenuity of these musical clocks was (and is) astonishing, which made them a desirable item for people who wanted to show off their wealth in the 18th century. The clock owners were wealthy citizens, many of whom held administrative positions (mayors, VOC members, etc.). Their ancestors had become rich from trade during the flourishing trade period of the previous century. These privileged few chose to decorate their stately homes with luxurious, expensive clocks. Those who could go the extra mile had one with a bell chime that played a tune at regular intervals. There were often several song lyrics known to these tunes. These lyrics were farcical and sometimes downright saucy. Dimensions geheel height: 300 cm geheel width: 72 cm geheel depth: 42 cm cilinder length: 35.5 cm cilinder diameter: 6 cm Keywordsprogrammadrager: cylinder geluidsbron: bells

Image(s)

TitleLongcase Clock with Bell Playing Movement

Creator Jan van der Swelling

PlaceLeiden (The Netherlands)

Year ca. 1780

Object number0940

Object categorymechanical instruments with bells, timepieces with musical movements

Object nametimepiece with bells, longcase clock

DescriptionBell-playing clocks play a melody at set times on a series of tuned bells. A pattern of pins is set into the music cylinder. When this cylinder is activated by the mechanism, it rotates and the pins strike the ends of hammers. These hammers then strike the right bells at the right time to produce the programmed melody. A bell-playing clock has an average of 14 bells and usually several hammers per bell, allowing for faster tone repetition. A cylinder often has multiple melodies on it, usually about 12.

Accompanying textsPopular melodies were often programmed on 18th-century clocks. Among other things, this bell plays an allemande (written here as "Almande"), a well-known dance type. Whenever there is an allemande on this type of bell-playing clock, it is actually always the same melody. We know this one from a French ballet from 1702. In the Netherlands, various lyrics were invented to this melody.

The technical ingenuity of these musical clocks was (and is) astonishing, which made them a desirable item for people who wanted to show off their wealth in the 18th century. The clock owners were wealthy citizens, many of whom held administrative positions (mayors, VOC members, etc.). Their ancestors had become rich from trade during the flourishing trade period of the previous century.
These privileged few chose to decorate their stately homes with luxurious, expensive clocks. Those who could go the extra mile had one with a bell chime that played a tune at regular intervals. There were often several song lyrics known to these tunes. These lyrics were farcical and sometimes downright saucy.

Dimensions

geheel height: 300 cm
geheel width: 72 cm
geheel depth: 42 cm
cilinder length: 35.5 cm
cilinder diameter: 6 cm

Keywordsprogrammadrager: cylinder
geluidsbron: bells

Details