1. Wooden Cylinder Music Boxes: These small boxes used pins or pegs placed on a rotating wooden cylinder to activate a series of metal teeth. The teeth would pluck a comb of tempered metal blades to produce music.
2. Hand-cranked Phonograph: Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, this device used a metal cylinder covered in tinfoil. As the cylinder rotated, a stylus would move along the engraved grooves, causing vibrations that would be amplified through a metal horn.
3. Reed Organs: These keyboard instruments used suction air from foot-powered bellows to generate sound through a set of vibrating metal reeds. They were popular for both indoor and outdoor entertainment.
4. Pianos: Upright and grand pianos were popular and widely used in homes and public places. They were considered an essential musical instrument for domestic and social life.
5. Mechanical Orchestrions: These elaborate coin-operated machines combined various instruments such as pipes, drums, cymbals, and bells. They were often used in restaurants, arcades, and other public venues.
6. Street Organs: Large barrel-shaped organs that could be transported on horse-drawn carts were used to entertain passersby. They were particularly common outside pubs, street corners, or public fairs.
7. Music Hall Organ: These large mechanical organs were featured in music halls, theaters, and churches. They could produce various sounds and were often used to accompany live performances or silent movies.
These devices represented significant technological advancements of the time and played a crucial role in shaping the sound environment and musical experiences of the 1800s.