Author：Phoenix Musikwerke

Category：Entertainment

Year：1886-1918

Size：Length:36.2 x Width:35 x Height:21.1 (cm)

Weight：5.62kg

Place of Orgin：Leipzig, Germany

Accession Number：0002060

Introduction：In the 1800s, Leipzig in Germany was one of the main European centers for the building of mechanical In the 1800s, Leipzig in Germany was one of the main European centers for the building of mechanical musical instruments, with about 30 companies involved in the industry. Some of these companies built very large and luxurious instruments. Others, like Phoenix, focused on smaller and cheaper instruments and made money through selling lots of units cheaply rather than selling small amounts of more expensive instruments. In 1888, 52 workers at Phoenix produced 7000 instruments. And this was just during the company’s early years. They also made a large part of their income through selling thousands of musical discs.

In 1904, Intonas were sold for 15.50 DM and extra discs were sold for just 0.5 DM. These reed organs were exported worldwide, from Russia to South America. The discs were specially made on a galvanized steel sheet that was very resistant to damage, even in very humid climates. The hand crank controlled the rotation of a standardized 22cm special disc and provided regulated wind for the 16 tuned reeds.