Almost Everything You Wanted to Know About the Musical Wonder House. (But Were Not Afraid to Ask)

Questions from our guests posed to and answered by Danilo Konvalinka, Founder and Trustee, and Joseph M. Villani, Trustee, of the Musical Wonder House, since its inception in 1963.

1) Who collected all these pieces and is that person still alive? His name is Danilo Konvalinka, and he is happy to say yes to the second part of the question.
2) How many mechanical musical pieces are in this collection? Not enough to stop looking for more.
3) When was the collection started? In 1957 the first music box was purchased.
4) Which do you consider your most rare or unusual piece? Many of the instruments are extremely rare, almost one-of-a-kind pieces, outstanding in construction and musical arrangement, most notably Grand Format musical boxes of the 1840's and the fabulous Emerald Polyphon, the latter being featured in the music section of the Encyclopedia Britannica as the definitive musical box.
5) Are all the pieces in working order? Ninety-nine percent of them.
6) Did they all need restoration when acquired? Yes, most of them did.
7) Who does the restoration work? The MWH own restorer, Michael Everett.
8) Do you accept repairs from other collectors or dealers? Yes, repair and restoration work provide part of the revenues to operate the Museum.
9) Do you still buy pieces for the collection? Yes, space and money permitting, not necessarily in that order.
10) Do you sell any pieces? Yes, duplicate instruments are offered for sale or traded for items needed.
11) Was part or all of the collection inherited or donated? No, all pieces were purchased, one at a time.
12) Which is your oldest piece? A French bird organ or Serinette, dating from 1745.
13) How many music boxes from the 18th century do you have? None. Music boxes were made between 1796 and 1910.
14) Do you ever turn them all on at once? No, what would be the point?
15) Do you ever get tired of listening to the music boxes? It's not the music boxes that I get tired of hearing.
16) Why did the music box fall out of favor? Because the length of playing time per tune was limited and only the phonograph could reproduce the human voice.
17) How do you tune a music box? Do you tighten the screws on the comb? No, tuning is accomplished by filing each tooth to obtain the proper pitch.
18) Do you have to tune music boxes frequently like a piano? No. The tuned comb stays tuned, whether the tuning was done poorly or to perfection.
19) How many times can you play a music box before it is worn out? Not enough in 2-3 lifetimes or up to 100,000 plays... which ever may come first.
20) What gives that rich, sonorous sound? The quality of the steel of the comb, the tuning and a perfect sounding board.
21) Did you find your instruments in Europe? Some, but most were collected (found) in the United States.
22) Do you have a favorite? They are all my favorites or they would not have been retained for the collection.
23) Are you Swiss or German? You're close. I am Austrian.
24) Konvalinka is not an Austrian name. Please explain. The name is of Czechoslovakian origin, and translated into English means "Lily of the Valley."
25) Why do the large music boxes resemble coffins? They don't - any more than a Dresden soup tureen resembles a chamber pot.
26) Would you ever consider collecting other items besides music boxes? I do, and if you take a guided presentation through the MWH, you'll hear and see talking machines, crank organs, mechanical birds in cages and boxes, whistling figures, player pianos and mechanical musical dolls to name but a few of the items on display.
27) Is this the largest collection of mechanical musical instruments? No, but it is the best maintained and the most uniquely displayed and demonstrated collection.
28) Do you play an instrument? Yes, I am a classical Pianist, which is a person who has perfected the art of interpreting music rolls on a player piano with proper phrasing and expression.
29) Why do you not have more signs directing people to the MWH? Because the sign ordinance of the town of Wiscasset limits us to two small directional signs and restricts the size of the sign in front of the MWH.
30) Do you remember the first music box you purchased, and do you still own it? Yes, I still have my first five pieces.
31) Why are the discs on the German-type music boxes always warped? They aren't. The curvature is created by the hold-down bar to ensure proper contact of the disc's projections with the star wheels.
32) Noticing coin-operated music boxes, did you convert them? No - only changed the denomination from a penny or a nickel.
33) How old is the building? In 1852, the house was built as a double house by Captain Henry Clark for himself, his wife Sophia, and Captain George Wood, who was married to Henry Clark's oldest daughter, Sophia. Captain Jonathan Edwards Scott's great grandson, Charles Greenough Chase, sold the house sold the home to Danilo and Lois Konvalinka in 1963.
34) Why the two front doors? Originally it was built as a two family home (double house), but later was converted into a single family dwelling, at which time the fabulous flying staircase and crown mouldings were installed.
35) What does the fee for the ground floor presentation cover? Your presentation begins in the lavishly furnished Green & Gold Room and is followed by playing instruments in the elegant Red Room and concludes in the spacious Great Music Room. You will spend approximately one hour listening to many restored instruments in the collection.
36) Is the second floor open to the public? The Grand House Presentation adds 5 rooms: The Upper Hallway, Oak Room, Phonograph Room, Library and Bird of Paradise Room. This extensive tour takes 3+ hours, and includes many one-of-a-kind music boxes; a French birdcage, gramophones, crank organs, barrel organs and a flute clock, set amongst palatial furnishings. Reservations are suggested.
37) Are reduced rates offered? Yes, children under 12 and groups of 20 or more may receive reduced rates.
38) Are visitors allowed to handle items in the rooms? No, only in the Gift Shop where music boxes and recordings are offered and browsers are welcome.
39) Are any of the pieces heard on the presentations available on recordings? Yes, MWH Recordings are produced right here. We offer selections from our music boxes, pianos and even an Edison. You may choose from LP, cassette or CD format.
40) Where were music boxes made? Although Switzerland was the birthplace, eventually music boxes were also produced in France, Germany, Austria, and the United States.
41) Where were the best music boxes made? It would be unfair to single out one place over another, for all 5 countries produced first class as well as mediocre instruments.
42) Is anyone still making music boxes or discs? Switzerland is still producing fine quality music boxes, including the larger Cartel type. Small and larger music units are also manufactured very competitively in Japan and China. New discs are being made by a number of companies in the United States and Great Britain.
43) Why can't we just walk through without a guide? Because if you touch things, our gloved guide needs to be there to beat you.
44) Who does all the dusting here? Most rooms have windows on opposite sides of the room, which allows the cross draft to make the rooms self-dusting. Believe it or not.
45) Do you hear music boxes in your sleep? Only if I am lucky and not disturbed by a phone call.
46) Do you have brothers or sisters? No - only one example - the mold was broken on September 23, 1931.
47) How much would a music box have cost in 1890? Depending on the size and complexity of mechanism, from as little as 75 cents to as much as $3,000.00.
48) How long would it take a manufacturer to make a music box 100 years ago? There were a great number of makers of fine instruments, many operating large factories with 100's of employees that operated some very complex machinery and doing the highly specialized handwork, all of it amazingly fast, enabling makers to fill orders from around the globe in record time.
49) Would some music not be suitable for a music box to play? Not really, the MWH contains not only 100's of music boxes playing Western music but also music boxes with programs of music from India, China and Japan. Examples of Arabic music are known to exist - but rap music would be the exception.
50) Why are music boxes so expensive? They are costly because of the work of the technicians and the musicians involved. Eating at a fancy restaurant is expensive, because you could cook that meal yourself at home. But could you make a music box yourself? Thus is explained the difference between expensive and costly.
51) Can broken teeth in a music box comb be repaired or does one buy another comb? Yes, broken comb teeth and the tips on the teeth can be repaired. We offer this service. Replacement combs are not available.
52) Do you want to know about the music box I could have bought for $20.00? If it's the one you saw 25 years ago, I already know about that one.
53) Do the little pins in the cylinder ever wear down, and if so, can they be replaced? In normal use, a music box can be played in excess of 100,000 times and show no appreciable wear. Repinning is a service we offer in our restoration department. Pins are usually destroyed when a person takes a music box apart without unwinding the spring first. Considering the danger and cost of such an accident, the word to the wise is: Don't dismantle something which you do not understand.
54) Are new music boxes as good as antique ones, and would you advise buying either kind as an investment? Many of the contemporary music boxes are fine instruments rivaling some of the older boxes. Antique music boxes increase in value more rapidly, but new instruments offer a great variety of composers, seldom if ever to be found on antique boxes. To name a few: Bach, Pachelbel, Vivaldi, Handel, Boccerini, Beethoven and Mozart.
55) I have two music boxes. One plays from a paper roll, the other has a wooden barrel with pins protruding. What can you tell me about them? I can tell you that you do not have two music boxes, but a paper roll organ and a barrel organ. The word music box applies only to an instrument where music is produced by a rotating cylinder or disc, lifting teeth in a tuned steel comb.
56) Have you made plans for this operation to continue after you? Yes. In 2006, the entire Musical Wonder House was placed into a trust, which will allow for both future operation and enjoyment for the public. Contributions of time and money are always graciously accepted.
57) On your guided presentation do you solicit questions or visitors' opinions? We gladly answer questions between musical numbers. Visitors' opinions are usually given by our patrons without prompting on our part.
58) Does it bother you to have people talk while the music boxes or piano are playing? Yes, I can't imagine why people would pay to hear such rare and lovely music and then not listen.
59) I'm not really interested in music boxes, I just want to see the house. May I just look? Guided architectual house tours may be requested, but the same pricing will be incurred. We just won't play any music boxes for you as we tour the house.

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