In response to Mark Singleton's comments about 'Silent Night' on
cylinder boxes (MMD 200125), please allow me to clarify: although
I have submitted some posts on this topic, they have been on behalf
of one of the monitors of the Arthur D Cunliffe Cylinder Musical Box
Register who is not a MMD subscriber, whereas I myself have no
direct access to the Register and can only act as 'postman.'

Further details have been passed to me for posting following another
delve into the Register.  These show that although Mark Singleton
believes potential owners would not want Christmas music on their
boxes out of season, as it were, both Christmas and other Christian
festivals are better represented by tunes on boxes listed on the
register than this argument on its own might suggest.

So, for Easter, the recorded incidence for 'Jesus Christ is risen
today' is 17 boxes, and 'Thine be the glory' is 69.  Moreover, for
Christmas and Epiphany, the incidence of 'Adeste Fideles' is 51,
'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' is 31, and 'As with gladness men of
old' is 15.

Many are on boxes made by Nicole, but with the already noted absence
of 'Silent Night', and are on batches of boxes or repeats, throwing
into question the "by customer request" view.

One thing we should not overlook, of course, is that a tune which was
universally popular 100 years ago may be unknown today, and vice versa.

For those who are interested, a detailed study of Sacred Airs on
cylinder musical boxes has been published in serial form in the recent
past by the Musical Box Society of Great Britain in its quarterly
magazine, The Music Box.

Alison Biden, MBSGB