In Digest 970602 Philippe Rouille wrote:

> What is exactly the difference (if any) in English (or American) between
> *music box* and *musical box* ?  When do you use each of these terms?

Philippe,  I am going to stick my neck waaaaayyyyy out and I am sure that
some of the old time Musical Box Society International members will cut
it right off.  The original term was "music box" and referred to the Swiss
type boxes that plucked a steel comb with a pinned cylinder.  It was also
extended to disc and similar boxes ranging from the tiny and inexpensive
novelty boxes to the large and finely made Swiss, German and French
boxes.

This was the interest area that many of the founding members of the MBSI
shared.  However, many of those members were also interested in player
and reproducing pianos, nickelodeons and orchestrions, and various
automatic organs both stationary and portable.

When the MBSI decided many years ago to include these other instruments
in their scope of interests, they defined the term "musical box" to
include both traditional music boxes and the other automatically played
musical instruments.  This seems to be coming full circle as many MBSI
members are now calling traditional "music boxes" by the name "musical
boxes".

As far as I know, this seems to be restricted mainly to MBSI members as
I have not heard the term used by the public at large nor by members of
other hobby groups.

OK Nancy and others, shoot me down !

Bob Conant
Owner of several music boxes and musical boxes