The mechanical music automata have been developed since thousands years ago for mimicking sound of animals or playing a melody. They are documented and/or preserved in many countries, with solutions that reflect the evolution of mechanical manufacture and technology in these areas. In this article, a timeline of the ancient literature in both western and eastern countries is arranged to clarify the historical development of music-playing automata. The functional mechanical design parameters are arranged based on the four fundamental music characteristics as pitch, duration, intensity and timbre. Moreover, the mechanical music generators are also classified into wind, percussion, strings instruments and the steel music comb according to their composition. These music-playing automata are analyzed in four main units, namely power system, music generator, transmission and mechanical puppets. Finally, seven ancient automata are analyzed as illustrative examples from the viewpoint of mechanism design for these analysis and classification.
Chen, Y., Ceccarelli, M., Yan, H. (2018). A historical study and mechanical classification of ancient music-playing automata. MECHANISM AND MACHINE THEORY, 121, 273-285 [10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2017.10.015].
A historical study and mechanical classification of ancient music-playing automata
Ceccarelli, Marco
;
2018-01-01
Abstract
The mechanical music automata have been developed since thousands years ago for mimicking sound of animals or playing a melody. They are documented and/or preserved in many countries, with solutions that reflect the evolution of mechanical manufacture and technology in these areas. In this article, a timeline of the ancient literature in both western and eastern countries is arranged to clarify the historical development of music-playing automata. The functional mechanical design parameters are arranged based on the four fundamental music characteristics as pitch, duration, intensity and timbre. Moreover, the mechanical music generators are also classified into wind, percussion, strings instruments and the steel music comb according to their composition. These music-playing automata are analyzed in four main units, namely power system, music generator, transmission and mechanical puppets. Finally, seven ancient automata are analyzed as illustrative examples from the viewpoint of mechanism design for these analysis and classification.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
800 - musicplaying automata1-s2.0-S0094114X17309989-main.pdf
solo utenti autorizzati
Dimensione
4.17 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
4.17 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri Richiedi una copia |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.