clocks

The most typical automatic musical instrument of the Middle Ages was a clock with bells attached. There was a great variety, from simple devices giving time signals to complex mechanisms playing entire pieces of music, and it is almost impossible to decide at which point a “clock” became an “automatic musical instrument.” Astronomical clocks proving the highest level of scientific and technological research of that age show the orbit not only of the sun but also of the moon, the planets, and the fixed stars. Clocks thus showed the harmonic movements of the universe, and it was believed that successful politics could happen only in unison with these movements. The possession of an astronomical clock thus meant that one knew the movements of the heavens and therefore had power on earth. Music was also believed to be a reflection of the universal order. It is thus only natural that beautiful melodies were used to announce the hours. This concept is found not only in Western culture but also in the East. The photo on the right side shows a Chinese observatory built in the 11th century, as it has been reconstructed in Shimosuwa Town in Nagano Prefecture. It contains a water-driven astronomical clock, proving that science and technology were very advanced in China at that time compared to Europe. But if we read what Cicero writes about Archimedes’ planetarium, it seems possible that similar complex astronomical models already existed in ancient Europe. The Chinese water-clock does not play melodies, but various musical instruments are used for the announcement of time.

H. G.