Musical Cuckoo Clocks
Musical cuckoo clocks have two movements instead of just the one regulating time. The third weight drives the second movement, which produces a series of notes when the clock strikes. Usually the melodies played are different for the hour and the half-hour, the most popular being “Edelweiss” and “The Happy Wanderer.” The musical movement is like those found in music boxes: a metal drum with small pins set at intervals to produce the proper notes as the drum turns and the pins strike a steel comb.
One day Musical Cuckoo Clocks feature the same quality mechanics as the one day Cuckoo clocks, except there is a third weight added under the clock. The extra weight is for the tunes played by the clock. On the hour the cuckoo bird will announce the hour with the correct number of calls, and then a melody plays. Two tunes are offered with the aid of a Swiss music box where the notes are plucked on a rotating drum. On the half hour the bird will “Coo Coo” one time only and then a second melody will play. Eight Day Musical Cuckoo Clocks are almost exactly the same as the one day Musical Cuckoo Clocks. The difference is the size of the weights under the clock which are much heavier in the eight day cuckoo clock. Also the melody only sounds on the hour in an eight day clock. Musical cuckoo clocks often have animated figures which move when the music box plays. The moving figures can include people dancing, sawing wood, drinking beer or even a water wheel turning.