Organettes are mechanical musical instruments that first appeared in the late 1870s. They allowed people to enjoy music without needing an organ, piano, or any other instrument—and without having to play anything themselves.

This Clariophon is a very rare organetto with a 24-tone range, covering two octaves. The instrument’s casing is made of rather coarse, light-colored wood with minimal decoration and a printed inscription reading “Clariophon.”

What makes it particularly interesting is its playback system. It uses a metal plate wrapped around a wooden drum as its medium. Raised protrusions on the plate lift the cover of the air vent by about 1 to 2 millimeters, causing tuned reeds to resonate—similar to how an accordion works.

Unfortunately, very few of these “media” with recorded music have survived to this day.