Eight-Day Tall Case Clock with Musical Movement
Artwork Details
- Title:Eight-Day Tall Case Clock with Musical Movement
- Maker:Movement by Daniel Burnap (American, 1759–1838)
- Maker:Case possible by the workshop of Eliphalet Chapin (American, East Windsor, Connecticut, 1741–1807)
- Maker:or case by Simeon Loomis
- Date:1790–95
- Geography:Made in East Windsor, Connecticut, United States
- Culture:American
- Medium:Cherry, pine, brass, glass
- Dimensions:Case: 96 × 20 3/4 × 9 3/4 in. (243.8 × 52.7 × 24.8 cm)
- Credit Line:Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Hohmann III Gift, and Purchase, Ronald S. Kane Bequest, in memory of Berry B. Tracy, 2019
- Object Number:2019.94a–l
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
Audio

4006. Daniel Burnap, Tall clock with musical movement, 1790-95
SFX: 'Air' by Handel
NARRATOR: Like so many objects in the American Wing, this clock had a dimensional life before it arrived at The Met. A work of art, a feat of engineering, a symbol of affluence, – it also provided music in the home.
SFX: French King's Minuet
NARRATOR: The clock played one of six tunes every three hours, on eleven tiny bells struck by miniature hammers. The first one you heard was 'Air' by George Frederic Handel, composed in 1737 in his popular Water Music suite. That was followed by 'The French King's Minuet,’ inspired by the dances in the court of Louis XIV.
The other melodies have similar tempos for dancing or marching, and a few even have hints of revolution that would have appealed to newly independent Americans.
This next one, ‘O’er the Water to Charley,’ is about fighting alongside Charles Edward Stuart, who led a rebellion against the English throne in 1745.
SFX: O’er the Water to Charley
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