It is heavy, made of wood, almost carved – and yet something begins to float as soon as the crank turns. Not just any song, not just any melody: Voi che sapete, Mozart’s little declaration of love – not just to love, but to life itself. How much world is there in these few bars? How much feeling between crank, cogwheel and space? A child listens. Perhaps it doesn’t recognize the melody, perhaps it falls asleep before the end is reached. But something remains. A shimmer, a softness, a sound that becomes space. The music box does not say “Sleep now.” It says: “You can feel, even without understanding.” And that is perhaps the most beautiful thing you can learn early on.