The collection consists of automatic, self-playing musical instruments from the 15th to 20th centuries along with relevant musical programmes and documentation.

Self-playing musical instruments may be defined as follows:

"A self-playing musical instrument is a musical instrument that plays its music from a pre-arranged program, without the help of a musically skilled human hand."

The various clocks in the collection fit this definition because they announce the striking of the hour with automatic music on bells, organ pipes, strings or musical combs. The musical boxes play their comb music at will or by insertion of a coin. The pianos and orchestrions make use of steel-pinned wooden cylinders and perforated paper rolls to play their music without human intervention. Finally, the above definition applies to the great variety of cylinder organs and book-playing organs for streets, fairgrounds and dance halls. Their crank handles or driving wheels may be turned manually, but a motor is usually employed. The grand piano with its discettes also fits the above definition.

In the collection there is no gramophone. Although it plays music it is not a musical instrument, contrary to the instruments in the collection.