The first musical clocks are invented in the Netherlands in the 14th century.
The self-playing carillon consists of a series of tuned bells that are sounded by iron hammers, activated by steel pins on the surface of an iron drum. Initially, their playing formed a simple musical warning that the full hour was about to strike. The development reached its peak with the 17th-century bell founders, which can still be heard today from our 'singing towers'.