The Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina was one of the most amazing of all
music machines. Its intricate mechanisms reproduce the music of three
violins and piano, with near-human expression. The violins are played by 49
mechanical fingers and a rotating circular bow with 1,344 individually-tied
strands of  horsehair. Mechanisms cause the bow speed and pressure to
change automatically, as controlled by perforations in the paper music roll,
to provide a wide dynamic range, crescendo and decrescendo, accent,
and other musical nuances.