Tag Archives: Instruments
The American wind band
In 2010 Scarecrow Press launched the series The American wind band with A history of the trombone by David M. Guion; the book is a comprehensive account of the development of the instrument from its initial form as a 14th-century … Continue reading
Filed under Instruments, New series, Popular music
Vincenzo Bellini, zampognaro
When he was growing up in Catania, Sicily, Bellini undoubtedly heard the peasants from the far side of Mount Etna who came to town every Advent with their zampogne (bagpipes). The young prodigy was influenced by these traditional musicians in … Continue reading
Filed under Curiosities, Instruments, Opera, Romantic era
Liszt’s monster instrument
In September 1854 Liszt wrote to the cellist Bernhard Cossmann “My monster instrument with three keyboards arrived about a fortnight ago and seems to be a great success.” The 3000-pound instrument, a seven-octave grand piano plus two five-octave harmonium keyboards, … Continue reading
Filed under Curiosities, Instruments, Romantic era
Afghanistan at peace
Music in the Afghan north, 1967–1972 presents materials from Mark Slobin’s research in Afghanistan before successive waves of war and Islamist rule began to decimate its traditional culture. The site involves three layers of organization, with increasing access to the study’s technical … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Ethnomusicology, World music
The first pipe organ recording
Capable of producing sounds beyond the range of human hearing, the pipe organ presents the ultimate challenge for sound recording. The first known attempt was the Columbia Records recordings of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from late August and early September … Continue reading
Filed under Instruments, Mass media, Science
Mortuary pipe organs
The heyday of the mortuary pipe organ was the 1920s and 1930s; only a few have been built since World War II. A uniquely American product, the instrument’s characteristics departed significantly from those of the conventional church organ, despite its … Continue reading
Filed under Curiosities, Instruments
Flute or food?
In 1996 Mira Omerzel-Terlep reported that a bone fragment excavated at the Divje Babe I cave site in Slovenia is considered to be the oldest man-made flute, dating from 45,000 years ago (“Koščene piščali: Pričetek slovenske, evropske in svetovne inštrumentalne … Continue reading
Filed under Animals, Instruments, Nature, Science
The Fokker organ
In 1950 a pipe organ built to the specifications of Adriaan Fokker (1887–1972) with octaves divided into 31 steps was inaugurated at Teylers Museum in Haarlem. The instrument originally enjoyed considerable fame, and a lively circle of composers and performers developed around it. … Continue reading
Filed under 20th- and 21st-century music, Instruments, Science
Virtual Instrument Museum
Established by Wesleyan University in 2003, the Virtual Instrument Museum presents over 140 instruments and ensembles drawn from the university’s world music program. The instruments can be grouped by type, material, region, genre, or ensemble. The information provided for each instrument … Continue reading
Filed under Ethnomusicology, Instruments, Resources, World music
The Britannic organ
The long-lost pipe organ that belonged to the steamship Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic, was identified in the collection of the Museum für Musikautomaten in Seewen, Switzerland, when restorers in 2007 discovered the inscription Britanik engraved on each beam under … Continue reading
Filed under Instruments
