Something is already known of the musical instruments of the ancient
Chiriquians through fugitive specimens that have found their way into
collections in all parts of Europe and America. The testimony of the
earthen relics--for no others are preserved to us--goes to show that the
art of music was, in its rude way, very assiduously practiced, and that
it probably constituted with these, as with most primitive communities,
a serious and important feature in the various ceremonial exercises.
Clay is naturally limited to the production of a small percentage of the
musical instruments of any people, the various forms of woody growths
being better adapted to their manufacture. We have examples of both
instruments of percussion and wind instruments, the former class
embracing drums and rattles and the latter whistles and clarionette-like
pipes.
_Rattles._--Besides the ordinary rattles attached to and forming parts
of vessels, as already described, there are a number of small pieces
that seem to have served exclusively as rattles, while some are rattle
and whistle combined in one piece. In no case, however, would they seem
to the unscientific observer to be more than mere toys, as they are of
small size and the sounds emitted are too weak to be perceptible at any
considerable distance. At the same time it is true that they may have
had ceremonial offices of no little consequence to the primitive
priesthood. The simple rattles are shaped like gourds, the body being
globular and the neck or handle long and straight. Like the wares
already described, they are finished and decorated, the majority
belonging to the lost color group. The length varies from three to six
or seven inches. A number of minute slit-like orifices or perforations
for the emission of the sound occur about the upper part of the body
(Fig. 233). A septum is placed in the lower part of the neck, so that
the handle, which is hollow and open at the upper end, may serve as a
whistle. In some cases the lower part of the neck is perforated for
suspension at the point occupied by the septum, as imperfectly shown in
the section (Fig. 234). The most interesting specimen in the collection
is shown in Fig. 235; it is especially notable on account of its
construction, which points clearly to the gourd as a prototype. The body
is of the usual globular shape, slightly elongated above. The neck is
represented as a separate piece lashed on with cords by means of
perforations made for the purpose, just as are the handles of similar
instruments constructed of gourds and reeds in Central American
countries. The compartments of the handle and of the body are separate
and the sound produced by the small oval pellets is emitted through
slits of the usual form. The top of the handle is surmounted by a pair
of grotesque human figures, male and female, placed back to back and
united at the backs of the heads as seen in the cut. This object is gray
in color and presents the roughened granular surface resulting from long
exposure to the elements.
[Illustration: Fig. 233. Rattle decorated in the style of the lost
color group--½.]
[Illustration: Fig. 234. Section of rattle shown in Fig. 233.]
[Illustration: Fig. 235. Rattle of plain ware surmounted by two
grotesque figures--½.]
_Drums._--The drum was a favorite instrument with the native American
musician. Early explorers found its use next to universal, and the
"tambour" is even now a characteristic feature of the musical
paraphernalia of the Spanish-Americans. The primitive instrument was
made by stretching a thin sheet of animal tissue over the orifice of a
large gourd vessel or a vessel of wood or clay. The use of clay was
probably exceptional, as there are but three specimens in our Chiriquian
collection. The shape is somewhat like that of an hour glass, the upper
part, however, being considerably larger than the base or stand. In all
cases the principal rim is finished with especial reference to the
attachment of the vibrating head. The example presented in Fig. 236 has
a deeply scarified belt an inch wide encircling the rim, and below it is
a narrow ridge, intended perhaps to facilitate the lashing or cementing
on of the head. Two raised bands, intended to imitate twisted cords,
encircle the most constricted part of the body, a single band similarly
marked encircling the base. The surface is gray in color and but rudely
polished. The walls are about three-eighths of an inch thick, the height
sixteen and one-half inches, and the greatest diameter seven and
one-half inches.
[Illustration: Fig. 236. Drum of gray unpainted clay--¼.]
The decorated specimen illustrated in Fig. 237 is imperfect, a few
inches of the base having been lost. The shape is rather more elegant
than that of the other specimen and the surface is neatly finished and
polished. The ground color or slip is a warm yellow gray and the
decoration is in red and black. The rim or upper margin is rather rudely
finished and is painted red and on the exterior is made slightly concave
and furnished with a raised band to facilitate the attachment of the
head. The painted ornament encircles the body in four zones, two upon
the upper portion and two upon the base. The designs occupying the body
zones are unique and viewed in the light of their probable origin are
extremely interesting. In another place further on in this paper I shall
show that they are probably very highly conventionalized derivatives of
the alligator radical, the meandered line representing the body of the
creature and the scalloped hooks the extremities (Fig. 238). The two
bands upon the base consist of geometric figures, the origin of which
cannot be definitely determined, although they also probably refer to
the alligator.
[Illustration: Fig. 237. Drum with painted ornament in the style of
the lost color group--1/9.]
[Illustration: Fig. 238. Conventional design on drum shown in
Fig. 237, composed of alligator derivatives.]
In the collection there is a minute toy drum of the same general shape,
and the same form reappears in some of the whistles, in one of which
(Fig. 247) the skin head and its fastenings are all carefully reproduced
in miniature. The immediate original of this particular form of drum was
probably made of wood. A drum, recently brought from Costa Rica was made
by hollowing out a cylindrical piece of wood and stretching a piece of
snakeskin across the top. The shape is nearly identical with that of
these earthen specimens.
_Wind instruments._--Earthenware wind instruments are found in
considerable numbers and are associated with other relics in the tombs.
Nearly all are very simple in construction and are limited in musical
power, receiving and perhaps generally deserving no better name than
whistles or toys. A few pieces are more pretentious and yield a number
of notes, and if operated by skilled performers or properly concerted
are capable of producing pleasing melodies. It is not difficult to
determine the powers of individual instruments, but we cannot say to
what extent these powers were understood by the original owners, nor can
we say whether or not they were intended to be played in unison in such
a way as to give a certain desired succession of intervals. There are,
however, in a large number of these instruments a uniformity in
construction and a certain close correspondence in the number and degree
of the sounds that indicate the existence of well established standards.
It does not appear absolutely certain to me that the system of intervals
was made to conform to that of any known scale; but a difficulty arises
in attempting to determine this point, as most of the pieces are more or
less mutilated. We find also that the note producible by any given stop
is not fixed in pitch, but varies, with the force of the breath, two or
even three full intervals. As a result of this a glide is possible to
the skilled performer from note to note and any desired pitch can be
taken.
In material, finish, and decoration these objects do not differ from the
ordinary pottery. A majority belong to the alligator group. The size is
generally small, the largest specimen being about eight inches in
length. The shapes are wonderfully varied and indicate a lively
imagination on the part of the potter. Animal forms prevail very
decidedly, that of the bird being a great favorite. In many cases the
animals copied can be identified, but in others they cannot--perhaps
from our lack of knowledge of the fauna of the province, perhaps from
carelessness on the part of the artist or from the tendency to model
grotesque and complicated shapes. The following creatures can be
recognized: men, pumas, ocelots, armadillos, eagles, owls, ducks,
parrots, several varieties of small birds, alligators, crabs, and
scorpions. Vegetal forms, excepting where in use as instruments or
utensils, as reeds and gourds, were not copied. In the National Museum
collection there are two tubular pipes, probably modeled after reeds,
and another resembles a gourd in shape. The construction of the
whistling apparatus is identical in all cases and corresponds to that of
our flageolets (see sections, Figs. 240 and 242). Plain tubes were
doubtless also used as whistles, and all utensils of small size, such as
needlecases and toy vases, can be made to give forth a note more or less
shrill, according to the size of the chamber. The simplest form of
whistle produces two shrill notes identical in pitch. The shape is
double, suggesting a primitive condition of the tibiæ pares of the
Romans. The parts are pear or gourd shaped, are joined above and below,
and have an opening between the necks. The two mouthpieces are so close
together that both are necessarily blown at once. The note produced is
pitched very high and is extremely penetrating, not to say ear
splitting, making an excellent call for the jungles and forests of the
tropics. A small specimen is presented full size in Fig. 239, and the
section in Fig. 240 shows the relative positions of the mouthpieces, air
passages, vent holes, and chambers.
[Illustration: Fig. 239. Double whistle, lost color ware--1/1.]
[Illustration: Fig. 240. Section of double whistle.]
[Music]
Reed shaped instruments are furnished with passages and orifices
corresponding to the other forms. The chamber is tubular and the lower
end is open, and the finger holes, when present, are on the upper side
of the cylinder. One example without finger holes has two notes nearly
an octave apart, which are produced, the higher with the tube open and
the lower with it closed. Perhaps the most satisfactory instrument in
the whole collection, so far as range is concerned, is shown in
Fig. 241, and a section is given in Fig. 242. It is capable of yielding
the notes indicated in the accompanying scale: First, a normal series of
eight sounds, produced as shown in the diagram, and, second, a series
produced by blowing with greater force, one note two octaves above its
radical and the others three octaves above. These notes are difficult to
produce and hold and were probably not utilized by the native performer.
[Illustration: Fig. 241. Tubular instrument with two finger holes,
alligator group--1/1.]
[Illustration: Fig. 242. Section of whistle.]
[Music]
Two little instruments of remarkable form and unusual powers stand quite
alone among their fellows. One only is entire. It is made of dark clay
and represents a creature not referable to any known form, so completely
is it conventionalized. A fair idea of its appearance can be gained from
Figs. 243 and 244. The first gives the side view and the second the top
view. The mouthpiece is in what appears to be the forehead of the
creature. The vent hole is beneath the neck and there are four minute
finger holes, one in the middle of each of four flattish nodes, which
have the appearance of large protruding eyes. A suspension hole passes
through a node upon the top of the head. The capacity of this instrument
is five notes, clear in tone and high in pitch. It is notable that the
pitch of each stop, when open alone, is identical, the holes being of
exactly the same size. In playing it does not matter in what order the
fingers are moved. The lower note is made with all the holes closed and
the ascending scale is produced by opening successively one, two, three,
and four holes. The fragmentary piece is much smaller and the holes are
extremely small.
[Illustration:
Fig. 243.
Fig. 244.
Small animal shaped whistle of blackish ware, with four finger
holes--1/1.]
[Music]
Of a distinct type of form, although involving no new principle of
construction, are two top-like or turnip shaped instruments, one of
which is shown in Fig. 245. The form is symmetrical, the ornamentation
tasteful, and the surface highly polished. The ware is of the alligator
group and is decorated in red and black figures. A section is given in
Fig. 246, _a_, and top and bottom views in _b_ and _c_. By reference to
these a clear conception of the object can be formed. The companion
piece is identical in size, shape, and conformation, and, strange to
say, in musical notes also. The tones are not fixed, as each can be made
to vary two or three degrees by changing the force of the breath. The
tones produced by a breath of average force are indicated as nearly as
may be in the accompanying scale. They will be found to occur nearer the
lower than the upper limit of their ranges. It should be observed that
the capacity for variation possessed by each of these notes enables the
skilled performer to glide from one to the other without interruption.
This instrument is, therefore, within its limited range, as capable of
adjusting itself to any succession of intervals as is the trombone or
the violin. I do not imagine, however, that the aboriginal performer
made any systematic use of this power or that the instrument was
purposely so constructed. It will be seen by reference to the scale that
stopping the orifice in the end opposite the mouthpiece changes the
notes half a tone, or perhaps, if accurately measured, a little less
than that.
[Illustration: Fig. 245. Top shaped instrument, with three finger
holes, alligator ware--1/1.]
[Illustration:
_a, b, c_
Fig. 246. Section and vertical views of instrument shown in
Fig. 245.]
[Music]
Our collection contains several dozen three note whistles or pipes. Most
of these represent animal forms, which are treated in a more or less
realistic way, but with a decided tendency toward the grotesque. Nearly
all are of small size, the largest, an alligator form, having a length
of about eight inches. In the animal figures the air chamber is within
the body, but does not conform closely to the exterior shape. The
mouthpieces and the orifices are variously placed, to suit the fancy of
the modeler, but the construction and the powers are pretty uniform
throughout. There are two finger holes, placed in some cases at equal
and in others at unequal distances from the mouthpiece, but they are
always of equal size and produce identical notes. The capacity is
therefore three notes. The lower is produced when all the orifices are
open, the higher when all are closed, and the middle when one hole--no
matter which--is closed.
Besides the animal forms there are a number of shapes copied from other
musical instruments or from objects of art, such as vases. A very
interesting specimen, illustrated in Fig. 247, modeled in imitation of a
drum, has not only the general shape of that instrument, but the skin
head, with its bands and cords of attachment, is truthfully represented.
A curious conceit is here observed in the association of the bird--a
favorite form for the whistles--with the drum. A small figure of a bird
extends transversely across the body of the drum chamber, the back being
turned from the observer in the cut. The tail serves for a mouthpiece,
while the finger holes are placed in the breast of the bird, the
position usually assigned to them in simple bird whistles; its three
notes are indicated in the accompanying scale:
[Illustration: Fig. 247. Drum shaped whistle of plain ware, with
bird figure attached--1/1.]
[Illustration: Fig. 248. Vase shaped whistle, lost color ware--½.]
[Music]
One specimen is vase or pitcher shaped, with base prolonged for a
mouthpiece and with a neat handle (Fig. 248). The ground color is a dull
red, upon which are traces of painted figures. Its notes are as follows:
[Music]
A novel conceit is exhibited in the crab shaped instrument presented in
Fig. 249, which gives a back view of the animal. On the opposite side
are four small conical legs, upon which the object rests as does a vase
upon its tripod. The mouthpiece is in the right arm, beneath which is
the sound hole. The two finger holes are in the back behind the eyes of
the creature and a suspension hole is seen in the left arm. The painted
designs are in red and black lines upon a yellowish gray ground. The
following scale indicates its capacity:
[Illustration: Fig. 249. Crab shaped whistle, alligator ware--1/1.]
[Music]
The largest specimen in the collection, shown in Fig. 250, represents an
alligator and is finished in the usual conventional style of the
alligator group. The air chamber is large and the sounds emitted are
full and melodious and are lower in pitch than those of any other
instrument in the collection. The cavity in the mouth and head is
separated from the body chamber, and, with the addition of earthern
pellets, probably served as a rattle. The mouthpiece is in the tail and
the finger holes are in the sides of the body.
[Illustration: Fig. 250. Alligator shaped whistle, alligator
ware--½.]
[Music]
Mammals are very often reproduced in these instruments. What appears to
be the ocelot or jaguar is the favorite subject. A representative
specimen is shown in Fig. 251. The mouthpiece is in the tail and one of
the sound holes is in the left shoulder and the other beneath the body.
The head is turned to one side and the face is decidedly cat-like in
expression. The decoration is in black and red and may be taken as a
typical example of the conventional treatment of the markings of the
bodies of such animals. The tips of the ears, feet, and tail are red.
Rows of red strokes, alternating with black, extend in a broad stripe
from the point of the nose to the base of the neck. Red panels,
inclosing rows of red dots and enframed by black lines, cross the back.
On the sides we have oblong spaces filled in with the conventional
devices so common in other animal representations. The legs are striped
and dotted after the usual manner.
[Music]
[Illustration: Fig. 251. Cat shaped whistle, alligator ware--1/1.]
A unique form, and one that will be looked at with interest by
comparative ethnologists on account of the treatment of the tongues, is
given in Fig. 252. The instrument consists of an oblong body to which
four ocelot heads are fixed, one at each end and the others at the
sides. It rests upon four feet, in one of which the mouthpiece is
placed. The finger holes are in the side of the body near the legs, as
seen in the cut. The decoration, which consists of more or less
conventional representations of the skin markings of the animal, is in
black and red. Its notes are three, as follows:
[Illustration: Fig. 252. Whistle with four ocelot-like heads,
alligator ware--1/1.]
[Music]
The prevalence of bird forms is due no doubt to the resemblance of the
notes of primitive whistles to the notes of birds. The shape of the bird
is also exceptionally convenient, as the body accommodates the air
chamber, the tail serves as a mouthpiece, and the head is convenient for
the attachment of a cord of suspension. A great variety of forms were
modeled and range from the minute proportions of the smallest humming
bird to those of a robin. The larger pieces represent birds of prey,
such as hawks, eagles, and vultures, and the smaller are intended for
parrots and song birds. The treatment is always highly conventional, yet
in many cases the characteristic features of the species are forcibly
presented. The painted devices have reference in most cases to the
markings of the plumage, yet they partake of the geometric character of
the designs used in ordinary vase painting. The ground is the usual
yellowish gray of the slip, and nearly all the pieces belong to the lost
color and alligator groups.
A characteristic example is illustrated in Fig. 253. The head is large
and flat and the painted devices are in the red and black of the lost
color group. The three notes are as follows:
[Music]
[Illustration: Fig. 253. Bird shaped whistle, with decoration in
black, lost color ware--1/1.]
The piece given in Fig. 254 has the shape and markings of a hawk or
eagle. It belongs to the alligator ware and is elaborately finished in
semigeometric devices in red and black. All of these devices refer more
or less definitely to the markings of the plumage.
[Illustration: Fig. 254. Bird shaped whistle, with conventional
decoration in red and black, alligator ware--1/1.]
[Music]
The example shown in Fig. 255 represents a bird with two heads, the
shape and markings of which suggest one of the smaller song birds.
[Illustration: Fig. 255. Two headed, bird shaped whistle, with
conventional decoration in black, lost color ware--1/1.]
[Music]
I cannot say that the whistles were modeled and pitched with the idea of
imitating the notes of particular birds, but it is possible for the
practiced performer to reproduce the simpler songs and cries of birds
with a good deal of accuracy.
[Illustration: Fig. 256. Whistle in grotesque life form, with
decorations in black and red, alligator ware--2/3.]
The human figure was occasionally utilized. The treatment, however, is
extremely rude and conventional, the features having the peculiar
squirrel-like character shown in the figurines already given. The unique
piece given in Fig. 256 represents a short, clumsy female figure with a
squirrel face, carrying a vessel upon her back by means of a head strap,
which is held in place by the hands. The mouthpiece of the whistle is in
the right elbow and one sound hole is in the middle of the breast and
the other in the left side. The costume and some of the details of
anatomy are indicated by red and black lines in the original. Its notes
are the same as those presented with Fig. 249.