COLLECTIONS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

In Thibet, and other Asiatic countries in which the Buddhist religion is

established, variously-constructed musical instruments are generally

deposited in a certain part of the temple, to be at hand for the priests

when required in ceremonies and processions. In examining the Assyrian

bas-reliefs in the British Museum, we are led to surmise that a similar

custom prevailed in Western Asia before the Christian era. At any rate,

it appears probable that the various instruments represented in the

hands of musicians who assisted in religious rites observed by the king

were usually deposited in a room appropriated to their reception. The

same appears to have been the case in the Temple of Jerusalem. King

David had, it is recorded, musical instruments made of a wood called

_berosh_, which afterwards, under the reign of Solomon, were made of

_algum_, or _almug_, a more precious wood imported from foreign

districts. King Solomon, being in possession of superior instruments,

probably preserved the inferior ones of his father as venerated

memorials; and the _kinnor_ upon which David played before Saul may have

been as carefully guarded by King Solomon as the Emperor of Germany

guards in his cabinet of curiosities the flute of Frederick the Great.

Howbeit, Josephus records that Solomon had made for the musical

performances at the dedication of the Temple a large number of stringed

instruments and trumpets, all of which were kept together in the Temple

with the treasures. It is not likely that at so early a period

collections of antiquated instruments were formed for any scientific

purpose; the art of music was too much in its infancy to suggest the

preservation of evidences elucidating its gradual development.

The collections of ancient and scarce musical instruments which, in

modern time, have been made in several European countries are very

interesting to the lover of music, although they have, in most

instances, evidently been formed less with the object of illustrating

the history of the art of music than for the purpose of preserving

curious and tasteful relics of bygone time, or of exhibiting

characteristic contrivances of foreign nations.

In Italy some of the Conservatories of Music possess antiquated

instruments of great rarity. Curious old spinets, lutes, mandolines, and

guitars, are said to be found dispersed among private families and in

convents, especially in Naples and its vicinity. In the Liceo Comunale

di Musica, at Bologna, are deposited above fifty instruments, among

which are an Italian cither (_cetera_) of the beginning of the sixteenth

century; an archlute by "Hieronymus Brensius, Bonon" (Bologna); a

chitarrone, by "Matteo Selles, alla Corona in Venetia, 1639;" a

chitarrone inscribed "In Padova Uvendelio Veneto, 1609;" a theorbo by

"Hans Frei in Bologna, 1597;" a lute by "Magno Stegher in Venetia." A

lute, "Magno Dieffopruchar a Venetia, 1612." This lute has fourteen

strings arranged in seven pairs, each pair being tuned in unison.

Several marine trumpets, one of which bears the inscription, "Pieter

Rombouts, Amsterdam, 17." A viola da gamba, inscribed "Antonius

Bononiensis." A sordino, or pochette, by "Baptista Bressano," supposed

to date from the end of the fifteenth century. Its shape is peculiar,

somewhat resembling that of the Portuguese _machÍte_, representing a

fish. A viola d'amore, with the inscription "Mattias Grieser, Lauten and

Geigenmacher in Insbrugg, Anno 1727;" two curious old harps; an old

tenor flute, measuring in length about three feet; some curious double

flutes; cornetti, or zinken, of different dimensions. An archicembalo.

This is a kind of harpsichord with four rows of keys, made after the

invention of Nicolo Vicentino, and described in his work "L'Antica

Musica ridotta alla moderna prattica. Rome, 1555." The compass of this

archicembalo comprises only four octaves; but each octave is divided

into thirty-one intervals, forming in all one hundred and twenty-five

keys. It was made by Vito Trasuntino, a Venetian, who lived towards the

end of the sixteenth century, and who added a _tetracordo_ to it, to

facilitate the tuning of its minute intervals. However, the archicembalo

was probably not the first instrument of the harpsichord kind which

contained an enharmonic arrangement of intervals. The clavicymbalum

perfectum, or Universal-clavicymbel, which PrÊtorius states he saw in

Prague, and which was likewise made in the sixteenth century, was of a

similar construction. One of the most singular instruments in the

collection of the Liceo Comunale de Musica at Bologna is the

_cornamusa_, which consists of five pipes inserted into a cross-tube,

through which they are sounded. Four of the pipes serve as drones; and

the fifth, which is the largest, is provided with finger-holes, like the

chanter of a bagpipe. The instrument has, however, no bag, although it

is probably the predecessor of the species of bagpipe called

_cornamusa_.

Instruments played with a bow of the celebrated Cremona makers are at

the present day more likely to be met with in England than in Italy. In

the beginning of the present century Luigi Tarisio, an Italian by birth,

and a great connoisseur and collector of old violins, hunted over all

Italy and other European countries for old fiddles. To avoid the high

custom dues which he would have had to pay on the old instruments, he

took them all to pieces, as small as possible, and carried the bits

about him in his pockets and in a bag under his arm. So thoroughly was

he acquainted with his acquisitions that, having arrived at the place of

his destination, he soon restored them to their former condition,

assigning to each fragment its original position. Tarisio made his first

appearance in Paris, in the year 1827, with a bag full of valuable

_dÈbris_ from Italy; and he continued his searches for nearly thirty

years. During this time he imported into France most of the beautiful

violins by Antonius Stradiuarius, Joseph Guarnerius, Bergonzi,

Montagnana, and Ruggeri, which are of highest repute, and the greater

number of which have afterwards found their way into England.

In Germany we meet with several collections of interest. The Museum of

Antiquities, at Berlin, contains, among other musical curiosities,

well-preserved lyres which have been found in tombs of the ancient

Egyptians. The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde ("Society of Lovers of

Music"), at Vienna, possesses a collection of antiquated instruments,

among which are noteworthy: a viola di bardone by Jacobus Stainer, 1660;

a viola di bardone by Magnus Feldlen, Vienna, 1556; a viola di bardone

by H. Kramer, Vienna, 1717; a viola d'amore by Weigert, Linz, 1721; a

viola d'amore by Joannes Schorn, Salzburg, 1699; a tromba marina (marine

trumpet) by J. Fischer, Landshut, 1722; a lute by Leonardo

Tieffenbrucker, Padua, 1587; a theorbo by Wenger, Padua, 1622; a theorbo

by Bassiano, Rome, 1666; a Polish cither by J. Schorn, Salzburg, 1696; a

large flute made in the year 1501; an old German schalmey (English

_shalm_ or _shawm_) by Sebastian Koch; an old German trumpet by

Schnitzer, N¸rnberg, 1598; an oboe d'amore, made about the year 1770,

etc.

A curious assemblage of scarce relics of this kind is also to be found

in the Museum of the Germanic Society at N¸rnberg. The most noteworthy

specimens in this collection are: two marine trumpets, fifteenth

century; a German cither with a double neck (bijuga-cither) sixteenth

century; a German dulcimer (_hackbret_), sixteenth century; a lute by

Michael Harton, Padua, 1602; a viola da gamba by Paul Hiltz, N¸rnberg,

1656; a viola d'amore, with five catgut strings, and eight sympathetic

wire strings, seventeenth century; an arpanetta (_harpanetta_, German

_spitzharfe_) mounted on one side with brass wire, and on the opposite

side with steel wire, sixteenth century; a clavecin with finely painted

cover, by Martinus van der Biest, Antwerp, 1580; two German zinken

(_cornetti_) sixteenth century; two specimens of the bombardo, viz., a

German alt-pommer and tenor-pommer, by J. C. Denner, seventeenth century;

some specimens of the cormorne (German _krummhorn_) of the sixteenth and

seventeenth centuries; a trumpet made by J. C. Kodisch, N¸rnberg, anno

1690; a splendid brass trombone (German bass-posaune) ornamented with

the German eagle and imperial crown, made by Friedrich Ehe, in

N¸rnberg, anno 1612; a Polish bagpipe, seventeenth century; a syrinx of

reeds covered with black leather, sixteenth century; eight military

pipes, made by H. F. Kynsker, in N¸rnberg, seventeenth century; a small

portable organ (_regal_) with two rows of keys, sixteenth century. The

regal has become very scarce. There are only a few specimens known to be

in existence; one, of the sixteenth century, is in the possession of the

Chanoinesses de Berlaimont, at Brussels; another, made about the middle

of the seventeenth century, belongs to the Duke of Athol, and is at

Blair Athol, in Scotland; another, which belongs to Mr. Wyndham S.

Portal, Malshanger, Basingstoke, is in the shape of a book, and its

pipes have reeds, or vibrating tongues of metal. This regal, which

probably dates from the sixteenth century, is of the kind which was

called in German _Bibelregal_, because it resembles a Bible in

appearance.

Old musical instruments are generally so fragile, and were formerly

thought so little of when they came out of use, that it is perhaps not

surprising to find of those dating from a period earlier than the

sixteenth century very few specimens, and these have generally been

altered, and it is seldom that they have been properly restored to their

original condition. As an instance how valuable specimens are gradually

becoming more and more scarce, may be mentioned the interesting

collection of obsolete German harps, pipes, and trumpets, dating from a

period anterior to the year 1600, which was preserved in the Town

Library of Strassburg, and which, at the recent bombardment of the town,

was reduced to ashes. It contained, among other curiosities: a cornetto

curvo; some specimens of the cornetto dritto; a flauto dolce. Several

specimens of the bombardone, the predecessor of the bassoon; a dulcinum

fagotto; two specimens of the cormorne, an oddly-shaped wind instrument

belonging to the shalm or oboe family. An arpanetta. This instrument,

called in German _spitzharfe_ or _drathharfe_, is especially

interesting, inasmuch as it resembles the old Irish harp called

_keirnine_, which was of a similar form, and which was also strung with

wire instead of catgut. There is such a harp extant in the museum of the

Society of Lovers of Music, at Vienna, before-mentioned.

If the lumber-rooms of old castles and mansions in Germany were

ransacked for the purpose, some interesting relics of the kind would

probably be brought to light. In the year 1872 Dr. E. Schebeck, of

Prague, was requested by Prince Moriz Lobkowitz to examine the musical

instruments preserved in Eisenberg, a castle of the Prince, situated at

the foot of the Erzgebirge, in Bohemia. Most of them had formerly been

used in the private orchestra kept by Prince Josef Franz Maximilian

Lobkowitz, the well-known patron of Beethoven, to whom the composer has

dedicated some of his great works. The present Prince Lobkowitz, who

seems to have inherited his parent's love for music, wished to have an

examination of the instruments, with the object of making a selection of

the most interesting ones for the great Vienna Exhibition in 1873. Dr.

Schebeck found, among other rarities, violins by Gaspar di Salo, Amati,

Grancino, Techler, Stainer, and Albani; a violoncello by Andreas

Guarnerius; a scarce specimen of a double-bass by Jacobus Stainer; two

precious old lutes by Laux Maler, who lived at Bologna during the first

half of the fifteenth century; a lute, highly finished, and apparently

as old as those of Laux Maler, with the inscription in the inside "Marx

Unverdorben a Venetia;" a lute, with the inscription "Magno

Dieffoprukhar a Venetia, 1607." There can be no doubt that we have here

the Italianised name of the German Magnus Tieffenbrucker, who lived in

Italy.[5]

Fortunately for musical antiquarians the collection of rare instruments

in the Conservatoire de Musique at Paris has been preserved uninjured

during the recent disasters in that city. Among the instruments may be

noticed, a small and beautiful musette with drones of ivory and gold,

which belonged to Louis XIII.; a German regal, or portable organ,

sixteenth century; a pochette by Stradiuarius; a _courtaud_, an early

kind of bassoon, dating from the fifteenth century; several

bass-flutes, and other rare old wind instruments; BoÔeldieu's

pianoforte; GrÈtry's clavichord; a "Trumpet of Honour," which was made

by order of Napoleon I., and which has the name of "T. Harper" engraven

on its silver rim. M. Victor Schoelcher has presented to the

Conservatoire de Musique about twenty rather primitive instruments of

uncivilised nations obtained by him during his travels in Western Africa

and South America, among which may be noted several Negro contrivances

of the harp and guitar kind.

An interesting catalogue of the instruments in the MusÈe du

Conservatoire National de Musique has recently been published by Gustave

Chouquet, the curator of the museum. It comprises 630 instruments, or

portions of instruments, each fiddle-bow, mute, etc., being separately

numbered. On the whole, the Paris collection, though large, is far less

valuable than that of the South Kensington Museum.

One of the most valuable private collections ever formed of ancient

musical instruments was that of M. Louis Clapisson in Paris. During a

course of more than twenty years M. Louis Clapisson succeeded in

procuring a considerable number of scarce and highly decorated specimens

of instruments of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The collection

has been dispersed since the death of its owner; a large portion of it

is now incorporated with the collection of the Conservatoire de Musique

at Paris, and some of its most valuable specimens were secured for the

South Kensington Museum. It was, however, so unique that the following

short survey of its contents will probably be welcome to the

archÊological musician.

Clapisson's collection comprised (according to the catalogue of its

contents which was published in French, and which is now scarce) 167

instruments. Among them are especially noteworthy:--A clavecin (or

harpsichord) with two rows of keys, dated 1612; embellished with

paintings which date from the time of Louis XIV. In front is a painting

by Teniers, and in the inside are some fine paintings by Paul Brill. An

Italian spinet of the time of Louis XIV., embellished with paintings of

garlands of flowers, cupids, etc., attributed to Poussin. The fine

carving and the ornamentation of engraved amber on this spinet give it a

stamp of originality. An Italian spinet, bearing the inscription

"Francisci di Portalvpis Veronen opus, 1523," of ebony inlaid with

ivory. An Italian spinet of the sixteenth century, ornamented with

marquetry of various coloured woods. The corners of the key-board are

adorned with caryatides finely carved in box-wood. A travelling spinet

made in the shape of a mail-trunk dating from the time of Henri II. It

is signed "Marins," which is the name of a celebrated manufacturer of

that period. A clavecin made in France in the year 1657, ornamented with

paintings and with marquetry of ivory, with the arms of the family of

Pierre di Dreux (called Mauclere), Duke of Bretagne, who lived about the

year 1250. An Italian dulcimer of wood carved and gilt, dating from the

seventeenth century. It is tastefully inlaid with slips of silvered

glass. A French dulcimer of the time of Louis XIV., with twisted columns

of wood carved and gilt, and with paintings of flowers and birds. A

French dulcimer, or timpanon, of the time of Louis XIII., ornamented

with roses neatly carved in wood. The instrument is in a case, which is

ornamented with paintings and inlaid slips of silvered glass. A French

dulcimer of carved wood, ornamented with slips of engraved Venetian

glass, with turquoises, and with paintings on _Vernis Martin_. A

sonorous stone from China, in the form of a fish. A French harp, of the

time of Louis XV., gilt and carved with flowers and paintings in relief.

A harp of the time of Louis XVI., having belonged to the Princesse de

Lamballe, whose name is engraven on it. It is finely painted with

medallions on _Vernis Martin_. A theorbo of the time of Louis XIII.,

inlaid with designs in ivory. Engraven on it is the coat of arms of the

House of Austria; also a portrait, and the device _Non omnes_. A French

guitar made, according to an inscription, by Voboam, a celebrated

lute-maker at the court of Louis XIV. It is made in the figure of a

tortoise, the body being of tortoise-shell, and the head, feet and tail

of coloured enamel. A French guitar of the time of Louis XIII., inlaid

with ivory, on which are engraven subjects of the chase. A French guitar

of the time of Louis XIII., inlaid with ivory engraved with mythological

subjects. An Italian mandoline of citron-wood inlaid with

mother-of-pearl, engraven with figures. An Italian mandoline, ornamented

with marquetry, mother-of-pearl, and carving; assigned to Stradiuarius.

A French mandoline of the time of Louis XVI., with the arms of the

Dauphin inlaid with mother-of-pearl. A small Italian mandoline with

three strings. A mandora of the time of Henri II., inlaid with broad

strips of ivory, and with _fleurs de lys_ in ebony. A French hurdy-gurdy

(or _vielle_) of the time of Louis XIV., made of box-wood and

citron-wood, carved, and ornamented with medallions of mother-of-pearl

and with turquoises; formerly the property of Madame AdelaÔde. A French

hurdy-gurdy by Louvet, dated 1750; tastefully ornamented. A small

hurdy-gurdy for the use of ladies, made in France during the period of

Louis XVI. This _vielle_, elegant in form and tastefully inlaid with

ivory, bears the inscription "Delaunay." A Hungarian violin, made in

Presburg, inlaid with marquetry of various coloured woods. A small

violin by Jacobus Stainer, inlaid with ornaments in silver, including

the coat of arms of France; with a finely-carved head of a faun. A

French _quinton_, or five-stringed viol, made by Guersan, in 1755. A

viola da gamba, with a finely-carved head representing an angel

bandaging the eyes of a female. A small viola da gamba of the kind on

which the French ladies used to play at the time of Louis XIII. A

pochette by Stradiuarius, known to be genuine. A pochette of the

sixteenth century, of engraved ivory and ebony, inlaid with precious

stones. A pochette of ivory and coloured woods, dating from the period

of Louis XIII., and bearing the inscription "Marins." A crystal flute,

the invention of Laurent; silver keys enriched with amethysts. A small

Italian double-flute of ivory, made by Anciuti in Milan, anno 1722. An

oboe of ivory, carved by Anciuti in Milan, beginning of the eighteenth

century. A French oboe of ebony, inlaid with ivory, tortoise-shell, and

enriched with gold and precious stones; of the time of Louis XIII. A

small French oboe of the time of Louis XIV., made of ivory, with three

silver keys. A French _musette_ (a species of bagpipe with bellows); the

pipes of ivory; twenty-one silver keys; the bag ornamented with

embroidery in gold. This fine _musette_ dates from the period of Louis

XV. A small French _musette_ of ivory, with silver keys, having belonged

to the painter Vanloo. A _cornemuse bretonne_ (bagpipe of Brittany) of

the time of Louis XIII. A trumpet of the time of Henri IV., ornamented

with embossed _fleurs de lys_ and with the portrait of Henri IV.,

surrounded by butterflies. A serpent of the sixteenth century, made of

wood, with the carved head of a demon finely executed.

Turning to Belgium, we again meet with some interesting collections. M.

FÈtis, the well-known musician, had a number of Eastern instruments

procured from Egypt, to enable him to familiarise himself with the

Arabic tonal system, which essentially differs from our own, but which

undoubtedly is of much higher antiquity, and therefore of particular

interest to the musical historian. After the death of FÈtis, his

collection was purchased by the Belgian Government. Dr. Burney, who

visited Antwerp in the year 1772, records in his journal that he saw in

a public edifice of the town, called Oosters Huys, a large number of

wind instruments of a peculiar construction. "There are," he says,

"between thirty and forty of the common flute kind, but different in

some particulars--having, as they increase in length, keys and crooks,

like hautbois and bassoons. They were made at Hamburg, and all of one

sort of wood, and by one maker, 'Casper Ravchs Scratenbach,' was

engraved on a brass ring or plate, which encircled most of these

instruments. The large ones have brass plates pierced, and some with

human figures well engraved on them. These last are longer than a

bassoon would be if unfolded. The inhabitants say that it is more than a

hundred years since these instruments were used, and that there is no

musician at present in the town who knows how to play on any one of

them, as they are quite different from those now [in the year 1772] in

common use. In times when commerce flourished in this city these

instruments used to be played on every day by a band of musicians, who

attended the merchants trading to the Hanse Towns in procession to the

Exchange."

No doubt there are some curious old harpsichords and lutes still to be

found in Belgium and in the Netherlands--countries in former times

distinguished for the cultivation of the art of music. Besides, the

connection of the Netherlands with Asia has facilitated the acquisition

of curious instruments from the East, a number of which may be seen

deposited in the Museum at the Hague.

A glance at a collection made by a musical amateur, during the

seventeenth century, is sure to interest the musical antiquarian. The

collector, Jean-Baptiste Dandeleu, a man of position and property in

Brussels, died in the year 1667. Among his effects were the following

instruments, the list of which is here literally transcribed as it was

written at the time of his decease:--"Une orgue, que l'on dit avoir

appertenu ‡ feu l'archiduq (de glorieuse mÈmoire), et couste trois

milles florins.--Une espinette organisÈe.--Un coffre dans lequel y a

neuf violes de gambes d'accord.--Encor une vieille viole de gambes.--Six

corps de luths ou thiorbes dans des vieilles caisses.--Une mandore aussy

dans sa caisse.--Une autre petit instrument en forme de poire avec le

col rompu, ou decollÈ.--Une caisse doublÈe de baye rouge, dans la quelle

y a six fluttes rares d'accord, qui sont de bouys, avec leurs escorces

et noeuds.--Une cornette noire de musique.--Encore une fl˚te de bouys de

la longueur d'environ un pied dans une caisse noire.--Trois caisses avec

diverses fl˚tes de bouys grandes et petites d'accord, entre les quelles

aucunes manquent.--Encor six fl˚tes semblables, que l'on croid estre

celles qui manquent cy-dessus.--Encor une grande fl˚te, ou pippe

noire.--Un violon dans sa caisse.--Un cistre aussy dans sa caisse.--Un

instrument rare pour sa structure ‡ mËtre les livres des musiciens

dessus pour un concert de musique.--Cincq petits lesseniers."

Most of the instruments in this collection were undoubtedly manufactured

about the period in which they are mentioned. However, as regards lutes

and viols, preference was given already as early as the seventeenth

century to old ones, if they were the work of good makers. Thus, the

lutes of Laux Maler, dating from the beginning of the fifteenth

century--"pittifull old, batter'd, crack'd things," as Thomas Mace calls

them in his 'Musick's Monument,' London, 1676--fetched as much as a

hundred pounds apiece. "I have often seen," Mace remarks, "lutes of

three or four pounds price far more illustrious and taking to a common

eye.... First know that an old lute is better than a new one." Thus also

with viols: "We chiefly value old instruments before new; for by

experience they are found to be far the best." The improvement by age he

reasonably attributes to the circumstance that "the pores of the wood

have a more and free liberty to move, stir, or secretly vibrate; by

which means the air--which is the life of all things, both animate and

inanimate--has a more free and easie recourse to pass and repass."

An interesting collection of antiquated musical instruments has been

made by M. CÈsar Snoeck, of Renaix, in Belgium. It comprises among other

rarities:--A small virginal bearing the inscription: "Paulus Steinicke

me fecit, Anno 1657." A harpanetta, seventeenth century. A _cetera_ or

Italian cither, seventeenth century. The top terminates in a

finely-carved figure, and the body is flattened towards the lower end.

This interesting instrument is of the kind which the Italian

_improvisatori_ used for accompanying the voice. An assemblage of

specimens, varying in size, of the German, or perhaps Dutch, zinken.

These quaint-looking flute-trumpets, although blown through a mouth-tube

somewhat similar to that of the trumpet, have finger-holes like a flute.

They probably were made about the year 1700. A tenor-flute and three

bass-flutes, probably of the seventeenth century.

The municipality of Ghent, in Belgium, possesses silver trumpets which

were made in the fifteenth century. It will be remembered from the

biblical records (Numbers, x., 2) that Moses constructed two trumpets

entirely of silver. Neither was the use of the trumpet for strategical

purposes unknown to the Hebrews, as is evidenced by Gideon's employment

of the instrument (Judges, vii.). There is an old German treatise,

quaintly entitled 'Versuch einer Anleitung zur heroisch-musikalischen

Trompeter-und Pauker-Kunst' ("An Attempt at a Guide to the

heroic-musical Art of the Trumpeter and the Kettle-Drummer"), written by

Johann Ernst Altenburg, Halle, 1795, which contains some interesting

accounts concerning the various occasions on which the trumpet was

formerly used in different European countries, at Court ceremonies and

public festivities, as well as in war. Altenburg, who himself was a

distinguished military trumpeter, and, no doubt, also a brave warrior,

remarks: "Awful and terrible is the sound of the trumpet when it

announces the near approach of the enemy; or when the enemy demands by

trumpet-signal the surrender of a beleaguered town; or when he storms

and enters the town with the blare of the trumpet of war! Likewise, the

signal of alarm produces an uneasy impression upon a weaker corps when

surprised and surrounded by a stronger corps. However, by means of this

uncommon music, which has been made use of by many as a stratagem in

olden time and at the present day, often important conquests have also

resulted. During the Seven Years' War, in which I took part, it happened

during a dark night that a large body of the enemy's troops nearly

succeeded in surprising and cutting off one of our corps which was much

smaller and weaker; but we, modifying the signals of our trumpets so as

to make them appear to come from different quarters and from long

distances, succeeded in intimidating the enemy, so that he suddenly

turned and fled, believing that we were receiving succour."

This may be the place to notice a fine collection of old trumpets in the

possession of Prince Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. They were made

by Johann Leonard Ehe, in N¸rnberg; Hieronymus Stark, in N¸rnberg, anno

1669; Christopher Frank, Magnus Wolf, Wilhelm Haas, anno 1688.

Passing over the Royal Museum of Northern Antiquities at Copenhagen,

which contains highly curious specimens of the old Scandinavian brass

trumpet called _lure_--especially interesting if compared with the

bronze trumpets of mediÊval time excavated from bogs or mosses in

Ireland, and now preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy at

Dublin--we now proceed to a cursory survey of the musical antiquities in

the museums of London.

The British Museum possesses several instruments, or fragments of

instruments, of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, and old

Celtic trumpets which have been found in Ireland. In the ethnological

department of the British Museum are particularly noteworthy:--The

specimens of Chinese instruments brought over to England by Mr.

Tradescant Lay; those from Siam, obtained by Sir John Bowring; those

from Java, obtained by Sir Stamford Raffles; a considerable number of

flutes, including nose-flutes, and of trumpets, from Otaheite,

Tongataboo, and New Zealand; well-preserved drums from the Polynesian

Islands; serpent-headed drums of the natives of New Guinea; Negro

instruments from Western Africa, etc.

The Museum of the East India House, in London, contains upwards of 120

musical instruments, mostly from Hindustan and Burmah, some of which are

very fine, but many are out of repair. An assemblage of curious pipes,

trumpets, and drums of the Polynesians, as well as fiddles of the

Hottentots and Kafirs in Southern Africa, may be seen in the Museum of

the London Missionary Society. Furthermore, the Botanical Museum at Kew

possesses several interesting contrivances of this kind, made of

peculiar species of wood by Indian tribes in South America.

The collection of musical instruments belonging to the South Kensington

Museum is now, as far as is known, the most comprehensive in existence.

The latest edition of its catalogue, published in the year 1874,

describes 353 instruments, of which 246 belong to the Museum, and 107

are on loan. The catalogue contains 143 wood-engravings and six

photographs of instruments, and is preceded by an essay on the history

of musical instruments. A glance at its comprehensive index will perhaps

convey to the reader the impression that it takes cognizance of almost

every musical instrument in the world. This is, however, by no means the

case. Even an account of all our own instruments in use at the present

day would fill a large volume. But, endeavour has been made to render

the catalogue as comprehensive as is consistent with its object, and the

reader will find in it illustrations and descriptions of most of the

instruments mentioned in the present essay.

There have been some curious lists preserved of musical instruments

which belonged to English amateur musicians, and which were sold, after

the death of the owner, at public auctions.

The collection of musical instruments which belonged to King Henry VIII.

appears to have been remarkably comprehensive and valuable. An inventory

of its contents was compiled by Philip van Wilder, a Dutch lute-player

in the service of the king. The manuscript of this inventory is

preserved in the British Museum. Among the instruments entered are:--Two

paier of clavicordes.--A payre of new long virginalls made harp-fashion,

of Cipres, with keys of ivory, having the King's arms crowned and

supported by His Grace's beastes within a garter gilt, standing over the

keys.--Gitterons which are called Spanish vialles.--Flutes called

Pilgrims' staves.--A great base recorder. Two base recorders of walnut.

Pipes of ivory or wood, called cornets.

In 'The History and Antiquities of Hengrave, Suffolk, by John Gage,

London, 1822,' are recorded among the effects of Sir Thomas Kytson of

Hengrave Hall, about the year 1600:--Six viols in a chest. Six violins

in a chest. Lutes. Citterns. Bandoras. Seven recorders in a case.

Hautboys. A curtall. Cornets. A lezarden. A pair of little virginals. A

pair of double virginals. A wind-instrument like a virginal. A pair of

double organs.

The "curtall" was probably the French _courtaud_ mentioned previously,

page 37; and the "lezarden" was probably similar to the _serpent_, an

old wind-instrument mentioned in page 41.

Among the English private collections about two centuries ago deserves

to be noticed one which was formed by Thomas Britton, the small-coal

man. This extraordinary musical amateur, born in the year 1656 of poor

parents in Northamptonshire, set out for London while still a lad to

gain his living. After various vicissitudes he succeeded in his project

by becoming a seller of small-coal. During the day he wandered through

the streets carrying a sack of coals on his back, and crying them for

sale. In the evening he practised his viol, and studied the theory of

music. Moreover, he was as fond of studying chemistry as he was of

making music. The library of books and musical compositions which he

collected from second-hand book-stalls, in his peregrinations through

the streets during a period of thirty-six years, was extensive,

considering his position. A list of his music-books is given in

Hawkins's 'History of Music.' Thomas Britton lived in Aylesbury Street,

Clerkenwell, in a hired stable converted into a dwelling-house. The

ground-floor he used for the repository of his small-coal; and the room

above--a long and narrow space, with a ceiling so low that a tall man

could but just stand upright in it--was his concert-room. Here the best

musicians in London--among them Dr. Pepusch, Matthew Dubourg, the

violinist, who at that time was a little boy, and Handel, during the

last four years of Thomas Britton's life--were glad to perform. The fine

concerts and the estimable character of Thomas Britton became soon more

generally appreciated; his concerts, given gratuitously, attracted a

genteel audience, among whom might be seen dukes, lords, and other

persons of rank and wealth. The musical instruments of this great

small-coal man, which were sold by public auction after his death in

1714, are entered in the catalogue of the sale as follows:--"A fine

guitar in a case. A good dulcimer. Five instruments in the shape of

fish. A curious ivory Kitt and bow in case. A good violin by Ditton.

Another very good one. One said to be a Cremona. An extraordinary

Rayman. Three others ditto. One very beautiful one by Claud Pieray of

Paris, as good as a Cremona. One ditto. Another very good one. Another

ditto. A very good one for a high violin. Another ditto. An excellent

tenor. Another ditto by Mr. Lewis. A fine viol by Baker of Oxford.

Another excellent one, bellied by Mr. Norman. Another, said to be the

neatest and best that Jay ever made. A fine bass violin, new-neck'd and

bellied by Mr. Norman. Another rare good one by Mr. Lewis. A good

harpsichord by Philip Jones. A Rucker's virginal, thought to be the

best in Europe. An organ of five stops, exactly consort pitch, fit for a

room, and with some adornments may serve for any chapel, being a very

good one."

The "five instruments in the shape of fish" were, probably, specimens of

the _machÍte_, a small kind of guitar made in Portugal and Madeira, and

occasionally brought to England as a curiosity. However, the _pochette_

also was sometimes made in the shape of a fish. As regards the

instrument-makers mentioned in Britton's list, suffice it to state that

Jacob Rayman, who lived in Southwark about the year 1640, enjoyed a

reputation especially as a maker of fine violas, and that Edward Lewis,

who lived in London about the year 1700, was a distinguished

violin-maker. Barak Norman in London, Henry Jay in Southwark, and John

Baker in Oxford, were distinguished viol-makers of the seventeenth

century.

Some fine collections made in the present century by English gentlemen

consisted almost entirely of Italian violins, violas and violoncellos.

It is but natural that the possessor of real or supposed works of art

should feel particularly gratified when he finds them admired by persons

whose judgment he has reason to esteem. Louis Spohr, in his

'Autobiography,' describes a visit which he paid to an enthusiastic

musical _dilettante_ and collector of violins, in London, in the year

1820. Spohr had come over from Germany to England to give concerts, and

was unacquainted with the English language. He relates: "One morning a

livery-servant brought me a note containing the words: 'Mr. Spohr is

requested to call upon the undersigned to-day at four o'clock

precisely.' As the name of the writer was unknown to me, I answered in

the same laconic manner: 'I am engaged about that time, and cannot

come.' On the following morning the servant in livery brought another

note, much more politely written: 'Mr. Spohr is requested to favour the

undersigned with the honour of a visit, and to fix himself the time when

it will be convenient for him to come.' The servant had also been

desired to offer me the use of his master's carriage, and as I had

meanwhile ascertained that the gentleman was a celebrated physician who

habitually frequented concerts, and who took special interest in violin

performances, I no longer hesitated to accept his invitation. At the

time fixed by me the carriage arrived, and I drove to his house. A

courteous old man, with gray hair, met me already on the stairs; but now

we discovered that we could not talk together, as he spoke neither

French nor German. We stood for a moment embarrassed face to face, till

he took me by the arm and led me into a large room, on the walls of

which were hung a great number of violins. Other violins had been taken

out of their cases and were placed on the tables. The Doctor gave me a

violin-bow and pointed to the instruments. I now perceived that he

desired to have my opinion as to the value of his fiddles. I, therefore,

began at once to try one after the other, and to arrange them in a

certain order, according to their merit. This was no easy task; for,

there were so many, and the old gentleman brought all of them to me

without missing one. When, after the lapse of an hour, I had selected

the six most valuable ones, and was playing upon these alternately, to

ascertain which was the best, I perceived that the Doctor cast upon one

of them glances especially tender, and that whenever I touched the

strings of this one with the bow his face quite brightened up. I,

therefore, gladly afforded the good old man pleasure by declaring this

instrument to be the most superior one of the whole collection. Highly

delighted with this decision, he fetched a viola d'amore and

extemporised a fantasia upon this instrument, which has long since gone

out of use. I listened with pleasure, because the viola d'amore was at

that time unknown to me, and the Doctor proved a by no means bad player.

Thus ended the visit to our mutual satisfaction. When I took my hat to

leave, the old gentleman, with a kind smile and a deep bow, slipped a

five-pound note into my hand. Surprised, I looked at the money and at

the giver, not understanding at first what he meant by it; but suddenly

it occurred to me that it was intended as a fee for having examined his

violins. I smilingly shook my head, laid the paper on the table, pressed

the Doctor's hand, and descended the stairs. He followed me to the

street-door.... Some months later, when I gave my benefit-concert, the

Doctor procured a ticket, for which he sent me a ten-pound note."

One of the largest private collections of this kind, more recently

formed by an English musical amateur, was sold in London by auction in

the year 1872, after the death of its owner, Mr. Joseph Gillott of

Birmingham. It contained above 150 instruments played with a bow. Among

them were two viola da gambas, by Gaspar di Salo and Barak Norman; a

viola d'amore, by Bertrand, Paris, 1614; violins, violas, and

violoncellos assigned to Gaspar di Salo, Stradiuarius, Amati,

Guarnerius, Testore, Guadagnini, Bergonzi, and other famous makers.

If, as occasionally happens, an amateur who considers himself a good

judge of old violins is overreached by a dealer who professes to have

but little knowledge on the subject, the transaction is simple enough.

However, the purchaser of a "splendid Amati," or an "incomparable

Stradiuarius," obtained by him at a bargain, might remember that the

number of violins manufactured by the famous Cremona makers is limited,

and that the history of the specimens still extant is almost as

traceable as the pedigree of a prince or of a racehorse. As regards the

various lutes, citherns, wind instruments with reeds, etc., which were

popular during the last three centuries, many of them are now so scarce

as to be unknown, even to professional musicians, except to a few with

an archÊological turn of mind.

It may easily be understood, that a reference to books alone does not

ensure so thorough an acquaintance with the instruments as is obtainable

from a careful examination of the actual specimens which are therein

described. Should it interest the musician to restore to its original

condition some dilapidated lute or cithern which he may happen to pick

up, and to learn to play upon it according to the old method taught in

some old book, he will become acquainted with niceties in the

construction of the instrument, such as the peculiar arrangement of its

pegs, frets, bridge, pins, and other contrivances, which are not to be

learnt from books. Such knowledge of details gathered from practical

experience, which at a first glance may appear unimportant, is often of

great use, since it tends to throw light upon questions of more general

interest relating to the history of music. Indeed, in a search after

truth, every well-ascertained fact is of importance, since it serves as

a solid step for progress.

Again, in playing on the lute, harpsichord, or other antiquated

instrument the compositions written for it by our old masters, the

performer is sure to discover certain charms in the music which cannot

be expressed on any modern instrument, and which reveal faithfully the

original conceptions of the composer. Take, for instance, Handel's

'Suites de PiËces,' conceived by him for the harpsichord, with its

different stops and qualities of sound. In playing them on the

pianoforte, the strictly musical beauties can be expressed, and these,

it must be granted, constitute the greater charm of the compositions;

but many additional beauties, calculated upon the characteristics of the

harpsichord, are entirely lost. It does not, of course, therefore follow

that musicians ought to learn the harpsichord, lute, or any other

antiquated instrument, for which good music has been written. Enough, if

these observations convince them that there have been charming musical

instruments, as well as charming compositions, in former times, from

which valuable hints may be derived for further progress in the

inexhaustible art of music.

At all events, it appeared to me advisable to save from oblivion and

decay any such antiquities as I happened to meet with, in England. When

I began to form my collection, in the year 1868, scarcely any musician

in London took interest in the matter; and it was perhaps this

circumstance which enabled me soon to lay a good foundation for my

collection by searches in the old curiosity shops in Wardour Street, and

in similar places. Although the chief object was to obtain specimens of

the various musical instruments used by our forefathers, which are

alluded to by Shakespeare and other classical authors, it appeared to me

desirable, as illustrative of the history of music, to incorporate into

the collection the most interesting of the extra-European contrivances

of the kind, and among these principally such instruments of Asiatic

nations as are the prototypes of certain ones of our own. Moreover, some

of the extra-European acquisitions may be regarded as being antiquated,

since the introduction of Christianity and European civilisation into

some distant islands caused the natives to discontinue the construction

of such instruments as they formerly used in their pagan ceremonies.

About forty Hindu and Burmese instruments were selected from the

comprehensive collection which was sent from Hindustan to the

International Exhibition, London, 1872. They represent the most

characteristic inventions of the kind popular in Hindustan and Burmah,

and are, moreover, in an unimpaired condition, which is seldom the case

with such brittle manufactures tossed about on the sea from distant

lands.

As regards the European curiosities in the collection, their number was

perhaps most advantageously increased by some treasures which formed

part of the museum of Signor Mario in Florence, and which were sold in

London some years ago. Thus the collection has grown so as to comprise

now about two hundred and fifty instruments, some of which are of great

scarcity, and several are of great beauty. I gladly take this

opportunity to supply the musician with a survey of the collection,

since I know from experience how interesting and instructive such a list

is to the archÊological student. About a hundred instruments of the

collection, which are at present exhibited in the South Kensington

Museum, shall be noticed but briefly, since they are described in the

musical catalogue of the Museum, which is easily accessible. Omitting

some unimportant specimens, the collection contains:--

Sancho, a stringed instrument from Senegambia, Western Africa. Valga, a

stringed instrument from Congo, Western Africa. Its five strings are

made of vegetable fibre, and are tuned by being wound round five canes

inserted in the body. Length, 3 feet. The brass-headed buttons with

which the instrument is ornamented may have been derived from England.

It is not unfrequently the case that savages or semi-civilised people in

remote parts of the world adorn their rude works of art with some

acquisitions of European manufacture scarce with them, and therefore

much prized. In fact, European nations often evince a similar

predilection in the ornamentation of their articles of luxury. Five is

the usual number of canes in the valga; but there are also specimens

with ten canes, and consequently with ten strings. The canes are

generally stuck in holes under the body of the valga, and as they can be

inserted more deeply or drawn out at pleasure, this is probably the

method most commonly resorted to for tuning the strings. The valga is

made of different shapes. Some of these are precisely like the

riverboats of the Negroes, of which illustrations are given in Speke's

'Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile.' The valga is,

however, most popular in Western Africa, where it is known by different

names in different districts. Near the Gaboon river it is called

_wambee_; and in Benguela, _kissumba_. Kasso, a species of Negro harp

from Senegambia. Ingomba, a Negro drum from Lower Guinea, made of the

stem of a palm-tree, 6 feet 6 inches in length; covered at both ends

with the skin of an elephant's ear. Negro trumpet from Eastern-central

Africa. Made of the tusk of an animal. With two holes for blowing and

for modulating the sound, perforated towards the thinner end. This

trumpet was brought to England by the African traveller Petherick.

Abyssinian fiddle with bow. The whole instrument is cut out of one block

of wood. The belly is of parchment. Seven catgut strings. The thinnest

string is shorter than the others, and the peg by means of which it is

tuned is placed at the side of the neck close to the body. The

instrument in shape bears some resemblance to the _chikarah_ of the

Hindus. There are some musical instruments to be found on the Eastern

coast of Africa which probably were derived originally from Hindustan.

The present fiddle, which was brought to England by a soldier engaged in

the Abyssinian war, confutes the statement of Bruce and some other

travellers that the Abyssinians possess no instrument of the violin

class. Fiddle of the Zulu Kafirs, South-eastern Africa. A very primitive

contrivance, consisting of an iron basin, over which a skin is

stretched, and of a rudely-made bow. It has three gut-strings. The back

is open, the bottom of the basin having purposely been knocked out. This

instrument was sent by Mr. Alfred J. Topham, from Pieter-Maritzburg, to

the Manchester Exhibition. MarouvanÈ, a bamboo instrument from

Madagascar. Length, 21 inches. Its seven strings are cut out of the bark

of the bamboo and are raised by bridges consisting of little plugs of

wood. The tones produced are

[Music]

but as the position of some of the bridges may have been slightly

altered since the instrument came into the hands of Europeans, not much

reliance is to be placed on the odd arrangement of intervals here

exhibited.

Five nose-flutes, called _vivo_ and _fango-fango_, of the Polynesian

Islanders. Four of these instruments were brought to England by

Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Denham. Two are from the Tonga Islands, and two

from the Fiji Islands. Among the latter is especially noteworthy a large

and fine one, profusely ornamented with designs burnt into the surface,

which was obtained by Sir H. Denham at Angras, one of the Fiji Islands.

The fifth specimen is from Otaheite. Jew's harp, brought by Vice-Admiral

Sir Henry Denham from the Fiji Islands. It is neatly made of a sort of

cane. Three Pandean pipes (one with nine tubes, and two with eleven

tubes) brought by Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Denham from the Fiji Islands.

These neatly-constructed specimens of the syrinx yield the following

tones:--

[Music]

Bone flute of the Caribi Indians, in Guiana, South America. Two rattles

of the Indians of Vancouver Island, brought from Nootka Sound. Of wood,

formed in imitation of a bird and of a fish, and painted with different

colours. These rattles, called _belapella_, contain pebbles, and are

used by the Medicine Men in their incantations. Dancing rattles of the

Indians in the vicinity of the River Amazon, Brazil. Made of a species

of nut, a large number of which are hollowed, and suspended to a cord,

to be hung over the shoulders. By way of embellishment, some bright

feathers and the tail of a quadruped are interspersed between the nuts.

The sound produced by this rattle, when shaken, is soothing and

pleasant, somewhat like the sound caused by the waves over the shingle

on the sea-shore when heard at a distance. At any rate, it is preferable

to some more pretentious musical performances of the present day.

Sakasaka, a rattle of the Negroes of St. Lucia, West Indies. Ornamented

with some rude designs cut on the surface. It contains a number of small

red berries of an oval shape, known as jamboo berries.

Samsien, a Japanese stringed instrument. With a large plectrum of a

white wood. Its three strings are of silk. The body is square, and is

covered in front and at the back with parchment. Koto, a kind of

dulcimer, from Japan, with silken strings and movable bridges. The

present specimen is one of the smallest. Pepa, a Chinese kind of lute,

with four silken strings. Two specimens. Yue-kin, or "Moon-guitar," a

Chinese instrument, with four silken strings. Two specimens. San-heen, a

Chinese stringed instrument. Ur-heen, Chinese fiddle. Two specimens.

Tche, a Chinese stringed instrument, mounted with sixteen thin

wire-strings. Kin, a Chinese instrument, the favourite of the great

Confucius, and called, somewhat inappropriately, "Scholar's Lute." With

its case lacquered and gilt. Yang-kin, Chinese dulcimer, with two little

sticks or wooden hammers of a rather peculiar shape. Ty, Chinese flute.

Cheng, Chinese organ, with seventeen bamboo tubes, containing vibrating

tongues of metal, like our harmonium. Two specimens. Hiuen-tchung,

antique Chinese bell. Two specimens. Chinese kind of tambourine, with a

wooden hammer. Used in Buddhist worship. Chinese wooden castanets called

pan, made in the shape of two spoons combined.

Ranat, a kind of harmonicon from Siam. It has nineteen slabs of sonorous

wood placed over a sound-board resembling a canoe, and tuned

diatonically. Thro, three-stringed fiddle of the Burmese; two specimens.

The top of the finger-board of one of these fiddles is ornamented with

carvings in wood, and with a figure in ivory of a little idol. The

strings are of silk; the head of the other specimen is likewise

elaborately carved. This fiddle probably dates from the eighteenth

century, if not earlier, and is a fine specimen of Burmese art. It was

formerly in Signor Mario's museum. Megyoung, a Burmese stringed

instrument in the form of an alligator, with three silken strings and

eleven small bridges. Osee, a Burmese drum of a very peculiar

construction. Walet khot, Burmese castanets, consisting of a pair of

large split bamboos, 33 inches in length. Keay zoot, a pair of

diminutive castanets of metal, from Burmah; they are in the shape of a

saucer, and measure only an inch in diameter. The silvery tinkling sound

which they produce is pleasant.

Sitar, a Hindu stringed instrument from Nagpoor. Sitar, a fine specimen

with movable brass frets, Hindustan. The strings are of thin wire. Vina,

the principal national instrument of the Hindus, also known as the

Bengalese vina, strung with wire. The present specimen, which is of the

smaller kind, is also called _kinnari_. Been, or Anthara vinai,

Hindustan. This species of vina, is called by some Europeans, "the

Benares vina," while the old national instrument of the Hindus, which is

somewhat different in shape, is called, as we have just seen, "the

Bengalese vina," no doubt on account of their being most popular in the

districts indicated by their names. Rudra vina, from Bombay, a kind of

_been_ with sympathetic wire-strings, placed under the wire-strings

which are sounded by the player. Ta˚s and bow, Hindustan. The ta˚s is a

kind of sitar, the thin wire strings of which are played with a bow. It

is made in the shape of a peacock, hence its name _ta˚s_, which

signifies "peacock." The present specimen, which was sent by the Rajah

of Navha to the International Exhibition, London, 1872, is from the

Punjab. It is richly coloured, and gilt. The crest and the tail of the

bird represented are peacock's feathers, stuck into holes made for the

purpose. Koka, a rude kind of Hindu fiddle, mounted with two wire

strings, from Bombay. The body consists of a large nut. The instrument

bears a strong resemblance to the _gunibry_ of the Barbary States; the

latter is, however, played with the fingers, instead of a bow. Chikarah,

a Hindu instrument of the violin class, from Bombay. It is cut out of a

single block of wood, which, when rubbed or damped, emits a peculiar

aromatic scent. The belly is of parchment. The instrument has three

catgut-strings, beneath which are placed seven thin strings of wire. The

wire-strings are fastened to tuning-pegs situated at the side of the

neck. They merely serve as sympathetic strings, to increase the

sonorousness when the catgut-strings are played upon with the bow.

Sarungi, a Hindu instrument of the violin class, from Bombay. It is

constructed of the same kind of wood as the chikarah before mentioned,

but its shape is different. The belly is of parchment. The four

catgut-strings with which the sarungi is mounted are played with the

bow, and thirteen strings of thin brass wire, which run through little

holes in the ivory bridge, are placed under the catgut-strings to serve

as sympathetic strings. The performer on the sarungi does not press the

catgut-strings down upon the finger-board, but touches them at the side

with his fingers to produce the tones which he desires. He places the

instrument before his breast in a nearly perpendicular direction.

Whatever may be thought of this method of playing, the sarungi is

certainly considered a very effective instrument, not only by the

Hindus, but even by some European listeners. For instance, Colonel

Meadows Taylor ('Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, 1865,'

p. 115) remarks: "Its tones are nearer, perhaps, in quality to the human

voice than any other instrument with which I am acquainted." However, he

does not appear to be acquainted with many instruments. Sarinda, a Hindu

violin, with three strings. It is made of a single block of wood,

hollowed, and carved. The upper part of the body is left partially open,

and is partially covered with skin resembling bladder, generally from a

species of gazelle. Sarod, with bow; a Hindu instrument with four

catgut-strings, and underneath them five thin strings of brass. On the

neck are three catgut-frets. The instrument is painted with designs in

various colours. It came from Gwalior. Rabab, a kind of guitar of the

Hindus, played with a plectrum. It resembles the saruda. Toontoonee:

this curious Hindu instrument, with one wire-string, is used by

mendicants and ballad-singers in the Dekhan. Santir, a dulcimer, from

Cashmere. Sarmundal, from Kattyawar, Hindustan; a kind of dulcimer in a

case. This scarce instrument is tastefully ornamented with painted

flowers and fanciful designs. Its wire-strings are twanged with a

plectrum made of wood and glass. Murchang, Jew's harp; two specimens of

a peculiar shape, from Cashmere. Shank, conch trumpet, from Kattyawar,

Hindustan, beautifully ornamented with brasswork. The shank is a sacred

instrument blown by the Brahmin priests. Tootooree, a horn of metal,

from Hindustan. Kombu, a horn of the Hindus, resembling in its

semicircular shape the tootooree, but being smaller and heavier; from

Madras. Bhangull, a very thin and long metal trumpet, from Kattyawar, in

Hindustan. Kurna, a metal trumpet, straight and large, from Hindustan.

Seeng, a large brass trumpet, from Hindustan. Poongee (also called

magoudi and toomeree), the snake-charmer's double pipe, from Hindustan.

Each tube contains a single reed. There are three specimens of the

poongee in the collection, one of which is painted with various designs.

The tubes of the poongee are inserted in a gourd. Mukha, a kind of oboe,

from Madras. Mukhavinai, a small kind of oboe, Hindustan. Ottu, a

species of oboe, somewhat resembling the Arabic zourna, from Janpore, in

Hindustan. Zourna, from Hindustan; made of a dark brown wood, with nine

finger-holes. Buguri, a very peculiar reed wind-instrument, having

finger-holes like a flute, and being at its lower end provided with a

bell like a trumpet, from Madras. Bansee, flute, Hindustan. Double

flageolet, from Hindustan. Nagarah, a drum, from Surat, Hindustan. The

body is of red earthenware, and the parchment is affixed to it by means

of a leathern network, which is tastefully adjusted over the back of the

drum; diameter at the top, 16 inches; height, 6-1/2 inches. Banyan, a

small hand-drum, Hindustan. Davandai, a kind of double drum, or rather a

double darabouka, Hindustan. Kudu Kuduppai, a very diminutive double

darabouka of brass and fish bladder, Hindustan. Ghunta, a small bell

with a handle, used by the Brahmin priests of Hindustan in religious

ceremonies. Jalar, a pair of large castanets of metal, resembling small

cymbals, from Hindustan. The sound of them is remarkably pure and

sustained.

Rebab; a three-stringed fiddle from Persia. The body, cut out of a

single piece of wood, is rudely ornamented with a pattern which is burnt

on it. The strings are of catgut. They run at the top of the neck

through holes, and are fastened at the back to the tuning-pegs. This

_rebab_ is an exact counterpart of the _rebec_ formerly popular in

Western Europe. Kem‚ngeh a'gouz, with bow; from Egypt; a species of

Eastern violoncello, with two strings made of horsehair. The body

consists of the shell of a cocoa-nut, covered at the top with a bladder

and perforated at the back with a number of sound-holes. Tanbour

Baghlama; the eastern mandoline, strung with four thin wire-strings. Two

specimens from Egypt. Gunibry; a rather primitive two-stringed

instrument of the guitar kind, from Morocco; two specimens. Kuitra, a

kind of guitar from the Barbary States. The body is made of a tortoise.

The _kuitra_, or _kitar_, an instrument of the Persians and Arabs, is

evidently the prototype of our guitar. The present specimen is one of

the small kinds of kuitra; the larger kind has eight strings of sheep's

gut arranged in four pairs.

Three English flageolets, made in the beginning of the present century.

An ivory fl˚te ‡ bec, made by Stanesby, junior, London, 1740. An ivory

flauto piccolo with a silver key; English, eighteenth century. An ivory

flauto traverso with one silver key; English, eighteenth century. This

ivory flute and the two preceding ones are handsome instruments. A fl˚te

‡ bec; English, about 1700; of box-wood and ivory; length, 18 inches;

eight finger-holes, and without any key. An English recorder, of wood

stained black; length, 26 inches; it probably dates from the seventeenth

century. Two tenor flutes, German, made about the year 1600. Length, 2

ft. 9 in. Seven finger-holes and one key. These scarce instruments were

formerly in Signor Mario's museum. An English bass flute, made about the

year 1650. Wood and ivory; with a brass tube for blowing the instrument.

Six finger-holes, and one brass key at the upper side, and one

finger-hole for the thumb at the opposite side. Length, 3 ft. 8 in.

Three double flageolets dating from the beginning of the present

century, two of which are made by Bainbridge in London, and the third is

inscribed "Simpson." A triple flageolet, on which harmony in three parts

can be played; made by Bainbridge in London, in the beginning of the

present century. An English horn (oboe da caccia) made of red cedar, by

Thomas Stanesby, junior, in London, about 1740. An English horn (oboe da

caccia), eighteenth century; probably made in England. Wood, stained

black, and ivory. This is the kind of oboe which J. S. Bach has employed

in his 'Passion of St. Matthew.' A dolciano, a small bassoon.

Inscription: "Wood and Ivy, late Gerd Wood, London." A basset horn

(corno di bassetto), probably English. A border bagpipe, from

Northumberland. With bellows, and four drones. A French bagpipe

(cornemuse). An English trumpet in case; made probably in the eighteenth

or in the beginning of the nineteenth century. A small trombone,

English, made by Allen and Pace. A horn, of brass; the bell terminating

in the head of a serpent; English, eighteenth century. A serpent, by

"Gerrock Wolf, in London;" beginning of the present century. Two

alphorns, made by M. von Euw in B¸rgy, Rigi Kulm, Canton Swyz,

Switzerland, of birchwood neatly covered with birch-bark. Length, 8 ft.

1 in. A cither, a specimen of the kind which was commonly found in

England, some centuries ago, in barbers' shops; English, about 1700.[6]

A German cither; end of the seventeenth century. Ornamented with

marquetry. A small English cither, made about the year 1700. The open

strings produce only five tones instead of six. Specimens of this kind

are very scarce. An English cither of the eighteenth century. An English

cither made by Remerus Liessem, London, 1756. The body is of a very

old-fashioned form, having several incurvations at the sides. A small

English cither of the eighteenth century. The sound-hole is ornamented

with a rose made of wood. The rose of the English cither is more usually

made of bronze. Cetera; an Italian cither, made about the year 1680.

This is the most beautiful cither in the collection. The entire

instrument, except the belly, is inlaid with tasteful designs in ivory

and ebony. Also the tone is remarkably fine. A Scotch cither neatly

inlaid with wood ornamentation. At the back is a plate of

mother-of-pearl with the inscription "Rudiman, ABDN, DG." Perhaps this

cither belonged to the well-known Latin grammarian Rudiman, who, about

the year 1700, was at King's College in Aberdeen. An Irish cither with

an ivory finger-board and with ten tuning-screws of brass. A large

specimen. Made by Perry in Dublin; eighteenth century. Cithara; a

Portuguese cither with six pairs of wire-strings, inlaid with

tortoise-shell and ivory. Made by Joan Vieira da Silva at Lisbon, about

1700. Cithara; a Portuguese cither, probably dating from the beginning

of the eighteenth century. Mounted with twelve strings in pairs. A very

fine-toned instrument. Inscription: "Cyprianio Antonio a fez em Lisboa,

ao Largo da EsperanÁa." A keyed cither; English, eighteenth century. It

has six ivory keys. The idea of applying keys like those of the

pianoforte to the cither, and thus striking the wire-strings with

hammers instead of twanging them with a quill originated in Germany, but

proved to be of no practical advantage. Bijuga cither (_i.e._ a cither

with a double neck, like the theorbo). Two French specimens, dating from

about the middle of the eighteenth century. Bijuga cither, made by

Renault in Paris, anno 1779. This handsome species of cither,

constructed like the theorbo, but having a flat back, was evidently

often strung in France with catgut instead of wire, and played with the

fingers like the theorbo. It is probably the instrument which in some

old French books is called _pandore_. It has sixteen strings. A French

bijuga cither of the eighteenth century, inlaid with mother-of-pearl,

ivory and ebony. A fine specimen. An English bijuga cither, eighteenth

century. A German bijuga cither (or Grosszither, as it used to be called

in Germany), sixteenth century. With seventeen wire-strings. This old

instrument is very beautiful in shape, and has a remarkably picturesque

rose in the middle of the sound-board. Two Neapolitan mandolinos, inlaid

with designs in mother-of-pearl tortoise-shell and ivory. One of these

handsome instruments bears the inscription "Januarius Vinaccio fecit,

Neapoli, in Rio Catalana, A. Domini 1776." A beautiful Neapolitan

mandolino in its old Italian case. Inside the instrument is the

inscription "Vincentius Vinaccio fecit, Neapoli, Sito Nella Calata de

Spitalletto, A. D. 1785." A Milanese mandolino, dating from about the

year 1700. Rosewood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoise-shell, and

ivory. Silver frets. In front, a figure of Apollo under a canopy and

other embellishments in mother-of-pearl. An ornamented sound-hole, the

rose being covered with glass. A figure, made of mother-of-pearl, inlaid

near the bridge, contains the engraved initials "A. G.," which may be

those of the maker of this elegant instrument--possibly Andreas

Guarnerius. This mandolino, the handsomest I ever saw, is of the kind

called by some musicians "mandurina." It has twelve wire-strings which

are arranged in pairs, and therefore produce six tones; while the more

common Neapolitan mandolino has eight strings constituting four pairs. A

French mandoline, made by Eulry-Clement, in Mirecourt, Vosges, beginning

of the present century; the back inlaid with strips of different woods.

Eight strings arranged in four pairs. A mandola; Italian, seventeenth

century. This scarce instrument may be most briefly described as a huge

Neapolitan mandolino. It has the shape of the mandolino, but the size of

a large lute; sixteen wire-strings, placed in pairs, produce eight tones

of the open strings. The sound is remarkably full and fine. A mandola,

similar to the preceding one, inscribed "Gio. Battista, Neapoli, A. D.

1701." Length, 2 ft. 11 in.; depth of body, 10 in. The mandola was

played with a quill like the mandolino and the cither. Pandura, two

specimens, made in Italy about the year 1700. Bandurria; Spanish,

eighteenth century; played with a plectrum usually made of

tortoise-shell. Pandore; English, seventeenth century; played with a

quill. It is also called chiterna. Pandurina; Italian, about 1700; its

nine catgut and wire strings are arranged in pairs tuned in unison,

except the lowest, which is single. The open strings, therefore, produce

five tones. The neck is provided with catgut frets. The pandurina, which

in shape resembles a diminutive lute, even smaller than the Neapolitan

mandoline, was usually played with the fingers, but occasionally also

with a quill. On the Continent, gentlemen used to carry it under their

mantle when they went to musical parties, or for serenading. Pandurina,

twelve-stringed. Inscription: "Carlo Steffani fece. L'Anno 1712, in

Mantova." Pandurina, in its old Italian case, with brass ornamentation.

The back made of strips of ebony and ivory; length, 20 in. Ivory frets;

twelve metal strings. Inscription in the inside: "Joseph Molinari,

Venetus, Anno, 1737." Quinterna, Italian, seventeenth century. A species

of guitar somewhat resembling a violin in shape, with frets made of

catgut. Mounted with eight catgut-strings which produce five tones, as

they are arranged in three pairs and two single ones. A five-stringed

guitar inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoise-shell. Italian,

eighteenth century. A French guitar, made by Vobeam, a celebrated

lute-maker of the time of Louis XIV. The strings are arranged in pairs

tuned in unison. An English guitar, made in the beginning of the present

century; the back and sides of the body are of rosewood; the sides have

several indentations. Machine head. Portuguese guitar, made about the

year 1600, with three sound-holes. The head is bent backwards somewhat

like that of the lute; the frets are of catgut, as they used likewise to

be on the lute. Not only the belly, but the entire body is made of thin

pine-wood. The strings, twelve in number, are arranged so that the

higher six are in sets of two, and the lower six in sets of three. As

the strings of each set are tuned in unison, five tones are produced by

the open strings. An inscription in the inside of this guitar, now

greatly obliterated, runs as follows: "Manoel Correa de Almda Uileiro

da Rainha, N. S., morador na Ruadireita la EsperanÁa LXa." It would,

therefore, appear that the guitar was made by Manoel Correa of Almeida

in the province of Beira, Portugal, and that the maker had the title of

manufacturer of musical instruments to the Queen. The Portuguese

musician, Manoel Correa, born in the year 1590, at Lisbon, and engaged

about the year 1620 as chapelmaster at the Cathedral in Saragossa, was

probably of the same family as the maker of this instrument. A guitar of

the Portuguese peasants, made in Lisbon, eighteenth century; oval shape

with indentations at the side; six strings. Inside is a label with the

inscription: "Joze Terreira Coelho a fez em, Lisboa, ao Poco los Negros,

a Cruz da EsperanÁa." MachÍte, a small guitar with four strings;

Portuguese, eighteenth century. Harp-guitar; English, about 1800. On the

finger-board is the inscription: "Clementi and Co., London;" painted

with flowers, etc.; eight strings. The pianist and composer Clementi

gave his name to a firm of music-sellers in the year 1800. Harp-guitar;

English, about 1800; seven strings. The harp-guitar was manufactured

with the intention of producing a sort of guitar with a superior quality

of sound, by adopting the body of the harp. Lyre-guitare; French, period

of Louis XV.; a guitar in the form of Apollo's lyre, with the addition

of a finger-board in the middle. Lyre-guitare; French, said to have

belonged to Queen Marie-Antoinette; carved and gilt. Guitar-lyre;

English, made by R. Wornum, Wigmore Street, London, about 1770. The

English guitar-lyre is in its construction almost identical with the

French lyre-guitare. Harp-lute; English, about 1800; painted green, with

gilt ornamentation of flowers, and other designs. Dital harp; English.

An improved harp-lute, recorded to have been invented by Edward Light,

London, about the year 1800. Harp-ventura; English, invented at the

beginning of the present century by Angelo Benedetto Ventura, in London.

This gorgeously-ornamented instrument resembles the dital harp and the

harp-lute in construction. Harp-theorbo; English, made by Walker, about

1800. Lute, the back inlaid with ivory and various woods. From an

inscription in the inside, now greatly obliterated, it would appear that

this lute was made by Magnus Tieffenbruker, in Venice, about 1580. Lute,

by Laux Maler, in Bologna, fifteenth century. Brass and ivory screws

have been substituted for the original tuning-pegs. This contrivance, as

well as a painting of flowers on the sound-board, is probably not older

than a hundred years. The places where some of the ancient tuning-pegs

were fixed are still discernible. The cracks on its pear-shaped body

rather contribute to its dignity, and might be likened to the wrinkles

of a venerable grandsire. The sound of this old lute is very fine. A

German lute, made by Jacobus Heinrich Goldt, in Hamburg, anno 1712.

According to an inscription in the inside, it was altered in the year

1753. A French lute of the seventeenth century. An Italian lute;

inscription: "Vvendelio Venere in Padova, 1600;" with the head turned

backwards; twenty strings. This lute is of one of the most celebrated

Italian lute-makers, and is in a well-preserved and playable condition,

notwithstanding its high age. An English lute with a double neck

(Testudo theorbata) made about 1650. A theorbo, Italian, seventeenth

century. It has twenty-four catgut strings, which are arranged in pairs

tuned in unison, except the highest two which are single strings. It was

the custom to have the highest string, called _chanterelle_, single; it

principally served for playing the melody. Sometimes, as in the present

instance, two _chanterelles_ were used. The twenty-four open strings,

therefore, produce thirteen different tones. The frets are of catgut. A

French theorbo, made about the year 1700. An archlute; Italian, about

1700; a large instrument, with eighteen strings, ten of which are for

the upper set of tuning-pegs, belonging to the bass strings which are at

the side of the finger-board. The ten bass strings produce five tones

with their octaves, each tone having two strings tuned in an octave. The

archlute, or bass-theorbo, is the largest sized kind of the theorbo, or

lute with a double neck. An Italian archlute, inscribed: "Matheus

Bucchenberg, Roma, 1619." From Signor Mario's museum. Bucchenberg, or

Bueckenberg as he was more generally called, was one of the most

celebrated lute-makers in Italy, and a German by birth. The present

archlute has three ornamented sound-holes. It is provided with a

mechanism by means of which any one of the bass strings by the side of

the finger-board can be raised a semitone in pitch at the pleasure of

the performer. This ingenious contrivance, which renders the bass

strings more useful in compositions having modulations into distant

major or minor keys, occurs also on a French theorbo dating from about

the year 1700, which is in my collection. But on this French theorbo,

the mechanism acts upon all the strings beside the finger-board

simultaneously, while on the archlute just noticed it is contrived so

that any single string may be altered in pitch independently of others.

As the mechanism is evidently not a later addition, but was made with

the instrument in 1619, it is suggestive to musical antiquarians,

inasmuch as it reveals a higher degree of progress in the construction

of the lute than is generally supposed to have been attained about the

beginning of the seventeenth century. An Italian theorbino, or the

smallest kind of theorbo, seventeenth century; with sixteen strings, six

of which run beside the finger-board. A chitarrone, or large Roman

theorbo; Italian. Inscription: "Vitus de Angelis, Bonon, 1609." It is

about six feet long, and has twenty-one strings. The chitarrone was

formerly called Roman theorbo, because it was principally used at Rome.

There was a similar instrument popular at Padua, somewhat smaller in

size. The present specimen was made in Bologna. The chitarrone was used

in the orchestra, assisting at dramatic performances as well as in

church music. It was often strung with wire instead of catgut; the same

was the case with the common theorbo of Germany and England. A

chitarrone, with marquetry and three ornamented sound-holes; made by M.

Bueckenberg, in Rome, anno 1614. From Signor Mario's collection. An

Irish harp (clarseth), strung with wire; made by Egan, in Dublin, in the

beginning of the present century. An arpanetta (German, Spitzharfe),

English, seventeenth century; with one hundred steel wire-strings and

thirty-five brass wire-strings. A b˚che (German, Scheidholt), from Val

d'Ajol, in the Vosges mountains, in France; made in the beginning of the

present century. An English specimen of the _hummel_, probably made

during the eighteenth century; with twelve wire strings. It resembles

the b˚che, and may be regarded as an antiquated species of our present

horizontal cither. A bell-harp, made by John Simcock, in Bath, about the

year 1700: length, 20 in. It has sixteen tones. Each tone is produced by

three thin brass wire-strings tuned in unison. The strings are twanged

with two little plectra, or quills, of which the performer fastens one

to the thumb of each hand. The two wooden handles, one on each side of

the instrument, are for holding while swinging it during the

performance, to produce the effect of a distant bell. A bell-harp;

English, about 1700. Inscribed: "Bath, John Simcock, inventor and

maker." This instrument has twenty-four tones produced by thin brass

wire-strings. The highest tones have each four strings tuned in unison,

the others have three, except the deepest, which is produced by a single

string covered with wire. The instrument is in its old case. Dulcimer;

English, with movable bridges. Inscribed: "Old Weston, Huntingdonshire,

1846." Dulcimer; English, beginning of the present century; of mahogany,

the sound-board of pine, being painted green, and gilt. Sixteen sets of

wire-strings, each set consisting of three strings tuned in unison.

Salterio, Italian dulcimer, made by Antonio Bertefice, at Florence, in

the year 1745. Salterio; Italian dulcimer; a small specimen, inscribed

at the back: "Antonius Berri fecit, Anno 1722." From Signor Mario's

museum. Echelette; French, eighteenth century. It has twenty-two slabs

of a hard and sonorous wood, which are sounded by being struck with two

little mallets. A sordino, or boat-shaped pochette; English, seventeenth

century. An Italian sordino, dating from about the year 1600. The body

is of tortoise-shell, inlaid with silver; the tuning-pegs are of ivory;

with a carved head of wood and ivory. The entire length of this sordino

is only 14 inches. A kit, or pochette, in the shape of the violin;

Italian, about 1600. Violetta piccola, the smallest kind of the old viol

instruments, shaped with a slanting neck like the viola da gamba. This

small species of treble viol was called by the French _haute-contre_.

Italian, seventeenth century. A five-stringed viol, called by the French

_quinton_. Inscription "Antonius Gragnani fecit, Anno 1741." A small

six-stringed viol, called by the French _dessus-de-viole_; French,

seventeenth century. A six-stringed viol, called by the French

_pardessus_; French, seventeenth century. A treble viol, with a carved

head; English, about 1700. Its neck has catgut frets, and its six

strings were tuned like those of the bass-viol, or viola da gamba, but

an octave higher. A countertenor-viol; English, seventeenth century.

Inside is the inscription: "Henry Jay, in Southwarke, 1667." The scroll

is finely carved. The belly has, besides the usual two sound-holes, an

oval sound-hole in the middle, with an ornamental rose. The back has a

peculiar curve towards the end; probably, the instrument was intended to

rest on the left shoulder when played. Like the viola da gamba, it has

six strings and catgut frets. It was tuned a fifth higher than the viola

da gamba. A tenor-viol; English, about 1620. This small species of viola

da gamba is now very scarce. It was tuned a fourth higher than the

larger viola da gamba, or bass-viol. Viola da gamba, inlaid with

mythological representations and other ornamentation in ivory,

mother-of-pearl, tortoise-shell, and precious stones. Made about the

year 1580, probably by Joachim Tielke in Hamburg; a splendid instrument.

Viola da gamba; English, seventeenth century; with a finely-carved head

representing the bust of a girl. Inside is the inscription: "Richard

Meares, without Bishopsgate, near to Sir Paul Pinder's, London, Fecit

1677." In the _Post Boy_ of the 9th of July, 1720, we find the following

advertisement: "This is to give notice to all gentlemen and ladies,

lovers of musick, that the most celebrated new opera of 'Radamistus,'

composed by Mr. Handell, is now engraving finely upon copper-plates by

Richard Meares, musical instrument maker and music printer, at the

Golden Viol. To make this work more acceptable, the author has been

prevailed upon to correct the whole." The Golden Viol was the sign of a

music-shop in St. Paul's Churchyard, where Richard Meares, the publisher

of Handel's opera, lived. But, to judge from a notice of this publisher

given in Hawkins's 'History of Music' (Vol. V., p. 109), it appears that

he was the son of the maker of the present viola da gamba. At any rate,

when Handel came to England this instrument was no longer a new one; for

it was made before Handel was born. The bow belonging to it is of the

old-fashioned kind known as the Corelli bow. And it may be here

mentioned that with most of the viols before enumerated curious bows are

placed which have long since gone out of use. Viola da gamba; Italian,

about 1600; with a finely-carved head. The finger-board is inlaid with

designs of flowers, etc., in tortoise-shell and ivory. This fine-toned

bass-viol is supposed to have been made by Gaspar di Salo. At all

events, it is a valuable specimen by some early Italian maker. Viola da

gamba; English, about 1700. The instrument resembles a small

violoncello, since its body does not slant towards the neck. An

illustration of this kind of viola da gamba is given in 'The

Division-Violist, by Christopher Simpson, London, 1659.' Its body is

remarkably flat, and its quality of sound is consequently very clear.

Like the common viola da gamba, the instrument is six-stringed, and has

catgut frets. A seven-stringed viola da gamba; probably Italian; towards

the end of the seventeenth century. The addition of a seventh string to

the viola da gamba is said to have been first resorted to by the French

_virtuoso_ Maria Marais, towards the end of the seventeenth century. The

string added is the lowest, and is tuned a minor third lower than the C

string on the violoncello. The innovation evidently did not find much

favour with gamba players in general; and it is seldom that one still

meets with a seven-stringed gamba. A four-stringed viola da gamba; made

by John Baker in Oxford, anno 1688. Four-stringed gambas met with at the

present day are almost invariably altered six-stringed ones, on which

the neck has been narrowed, and the head shortened, so that the

instrument may be used as a small violoncello. This one was originally

made with only four strings, and has evidently never been tampered

with. Viola d'amore; Italian, seventeenth century. A fine specimen, in a

well-preserved condition. Viola d'amore; Italian, seventeenth century.

Old-fashioned shape, having several incurvations at the sides, and a

sound-hole with a rose in the middle of the belly. Seven catgut-strings,

and underneath them seven sympathetic strings of thin steel-wire. Viola

d'amore; German, eighteenth century. Probably made by Jacob Rauch, in

Mannheim, about 1740. With only five catgut-strings, and with eight

sympathetic wire-strings. An English viola d'amore strung entirely with

wire, seventeenth century; with a curiously-constructed head, ornamented

with a carved female bust. A so-called psaltery (also known as sultana

and cither-viol). Mounted with six wire-strings, and played with a bow.

Irish; eighteenth century. Made by Thomas Perry, in Dublin, anno 1767. A

psaltery, made by Thomas Perry, in Dublin, second half of eighteenth

century. The neck and the tail-piece are of ivory. Its ten strings are

of steel and brass wire, the highest eight being arranged in four pairs

producing four tones, and the others are single ones producing two

tones. Hardangerfelen. A kind of viola d'amore of the Hardanger peasants

in Norway, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ivory. The top, carved and

gilt, represents a dragon's head. This fiddle has four catgut-strings,

and four thin steel-strings beneath them. Inside is the inscription

"Fabrokert of Knudt Erikson, Helland, 1872." It was sent to me from

Christiania. Violins of unusual shapes, three curious specimens, made

during the eighteenth century. A violin made of iron. Probably English,

beginning of the present century. If on no other account, this violin is

certainly interesting in an acoustic point of view, since it proves that

much sound is obtainable merely by the vibration of the strings acting

upon the column of air in the violin, without any assisting vibration of

the belly or sound-board. At all events, the substance of which this

violin is made is not likely to contribute to the sonorousness. A tromba

marina or marine trumpet, probably Dutch, seventeenth century. Besides

one string of thick catgut upon the instrument, there are in the inside

forty-one sympathetic strings of thin steel-wire. A nyckel-harpa, a

curious instrument of the Swedish peasantry, which may be briefly

described as a combination of a fiddle and a hurdy-gurdy. A crwth, an

antiquated Welsh instrument of the fiddle class. The body is cut out of

a single block of wood, the belly only being glued to it. Two specimens

of the nail-violin, one of which has sympathetic strings of thin

brass-wire running over the sound-board. These two curious instruments

were probably made in France or Germany about the year 1800. The

invention of the nail-violin is attributed to a German of the name of

Wilde, who lived in St. Petersburg about the middle of the eighteenth

century. A hurdy-gurdy (French, _vielle_), made by Pagot at Jenzat, a

small town near Orleans, about the year 1840. Carved head. Six

tuning-pegs at the top, and one at the tail-piece. This hurdy-gurdy is

of the kind which the French call _vielle en luth_, because its body is

shaped like that of the lute. The other kind, which has indentations at

the sides resembling those of the guitar, is called _vielle en guitare_.

Organ hurdy-gurdy, or _vielle organisÈe_, made by a Frenchman residing

in London during the middle of the eighteenth century. This curious

instrument, which was formerly also known in England, where it was

called _flute-cymbal_, consists of a hurdy-gurdy combined with a small

organ of two stops, and it is so contrived as to allow the hurdy-gurdy

or the organ to be used each separately, or both combined, at the

pleasure of the performer. Some portions of it have been restored in the

present century. Clavichord, generally called in German _Clavier_. Made

in Einbeck, near Hanover, about the year 1800. Clavichord, made in

Thuringia. Clavichord, made by the celebrated manufacturer, Barthold

Fritz, in Brunswick, in the year 1751; ornamented with painting and

engraving. Harpsichord, inscribed "Jacobus Kirkman, Londini, fecit

1772." The case is of walnut, inlaid with tulip-wood. Carved legs

representing eagle's claws grasping a ball. With two keyboards,

constituting a "double harpsichord," as it used to be called in England.

The woodwork about the keyboards is ornamented with designs in marquetry

of various coloured woods. This harpsichord has six stops and two

pedals, and is provided with a Venetian swell. Jacobus Kirkman, having

obtained an order from King George III. to produce a fine harpsichord

intended as a present for Queen Charlotte, made--as manufacturers under

such circumstances not unfrequently do--two harpsichords exactly alike,

viz., one for Queen Charlotte, and the present one, which was bought by

John Bacon, the famous sculptor, after whose death it came into the

possession of Dr. Sclatter, priest-vicar of Exeter Cathedral, who had it

for nearly half-a-century, and after whose death it was sold at a sale

of his effects. Harpsichord with two keyboards, six stops, and two

pedals. Inscribed "Jacobus et Abraham Kirkman, fecerunt 1773." The case

is of mahogany; the wood near the keyboards is walnut, inlaid with

tulip-wood and a tesselated border of various coloured woods. Only the

lute-stop has jacks with crow-quills; the jacks of the other stops are

provided with small pieces of prepared leather instead of quills. The

variety in the colour of sound thereby obtained is very effective. This

instrument probably exhibits the highest degree of perfection which was

ever attained in the construction of the harpsichord, in so far as

quality and power of sound are concerned. As regards outward appearance,

the beauty of some of the Dutch harpsichords, or _clavicembali_,

ornamented with paintings by celebrated artists, is unsurpassed.

It now remains to draw attention to the fact that many of the Museums of

Antiquities in different countries instituted by Government contain some

curiosities of the kind in question which cannot fail to interest the

musical antiquarian. This is the case even in America, where in the

museums of Mexico, Lima, and other towns, may be found among the

examples of workmanship and arts of the Aztecs and the Inca Peruvians

various contrivances relating to music. That royal personages in their

cabinets of curiosities obtained from distant lands should not

unfrequently have scarce, or handsome, or grotesque-looking musical

instruments is only what might be expected. There are, for instance,

about forty acquisitions of this kind in Windsor Castle, which consist

chiefly of Asiatic and African drums, pipes, and stringed instruments.

Several of them, however, are spoiled by having been "improved," or

Europeanized. Some have descriptive labels attached to them, as, for

instance, an Ashanti war-trumpet made of a human bone, and ornamented

with human jawbones; and an Ashanti war-drum, carved from the trunk of a

tree, and likewise ornamented with human jawbones; which two

curiosities, the labels inform us, belonged to the King of Ashanti, from

whom they were taken "in the action in which he was defeated by Colonel

Purden. Sent by Sir Herbert Taylor in 1827. Brought to England by

Major-General Sir Neil Campbell, commanding on the Western Coast of

Africa." There is also in this assemblage a fanciful contrivance, which

is intended for a sort of guitar, and of which a label affixed informs

us: "This instrument was made from the head of the Duke of Schomberg's

horse, killed at the battle of the Boyne, 1690."

Of the special exhibition of ancient musical instruments held in the

South Kensington Museum in the year 1872, an account has been given in

the Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments in the South

Kensington Museum, London, 1874. The present survey would, however, be

imperfect if that remarkable exhibition were left entirely unnoticed,

although the collection which it comprised had an existence of four

months only. Suffice it here to record that it contained upwards of five

hundred instruments, including a large number of violins, violas, and

violoncellos of the celebrated Cremona makers. Should a similar

exhibition be attempted, an equally successful result is not likely to

be achieved for years, if ever. Old and scarce musical instruments have

become of much more antiquarian interest than formerly was the case. The

specimens still obtainable by purchase gradually find their way into

public museums, not only in European countries, but also in America, and

in the English colonies. Whenever they have been secured for a museum

they generally are no longer obtainable on loan for other exhibitions.

Private persons possessing such treasures set upon them a higher value

than formerly, and are therefore less inclined to expose them to the

risk of being injured. For these reasons it appears all the more

desirable that there should be some record of the collections known to

be still in existence.

[5] Some account of the instruments in Eisenberg appeared in the Vienna

paper, "Die Presse," of November 27th, 1872.

[6] In England the cither was formerly called _cittern_, _cithern_,

_cythorn_, _citharen_, etc.

[Illustration]