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Credits

All instrument photographs on this website are used with permission from ©2008 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Images for RILM Products

RILM Abstracts of Music Literature / with Full Text

Charles Alexandre Pellerin, French, active mid 19th century
Mélophone, about 1845
Object Place: Paris, France
Maple
Length 77.6 cm, width 30.3 cm, depth 12 cm (Length 30 9/16 in., width 11 15/16 in., depth 4 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1947

RILM Music Encyclopedias

Vessel flute (xun), 19th century
Object Place: China
Lacquered earthenware
Height 6.5 cm, diameter 5.7 cm (Height 2 9/16 in., diameter 2 1/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2114

MGG Online

Rattle necklace (gorgigala?), 1900–50
Cuna culture
Object Place: Panama, San Blas Island
Pelican bones, seed beads
Length 21.1 cm (8 5/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Mary L. Smith Fund, 1986.606

Index to Printed Music

Keyed fiddle (nyckelharpa) and bow, 19th century
Object Place: Sweden
Pine
Length 80.5 cm, width 18.5 cm (Length 31 11/16 in., width 7 5/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1734a-b

DEUMM Online

Keyed metallophone, probably 1675–1750
Object Place: Italy
Walnut
Length 55 cm, width 33.4 cm, case height 11.4 cm (Length 21 5/8 in., width 13 1/8 in., case height 4 1/2 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2042

Print Publications

Pigeon whistle (geling), 19th century
Object Place: China
Gourd
Height 6.3 cm, length 6.4 cm, width 4.5 cm (Height 2 1/2 in., length 2 1/2 in., width 1 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2072

Images for Other Pages

Aeolian harp, 1825–50
Object Place: probably United States
Pine
Length 74.8 cm, width 13.7 cm, height 10.6 cm (Length 29 7/16 in., width 5 3/8 in., height 4 3/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gift of Miss Sarah Norton, 12.1531

Psaltery (kanun), 19th century
Object Place: Turkey
Walnut, sheepskin
Length 92.3 cm, width 38 cm, depth 5 cm (Length 36 5/16 in., width 14 15/16 in., depth 1 15/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1772

Attributed to: Francesco Poggio, Italian, 1588–1634
Virginal, about 1605–34
Object Place: Florence, Italy
Poplar
Length 152.7 cm, width 51.6 cm, case height 19.5 cm (Length 60 1/8 in., width 20 5/16 in., case height 7 11/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1791

Giuseppe Donati, Italian, 1835–1925
Sopranino ocarina, about 1870
Object Place: Bologna, Italy
Earthenware
Length 14.2 cm, diameter 4.5 cm (Length 5 9/16 in., diameter 1 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1835

Side-blown trumpet, 19th century
Zande or Mangbetu people
Object Place: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ivory
Length 50 cm, width 8.5 cm (Length 19 11/16 in., width 3 3/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1960

Gustav Adolf Eschenbach, German, active 1843–1927
Post horn, late 19th century
Object Place: Berlin, Germany
Brass
Length 32 cm (12 5/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1982

Charles-Joseph Sax, Belgian, 1790–1865
Omnitonic horn, 1833
Object Place: Brussels, Belgium
Brass
Length 65 cm (25 9/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2004

Castanets with handle, late 19th century
Object Place: England
Ebony
Length 27.7 cm, width 4.7 cm, thickness 3.6 cm (Length 10 7/8 in., width 1 7/8 in., thickness 1 7/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2030

Panpipes (paixiao), 19th century
Object Place: China
Lacquered wood, bamboo
Length 38.5 cm, height 36.4 cm, depth 4.5 cm (Length 15 3/16 in., height 14 5/16 in., depth 1 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2098

Lute (yueqin), 19th century
Object Place: China
Paulownia and other woods, bamboo
Length 52 cm, diameter 27.1 cm, thickness 3.5 cm (Length 20 1/2 in., diameter 10 11/16 in., thickness 1 3/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2153

Vessel rattle, 19th century
Possibly Kwakiutl people
Object Place: British Columbia, Canada
Wood, cedar bark
Length 21.2 cm, diameter 13.1 cm, thickness 8.5 cm (Length 8 3/8 in., diameter 5 3/16 in., thickness 3 3/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2236

Fiddle (kízh kízh díhí) and bow, 19th century
White Mountain Apache people
Object Place: Arizona, United States
Agave stalk (?), reed (?)
Length 31.5 cm, diameter 4.3 cm (Length 12 3/8 in., diameter 1 11/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2239a-b

Joseph Klein, Austrian, 1813–1838
Orphica, about 1815–25
Object Place: Vienna, Austria
Mahogany
Length 129.4 cm, width 39 cm, case height 11.3 cm (Length 50 15/16 in., width 15 3/8 in., case height 4 7/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 21.14

John Harris, American, 1768–1772
Spinet, 1771
Object Place: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Mahogany
Length 198.6 cm, width 79 cm, case height 22.3 cm (Length 78 3/16 in., width 31 1/8 in., case height 8 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Edwin M. Ripin Collection, Friends of the Collection Fund, 1977.58

Distributed by: Longman & Broderip, English, active 1776–1798
Post horn, late 18th century
Object Place: London, England
Copper, leather
Length 35 cm (13 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Edwin M. Ripin Collection, Friends of the Collection Fund, 1977.72

Marked by: Simon Bauer, German, active late 17th century, and marked by C.E.
Organ (regal), 1692
Place of Creation: South Germany or Austria
Walnut
Length 65.7 cm, width 18.9 cm, case height 9.9 cm (Length 25 7/8 in., width 7 7/16 in., case height 3 7/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Edward F. Searles Musical Instrument Collection; Gift of Edward S. Rowland, Benjamin A. Rowland, Jr., George B. Rowland, Daniel B. Rowland, Rodney D. Rowland and M.A. Swedlund in memory of their father, Benjamin Allen Rowland, 1981.746

Rolmonica Music Co., American, about 1925–?
Automatic harmonica (Rolmonica), about 1930–40
Object Place: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Bakelite plastic
Length 10 cm, width 9 cm, thickness 4 cm (Length 3 15/16 in., width 3 9/16 in., thickness 1 9/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Helen and Alice Colburn Fund, 1984.311.1-6

Vessel rattle, 1100–1476
Chimú culture
Object Place: Peru, Northern Coastal region
Earthenware
Length 12.4 cm, width 4.7 cm (Length 4 7/8 in., width 1 7/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Helen and Alice Colburn Fund, 1984.373

Double vessel whistle, about 1400
Chimú culture
Object Place: Peru
Earthenware
Height 6 cm, width 3.4 cm, diameter 2 cm (Height 2 3/8 in., width 1 5/16 in., diameter 13/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Helen and Alice Colburn Fund, 1984.399

Vessel rattle, 19th century
Probably Haida people
Object Place: British Columbia, Canada, Queen Charlotte Islands
Wood
Length 30 cm, width 8.2 cm (Length 11 13/16 in., width 3 1/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gift of Graham Carey, 1985.735

Frederick Lane, American, 1791–1865
Bass drum and mallet, 1813–19
Object Place: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Ash
Height 60 cm, diameter 62 cm (Height 23 5/8 in., diameter 24 7/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gift of the Family of Charles E. Black and Gale L. Perron, including Karen A. Black, Diane L. (Black) Conners, Emmie Perron Black and Katrina Perron-Black, 1986.937a-b

Metallophone (slenthem), 1840
Object Place: Central Java, Indonesia
Teak, bronze
Overall: 46 x 73.5 x 35.5 cm (18 1/8 x 28 15/16 x 14 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bradford M. Endicott and Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Fraser in honor of Jan and Suzanne Fontein, and the Frank B. Bemis Fund, 1990.540

Plectrum (bachi) for lute (shamisen), 19th century
Object Place: Japan
Ivory
Length 21.2 cm, width 8.2 cm, thickness 2.2 cm (Length 8 3/8 in., width 3 1/4 in., thickness 7/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Keeper’s Discretionary Fund, 1992.8

Charles Wheatstone, English, 1802–1875
Mouth organ (symphonium), about 1830
Object Place: London, England
Nickel silver, ivory
Height 5.4 cm, width 5.5 cm, depth 2.3 cm (Height 2 1/8 in., width 2 3/16 in., depth 7/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Foster Charitable Fund and Helen and Alice Colburn Fund, 1996.115

Shell trumpet (dung-dkar), 1850–1900
Object Place: Probably Tibet
Seashell, silver, semiprecious stones
Length 23 cm (9 1/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum purchase with funds donated by Michael D. Wolfe in memory of his wife Elise Wolfe, 2002.613

Skull drum (thod-rnga), 1900–50
Object Place: Tibet
Bone, skin, brass, stones, silk
Length 15.5 cm, width 12.5 cm, depth 13 cm! (Length 6 1/8 in., width 4 15/16 in., depth 5 1/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
William Lindsey Fund, by exchange, 2004.1

Jew’s harp (chang-qobuz), 1900–50
Object Place: Probably Northern Afghanistan
Wood, copper, nickel silver, iron, colored glass
Length 19 cm ( 7 1/2 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
William Lindsey Fund, by exchange, 2004.3

Zither (koto), 19th century
Object Place: Japan
Paulownia and other woods, lacquer work, tortoiseshell, ivory, silver
Length 190.9 cm, width 25 cm, height 15.7 cm (Length 75 3/16 in in., width 9 13/16 in., height 6 3/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gift of the New England Conservatory of Music, 2005.212

Murari Mohan Adhikari, Indian
Zither (rudra vina), probably 1970s
Object Place: Calcutta, India
Teakwood, calabash gourds, ivory
Length 121.9 cm, width 45.7 cm, height 45.7 cm (Length 48 in., width 18 in., height 18 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum purchase with funds donated by The Kittredge Foundation, Michael and Lisa Kittredge, Trustees, 2005.591

Frame drum (tamil), 19th century
Object Place: Sri Lanka
Iron, animal skin
Height 3.4 cm, diameter 29.8 cm (Height 1 5/16 in., diameter 11 3/4 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2174

Balalaika, 19th century
Object Place: Russia
Birch, spruce
Length 63.3 cm, width 33.6 cm, depth 9.2 cm (Length 24 15/16 in., width 13 1/4 in., depth 3 5/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Gift of the New England Conservatory of Music, 2005.207

Pair of cymbals (kasat?), 19th century
Object Place: Egypt
Brass
Height 0.6 cm, diameter 4.9 cm (Height 1/4 in., diameter 1 15/16 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.2027a-b

José Paulo Ferreira (Portuguese, 19th century)
Cittern (Portuguese guitar), late 19th century
Object Place: Lisbon, Portugal
Walnut, spruce
Length 68.5 cm, width 28.9 cm (Length 26 15/16 in., width 11 3/8 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection, 17.1800

Three pairs of mallets for hammered dulcimer, mid-20th century
Object Place: Possibly Hungary
Wood, cloth
Length 2.7-2.8 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Source unidentified, 1982.15a-f