Presto
Issue: 1927 2136 - Page 21
July 9, 1927.
21
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
COINOLAS
FOR
RESTAURANTS, CAFES and
A M U S E M E N T CENTERS
Style C-2
FROM THE BIGGEST
ORCHESTRION
HISTORY IN COLLECTION
Exhibit of Musical Instruments in National
Museum Subject of Instructive Handbook
Issued by Smithsonian Institution.
ment of uncivilized people which has no counterpart
in the music of civilization. It remains the instru-
ment of primitive men. More than any other, it is
associated wkh the working of magic, and among
the American Indians it is often used in the treatment
of the sick.
The author quotes Dr. Swanton, of the Smith-
sonian Bureau of American Ethnology, to the effect
that:
"The rattle was generally regarded as a sacred
article, not to be brought forth on ordinary occa-
sions, but confined to rituals, religious feasts, sham-
anastic performances, etc. This character is em-
phasized in the sign language of the plains, where the
sign for rattle is the basis of all signs indicating that
which is sacred."
Use of Metal Gongs.
The uses of metal gongs are varied and interesting.
Miss Densmore says of this instrument:
"A Chinese gong was carried by servants before a
Mandarin in his sedan to give notice of his approach,
a certain number of strokes at intervals indicating his
rank; a gong was also carried in processions and
beaten to drive away evil spirits.
"During eclipses it was beaten to frighten the
heavenly dog as he was about to devour the moon.
In Japan, 'a kind of gong was suspended before idols
and struck by worshippers to arouse the attention of
the god.' "
The collection which this handbook describes began
to be gathered before the establishment of the Smith-
sonian Institution in 1846. It includes several thou-
sands specimens coming from every section of the
world.
Rare and valuable instruments have been received
as gifts from the King of Siam, Rajah Tagore of
India, and other foreign countries.
The handbook is published as No. 136.
Instruments which man has used to make music,
from the stone gong pounded by the primitive savage
to the delicate violin of Stradivarius, are described
in a handbook of the Collection of Musical Instru-
ments in the National Museum, the Smithsonian In-
stitution announced June 18.
The full text of a statement concerning the hand-
book written by Miss Florence Densmore follows in
part:
Varied and highly developed as are our musical
instruments of the present day, they can all be re-
duced to four simple classifications, dependent upon
the manner in which sound is produced.
These include solid, sonorous instruments such as
gongs, bells and rattles; wind instruments, such as
flutes, bagpipes and horns; vibrating membranes, in-
cluding drums, tambourines and throat horns; and
stringed instruments, such as the guitar and piano.
Most primitive races have made use of all of these
methods of sound emission.
Bells Widely Distributed.
The extent to which man has leaned upon instru-
ments to express his emotions in all phases of exist-
ence is illustrated by the bell. Of this instrument,
Miss Densmore says:
"More intimately than any other instrument, the
bell is associated with the joys and sorrows of man-
kind. It has rung for weddings and funerals, given
alarm of danger, and, in scenes of peace, been heard
as the cattle bell.
"Bells were used in ancient Greece, Rome, and
Persia, while China and Japan have bells of great
Another branch in the Clifford Black & Co., Inc.,
antiquity. In ancient times the Chinese used a bell chain of music stores will be opened soon in Melrose,
for the same purpose that we use a tuning fork; a Mass.
bell also served as a measure of weight in business
transactions, a special bell being kept in the temple as
a standard.
"Bronze bells have been found in Assyria, and a
small bell was found in a mummy case in Egypt."
Bells Made of Shells.
Only less varied than the uses to which he has
put them, have been the materials which man has
used to make his instruments.
For example, from Africa came little bells made
Choice Lower Michigan
of nut shells and carved wood; in Siam bamboo bells
End Dried White Maple
were hung around the necks of elephants when they
were turned into the jungle to graze at night; the
Quartered Maple
Hopi Indians made belis of the horns of mountain
sheep and the Zuni made bells of pottery. Of the
Wide Maple
metals, silver, gold, brass, copper, iron and bronze
All thicknesses
have been most commonly used for the manufacture
of bells.
According to Miss Densmore, probably no instru-
ment has any wider distribution than the musical
bow, which is the simplest stringed instrument. Tra-
dition says that the twang of the archer's bow sug-
gested its use as a musical instrument.
The rattle appears to be the only musical instru-
Crossman Lumber
Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Philip W. Oetting & Son, Inc.
213 East 19th Street, New York
HIGH GRADE
Folding Organs
School Organs
Sole Agents for
WEICKERT
Hammer
Practice Keyboards
215 EnglevTood Ave., CHICAGO, ILL.
Felts
Grand and Upright Ham-
mer* Made of Weickert Felt
Deafen* Attention Solicited
A. L. WHITE MFG. CO.
and Damper
Fine Action Bushing Cloths, etc
KEYS RECOVERED AND REBUSHED
Tiny Colnola
THE SMALLEST
KEYLESS
FRIELD MILLER & COMPANY
Samples of Work on Request
Prompt and Efficient Service
3355 North Illinois Street, INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
Manufactured by
The Operators Piano Co.
715-721 N. Kedzie Ave.
CHICAGO
FAIRBANKS
PIANO PLATES
THE FAIRBANKS CO., Springfield, Ohio
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
21
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
COINOLAS
FOR
RESTAURANTS, CAFES and
A M U S E M E N T CENTERS
Style C-2
FROM THE BIGGEST
ORCHESTRION
HISTORY IN COLLECTION
Exhibit of Musical Instruments in National
Museum Subject of Instructive Handbook
Issued by Smithsonian Institution.
ment of uncivilized people which has no counterpart
in the music of civilization. It remains the instru-
ment of primitive men. More than any other, it is
associated wkh the working of magic, and among
the American Indians it is often used in the treatment
of the sick.
The author quotes Dr. Swanton, of the Smith-
sonian Bureau of American Ethnology, to the effect
that:
"The rattle was generally regarded as a sacred
article, not to be brought forth on ordinary occa-
sions, but confined to rituals, religious feasts, sham-
anastic performances, etc. This character is em-
phasized in the sign language of the plains, where the
sign for rattle is the basis of all signs indicating that
which is sacred."
Use of Metal Gongs.
The uses of metal gongs are varied and interesting.
Miss Densmore says of this instrument:
"A Chinese gong was carried by servants before a
Mandarin in his sedan to give notice of his approach,
a certain number of strokes at intervals indicating his
rank; a gong was also carried in processions and
beaten to drive away evil spirits.
"During eclipses it was beaten to frighten the
heavenly dog as he was about to devour the moon.
In Japan, 'a kind of gong was suspended before idols
and struck by worshippers to arouse the attention of
the god.' "
The collection which this handbook describes began
to be gathered before the establishment of the Smith-
sonian Institution in 1846. It includes several thou-
sands specimens coming from every section of the
world.
Rare and valuable instruments have been received
as gifts from the King of Siam, Rajah Tagore of
India, and other foreign countries.
The handbook is published as No. 136.
Instruments which man has used to make music,
from the stone gong pounded by the primitive savage
to the delicate violin of Stradivarius, are described
in a handbook of the Collection of Musical Instru-
ments in the National Museum, the Smithsonian In-
stitution announced June 18.
The full text of a statement concerning the hand-
book written by Miss Florence Densmore follows in
part:
Varied and highly developed as are our musical
instruments of the present day, they can all be re-
duced to four simple classifications, dependent upon
the manner in which sound is produced.
These include solid, sonorous instruments such as
gongs, bells and rattles; wind instruments, such as
flutes, bagpipes and horns; vibrating membranes, in-
cluding drums, tambourines and throat horns; and
stringed instruments, such as the guitar and piano.
Most primitive races have made use of all of these
methods of sound emission.
Bells Widely Distributed.
The extent to which man has leaned upon instru-
ments to express his emotions in all phases of exist-
ence is illustrated by the bell. Of this instrument,
Miss Densmore says:
"More intimately than any other instrument, the
bell is associated with the joys and sorrows of man-
kind. It has rung for weddings and funerals, given
alarm of danger, and, in scenes of peace, been heard
as the cattle bell.
"Bells were used in ancient Greece, Rome, and
Persia, while China and Japan have bells of great
Another branch in the Clifford Black & Co., Inc.,
antiquity. In ancient times the Chinese used a bell chain of music stores will be opened soon in Melrose,
for the same purpose that we use a tuning fork; a Mass.
bell also served as a measure of weight in business
transactions, a special bell being kept in the temple as
a standard.
"Bronze bells have been found in Assyria, and a
small bell was found in a mummy case in Egypt."
Bells Made of Shells.
Only less varied than the uses to which he has
put them, have been the materials which man has
used to make his instruments.
For example, from Africa came little bells made
Choice Lower Michigan
of nut shells and carved wood; in Siam bamboo bells
End Dried White Maple
were hung around the necks of elephants when they
were turned into the jungle to graze at night; the
Quartered Maple
Hopi Indians made belis of the horns of mountain
sheep and the Zuni made bells of pottery. Of the
Wide Maple
metals, silver, gold, brass, copper, iron and bronze
All thicknesses
have been most commonly used for the manufacture
of bells.
According to Miss Densmore, probably no instru-
ment has any wider distribution than the musical
bow, which is the simplest stringed instrument. Tra-
dition says that the twang of the archer's bow sug-
gested its use as a musical instrument.
The rattle appears to be the only musical instru-
Crossman Lumber
Company
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Philip W. Oetting & Son, Inc.
213 East 19th Street, New York
HIGH GRADE
Folding Organs
School Organs
Sole Agents for
WEICKERT
Hammer
Practice Keyboards
215 EnglevTood Ave., CHICAGO, ILL.
Felts
Grand and Upright Ham-
mer* Made of Weickert Felt
Deafen* Attention Solicited
A. L. WHITE MFG. CO.
and Damper
Fine Action Bushing Cloths, etc
KEYS RECOVERED AND REBUSHED
Tiny Colnola
THE SMALLEST
KEYLESS
FRIELD MILLER & COMPANY
Samples of Work on Request
Prompt and Efficient Service
3355 North Illinois Street, INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
Manufactured by
The Operators Piano Co.
715-721 N. Kedzie Ave.
CHICAGO
FAIRBANKS
PIANO PLATES
THE FAIRBANKS CO., Springfield, Ohio
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).