Books › A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments in the South Kensington museum, preceded by an essay on the history of musical instruments, 1874 › scan 370
Scan 370
A descriptive catalogue of the musical instruments in the South Kensington museum, preceded by an essay on the history of musical instruments, 1874
18 lines. Read by computer on 14 September 2026. Printed page 344. See the scan on archive.org.
1drawing the hair of the bow over the metal, whereupon he conceived the idea of constructing a musical instrument of nails. And that he has succeeded in producing a fine-toned, if not a practically recommendable instrument, will probably be granted by all who draw the large black-haired bow over the iron pins. The bow is best made with black hair, for white hair is softer, and does not "bite" so well for such an iron fiddle. It must also be plentifully supplied with resin to make it bite well. The performer holds the instrument in his left hand, placing his fingers in the hole beneath.
3Probably, owing to the quality of its sound, the nail-violin is also called nail harmonica (German, Nagel-harmonika). Several attempts have been made in Germany further to perfect it.
5DULCIMERS, ORGAN-HURDYGURDY, &c.
7(58.)
9DULCIMER. With movable bridges like the dulcimer (Santir) of Eastern nations. English. Made, according to an inscription inside, at Old Weston, Huntingdonshire, in 1846.
11Modern as this specimen is, it is of the old stamp, and may be regarded as a faithful representation of the dulcimer mentioned in the English translation of the Bible. It need hardly be added that the translators of the Bible, unacquainted with the musical instruments mentioned in the original text, adopted for them the names of those in use in their day which appeared to them to correspond most nearly with those of the Hebrews and Greeks. The dulcimer has evidently not undergone any material alteration since the time of the translation of the Scriptures.
13(59.)
15SALTERIO. Italian. Made by Antonio Bertifce at Florence, in the year 1745.
17It may be found interesting to compare this Italian dulcimer with the English one just noticed, and with the Chinese yang-kin described on page 312.
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