Scan 177
Catalogue of the Stearns collection of musical instruments, 1918
27 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
11025. Tumburu-vina ……………………………………… India
2Gourd body. Convex wooden belly. Four tuning-peggs. Four wire strings.
3Length, 118 cm. Width, 32 cm. Depth, 30 cm.
4There is a conflict of authorities regarding this instrument. Mahillon states that the strings were plucked, while Fétis places it among the bowed instruments. It is fair to state that the former authority carries the greater weight.8 Tumburu was one of the gandharva, or musicians of Indra's heaven. The typical member of this group is played only by professionals and is called dasiri tamburi.9
61026. Southern-vina ……………………………………… India
7Body of gourd and wooden belly. Two resonators of gourd, one at end of neck. From ten tuning-peggs, of which eight are distributed along the side of the neck, run an equal number of strings over two bridges, one on neck and one on belly, and over sixteen frets.
8Fully described by Capt. Day; he assigns to it no native name.10
9Length, 142 cm.; of body, 47.1 cm. Circumference of gourds, 62.9, and 11.4 cm.
111027. Taraffedar Sitar ……………………………………… India
12Gourd body, with wooden belly and neck, both elaborately decorated. Six tuning-peggs. Six wire strings, and ten sympathetic strings. The name assigned to this instrument is given by Capt. Day (p. 118) and been assumed because this example does not correspond in essentials to any other of the East Indian instruments.
13Length, 142.8 cm. Circumference of gourd, 76 cm.; depth, 34 cm.
151028. Prasanari-vina ……………………………………… India
16Shallow gourd body. A neck of usual form carries five strings. A shorter neck, also carrying five strings, is attached to the longer.
17Length, 113.5 cm.; of short neck, 67.9 cm.; of body, 25.4 cm. depth, 29 cm.
191029. Ranjani-vina, or "The colorful vina" ………………… India
20Body of wood resting on two large gourds. Five strings running over sixteen frets. Same type as the mahati-vina.
21Length, 121.6 cm. Height, 31.4 cm. Circumference of gourd, 101.2 cm.
22This form of vina is placed over the shoulder when played, and is the instrument most frequently illustrated in accounts of Indian music.
248 Mahillon, Catalogue, I., pp. 154, 155; Fétis, Histoire de la Musique, II, p. 287.
259 Day, "The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India," which will be referred to in the future by the name of the author.
2610 Day, p. 111. On page 112 he gives the names of the various parts of the vina.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.