Scan 228
Catalogue of the Stearns collection of musical instruments, 1921
22 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
11266. SARANGI, or SARUNGI ……………………………………… India
2Similar to preceding example but with eleven sympathetic strings only.
3Length, 52.3 cm.; of body, 23.5 cm.; width, 12 to 14 cm.; depth, 11.5 cm.
51267. SHARODE, or CARADIYA-VINA. Autumn-vina …………. India
6Body of painted wood with parchment belly. Peg-box represents a bird's head. Five gut strings.
7Length, 91.2 cm.; of body, 27.9 cm.; width, 22 cm.
8Sharode is the Arabian name for a bass string. According to Sachs (p. 369), quoting from Mafatih al 'Ulum, it resembles an instrument devised (912 A. D.) by the philosopher, Ibn Achwas es-Saadi, of Bagdad.
101268. SHARODE ……………………………………………………. India one of two readings
111268. SHARODE ……………………………………………………….. India one of two readings
12Hard wood body with deeply incurving sides. Six gut strings. Eight sympathetic strings.
13Length, 98.9 cm.; width, 24 cm.; depth, 20.3 cm.
151269. RUDRA-VINA. Vina of the god Rudra ………………… India
16Beautifully decorated body of wood. Inlaid neck and finger-board.
17Five gut strings.
18Length, 76 cm.; width, 25.5 cm.; depth, 13 cm.
19It will be noticed that all the East Indian instruments in this, as in Case IX, are exceedingly beautiful, both in form and decoration. The quality of tone is of peculiar sweetness. The extensive use of sympathetic strings (of very fine wire) is a notable feature of most East Indian types.
20How far sympathetic strings affect the tone of an instrument very largely depends on the imagination of the hearer, although not entirely.
21A half-century ago, Blüthner, a celebrated pianoforte maker of Leipzig, introduced sympathetic strings in his Grands, but they were found to be of no value.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.