Scan 17
Metropolitan Museum of Art – Musical Instruments of All Nations 1910, 1910
6 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1long history back of it, and which has developed, both in theory and practice, forms of the highest interest to the musical student. There is already a large and growing literature on Oriental music. It is believed that the representative specimens contained in the collection will usefully supplement the information thus obtained. Even to those without technical interest in the subject, the number and high artistic beauty of many of the forms here included will be a revelation of the extent to which the development of the musical art has been carried in quarters which lie outside the horizon of ordinary musical instruction.
3In the choice of individual specimens the educational purpose has been paramount. Though containing many examples of rare artistic merit, no instrument has been chosen for its beauty alone, nor has historical association been a determining consideration. In each case the specimen has won its right to a place because illustrating some step in the development of music. No special effort has been made to secure the works of famous masters. The collector has no sympathy with the practice of locking up in museums instruments noted for rare beauty of tone. In a few cases, indeed, it may be important to secure single specimens in order to illustrate some principle in the history of the art. Thus, it is greatly to be hoped that the collection may ultimately contain examples of the workmanship of the great Italian violin makers. But, in general, a Stradivarius or an Amati is too precious to be condemned to a monastic existence.
5Special efforts have been made to secure the complete representation of families where such are known to exist. The single instruments now in use in our orchestras are survivors of a much more numerous company. This is true not merely of the violins, with their predecessors, the viols, but also of many wind instruments. Thus the flute family, now reduced to two representatives, originally contained no less than six, and the same is true of the clarinet, the oboe and many others. It has been the aim of the collector, as far as possible, to recover the missing members, and to show them in their original
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.