Scan 4
Musical instruments in the South Kensington Museum, 1869
56 lines. Read by computer on 28 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS.
3Musical Instruments of Egypt and adjacent Countries.
5I.
7(a). TABL. A drum. With three holes in its circumference. Inlaid with shell. Height, 8 1/4 in.; diameter, 10 1/2 in.
8Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
10(b). ARGHOOL, Egypt. Length, 4 ft. 8 1/2 in. A kind of double-reed pipe, rudely ornamented with a design scratched upon the surface.
11Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
13The arghool is occasionally played by the boatmen on the Nile. One of its reeds, which is much longer than the other, serves as a drone. The Egyptians have three kinds of arghool, which are distinguished from each other chiefly by their different sizes, and by the number of moveable pieces of reed constituting the tubes.
15(c). KISSAR. Round body of wood and skin. Five strings. Length, 1 ft. 9 1/2 in.
16Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
18The kissar, or kissara is to be found in Nubia, Kordofan, Abyssinia, and some other districts of Eastern Africa. The Nubian kissar is tuned according to the pentatonic scale—i.e. the series of intervals which is represented by the black keys of the pianoforte, or by the diatonic scale with the omission of the intervals of the fourth and seventh. The strings are made of the intestines of the camel. They are vibrated with the fingers, and by means of a plectrum, made of a piece of leather or horn, and fastened with a cord to the instrument. The performer uses the plectrum and his fingers either alternately, or together.
20(d). NEGRO TRUMPET made of the horn of an animal. Length, 1 ft. 4 1/2 in.
21Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
23(e). TABL SHAMEE. A small Egyptian kettle-drum. Height, 6 in.; diameter, 14 in.
24Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
26The name tabl shamee, signifying "Syrian drum," indicates that this kind of drum was probably introduced into Egypt from Western Asia. It is usually made of tinned copper, with a parchment face. The Egyptians use the tabl shamee especially in bridal processions, and on similar festive occasions. The performer carries it suspended from his neck, and beats it with two slender sticks.
28(f). RIKK. A small tambourine, rudely constructed of wood and skin. Diameter, 8 in.; height, 2 3/4 in. With ten pairs of brass plates.
29Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
31The small tambourine of the Egyptians is generally covered with the skin of the "Bayard," a fish of the genus Silurus, which is also used in the darabouka.
33(g). A DRUM. Length, 1 ft. 7 1/2 in.; diameter, 10 in.
34Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
36(h). KISSAR. Length, 1 ft. 8 1/2 in. The body square shaped. Five strings.
37Presented by the Viceroy of Egypt.
39Musical Instruments of Asiatic Countries, and of the Caucasus.
41II.
43(a). HARP OF THE OSSETES. With twelve strings of horse-hair. Each string consists of from six to eight hairs. Width, 2 ft.; height, 22 in.
44Bought. From the Paris Exhibition of 1867. Price, 35 f.
46The Ossetes, or Ossetines, are an Indo-Germanic race dwelling in Central Caucasus. They call themselves Irôn; Oseti is the name given to them by the Georgians and other neighbouring nations. Their little harp is especially interesting on account of its resemblance to some instruments of this class represented on monuments of Eastern nations dating from about a thousand years before the Christian era. The fore-pillar, which in our harp serves to resist the tension of the strings, is wanting; and the same was the case with the ancient Oriental harp, and is so still with most harps found in Asiatic countries.
48(b). BAGHLAMA. A small kind of tamboura. With four strings of thin wire, and with frets made of gut dyed red. The body is of wood ornamented with mother-of-pearl and tinsel. Length, 20 3/4 in. There are several varieties of this instrument to be found in the Caucasus and adjacent countries. The strings are twanged with a quill.
50(c). BAGHLAMA. A small kind of tamboura. Of wood inlaid with bone and mother-of-pearl. Four strings of thin wire, and frets made of gut. Length, 18 1/2 in.
52(d). UJUK. Persia. Of wood inlaid with coloured woods, gold, and ivory mosaics. Shiraz work. The surface of the body consists of a thin parchment resembling bladder. The ujuk is a kind of guitar with five strings of thin wire.
53Bought. From the Paris Exhibition of 1867. Price, 240 f.
55This instrument is also called tar.
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