Music & Musical Instruments

The Museum's music collections contain more than 5,000 instruments of American and European heritage. These include a quartet of 18th-century Stradivari stringed instruments, Tito Puente's autographed timbales, and the Yellow Cloud guitar that belonged to Prince, to name only a few. Music collections also include jukeboxes and synthesizers, square-dancing outfits and sheet music, archival materials, oral histories, and recordings of performances at the museum. The vast Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated Sheet Music is a remarkable window into the American past in words, music, and visual imagery. The Duke Ellington and Ruth Ellington Boatwright collections contain handwritten music compositions, sound recordings, business records, and other materials documenting the career of this renowned musician. In various ways, our collections find expression in performances of the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, and in other public programs.

Benny Goodman's Quintet. side 1: Pick-a-Rib [part 1]; side 2: Pick-a-Rib [part 2] (Blue Ace 224).78 rpm. These tracks were originally recorded in 1938 and released on Victor 26166.Blue Ace was a bootleg record label, founded around the late 1940s.
Description (Brief)

Benny Goodman's Quintet. side 1: Pick-a-Rib [part 1]; side 2: Pick-a-Rib [part 2] (Blue Ace 224).
78 rpm. These tracks were originally recorded in 1938 and released on Victor 26166.

Blue Ace was a bootleg record label, founded around the late 1940s. The label was dedicated to the unauthorized reissue of jazz recordings from the 1935-1942 period. Brooklyn record store owner Sam Meltzer is allegedly to have produced the recordings, who was also associated with the bootleg Hot Jazz Club of America [HJCA] recordings, which focused on jazz recordings of the 1920s.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1938
recording artist
Benny Goodman's Quintet
manufacturer
Blue Ace
ID Number
1988.0698.1109
catalog number
1988.0698.1109
accession number
1988.0698
collector/donor number
G80
maker number
224
This sheet music is for the song “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here (What the - Deuce - Do We Care),” with lyrics by D. A. Esrom [Theodora Morse] and music by Theodore Morse and Arthur Sullivan. It was published by Leo Feist, Inc. in New York, New York in 1917.
Description

This sheet music is for the song “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here (What the - Deuce - Do We Care),” with lyrics by D. A. Esrom [Theodora Morse] and music by Theodore Morse and Arthur Sullivan. It was published by Leo Feist, Inc. in New York, New York in 1917. The original tune was written by Arthur Sullivan for the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by Rosenbaum Studios. The firm was founded by Morris Rosenbaum (1886-1953) in the early 1910s. There were several artists working for Rosenbaum Studios throughout the firm’s 27 years in operation. Variations of a rosebud/RS symbol were used to sign the artwork. Morris Rosenbaum was commissioned to create the logo for the newly formed film company MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayer) in 1924.

Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1917
publisher
Leo Feist Inc.
ID Number
1985.0403.05
accession number
1985.0403
catalog number
1985.0403.05
This sheet music is for the song “Time Waits For No One,” with music and lyrics by Cliff Friend and Charles Tobias. It was published by Remick Music Corp. in New York, New York in 1944.”Time Waits For No One” was featured in the 1944 Warner Bros.
Description

This sheet music is for the song “Time Waits For No One,” with music and lyrics by Cliff Friend and Charles Tobias. It was published by Remick Music Corp. in New York, New York in 1944.

”Time Waits For No One” was featured in the 1944 Warner Bros. musical film, Shine On, Harvest Moon, directed by David Butler and starred Ann Sheridan and Dennis Morgan. The cover features a still from the movie.

Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1944
publisher
Remick Music Corporation
ID Number
1985.0393.17
accession number
1985.0393
catalog number
1985.0393.17
Black polyester and cotton jacket with red polyester lining. Size Medium. With white piped trim at shoulders. Knit cuffs, neck and waist. Zipper front. 2 open front pockets and one zipped sleeve pocket.
Description (Brief)

Black polyester and cotton jacket with red polyester lining. Size Medium. With white piped trim at shoulders. Knit cuffs, neck and waist. Zipper front. 2 open front pockets and one zipped sleeve pocket. Hot pink and white thread lettering on front left side and back and red and green rose on back. The front of the jacket is embroidered:

Willie

(applied on the back of the jacket):

Willie
and Family
on the Road Again

Inspired by Live Aid, the international benefit concert for Ethiopian famine victims, Willie Nelson and other singers established Farm Aid in 1985 to support family farmers in the United States.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980
user
Nelson, Willie
ID Number
1983.0551.01
accession number
1983.0551
catalog number
1983.0551.01
Physical DescriptionIron fife.Specific HistoryThis fife from the period of the American Revolution was unearthed on Red Bank battleground in 1800 near the New Jersey Monument.General HistoryA fife is a small transverse flute, pitched to B-flat.
Description
Physical Description
Iron fife.
Specific History
This fife from the period of the American Revolution was unearthed on Red Bank battleground in 1800 near the New Jersey Monument.
General History
A fife is a small transverse flute, pitched to B-flat. There are six holes and no keys.
"The drum and fife regulated the Revolutionary War soldier's life. By commands of music, the soldier was notified when to awake in the mornings, when to attend drill, when to stop for meals, and when to report for pay. While on the march, music assisted with cadence and order, helping men to march in time. Music encouraged soldiers to press a march or attack with vigor."
"Orders were also given using whistles, blowing horns, and bagpipes. Music and songs in camp lifted soldiers' spirits following exhausting duty. They helped build fellowship in the regiments."
"Drums have been used to convey commands since ancient times. They provide distinct sounds that can be heard for great distances. The drum was the very voice and tongue of the commander. After the adoption of firearms, the fife came into use. Its peculiar piercing sound transcended the noise of men and gunfire, and added melody to the drumbeats. By the Revolution, armies had adopted a system of commands given by the drum and fife, which could rapidly communicate orders to whole armies at one time."
From National Park Service Collections American Revolutionary War: Guilford Courthouse.
ID Number
AF.58146M
catalog number
58146M
accession number
204703
This music box disc was made by Regina Music Box Co. in Rahway, New Jersey, around 1901-1902. It is Regina Disc #1993 - "Hiawatha (A Summer Idyl)," by Neil Moret.
Description

This music box disc was made by Regina Music Box Co. in Rahway, New Jersey, around 1901-1902. It is Regina Disc #1993 - "Hiawatha (A Summer Idyl)," by Neil Moret. This disc is playable in a Regina Disc Music Box that can accommodate a 15-1/2” diameter disc.

This disc features the following patents:

U. S. Patent #417649, dated December 17, 1889 by Oskar Paul Lochmann for a music plate for mechanical instruments.

U. S. Patent #500374, dated June 27, 1893 by Gustav A. Brachhausen and Paul Riessner for a note-plate for music boxes.

Location
Currently not on view
manufacturing date
1901-1902
manufacturer
Regina Music Box Company
ID Number
MI.378567.12
catalog number
378567.12
accession number
144168
Paul Revere and The Raiders. side 1: The Great Airplane Strike; side 2: In My Community (Columbia 4-43810)45 rpm. Accessioned with original printedsleeve.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Paul Revere and The Raiders. side 1: The Great Airplane Strike; side 2: In My Community (Columbia 4-43810)
45 rpm. Accessioned with original printedsleeve.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
recording artist
Paul Revere and The Raiders
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.3034.06452
catalog number
1996.3034.06452
label number
4-43810
nonaccession number
1996.3034
This sheet music is for the song “I ‘Wanna’ Sing About You,” by Cliff Friend and Dave Dreyer. It was published by Irving Berlin, Inc. in New York, New York in 1931. The cover features an image of Husk O’Hare and his band, a popular East Coast territory band.
Description
This sheet music is for the song “I ‘Wanna’ Sing About You,” by Cliff Friend and Dave Dreyer. It was published by Irving Berlin, Inc. in New York, New York in 1931. The cover features an image of Husk O’Hare and his band, a popular East Coast territory band. Husk O’Hare (1896-1970) was an American jazz bandleader active during the 1920s and 1930s.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1931
publisher
Irving Berlin, Inc.
ID Number
1983.0694.07
accession number
1983.0694
catalog number
1983.0694.07
This sheet music for the song “By Studying My Lady’s Eyes” was written by Thomas Bailey Aldrice and composed by Julius S. Lyons. The song was originally published by Wm. A. Pond and Co.
Description
This sheet music for the song “By Studying My Lady’s Eyes” was written by Thomas Bailey Aldrice and composed by Julius S. Lyons. The song was originally published by Wm. A. Pond and Co. of New York, New York in 1889, and appeared as a supplement to the “New York Herald” on May 31, 1903. The sheet music features a pencil drawing of a woman casting a sultry gaze at the viewer.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1902
lyricist
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey
composer
Lyons, Julius J.
publisher
William A. Pond & Co.
ID Number
1982.0440.42
accession number
1982.0440
catalog number
1982.0440.42
various artists. Historic Jazz Concert at Music Inn (Atlantic 1298).33-1/3 rpm.Music Inn, also called the Music Barn, was an inn, performance venue, and the summer program of jazz education for the Lenox School of Jazz, in Lenox Massachusetts.
Description (Brief)

various artists. Historic Jazz Concert at Music Inn (Atlantic 1298).
33-1/3 rpm.

Music Inn, also called the Music Barn, was an inn, performance venue, and the summer program of jazz education for the Lenox School of Jazz, in Lenox Massachusetts. From 1957-1960, the school featuring faculty including Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Giuffre, Percy Heath, and Connie Kayvenue. The performance venue and inn was in in operation from 1950–1979.

Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1956
manufacturer
Atlantic
ID Number
1978.0670.801
maker number
1298
accession number
1978.0670
catalog number
1978.0670.801
This cornet was made by the Buescher Band Instrument Co. in Elkhart, Indiana in 1912. It is a B-flat/A cornet, serial #15133, made of silver plated brass, and has 3 Périnet piston valves and a quick change slide.
Description

This cornet was made by the Buescher Band Instrument Co. in Elkhart, Indiana in 1912. It is a B-flat/A cornet, serial #15133, made of silver plated brass, and has 3 Périnet piston valves and a quick change slide. This cornet is accessioned with a period wooden case covered with black leatherette and lined with green plush. The cornet is engraved:

THE
Buescher
ELKHART
-IND.-

Ferdinand August “Gus” Buescher (1861-1937) began his career making instruments with the C.G. Conn Company in 1876. In late 1894, Buescher started his firm, in partnership with clothing merchant John L. Collins and salesman Harry L. Long, and formed the Buescher Manufacturing Company in Elkhart. By 1904, the company name was changed to the Buescher Band Instrument Company.

In 1916, Buescher sold a major share of the company and remained with the company until his resignation in 1929.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1912
maker
Buescher Band Instrument Co.
ID Number
1985.0017.09
accession number
1985.0017
catalog number
1985.0017.09
This case was made by an unknown maker in the United States, undetermined date. It is made of wood, covered with black stained leather, with metal fittings, leather handle,and plush interior. Case is for flugelhorn MI.066624.Currently not on view
Description
This case was made by an unknown maker in the United States, undetermined date. It is made of wood, covered with black stained leather, with metal fittings, leather handle,and plush interior. Case is for flugelhorn MI.066624.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
MI.066624.01
catalog number
66624.01
accession number
232422
This flugelhorn was made by Elbridge G. Wright in Boston, Massachusetts, about 1863. It is a presentation flugelhorn in E-flat, made of nickel silver, with 3 string-action side-action rotary valves, and a screw adjusting lead pipe. Accessioned with period case.
Description

This flugelhorn was made by Elbridge G. Wright in Boston, Massachusetts, about 1863. It is a presentation flugelhorn in E-flat, made of nickel silver, with 3 string-action side-action rotary valves, and a screw adjusting lead pipe. Accessioned with period case. This instrument is engraved:

Presented by the
Members of the 3d Brigade Band3d Div: 9th A.C.
TO
Wm. Critchley, Jr.
LEADER
July 4th 1863
Made by
E.G. WRIGHT,
Boston

The United States National Park Service Civil War database lists William J. Critchley as a principal musician and band leader serving in the Brigade Band (2nd/3rd Brigades, 1st-3rd Divisions, 7th/18th/24th Army Corps).

Elbridge G. Wright (1811-1871) began making musical instruments in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1839. By 1842, Wright moved to Boston, Massachusetts and made musical instruments under his own name or in partnership until 1869.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1863
ID Number
MI.066624
catalog number
66624
accession number
232422
This snare drum was made by Firth, Pond & Co. in New York, around 1847-1864. It has a light brown shell, two red-painted hoops, two skin heads, 10 metal hooks laced with rope through leather ears used to tighten the hoops, and a gut snare.
Description

This snare drum was made by Firth, Pond & Co. in New York, around 1847-1864. It has a light brown shell, two red-painted hoops, two skin heads, 10 metal hooks laced with rope through leather ears used to tighten the hoops, and a gut snare. The paper label inside the shell is inscribed:

[FIRTH] POND & CO.,
[ ]ers, Manufacturers and Dealers in
[Instru]ments, Publishers of Music
&c. &c.
[B]ROADWAY, NEW Y[ORK]

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1847 - 1864
maker
Firth, Pond & Co.
ID Number
MI.069391
catalog number
69391
accession number
266008
This case was made by G. Leblanc Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1963. It is made of wood, covered with black leatherette, metal trimmings, and plush lined interior. Accessioned with Leblanc contrabass clarinet (MI.63.979).Currently not on view
Description
This case was made by G. Leblanc Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1963. It is made of wood, covered with black leatherette, metal trimmings, and plush lined interior. Accessioned with Leblanc contrabass clarinet (MI.63.979).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1963
maker
G. Leblanc Corporation
ID Number
MI.63.979.01
catalog number
63.979.01
accession number
243869
This sheet music is for the song “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in The Morning,” by Irving Berlin. It was published by Waterson, Berlin and Snyder Co. in New York, New York in 1918.
Description
This sheet music is for the song “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in The Morning,” by Irving Berlin. It was published by Waterson, Berlin and Snyder Co. in New York, New York in 1918. The cover features an image of a WWI soldier and an inset of American comedian, singer, dancer, actor, and song writer Eddie Cantor, who performed this song in Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1918
publisher
Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co.
ID Number
1985.0392.12
accession number
1985.0392
catalog number
1985.0392.12
This sheet music is for the song “Canary Bird Waltz,” by William Withers, Jr. It was published by Marsh in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1857.
Description
This sheet music is for the song “Canary Bird Waltz,” by William Withers, Jr. It was published by Marsh in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1857. The cover indicates that this song was performed with “great success” by Wither’s Cornet Band at the Metropolitan Mechanics Fair.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1857
publisher
Marsh
ID Number
1986.0588.04
accession number
1986.0588
catalog number
1986.0588.04
This Patron badge is from the Los Angeles Classic Jazz Festival, in 1994. The button is a made of speckled gold paper with black lettering covered with a clear film, on a round two-piece metal button with a pin back. There is a black ribbon attached to the back of the button.
Description

This Patron badge is from the Los Angeles Classic Jazz Festival, in 1994. The button is a made of speckled gold paper with black lettering covered with a clear film, on a round two-piece metal button with a pin back. There is a black ribbon attached to the back of the button. The button is printed:

LOS ANGELES
CLASSIC
JAZZ
FLOYD
LEVIN
FESTIVAL
1994

(the ribbon is printed):

PATRON

Floyd Levin (1922-2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians. Items in this collection (2011.3086) were acquired from Levin’s attendance at Jazz Festivals, conferences, and other music events.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1994
user
Levin, Floyd
ID Number
2011.3086.130
nonaccession number
2011.3086
catalog number
2011.0386.130
This flugelhorn was made around 1878 to 1882 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is a B-flat flugelhorn, over-the shoulder model, made of brass with nickel silver trim, with 3 string-action rotary valves.
Description

This flugelhorn was made around 1878 to 1882 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is a B-flat flugelhorn, over-the shoulder model, made of brass with nickel silver trim, with 3 string-action rotary valves. The bore of this instrument is quite small and cornet-like, and was sold as a cornet. This flugelhorn has an engraved medallion:

TRADE
J.H.F.
NY&C
Mark

Brass instruments bearing the medallion of J. Howard Foote were likely made for him by the firm of John Stratton or other factories in New York City.

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument, sold as a cornet (#5001), is listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold for $15.00.

Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1878 - 1882
ID Number
MI.072876
accession number
12809
catalog number
72876
This flugelhorn was made around 1878 to 1882 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is an E-flat flugelhorn, over-the shoulder model, made of brass with nickel silver trim, with 3 string-action rotary valves.
Description

This flugelhorn was made around 1878 to 1882 and sold by the J. Howard Foote Company in New York and Chicago. It is an E-flat flugelhorn, over-the shoulder model, made of brass with nickel silver trim, with 3 string-action rotary valves. This flugelhorn has an engraved medallion:

TRADE
J.H.F.
NY&C
Mark

Brass instruments bearing the medallion of J. Howard Foote were likely made for him by the firm of John Stratton or other factories in New York City.

John Howard Foote (1833-1896) was a musical instrument dealer with shops in New York City and Chicago. This instrument listed in an 1880 J. Howard Foote catalog, sold as a cornet (#5000) for $13.75.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1878 - 1882
ID Number
MI.072875
accession number
12809
catalog number
72875
This music box disc was made by Regina Music Box Co. in Rahway, New Jersey, around 1901-1902. It is Regina Disc #1881 - "The Wedding of the Reuben and the Maid," music by Maurice Levi and lyrcis by Harry Bache Smith.
Description

This music box disc was made by Regina Music Box Co. in Rahway, New Jersey, around 1901-1902. It is Regina Disc #1881 - "The Wedding of the Reuben and the Maid," music by Maurice Levi and lyrcis by Harry Bache Smith. This disc is playable in a Regina Disc Music Box that can accommodate a 15-1/2” diameter disc.

This disc features the following patents:

U. S. Patent #417649, dated December 17, 1889 by Oskar Paul Lochmann for a music plate for mechanical instruments.

U. S. Patent #500374, dated June 27, 1893 by Gustav A. Brachhausen and Paul Riessner for a note-plate for music boxes.

Location
Currently not on view
manufacturing date
1901-1902
manufacturer
Regina Music Box Company
ID Number
MI.378567.09
catalog number
378567.09
accession number
144168
Frank and James McCravy. side 1: The Dollar and the Devil; side 2: The Great Judgment Morning (Columbia 15544-D).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Frank and James McCravy. side 1: The Dollar and the Devil; side 2: The Great Judgment Morning (Columbia 15544-D).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1930
recording artist
McCravy, James
McCravy, Frank
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.0320.20844
catalog number
1996.0320.20844
accession number
1996.0320
label number
15544-D
Herb Cook. side 1: I Wonder Why; side 2: Just a Little Happiness (Columbia 15778-D).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Herb Cook. side 1: I Wonder Why; side 2: Just a Little Happiness (Columbia 15778-D).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1931
recording artist
Cook, Herb
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.0320.13828
collector/donor number
10137
maker number
15778-D
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.13828
Bush Brothers. side 1: I'll Make It My Home; side 2: A Look Inside the Glory Gate (Columbia 15649-D).78 rpm.Currently not on view
Description
Bush Brothers. side 1: I'll Make It My Home; side 2: A Look Inside the Glory Gate (Columbia 15649-D).
78 rpm.
Location
Currently not on view
recording date
1930
recording artist
Bush Brothers
manufacturer
Columbia
ID Number
1996.0320.12592
collector/donor number
3108
maker number
15649-D
accession number
1996.0320
catalog number
1996.0320.12592

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.