Music & Musical Instruments - Overview
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. Several of these rare instruments can be heard in performances of the Smithsonian Chamber Players and in other public programs. 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.
"Music & Musical Instruments - Overview" showing 114 items.
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"Down Where the Werzburger Flows" Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- The sheet music for the song, “Down Where the Wurzburger Flows” was published by Harry Von Tilzer in New York, New York in 1902. It was written by Vincent P. Bryan and composed by Harry Von Tilzer. The cover sheet has an image of Ruth Garnold, a popular singer at the time whose image was used to sell copies of the tune. The image on the cover resembles the bottom of a wooden cask of beer, as the song celebrated the drinking of the German brew, Wurzburger.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1902
- composer
- Von Tilzer, Harry
- lyricist
- Bryan, Vincent P.
- user
- Woodside, Lura
- performer
- Garnold, Ruth
- publisher
- Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.06
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.06
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song, “I Don’t Want to Play in Your Yard,” was composed by H. W. Petri and written by Philip Wingate. The music was published by the Petrie Music Company in Chicago, Illinois in 1894. The music is dedicated “To the Ladies of the Charity Circle, La Porte, Ind.” The cover features an image of a small child, labeled Pearl, who would sing “I don’t want to play in your yard” to Mamie Shepard who is also pictured in the center of the cover.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1894
- composer
- Petric, H. W.
- lyricist
- Wingate, Philip
- user
- Woodside, Lura
- publisher
- Petrie Music Co.
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.11
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.11
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Before the World Began” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song "Before the World Began" was written as a poem by Andrew B. Sterling and composed by Alfred Solman. The music was published by the Joe Morris Music Co. of New York, New York in 1917. The cover notes that the song was “introduced Harry Ellis, America’s Famous Tenor.” The “B” in “Before” of the title is written in a fancy script in red, and the first letter of most words on the cover is red.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1900
- 1917
- lyricist
- Sterling, Andrew B.
- composer
- Solman, Alfred
- publisher
- Joe Morris Music Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.21
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.021
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Rosenbaum” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song "Rosenbaum" was written and composed by Fred Fischer and published by the Fred Fischer Music Publishing Company of New York, New York in 1908. The cover features an illustration of a soldier doll done by Gene Buck. The cover also has a photograph of Ben Welch on the lower right, a vaudevillian actor who would have performed this song.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1908
- composer; lyricist
- Fischer, Fred
- publisher
- Fred Fischer Music Pub. Co.
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.32
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.32
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
"The Newport" Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song "The Newport" was arranged by Clifford Hale and published by P.R. McCargo of Boston, Massachusetts in 1889. The cover identifies the song as a “York Dance,” and the cover has a variety of geometric and floral designs.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1889
- composer
- Hale, Clifford
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.38
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.38
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
"Lay Me Where the Birds Are Singing" Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music is for the song “Lay Me Where the Birds are Singing,” which was published around 1880 by F. A. Cotharin in New York, New York. Cotharin produced a journal called Musical Album, in which he would publish various musical pieces. The cover of this sheet music features an illustrated portrait of Florence Rice Knox, a popular singer at the time whose image was used to sell this music.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- ca 1900
- user
- Woodside, Lura
- associated person
- Clarke, Herman D.
- publisher
- F. A. Cotharin
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.02
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Mister Dooley” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music is for the song “Mr. Dooley.” The song was written by William Jerome, and composed by Jean Schwartz. The sheet music was published by Shapiro, Bernstein and Company in 1902. The cover features an image of Thomas Q. Seabrooke, a performer during the time who performed in popular Vaudeville shows such as “The Chinese Honeymoon” where the song “Mr. Dooley” originated. As a known performer, his image was used to help sell the sheet music. The lower portion of the cover also features smaller portraits of composers Jerome and Schwartz.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1902
- lyricist
- Jerome, William
- composer
- Schwartz, Jean
- user
- Woodside, Lura
- performer
- Seabrooke, Thomas Q.
- publisher
- Shapiro, Bernstein and Company
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.03
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Good-Bye My Lady Love” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song “Good-Bye My Lady Love” was written and composed by Joseph. E. Howard, and published by Charles K. Harris of New York, New York in 1904. The cover touts the song as being “Introduced & Sung with Great Success by Ida Emerson,” with a full length picture of Emerson framed by flowers in the center of the cover. The cover also notes that Howard and Emerson were the composers of the popular “’Hello Ma Baby’ and ‘Honey Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone’ etc.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1904
- user
- Woodside, Lura
- lyricist; composer
- Howard, Joseph E.
- performer
- Emerson, Ida
- publisher
- Harris, Charles K.
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.07
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.07
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“All Coons Look a Like to Me” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song, "All Coons Look Alike to Me: A Darkey Misunderstanding” was composed by Ernest Hogan. Hogan is billed as “the composer of the famous Pas-Ma-La” on the cover. The music was published by M. Witmark and Sons in New York, New York in 1896. Coon songs were popular from around 1890-1910 and often presented insulting and stereotypical racist depictions of African-Americans. In this song, “all coons look alike” to the female singer of this song because she only had eyes for one man. The composer, Ernest Hogan was black and later regretted writing the song.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1896
- composer; lyricist
- Hogan, Ernest
- publisher
- M. Witmark & Sons
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.12
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.12
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“By the Watermelon Vine Lindy Lou” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song “By the Watermelon Vine, Lindy Lou” was written and composed by Thomas S. Allen. The sheet music was published by Walter Jacobs in 1894. The cover features an image of a black man and lady sitting on a couch-like watermelon slice in a watermelon patch. “Coon songs” such as this became a popular genre around 1890-1900 as the Great Migration resulted in a new class of urban blacks who became stereotyped out of fear.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1894
- composer
- Allen, Thomas S.
- user
- Watkins, Lura Woodside
- publisher
- Jacobs, Walter
- ID Number
- 1979.1154.17
- accession number
- 1979.1154
- catalog number
- 1979.1154.17
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center