Music & Musical Instruments

Original Cast Album. This Is the Army (Decca A-340). 4-disc set. (album for 1988.0384.02-.-05).
78 rpm.

This album is from the Broadway musical This Is the Army, with book by James McColl, and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical was produced by the U. S. Army in 1942, and featured a cast of U. S. soldiers, for the benefit of the Army Relief Fund. The revue ran at the Broadway Theatre from July 4, 1942, to September 26, 1942, for 113 performances.

This organette was made by Autophone Company in Ithaca, New York, about 1878. It is a hand pressure operated model, with 22 free reeds. Accessioned with cardboard music strips (MI.68.13.01 - .25)

This instrument features U. S. Patent #211821, dated December 3, 1878, by Henry B. Horton, for improvements in mechanical musical instruments that play perforated paper strips. In the patent description the inventor uses the term “autophone” to describe the instrument.

This cornet was made by the New York Musical Instrument Co. in New York, New York around 1919-1921. It is a “long model” B-flat/A cornet, Regal model serial #4171, made of silver plated brass with 3 Périnet piston valves and has a quick change slide. This cornet is accessioned with an original rectangular wooden case covered with black leatherette and lined with green plush and satin. This cornet is engraved:

THE REGAL
NEW
YORK
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
CO.

The New York Musical instrument Co, started as dealers and importers in 1915 and later changed the name to the New York Band Instrument Co. By 1950, the company was out of business.

Doc Evans Ensemble. side 1: Fidgety Feet; side 2: Clarinet Marmalade (Disc 6071), from the album, Doc Evans' Dixieland Five (Disc).
78 rpm.

Album cover illustration was by David Stone Martin (born David Livingstone Martin, 1913-1992). Martin was an American artist best known for his illustrations on jazz album covers for labels including Mercury, Asch, Disc, and Dial. Many of his commissions were from Martin’s longtime friend, American jazz record producer and concert promoter Norman Granz (1918-2001).

This snare drum was made by John Webster, near Spencertown, New York, around 1790-1820. It has a painted shell with a painted eagle with its characteristic “frog-legged” design that appears during the period of the 1790s to about 1820 on U.S. militia canteens, belt plates, cap insignia and knapsacks. Also this basic design, with a shield on the eagle‘s breast, was used on the U.S. Peace medals of 1792 and 1793. There are 13 stars painted on the drum shell in a circular pattern around the eagle motif. Also, there are 4 additional stars painted vertically to the right side of the eagle motif.

The drum has two wood hoops drilled with 9 holes each for rope, which at one time, was laced through leather ears, used to tighten the hoops. There are 2 skin heads in poor condition and remnants of a gut snare. The drum is disassembled and would require conservation to bring it back to its original condition. It is accessioned with a pair of hardwood drum sticks. There is a label inside the shell that is inscribed:

“I was made by John Webster 3 miles north of Spencertown Meeting House Sept 1779”

As indicated in correspondence with the previous owner, this drum was brought back from the War of 1812 by Captain John George Snyder. Further research is needed to determine details of Snyder’s military career.

This sheet music is for the composition, “Ciribiribin,” by Alberto Pestalozza. It was published by Belwin, Inc. in New York, New York in 1931. This sheet music is No. 495 from the Belwin series Edition Beautiful, published from 1920s-1930s.

Belwin was formed in 1918 by music publishing employee Max Winkler (1888-1965), film-maker Max Winkler (1875-1961), and publisher of original composition and arrangements for silent cinema S.M. Berg. The name Belwin was created by combining the surnames of Berg and Winkler.

This bow was made by Henryk Kaston in New York, New York, in 1990. It is a viola bow, with a Pernambuco stick, tortoise shell frog and gold fittings, mother-of-pearl and gold inlay. The bow is stamped:

HENRYK KASTON

(and a gold monogram):

HK

Taken from an interview with Henryk Kaston on May 30,1991:

Henryk Kaston was born in 1915 in Piotrowk, Trb., Poland, a small town near Warsaw. The son of a violinist, he left Poland to advance his violin studies at the Paris Conservatoire in the mid-1930s. While in Paris, he became interested in sculpting, jewelry, and bow making, learning these crafts by working in various shops.

He arrived in the United States in 1941 and began his performance career in the Cleveland Orchestra. Within two years he had moved to New York City, playing in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and working as the bow man for the Rembert Wurlitzer firm. Henryk also worked out of his home, producing bows and jewelry for clients on request. In later years he executed jewelry designed by the artist Salvador Dali, and also became involved in the design and marketing of violin mutes.

Henryk Kaston did not keep records of his work, but he estimates a total output of 300 to 400 bows. The majority of his work was violin bows, which he did not always mark with his identifying brand stamp, sometimes utilizing precious metals and stones on the frog that capitalize on his jeweler’s experience.

This viola bow is from a matched quartet of bows was made in 1990 at the request of Dr. Herbert Axelrod for donation to the Smithsonian collections. Each bow has a tortoise shell frog and gold fittings. The mother-of-pearl and gold inlaid design is taken from the Stradivari “coat of arms” created in the 19th century which is sometimes used to decorate tailpieces of instruments labelled Stradivarius.

This bow was made by Henryk Kaston in New York, New York, in 1990. It is a violin bow, with a Pernambuco stick, tortoise shell frog and gold fittings, mother-of-pearl and gold inlay. The bow is stamped:

HENRYK KASTON

(and a gold monogram):

HK

Taken from an interview with Henryk Kaston on May 30,1991:

Henryk Kaston was born in 1915 in Piotrowk, Trb., Poland, a small town near Warsaw. The son of a violinist, he left Poland to advance his violin studies at the Paris Conservatoire in the mid-1930s. While in Paris, he became interested in sculpting, jewelry, and bow making, learning these crafts by working in various shops.

He arrived in the United States in 1941 and began his performance career in the Cleveland Orchestra. Within two years he had moved to New York City, playing in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and working as the bow man for the Rembert Wurlitzer firm. Henryk also worked out of his home, producing bows and jewelry for clients on request. In later years he executed jewelry designed by the artist Salvador Dali, and also became involved in the design and marketing of violin mutes.

Henryk Kaston did not keep records of his work, but he estimates a total output of 300 to 400 bows. The majority of his work was violin bows, which he did not always mark with his identifying brand stamp, sometimes utilizing precious metals and stones on the frog that capitalize on his jeweler’s experience.

This violin bow is from a matched quartet of bows was made in 1990 at the request of Dr. Herbert Axelrod for donation to the Smithsonian collections. Each bow has a tortoise shell frog and gold fittings. The mother-of-pearl and gold inlaid design is taken from the Stradivari “coat of arms” created in the 19th century which is sometimes used to decorate tailpieces of instruments labelled Stradivarius.

This bow was made by Henryk Kaston in New York, New York, in 1990. It is a violin bow, with a Pernambuco stick, tortoise shell frog and gold fittings, mother-of-pearl and gold inlay. The bow is stamped:

HENRYK KASTON

(and a gold monogram):

HK

Taken from an interview with Henryk Kaston on May 30,1991:

Henryk Kaston was born in 1915 in Piotrowk, Trb., Poland, a small town near Warsaw. The son of a violinist, he left Poland to advance his violin studies at the Paris Conservatoire in the mid-1930s. While in Paris, he became interested in sculpting, jewelry, and bow making, learning these crafts by working in various shops.

He arrived in the United States in 1941 and began his performance career in the Cleveland Orchestra. Within two years he had moved to New York City, playing in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and working as the bow man for the Rembert Wurlitzer firm. Henryk also worked out of his home, producing bows and jewelry for clients on request. In later years he executed jewelry designed by the artist Salvador Dali, and also became involved in the design and marketing of violin mutes.

Henryk Kaston did not keep records of his work, but he estimates a total output of 300 to 400 bows. The majority of his work was violin bows, which he did not always mark with his identifying brand stamp, sometimes utilizing precious metals and stones on the frog that capitalize on his jeweler’s experience.

This violin bow is from a matched quartet of bows was made in 1990 at the request of Dr. Herbert Axelrod for donation to the Smithsonian collections. Each bow has a tortoise shell frog and gold fittings. The mother-of-pearl and gold inlaid design is taken from the Stradivari “coat of arms” created in the 19th century which is sometimes used to decorate tailpieces of instruments labelled Stradivarius.

This bow was made by Henryk Kaston in New York, New York, in 1990. It is a violoncello bow, with a Pernambuco stick, tortoise shell frog and gold fittings, mother-of-pearl and gold inlay. The bow is stamped:

HENRYK KASTON

(and a gold monogram):

HK

Taken from an interview with Henryk Kaston on May 30,1991:

Henryk Kaston was born in 1915 in Piotrowk, Trb., Poland, a small town near Warsaw. The son of a violinist, he left Poland to advance his violin studies at the Paris Conservatoire in the mid-1930s. While in Paris, he became interested in sculpting, jewelry, and bow making, learning these crafts by working in various shops.

He arrived in the United States in 1941 and began his performance career in the Cleveland Orchestra. Within two years he had moved to New York City, playing in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and working as the bow man for the Rembert Wurlitzer firm. Henryk also worked out of his home, producing bows and jewelry for clients on request. In later years he executed jewelry designed by the artist Salvador Dali, and also became involved in the design and marketing of violin mutes.

Henryk Kaston did not keep records of his work, but he estimates a total output of 300 to 400 bows. The majority of his work was violin bows, which he did not always mark with his identifying brand stamp, sometimes utilizing precious metals and stones on the frog that capitalize on his jeweler’s experience.

This violoncello bow is from a matched quartet of bows was made in 1990 at the request of Dr. Herbert Axelrod for donation to the Smithsonian collections. Each bow has a tortoise shell frog and gold fittings. The mother-of-pearl and gold inlaid design is taken from the Stradivari “coat of arms” created in the 19th century which is sometimes used to decorate tailpieces of instruments labelled Stradivarius.

This pipe organ was made by William Davis in New York, New York, in 1863. It has a single keyboard, with a compass of C - g3. The organ’s disposition is as follows:

8' Open Diapason
4' Principal
8' Stopped Diapason (chimney flute)
4' Flute (from f)
8' Dulciana (from f)

This organ was in use in the Christ Episcopal Church in Jordan, New York for over a hundred years. It was purchased by the donor in the 1960s, and donated to the Smithsonian in 1971.