Music & Musical Instruments

This sheet music is for the song "Who Are You with Tonight?" with words by Harry Williams and music by Egbert Van Alstyne. It was published by Jerome H. Remick & Co. in the United States in 1910. The cover features a color illustration of two people talking on the phone.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by American artist Edgar M. Keller (1867-1932). Keller began his career around 1907, and was skilled in several art genres including etching, sculpting, oils, and watercolor. Keller is best known for his early artwork for publisher M. Witmark & Sons. After 1911, Keller focused on other mediums of art and had great success with exhibiting his work in art galleries.

This wood block was made in the United States, around 1900 to 1910. It is made of rosewood with two holes drilled at both ends and a metal clamp.

This wood block was used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

This tuned bell set was made in the United States, around 1900 to 1910. The four bells are made of metal and attached to a wood block. There are two clamps that fit into holes in the bottom of the block for attaching to a drum.

This tuned bell set was used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

These drum sticks were made in the United States around 1900 to 1910. There are made of wood.

This pair of drum sticks were used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

This bow is attributed to Eugene Nicolas Sartory in Paris, around 1909-1911. It is a violin bow made of a round light reddish-orange Pernambuco stick with an ivory face, a full silver lined ebony frog with pearl slide and eyes with silver rings, and a silver button. The bow is stamped (heavily worn):

E. SARTORY A PARIS

A student of the great bowmakers, Charles Peccatte and Alfred Lamy, Eugene Sartory, (1871-1946), is highly celebrated for his work and is regarded as one of the last of the 19th-century French-trained bowmakers. This bow of light Pernambuco is typical of his late output, with a round stick which one frequently finds in his work.

This sheet music is for the song, “Selection,” with music by Will R. Anderson and lyrics by Will B. Johnstone. It was published by M. Witmark & Sons. in New York, New York in 1919.

”Selection” was featured in the musical, Take It From Me, with music by Will R. Anderson and book and lyrics by Will B. Johnstone. Take It From Me opened on Broadway at the 44th Street Theatre on March 31, 1919, moved to the Central Theatre on June 9, 1919, where it closed on June 21, 1919, for a total run of 96 performances.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by American artist John Scott “Rolf” Armstrong (1889-1960). Armstrong began his career around 1911 as an illustrator for book covers and magazines. By 1919, he was creating cover art for sheet music and later created calendar art, portraits of Hollywood celebrities, and private commissions. Armstrong continued to paint up until his death.

This trumpet was made by Franz Hörth in Saarbrücken, Germany in 1913. It is an E-flat trumpet made of brass with nickel silver trim and has three mechanical rotary valves. This trumpet is engraved:

Franz Hörth Saarbrucken. Jager Regt. z. Pferde No.8 1913

According to the accession paperwork, this trumpet was one of 12 instruments captured from the Jäger-Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 8 (Eighth Jaeger German Mounted Band) during WWI.

Franz Hörth (also spelled Hoerth) (1862-1932) founded his musical instrument firm in what was known as St. Johann in 1898. This small fishing village merged with two other villages to form Saarbrücken around 1909. Hörth’s son-in-law Richard Wolff became manager of the company around 1921, then known as “Franz Hoerth, metal and wood instrument maker, musical instruments and talking machines."

This sheet music is for the song “My Beautiful Lady,” by Ivan Caryll. It was published by Chappell & Co. in New York, New York, in 1911.

"My Beautiful Lady" was featured in the Broadway musical comedy The Pink Lady, composed by Ivan Caryll, with story and lyrics by C.M.S. McLellan, and adapted from a French farce The Satyr, by Georges Berr and Marcel Guiltermand. The musical opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on March 13, 1911 and ran for 312 performances. After a short run in London, the show returned to the New Amsterdam for an additional 24 performances.

This sheet music is for the song “Oh, How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wacki Woo! (That’s Love in Honolulu),” with words by Stanley Murphy and Chas. McCanon and music by Albert Von Tilzer. It was published by Broadway Music Corp. in New York, New York in 1916.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by Hungarian American artist André Stephen Chevalier De Takacs (1880-1919). Takacs immigrated to the United States in 1901 and quickly became an established artist in New York. He would continue to flourish until his untimely death in 1919.

These slap pad sticks were made in the United States around 1900 to 1910. There are made of wood.

These slap pad sticks were used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

This whistle was made in the United States around 1900 to 1910. It is a slide whistle made of wood.

This whistle was used by William T. Armstrong (1879-1965), orchestra leader and musician in vaudeville and silent film theaters. Armstrong grew up in South River, New Jersey and began playing drums at the age of 14. He continued his musical career through the mid-1910s, after which, Armstrong began work in banking and finance. This artifact is part of a collection of drums, sound effect instruments, and other percussion instruments used by Armstrong.

This sheet music is for the composition “Dance of the Lunatics: An Idiot Rave,” by Thomas S. Allen. It was published by Walter Jacobs in Boston Massachusetts in 1912.

The cover art for this sheet music was made by brothers William Starmer (1872-1957) and Frederick Starmer (1878-1962) Born and raised in England, the brothers moved with their family to New York, William in 1898 and Frederick in 1899. The Starmer Brothers flourished until 1929. William became a U.S. citizen in 1924, while Frederick returned to England in 1929.

This sheet music is for the song “In the Land of Wedding Bells,” with words by Howard L. Johnson and music by George W. Meyer. It was published by Leo Feist in New York, New York in 1917. The cover features an image of a clock tower and three cherubs with bells. There is an inset image of composer and musician Willie Weston.

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.