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 8 items.
Amati Violin
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made by Nicolo Amati in Cremona, Italy in 1675. Nicolo Amati (1596-1684) was from the third generation of the famous Amati family in Cremona. The son of Hieronymous I, Nicolo is commonly regarded as the greatest maker of the family. He is renowned for having
- developed refinement, elegance and attention to detail not seen in the work of earlier makers. While using a variety of models, he developed a favorite large pattern of exquisite proportions which is known in our time as the “Grand Pattern” Amati. These instruments, with bodies of greater length and width than others of his output, have powerful voices suitable even for the modern soloist. The violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce, back of two-piece slab maple with irregular fine gently descending figure with broad figure at the upper bout corners, ribs of similar maple, grafted maple neck terminating in the original pegbox and scroll of even medium figured maple, and golden-orange-brown varnish.
- Description
- This violin has an original printed label:
- Nicolaus Amatus Cremonen
- Hieronymi Fil. ac Antonij Nepos Fecit 1675
- Nicolo Amati (1596-1684) was from the third generation of the famous Amati family in Cremona. The son of Hieronymous I, Nicolo is commonly regarded as the greatest maker of the family. While using a variety of models, he developed a favorite large pattern which is known as the "Grand Pattern" Amati.
- This instrument from the last decade of Nicolo Amati's life is built on the "Grand Pattern" and is a good example of the period, but it lacks the fluid elegance and grace of earlier examples. It is possible that this violin was constructed and finished with the help of students in the shop and with the aid of Nicolo's son, Hieronymous II (1649-1740), who was himself a fine maker but lacked the power and gift of his father.
- It is difficult to overestimate the impact of Nicolo in the development of the violin. He took the work of his grandfather and uncle to new heights of excellence. He then passed his influence, knowledge and aesthetic to students who included Andrea Guarneri, Francesco Rugieri and Antonio Stradivari. It is possible that Jacob Stainer may at some point have studied with Nicolo, but if not, his work was certainly influenced by the genius of this Cremonese master.
- date made
- 1675
- maker
- Amati, Nicolo
- ID Number
- 1979.0548.01
- accession number
- 1979.0548
- catalog number
- 1979.0548.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Leonporri Violin
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made by Giovanni Francesco Leonporri in Milan, Italy in 1755. Leonporri, whose attributed (signed) work is rarely encountered, is thought to have worked in Milan during the period 1750-1768. The Tyrolean character of his instruments implies that he may have been of Germanic background. It is possible that he Italianized his name when he moved to Milan. This violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce, two-piece back of maple cut on 45o with very fine irregular gently descending figure, ribs of similar maple, grafted maple neck with original plain maple pegbox and scroll, and a semi-transparent golden-brown varnish.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1755
- maker
- Leonporri, Giovanni Francesco
- ID Number
- 1980.0838.01
- catalog number
- 1980.0838.01
- accession number
- 1980.0838
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Guadagnini Violin
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made by Giovanni Baptista Guadagnini in Milan, Italy in 1752. Giovanni Baptista Guadagnini (known as “J. B.”), the son of the violin maker Lorenzo Guadagnini was born in Piacenza in 1711. He became the most famous member of this family of makers which extends into the 20th Century. J. B. was trained by his father, Lorenzo in Piacenza. In 1749 he moved to Milan and remained there until 1758. This violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce with wide, even grain, one-piece back of maple cut on the quarter with medium figure descending to the right, ribs and grafted pegbox and scroll of similar maple, and red-orange varnish.
- Description
- This violin has an original label:
- Joannes Baptifta Guadagnini Pla-
- centinus fecit Mediolani 1752
- Giovanni Baptista Guadagnini (known as J. B.), the son of the violin maker Lorenzo Guadagnini was born in Piacenza in 1711. He became the most famous member of this family of makers which extends into the 20th Century. J. B. was trained by his father in Piacenza where he remained until 1749 when he moved to Milan. In 1758 Guadagnini traveled to Cremona where he remained for about one year, only to continue on to Parma in 1759, evidently to accept the patronage of the ducal court. In 1771, Guadagnini moved to Turin where he remained until his death on 18 September, 1786 at the age of 75.
- This instrument is a very handsome example of the Milan period. The characteristic pear-shaped lower lobes of the f-holes are clearly evidenced. (This characteristic was to be retained until the last decade of his life when he was living in Turin.) The f-hole notches are centrally located as invariably found in this period. The pegbox bears central layout marks on the back; the scroll with broad even chamfer extends characteristically to full, even ears. Texture in the strongly undercut volutes of the scroll are enhanced by fine marks of the gouge. The instrument bears full archings and typical thickening of the back edge at the button. A plentiful amount of the golden transparent orange-red varnish remains. Fortunately, the lower bout ribs are original and uncut; the presence of lower bout ribs in one piece is also a typical characteristic of many Italian makers.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1752
- maker
- Guadagnini, Joannes Baptista
- ID Number
- 1984.0769.01
- catalog number
- 1984.0769.01
- accession number
- 1984.0769
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Grancino Violin
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made by Giovanni Grancino in Milan, Italy after 1710. This instrument was probably made after 1710 when Grancino frequently abandoned the practice of making violins of large body length (35.5 cm [14"] or larger). In compensation for length, bodies of the later instruments were usually of a broad model with archings reduced in height relative to earlier periods. The back of this example has a broader fuller arching than that of the table, a feature that would provide increased concentration of sound with the newly developed lower strings of gut wound with metal wire. This violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce with a beautifully even grain, narrowing at the flanks, back of two-piece maple cut on the quarter bearing very mild even medium descending figure, ribs of similar quarter cut maple with mild to faint figure, grafted maple neck terminating in a plain maple pegbox and scroll with deeply cut volutes and medium fine chamfer, and a transparent golden-yellow varnish.
- Description
- This violin has a reproduction printed label dated 1696.
- Giovanni Grancino (ca. 1670-1737?) was, in his own time the most important violin maker in Milan. At that time, the Milanese school generally provided less expensive instruments than contemporary makers in Cremona. The need for good, less expensive instruments for an increasing number of players created an active market in Milan and other violin-making communities. Frequently, instruments of the Grancino family display maple backs, sides and necks of moderately or even unfigured maple which is evidence of the demand for less expensive products. This is most especially true of Grancino cellos, often built of undistinguished materials. Musical quality had, however to be of the highest possible potential. Aware of musical demands, Giovanni Grancino almost invariably chose fine quality spruce for the tables of his instruments, usually with beautiful even grain and density.
- This instrument was probably made after 1710 when Grancino frequently abandoned the practice of making violins of large body length (35.5 cm [14"] or larger). In compensation for length, bodies of the later instruments were usually of a broad model with archings reduced in height relative to earlier periods. The back of this example has a broader fuller arching than that of the table, a feature that would provide increased concentration of sound with the newly developed lower strings of gut wound with metal wire.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1710-1730
- maker
- Grancino, Giovanni
- ID Number
- 1984.0976.01
- catalog number
- 1984.0976.01
- accession number
- 1984.0976
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Stradivari Violin, the "Ole Bull"
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made by Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy in 1687. This violin is named after its 19th century owner, Ole Bull (1810-1880), a celebrated violinist and seminal figure in Norwegian music. The violin is made of a one-piece table of spruce with even medium fine grain broadening toward the treble side, one-piece back of maple with a beautiful broad descending figure slanting from treble to bass side, ribs of similar maple, with a modern maple neck terminating in the original pegbox and scroll of similar maple, and a golden brown varnish.
- Description
- This violin is named after its 19th century owner, Ole Bull (1810-1880), a celebrated violinist and seminal figure in Norwegian music. After his early years in his home town of Bergen, Ole Bull's reputation secured him concerts throughout Europe. His technical facility led Schumann to regard him as at least Paganini's equal, and with his enormous personality, Ole Bull dazzled his audiences. Americans were particular smitten by his performance tours, first in 1843 and again in the 1850s. A democrat and Romantic adventurer, he became involved in the creation of an utopian New Norway in Potter County, Pennsylvania, in a town to be named Oleana. However, in 1853, after just one year, the project collapsed. He continued to perform with undiminished success, and spent winters in America and summers in Norway for last ten years of his life.
- The Ole Bull violin is part of the Axelrod Quartet of Decorated Instruments by Antonio Stradivari, consisting of the "Ole Bull," 1687; the "Greffuhle" violin, c.1700; the "Axelrod" viola, 1695; the "Marylebone" cello, 1688. Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod's association with the Smithsonian Insitution began with a collaboration in 1955 with Curator of Fishes, Dr. Leonard P. Schultz, with whom he co-authored the Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes. That association expanded over the years and, since 1986, includes continuous support of the Smithsonian's musical intrument collections. In 1987 Dr. Axelrod was awarded the Founder's Medal, the highest honor given by the Smithsonian's prestigious James Smithson Society.
- Date made
- 1687
- maker
- Stradivari, Antonio
- ID Number
- 2000.0013.02
- accession number
- 2000.0013
- catalog number
- 2000.0013.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Amati Violin, the "King Louis XIV"
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made by Nicolo Amati in Cremona, Italy in 1656. Nicolo Amati (1596–1684) was from the third generation of the famous Amati family in Cremona. The son of Hieronymous I, he is commonly regarded as the greatest maker of the family. Nicolo took over the business on his father’s death in 1630, a time when Cremona was devastated by famine followed by the plague. The only remaining maker of any consequence in Italy, his survival assured the craft of violin making in Cremona would endure.
- In 1949 Emil Herrmann writes that “the back and table are decorated with double purfling and inlaid fleur de lys which, on the table, are inset with rubies and emeralds,” and this violin “was made to order for the Royal Family of France, most probably for King Louis XIV.” Computed Tomography scans indicate these gem stones are actually the density of glass, and while it now bears the Louis XIV attribution assigned by Herrmann, there is no documentation of the violin’s association to French royalty.
- Description
- The importance of the Amati family of violin makers cannot be overstated. In the 17th century, Nicolo's grandfather, Andrea Amati, appears to have created the form of the violin, viola, and cello as they are known today. Andrea's two sons, known as the "Brothers Amati," continued the family business, as well as his innovative spirit. The larger tenor viola was commonly played in their time, and while they made many of them, the "Brothers" are generally credited with introducing the smaller contralto viola, the size regarded as more suitable today. As with Jacob Stainer, the influence of the Amatis spread across Europe, influencing contemporary makers as far away as England and the Netherlands.
- Nicolo Amati (1596-1684) was the last of the highly esteemed Amati violin makers and is considered the most refined craftsman of the Amati family. He took over the business on his father's death in 1630, a time when Cremona was devastated by famine followed by the plague. His survival assured the craft of violin making in Cremona would not only endure, but also exceed the pioneering work of earlier generations. The only remaining maker of any consequence in Italy, Nicolo regained a productive shop by 1640. Over his ensuing career he trained the next generation of Cremonese masters including Andrea Guraneri, Francesco Rugeri, Giovanni Rogeri, Giacomo Gennaro, and Antonio Stradivari. Jacob Stainer may have been one of his pupils as well.
- Like his forebearers, Nicolo's production led him to develop yet another Amati innovation. Known today as the "Grand Amati," this slightly larger model violin is the most desirable for modern musicians. In general, his instruments are highly regarded for their elegant quality of sound and easy response to a musician's touch. Nicolo's lifetime achievement is judged as much by the preservation and impetus he gave to violin making as it is by the fine instruments he crafted in his mind and with his hands.
- Date made
- 1656
- maker
- Amati, Nicolo
- ID Number
- 2000.0100.01
- accession number
- 2000.0100
- catalog number
- 2000.0100.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Amati School Violin
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was made from the Nicolo Amati School in Cremona, Italy around 1670. This instrument has been the focus of study and speculation since it arrived at the Museum of American History in 1976. While clearly displaying the influence of Nicolo Amati, this violin is probably the work of a gifted apprentice in his workshop.
- Francesco Rugieri (ca. 1620-1695?) was among the first students of Nicolo Amati, and did later establish his own violin making shop in Cremona. He was the founder of the Rugieri family of makers, followed by his two sons, Vincenzo and Giacinto. Antonio, son of Giacinto, continued the tradition into the third generation.
- Francesco Rugieri is the most probable Amati apprentice to have crafted this violin. He embraced the style of his teacher, bringing a careful elegance of character and form to his instruments. He frequently used the “Grand Pattern” Amati model with slightly lengthened f-holes and a more robust treatment of the pegbox and scroll. Rugieri almost always chose handsome wood for his instruments, combined with beautiful transparent golden-orange or reddish-orange varnish.
- This violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce of even medium grain, two-piece back of maple cut on the quarter with even, fine, horizontal figure, ribs of similar maple, modern baroque reproduction
- maple neck with grafted 19th-century German pegbox and scroll, and a golden yellow-brown varnish.
- Description
- This instrument has been the focus of study and speculation since it was acquired in 1976. While clearly displaying the influence of Nicolo Amati, this violin is probably the work of a gifted apprentice in his workshop.
- Francesco Rugieri (ca. 1620-1695?) is the most probable apprentice. He embraced the style of his teacher, bringing a careful elegance of character and form to his instruments. He frequently used the "Grand Pattern" Amati model with slightly lengthened f-holes and a more robust treatment of the pegbox and scroll. Rugieri almost always chose handsome wood for his instruments, combined with beautiful transparent golden-orange or reddish-orange varnish.
- Francesco Rugieri is known to have covered over his own label with an Amati label as early as 1685, in the year after Nicolo's death. During this period and afterward, Andrea Guarneri, Giofredo Cappa and other members of the Rugieri family, all living in Cremona, produced some instruments with Amati labels. Indeed the practice extended to the Gagliano family in Naples, makers of the Milanese tradition and many copyists in England, France and Germany.
- date made
- 1665-1675
- maker
- Nicolo Amati School
- ID Number
- MI*76.22
- catalog number
- 76.22
- accession number
- 1977.0067
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Stradivari Violin, the "Greffuhle"
- Description (Brief)
- This violin was handcrafted by Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy around 1700. This instrument represents an artistic standard of perfection recognized by classical musicians in the United States and around the world. Of the 620 Stradivari instruments that survive, this is one of only eleven that are decorated. The inlay along the sides—an ornate motif of flowers, vines, and animals—is suggestive of eternal life and the promise of paradise. The brilliant tone of the Greffuhle (named for a French nobleman who once owned it) can still be heard today. The violin is made of a two-piece table of spruce with even medium fine grain broadening toward the sides, one-piece back of maple with narrow, nearly horizontal figure, ribs of similar maple, modern maple neck terminating in the original pegbox and scroll of similar maple, and a golden red-brown varnish.
- Date made
- 1709
- maker
- Stradivari, Antonio
- ID Number
- 2000.0013.01
- accession number
- 2000.0013
- catalog number
- 2000.0013.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center