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 75 items.
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Gibson L-3 Guitar
- Description (Brief)
- This guitar was made by the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1925. It is a six course (6x1) guitar, serial #80612, model L-3, with a spruce top, maple sides and back, and a mahogany neck. The guitar bears the printed label: “PATENTED Feb. 1, '98 [/] Patented March 30, '06 [/] Other Patents Pending [/] Gibson GUITAR Style 13 [/] Number 80612 is hereby [/] GUARANTEED [/] against faulty workmanship or material. Should [/] this instrument, with proper care and usage, go wrong, [/] we agree to repair it free of charge at our factory, or [/] to replace it with another of same style or value. [/] GIBSON MANDOLIN-GUITAR CO. [/] (Manufacturers) [/] Kalamazoo, Mich., U.S.A.”
- The L-3 guitar was manufactured from 1902-1933. This guitar, without case, sold for $100.00 in a Gibson catalog from 1929.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1924
- maker
- Gibson Co.
- ID Number
- MI*69.13
- accession number
- 282345
- catalog number
- 69.13
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“You Remind Me of My Mother” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music is for the song “You Remind Me of My Mother” from the musical play “Little Nellie Kelly.” George M. Cohan wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the song. The sheet music was published by M. Witmark & Sons of New York City in 1922. In 1940 the play was turned into a film that starred Judy Garland.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1922
- composer; lyricist
- Cohan, George M.
- publisher
- M. Witmark & Sons
- ID Number
- 1983.0424.173
- accession number
- 1983.0424
- catalog number
- 1983.0424.173
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Vivian Hayes’ Gibson Tenor Banjo
- Description (Brief)
- This four-string banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Mastertone TB-5 short neck tenor banjo and is stamped serial number 8693-1. This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Vivian Chenoweth Hayes with jeweled accents on the peghead and inscribed with “Vivian.”
- Vivian Hayes toured with her husband Ed Hayes and sister Frances as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1927
- user
- Hayes, Vivian Chenoweth
- maker
- Gibson, Inc.
- ID Number
- 1992.0481.01
- accession number
- 1992.0481
- catalog number
- 1992.0481.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Frances Chenoweth's Tenor Banjo
- Description (Brief)
- This four-string banjo was made by Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Mastertone TB-5 tenor banjo and is stamped serial number 8693-2. This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Frances Chenoweth with jeweled accents on the peghead and is inscribed “Frances.”
- Frances Hayes toured with her sister Frances as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1927
- user
- Chenoweth, Frances
- Coan, Frances Chenoweth
- maker
- Gibson, Inc.
- ID Number
- 1992.0482.01
- accession number
- 1992.0482
- catalog number
- 1992.0482.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Gibson Tenor Banjo
- Description (Brief)
- This four-string tenor banjo was made by Gibson Inc., of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1923. It has 22 brackets, ebony fingerboard, and a maple neck and hoop. This tenor banjo is style TB-3 and stamped with the serial number 11196A-42A. As described in the 1923 Gibson Catalog N it is “A very popular model, incorporating the full-floating, non-friction tone-tube and other Mastertone features which give it the characteristic brilliant, powerful, snappy and far-carrying tone that is the joy of the dance orchestra Tenor-banjoist’s heart.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1923
- maker
- Gibson Co.
- ID Number
- MI*78.05
- accession number
- 1978.0845
- catalog number
- 78.05
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Swim the Channel” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- The sheet music for the song “Swim the Channel” was written and composed C. Dalziel, and published by Dix Lt. of London, England in 1926. In 1926, Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel but three weeks later Amelia “Millie” Gade Corson became the first mother to swim the channel in 15 hours and 29 minutes. This song seems to be dedicated to Corson rather than Ederle, but both woman received admiration from Tin Pan Alley in the form of songs.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1926
- composer; lyricist
- Dalziel, C.
- publisher
- Dix Ltd.
- ID Number
- 1981.0729.05
- accession number
- 1981.0729
- catalog number
- 1981.0729.05
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Mable Rode” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song “Mable Rode” was written and composed by Gloria Marshall, and published by the Marshall Publishing Company of New York, New York in 1924. The entire cover has an orange hue and features a photograph of a woman, possibly Gloria Marshall, in a feather hat. The cover advertises the tune as “a fox-trot comedy song.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1900
- 1924
- composer; lyricist
- Marshall, Gloria
- publisher
- Marshall Publishing
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.01
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.01
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“My Rose of Yesterday” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song "My Rose of Yesterday" was written by Jack Needham and composed by Joe Murphy. The music was published by Fletcher- Brown and Marr Inc. of Keith’s Theatre Building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1920. The cover calls the music the “operatic edition.” The edge of the cover is framed with images of a holly pattern, and there is a pair of red roses on the left side.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1900
- 1920
- lyricist
- Needham, Jack
- composer
- Murphy, Joe
- publisher
- Fletcher-Brown and Marr Inc.
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.03
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.03
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“I Want You Dear Heart to Want Me” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song "I Want You Dear Heart to Want Me" was written by Mary M. Hopkins and published by the American Music Publishing Company of New York, New York in 1923. The cover is plain white with black text, and the music cost thirty cents.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1900
- 1923
- composer
- Hopkins, Mary M.
- publisher
- American Music Publishers
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.09
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.09
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
“Only a Rose (On the Streets of Gold and Sorrow)” Sheet Music
- Description (Brief)
- This sheet music for the song, "Only a Rose (on the Streets of Gold and Sorrow)” was written and composed by George Little, E. E. Elder and Larry Shay and published by Shapiro, Bernstein and Co. of New York, New York in 1924. The cover is mostly dark blue, with a picture of a woman in long dress by a window. There is an inset photograph of Harry Stephens in right hand corner.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Date made
- 1900
- 1924
- publisher
- Shapiro, Bernstein & Co.
- ID Number
- 1982.0439.11
- accession number
- 1982.0439
- catalog number
- 1982.0439.11
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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