This banjo was made by the Gibson, Inc. in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1927. It is a Four-String Tenor Banjo, Mastertone TB-5 Model, serial number 8693-2, with black walnut shell, black walnut neck, rosewood fingerboard with iridescent ivoroid and marquetry strippings, inlay of white pearl designs, similar ornamentation applied to peghead, 4:1 geared pegs with pearl buttons, gold-tone metal parts, and a laminated and arched flange resonator with marquetry and ivoroid inlays.
This banjo was custom made for vaudevillian performer Frances Chenoweth Coan with jeweled accents on the peghead and inscribed with “Frances.”
Frances Chenoweth toured with her sister Vivian Hayes and Vivian’s husband Ed Hayes as "Ed Hayes and His Banjo Girls" from 1927-1930.
As indicated in a 1926 Gibson Banjo Catalog testimonial: “The new Gison Mastertone Tenor-banjo is assuredly a marvel instrument. Its snappy tone, coupled with the rich tonal qualities and its ease of playing, make it an instrument which can be used for all purposes – dance, radio and concert.”
This song folio Mogulesco's for Violin, was arranged by H.A. Russotto and licensed to Katsenelenbagen & Rabinowitz. It was published by Hebrew Publishing Company in New York, New York, in 1898. Titles include "March from the Opera;" "Das Liebele;" "Min Hameitzar;" "Eliesers Kinderleid." [titles in Yiddish] Sigmund Mogulesko [also spelled Mogulesco] (1858-1914) was a singer, actor, and composer in the Yiddish Theater in New York City.
This sheet music is for the song "Der Rebi Hot Geheisen Frehlich Zein," arranged by Joseph M.Rumshinsky. It was publoshed by Hebrew Publishing Company in New York, New York, in 1912.
This Double Bass was made by ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America) in Buffalo, New York, about 1934. It is a “Joseph Maddy All-Aluminum String Bass” model, serial # 429. The body of this instrument is made of Duraluminum, fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece, and soundpost are made of wood.
The records of the Aluminum Company of America indicate the fabrication of 50 aluminum bass viols at their Buffalo facility in 1928 for Carl Fischer, a music supply house in New York. (The Buffalo facility was used by ALCOA for the manufacture of experimental aluminum products -- dinnerware, etc.) A total of 500 instruments were made by ALCOA before the plant closed in 1934. G.C. Conn took over the Carl Fischer business and continued to offer aluminum basses until 1958.
The bass viol was first known as “The Collegian” model sold by Carl Fischer, and later was advertised as the “Joseph Maddy All-Aluminum String Bass.” The 1932-33 catalog of the Continental Music Company describes this bass on page 122: “The top, back, neck, scroll - in fact, all parts except the fingerboard, bridge, tailpiece, and soundpost - are made of Duraluminum, one of the hardest and toughest metals ... The component parts are then welded into a single, inseparable unit. Not a screw or rivet is used in assembling the entire instrument.”
“Besides the natural wood finish the Maddy All-Aluminum Bass can be furnished in Silver Aluminum or Gold Aluminum finish ... They are especially popular with stage or dance orchestras.” The model in natural wood finish was priced at $220, while the silver aluminum was $230, and the gold aluminum was $240.
The Aluminum Musical Instrument Co. was at PO Box 403, Ann Arbor Michigan...an operation run by Joseph Maddy to set up and supply aluminum violins. The double basses were marketed under the name “Joseph Maddy” but sold through musical instrument distributors, not through the Aluminum Musical Instrument Co.
This instrument features U. S. Patent 19141595 dated January 2, 1934, by John S. Burdick, assignor to the Aluminum Company of America for a musical instrument of the viol and violin type.
This music strip was made by an unknown maker in the United States, around 1880-1890. It is a music strip (4 feet long) - "Dixie,” by Daniel Decatur Emmett. This strip can be played in 14-note organettes.
As indicated in an 1885 Catalog of Music for the Orguinette, the price of music was 4 cents per foot. The length of the music strip indicated above, is from the catalog.
This music strip was made by an unknown maker in the United States, around 1880-1890. It is a music strip (4 feet long) - "Annie Laurie," by Dunn. This strip can be played in 14-note organettes.
As indicated in an 1885 Catalog of Music for the Orguinette, the price of music was 4 cents per foot. The length of the music strip indicated above, is from the catalog.
This sheet music is for the song "Oo Sosida Khata Bila," arranged by Louis Friedsell. It was published by Hebrew Publishing Company in New York, New York, in 1921.
This cornet was made by an unknown maker in Europe around 1880-1900. It is a B-flat cornet made of brass with 3 piston valves.
This cornet was used by Fritz A. Blomberg (1864-1938), who immigrated from Kristinsham, Sweden to the United States on the Prussian Line, with ports of departure from Glasgow, Scotland and Moville and Galway, Ireland. The ship arrived in Boston on July 25, 1892. Passenger and Crew lists for the Prussian Line indicate that Fritz A. Blomberg could read and write and his occupation was a cigar maker. Blomberg received his American citizenship on November 25, 1903. According to relatives, Fritz A. Blomberg was prominent in music circles in the Boston area.
This case was made by an unknown maker in the United States, 1920s. It is a banjo case, made of fiberboard, with metal fittings, leather covered handle, and blue plush lining. It was accessioned with banjo (Cat. #1992.0482.01)
This clarinet was made by Henderson N. White in Cleveland, Ohio about 1940. It is a Boehm System clarinet in B-flat, Silver King model serial #299564, made of nickel silver with gold plate inside the bell. This clarinet is engraved:
SILVER KING N.P. MADE BY THE H.N. WHITE CO. CLEVELAND OHIO
This clarinet features United States Patent #2194513, March 26, 1940 awarded to Henderson N. White for a “Musical Instrument,” which was for the manufacture of a metal clarinet bell.
This object has been given considerable scrutiny and analysis because of its attribution during the 1990s to African traditions. Studies have been inconclusive; while the sun design carved on the body may have African origins, the polygonal shape, wood top (instead of a skin), and carved head lie outside the traditions of those instrument designs and technologies brought by people from the African continent who had been kidnapped, enslaved and trafficked across the Atlantic. An appraisal dates the instrument to the early to mid-19th century, but this instrument continues to warrant further study.
This sheet music with a colored drawing of the American flag on a white background was created in commemoration of Flag Day and the June 14, 1954 modification to the Pledge by President Dwight D. Eisenhower that included the phrase "under God." It also includes a page with a short history of the Pledge of Allegiance. The music was composed by Irving Caesar, ASCAP at the request of Representative Louis C. Rabaur. He had previously sponsored joint resolution 243 to support the the change in the pledge. This music was performed for the first time on the floor of the House of Representatives on Flag Day, June 14, 1955 by the Air Force Choral group, the "Singing Sergeants."
This sheet music is for the song "A Chaver in Leben," by David Meyerowitz and arranged by Henry A. Russotto. It was published by Hebrew Publishing Company in New York, New York, in 1917. The cover features images of Henry A. Russotto and vocalist William Schwartz, who performed this song.
This music strip was made by an unknown maker in the United States, around 1880-1890. It is a music strip (6 ¼ feet long) - "Star Spangled Banner.” This strip can be played in 14-note organettes.
As indicated in an 1885 Catalog of Music for the Orguinette, the price of music was 4 cents per foot. The length of the music strip indicated above, is from the catalog.
This sheet music is for the song "Oi Oo Loozi," arranged by Louis Friedsell. It was published by Hebrew Publishing Company in New York, New York, in 1921.