The Metropolitan Museum of Art

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 3 0620 00794341 7 S THE MUSICAL MENAGERIE THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART THE MUSICAL MENAGERIE A Selection of Musical Instruments from The Metropolitan Museum of Art By Amy German ç 1984 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Almost one hundred years ago, a woman named Mary Elizabeth Brown became interested in collecting musical instruments from all over the world. Many of the instruments that she collected and gave to the Museum look very different from those we are familiar with. In fact, some of them look more like animals than like musical instruments. These animal-shaped instruments are not only fun to look at, they can also tell us something about the people who use them. These instruments come from several different countries, including the United States of America, Peru, India, Japan, Indonesia, and Germany. People usually got the idea of making these instruments from the animals that lived around them. Extraordinary animals that were very strong or very beautiful were thought to have special powers. People believed that if they made an object that looked like an animal, it would have the powers of the real animal. An animal-shaped musical instrument symbolized the animal and its power. People believed that they could use this power when they played the instrument. You will see how each animal-instrument has a special symbolic meaning for the people who used it. By understanding these symbols, you will be able to learn about some of the beliefs and customs of the people who use the instruments. Rather than being used for entertainment, most of these instruments are used for other purposes. Some are used during religious ceremonies so that their sounds will send messages to the gods. There is also an instrument from Peru, called a whistling jar, whose purpose is unknown to us today. All of the instruments described in this booklet can be seen in the André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments on the second floor of the Museum. ABOUT THE ANIMALS The country of Japan is made up of many small islands. With the sea all around them, Japanese people can catch lots of fish to eat. The fish is an important animal as a source of food. The fish also became an important symbolic instrument used in the religion called Buddhism. The fish-shaped instrument is carved from a piece of wood. The body is hollowed out through a narrow slit along the fish's belly. When the fish is tapped with a small wooden hammer, a sharp knocking sound is made. As a symbol, the fish has several meanings. The fish is a water animal so it is a rain symbol. A ball inside the mouth of the fish-instrument stands for the universe. And because it has no eyelids, the fish can never close its eyes to sleep. For this reason, the Japanese believe that the fish stands for being awake and alert. The Japanese name for this instrument is mokugyo, meaning "wakefulness." During the Buddhist ceremony, the wooden fish is either hung up or placed on a cushion. It is played at the end of the ceremony. The sound that it makes reminds people to be as alert and awake as the fish. The sound is also a message to the gods, possibly a prayer for rain. MOKUGYO • The tiger forms a symbolic musical instrument from Japan although no tigers live in that country. The Japanese borrowed the tiger symbol and instrument from China, where wild tigers can be found. In both countries, the tiger symbolizes strength and courage. And in both countries, the instrument is used during a religious ceremony. In Japan, this instrument is called a gyo. It is carved out of wood in the shape of a tiger lying down on a long box. Instead of looking fierce or dangerous, the tiger looks very friendly and gentle. In fact, the Japanese word for merry and music is written on its head. Along its back is a bumpy wooden ridge that looks like the animal's backbone. The instrument is played by rubbing a bamboo stick along this ridge. As this is done, the hollow box acts as a resonator, which means that it makes the sound richer and louder. When it is played, the gyo sounds as if it is purring the way a cat purrs when its back is scratched. But the tiger must be patient and wait until the very end of a religious ceremony to be "scratched." Only then it is played three times, marking the end of the service. GYO Many kinds of birds live in India, but none is as magnificent as the peacock. The Indians chose this bird to represent the most important goddess in the Hindu religion. Named Sarasvati, she is the goddess of wisdom and the arts. The mayuri (the word for "peacock" in the Sanskrit language) is a stringed instrument made to honor Sarasvati. The graceful bird shape was carefully carved out of wood. Then it was painted in shades of deep blue, red, and gold. Real peacock feathers were used for the tail. They make the instrument look very lifelike. When it is being played, the bird's feet stand on the ground and the long, fretted "neck" of the instrument (not the peacock's neck) rests on the player's shoulder. Every year, Sarasvati is worshipped throughout India at a festival called Vasanta-panchami. One way that Indians show their devotion to the god dess is by going to concerts held in her honor. During these concerts, musicians play the mayuri. While listening to the music, people can see the peacock-shaped instrument and remember the wise teachings of the beautiful goddess. MAYURI Beautifully carved and painted wooden rattles are made by the Native Americans of our Northwest Coast. These people are well known for their woodcarving, especially their giant totem poles. This rattle shows animals that are important to the Indians. The way the Indians use it shows their belief that animals can transfer their magical powers to people. The large bird on the rattle is a raven. The Indians believe that the raven has the power to transform itself into anything, at any time. The Northwest Coast people have many legends about this bird. Sometimes the raven has used its power to help people. Other times, the bird plays tricks on people. This is why they call it the "trickster" animal. On the raven's back is a masked shaman, a medicine man who can receive supernatural powers from animal spirits. The shaman is drinking magical potion from the beak of a kingfisher bird. The potion is used by the shaman when he enacts rituals for his people. When the rattle is turned over, you can see the carved design of a thunderbird or hawk face. Alto gether, the rattle has three birds and a person carved on it. Pebbles are put inside the instrument so it will make a sound when it is shaken. These rattles are used by the tribe's shaman during certain cere monies. As he dances and sings, he shakes the rattle so that its sound will attract helpful spirits. When a shaman receives power from a spirit, he can perform magical deeds. These may include curing sickness, helping his tribe win a war, controlling the weather, and predicting the future. S H AM AN RAT T LE Some of the oldest animal-shaped instruments in the Museum come from Peru in South America. The ones in this collection are as much as two- thousand years old. Clay "whistling jars" were often made in the shapes of jaguars and birds. They were decorated in two ways. Features could be scratched into the wet, soft clay, or designs could be painted on after the clay was dry and hard. Ancient Peruvians worshipped the jaguar as the "king of beasts." Birds, too, were special animals, because they could fly up near gods who lived in the sky. People may have thought that birds were the gods' messengers. To make the instrument play, water is poured in through the jar's open neck and then the jar is swung by its handle. As the water sloshes back and forth between the two vessels, the air inside is forced out of the whistle- spout in the bird's head, making a loud whistling sound. WHISTLING JAR QtQé This is a musical instrument from Indonesia in the shape of an animal that doesn't even exist. It is called a saron and is shaped like a dragon. The dragon is imagined to be a monster that looks like a huge lizard or snake with wings and a long tail. Long ago, people may have gotten the idea of the dragon from a real animal, the lizard. In parts of the world where poisonous reptiles live, people thought that dragons would also have harmful powers. But in many countries without dangerous reptiles, people believed that dragons could have helpful powers. Dragons know life's secrets and are therefore very wise. They can command the sky, the earth, and the waters, and also protect people from harm. Look at the dragon-shaped instrument from the Indonesian country of Java. You can tell by its cheerful face that the Javanese feel that dragons are their friends. On the dragon's back are seven metal bars that are played like a xylo phone. Instead of being played by itself, the saron is part of a group of instruments called a gamelan. Many of the instruments in a gamelan orches tra are gongs.

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