THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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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, , 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 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 called . 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 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 , 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 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 . The music is often played to accompany an event, such as a dance or a shadow puppet play. These events take place out of doors and may last all night long.

SARON

In Europe during the early nineteenth century, musicians at outdoor festi­ vals delighted their audiences by playing not the usual trombones and bass horns, but instruments in the shape of dragon heads. With their brightly painted, comical appearance, these horns were considered too gaudy to be suitable for the concert hall. Besides, their very shape often affected the way they sounded, giving them a less refined tone than the traditional horn with its smoothly flared bell. But spectators at parades loved these colorful musical dragons—especially the ones with long red tongues that wagged as the band marched by. Unlike the Javanese dragon saron, these openmouthed creatures probably had no symbolic meaning. They were just exciting to look at, like the huge cartoon character balloons, elaborate floats, and fancy costumes of today's parades.

BRASS INSTRUMENTS WITH DRAG ON HEADS I è

y You may think of the goat as an animal that can be disagreeable and mis­ chievous. But in many countries, goats are valued for their milk and for their strength as work animals. For these reasons, the goat became known as a symbol of health and strength. For centuries, people in Germany have used an instrument made from parts of a real goat. It is a bagpipe that they call a bock, which means "goat" in German. The bag, or body, of the instrument is made out of goatskin. The goat's head is carved from wood and has glass eyes. In the animal's mouth is a tube ending in a curved cow's horn, which makes the goat look as if it's puffing on a pipe. Actually, the pipe is an important part of the instrument. When the player squeezes the large bellows, air is pumped into the bag and out through the pipe and neighboring drone tube, creating a tuneful sound. Goat bagpipes are played at lively country dances and weddings: events celebrating good health, large families, and long life.

BOCK

When you visit the Museum's André Mertens Galleries for Musical Instruments to see the animal-instruments described in this booklet, you will be able to see many more instruments that also have animal features. The list below is only a sampling of the animal-instruments you may find. During your "animal hunt" remember to keep your eyes wide open. Animals often turn up in the most unexpected places! • A large African drum with various animals carved into it, including a lion, an elephant, birds, and lizards • An early nineteenth century American side drum with a painting of a bald eagle on it • A Chinese bronze bell with a bird and a dragon on it • An ivory hunting horn with a dragon's head near the mouthpiece • An African wooden megaphone with a bell in the shape of a creature with large, toothy jaws • A carved wooden horse on the neck of a Bulgarian stringed instrument called a gusla • Tiny ivory birds on a stringed instrument from India called a vina • Two Burmese zithers in the form of crocodiles •A miniature jeweled music box in the shape of a frog • A from India mounted on a cobra-shaped stand • A fish-shaped Portuguese guitar • A rooster perched atop an elaborately decorated Japanese drum • North American Indian flutes that end in the form of birds' heads • A bat hanging upside down above a Chinese bronze bell in a carved wooden stand • Two fat white ducks that form part of the colorful stand for a Korean gong

MORE MUS IC AL AN I MALS

Slit drum (Mokugyo) BRASS INSTRUMENT GROUP Japan Tenor slide trombone 89.4.1711 Stamped Ramis, Madrid 19th century Scraper (Gyo) 89.4.1301 Japan 89.4.2272 Tenor slide trombone Belgium, 19th century Bowed lute (Mayuri) 89.4.2408 India 89.4.1462 Bass horn Austria, ca. 1830 Raven rattle 89.4.312 Haida people Queen Charlotte Islands Ophicleide 89.4.615 Europe, ca. 1825 89.4.2564 Whistling jar Peru (north coast) Bagpipe (Bock) 1000-1476 A.D. Central Europe 89.4.689 18th or early 19th century 89.4.2769 Metallophone (Saron) Java All from The Crosby Brown 89.4.1462 Collection, 1889

THE INSTRUMENTS

THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART