AM RIC M I\ OF T R L HISTORY Th 1u ic·al In tru1n nt · of the Incas BY harl \\. 1 ( I VOL. 111, o. 4 , J I , r< o Guid L afl t 'o. 11 American Museum of Natural History Officers President MORRIS K. JESUP First Vice-President Second Vice-President WILLIAM E. DODGE . HENRY F. OSBORN Treasurer Director CHARLES LANIER HERMON C. BUMPUS Secretary and Assistant Treasurer JOHN H. WINS ER Scientific Staff Director HERMON C. BUMP US D epartment of Public Instruction Prof. ALBERT S. BICKMORE, Curator D epartment of Geology and Invertebrate Palceontology Prof. R. P. WHITFIELD, Curator EDMUND Ons HovEY, Ph.D., Associate Curator Department of Mammalogy and Ornithology Prof. J . A. ALLEN, Curator FRANK M. CHAPMAN, Associate Curator Department of Vertebrate Palceontology P rof. HENRY FAIRFIELD Os BORN , Curator W . D. MATTHEW, Ph.D., Associate Curator 0. P. HAY, Ph.D., Assistant Curator of Fishes and Chelonia Department of Entomology WILLIAM BEUTENMULLER, Curator D epartments of Mineralogy and Conchology L. P. GRATACAP, A. M., Curator GEORGE F. KuNz, Honorary Curator of Gems Department of Invertebrate Zoology Prof. WILLIAM MoRTON WHEELER, Curator GEORGE H. SHERWOOD, A.M., Assistant Curator Prof. J. E. DuERDEN, Honorary Curator of Ccelenterates Department of Archceology Prof. FREDERIC W. PUTNAM, Advisory Curator Prof. MARSHALL H. SAVILLE, Curator of Mexican and Central American Arch~ology HARLAN I. SMITH, Assistant Curator of Archceology GEORGE H. PEPPER, Assistant in Archceology of the Southwest Department of Ethnology Prof. FRANZ BoAs, Curator Prof. LIVINGSTON FARRAND, Assistant Curator CLARK WISSLER, Ph.D., Assistant Department of Phy$iology Prof. RALPH W. TowER, Curator Department of Books and Publications Prof. RALPH W. ToWER, Curator Department of Maps and Charts A. WooDWARD, Ph.D., Curator Tl1 u i al In trl1n1 nt I 11C'l \ _ ui l I~·~ fl t t th 11 cti n n E.· hil iti n in the I.. l I . J l (. , • J ui t' I t i • . 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION. 5 INSTRUMENTS OF PERCUSSION................................ 7 The Drum ...................................................... 7 The Bell.. .................................................. ... 8 The Rattle and Cymbal. I I WIND INSTRUMENTS. .. .. ..... ................................. II The Syrinx or Pan-pipe . .. ..... , . r r The Flute . 14 The Resonator Whistle . .. 2 3 The Trumpet ................... ....... ....... ............ ..... 24 The Double Whistling Jar . 2 6 The Cornet . 2 9 STRINGED INSTRUMENTS...................................... 29 CONCLUSION .. ......... , . ~ . 30 2 l y II I'l.b \\' . ~l h I> , 1t. l I a rtm nt ,,1· .. \rl' h: • ,Ii, •.r. ~\. · .IE. ·TI LI ·. th land f th' In ·a:, .·t ncl ,c1, a·· ,rdin~r t h h' ·t rjm·. 1~1r·ib:: 1 b\. /a 1 ancl Pr. >tt, · fr<>mal><>ut th· · · · n l d ~rt ti n rth latitml th ~Iaul Pi,· ·r in hil ·, ~ l u th thirty-si.·th l gr [ · uth h i ucl . 'I h ·ountr.. j 1 ·lu , l th r gi n n ''" · within th' J> '1 u1 li · r J> ru, · n l h ~r at r 1 ar I li,·ia and hil , an 1 was n rly 1ual in ·iz t t t f th L nit d tat ··t ·t of th· I> kY :\1 untain ·. 'I h ha l n \\Titt n languag' and 11< 11 ll 1~r f ur kn wl f th ir ·u·tom: ha. b ·n cl·ri,· cl f · 11 h i · 1 r~ · i · of nting f lailY ]if · · th ir 1 tt ry , u 1 c f h t. · in 1 arti ·ular >ra IC n: <>11 th pc 1 - · I ruYian: i · i1111 or ant, h' ·au · th 'pa1 i. h · an 1 th ir f 11 ''" ·r · ha,. · 1 ·f 111 th ·i r a ·- 1 a i n 1 ·a ring u 1 c n th uh j · · . J re m · foun 1 in th· an ·i ·nt tc 1 11 . r n l , , 'h~ \' · cl ·rin·d me . of our kno, 1 t rum · th I n , t. , and th 1 1 l u , f . \n 6 THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE INCAS. Tschudi has published three Peruvian elegiac songs or haravis 1 which he says '' might serve to test the musical knowledge of the ancient Peruvians,'' but an examination of these pieces is very disappointing. Carl Engel remarks: "At all events they must have been tampered with, as they ex­ hibit exactly the form of the Spanish bolero. Even allowing that the melodies of these compositions have been derived from Peruvian haravis, it is impossible to determine with any degree of certainty how much in them has been retained of the original tunes, and how much has been supplied besides the harmony, which is entirely an addition of the European arranger." 2 The first and simplest element of music is rhythm, and in singing or dancing a desire for some sound that shall dearly mark it is universal; hence, in the absence of musical instru­ ments, the custom of snapping the fingers, clapping the hands., beating the hips and stamping the feet; and I am inclined to I follow Rowbotham 3 in believing that the art of instrumental - music in prehistoric times passed through three stages, which may be designated the "drum" type, the "pipe" type, and the "lyre" type. The first type includes all instruments of percus­ sion, as drums, rattles, gongs, castanets, etc.; the second, all wind instruments, and the third, all stringed instruments. In support of this theory he cites the evidence furnished by the mechanical complexity of the instruments themselves. The drum is the simplest form; the pipe is more complex than the drum; and the lyre, which makes use of stretched strings, is the most complex of all. · That the drum was the first instrument of primitive man is strenuously opposed by Wallaschek, who says: "The most ancient discoveries (from the youth of mankind) of flutes and pipes, but not of drums, are definite facts which no specu­ lation can put aside, and I am rather inclined to believe that Wagener was correct in saying that a wind instrument was undoubtedly the first." 4 1 ntiguedades Peruanas, pp. r35, r36. 2 1usical Instruments, p. 79. 3 Journal nthr . Institute Gr. Brit. and Ireland, Vol. X, pp. 380-38r. 4 Primitive Music, p. 84. THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE INCAS. 1 'I h ntir a1 .... n f drums and th larg' num 1 ·r f flut : 11, the pr hi ·tt ri P ruYian ' 11 'ti ns in mu: urns \\ uld : '·m t, . upp ,rt thi · -laim in Peru \Y 'r it n · fc r th fa 'i that num r u :.: 1 ttcry y ·cl d rnt d with figur · in th a -t of 1Patina the ·lrum ar f un l with mummi jn th anci "nt gray ·. ( 'cc I lat I 1.nl II. Th h t tlnt a trib ha flute an 1 no clrum i · not pr that th ir nrli t in trum nt wa n t th lrum. Th r af(-l \Ytll-knmn1 a f th ' drop1 ing out' of mu ical in trum nt In uat mala th marimba ha become a nati nal in trumcn1 Pr f · or . T. jfas n, ref rrincr to thi in trum nt, a '"S: "In one case we haYe a mu ical in trument imported by negro la,·e o-i,,.en to the Indians with its native ... \ frican name and aban­ 11 doned by the negroes themselves. r LT TR :\IE .. T OF PER I;SSI T L · in trument of thi clas the drum undoubt dlv h ld the \ ,fir t place, alth uah a ha been tatecl, none ha b en foun l 111 \ th an ient crraye up to the pre ent tim . Thi may 1 l a c unt cl for by the perishable material of ,Yhich Drum th y ,Yere mad ; or through the exi ten of om up r titi n n a count of whi h they may neYer haY b en buri 1 with th -le- rl. HmY ,- r thi may be the numerou r pre ntation. n 1 ttery Y .· 1 1 , and the account f arly writ r. crn- u a 1 r tty c. ccurate idea of th ir f rm and con truction. Th drum app ar to b id nti al with th c in u: in man) - part f P ·ru t -day an 1 \\. r maclc by . tr ·t ·bing a . kin >\. -r , h I f w orl r Y :)r on end f a hr rt ·c ·tion f th, trunk f, · ,·hich had l · ·n h 11 w l ut t a thin ylin 1 r. 'l h ·w f ar . h ,,·n n Plat· I I, wh ·r two m ·n (fig·. 7 an 1 10 11w \. ·ry thin drum . \ ·hich ,\. ul 1 mt r pr,_ m. w hi 1 • ~ n, , h r rum m r J >let_ · u 1> >11 1 1 · \ ·hi ·hi. 1 r 1 ably of h s _ . J 1d{ ing fr m dru1 · d f ,ur n r fif n m in i- m t r. 1, c rl that m- 11 ]r 1 n l , n · - n 1 .\m ·ri an .\ 1 hr , • ]._ ~ -• .II . 8 THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE INCAS. no mention of larger ones, so common in many Indian tribes, has been found. The Abbe Molina, describing the method of curing the sick, says: '' The Machi directs the women who are present to sing with a loud voice a doleful song, accompanied with the sound of some little drums, which they beat at the same time." 1 ' .