Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-20
Old Organs mud Violins.

The exhibition of musical instruments at
South KensingtOn comprises about six hundred
instruments. The royal family are prom nent
contributors. The queen has forty-four curious
instruments from Windsor castle; harpsi-
chord from Kew palace; small square piano
forte, grand piano, beautifully painted viola
Zone of Amati's besD, basso di camera, four
of George the Thirds silver state trumpets a
couple of German bugle horns, a German bell
instrument (called the HalbmOnd), and some old
drums from Hampton court The instruments
from Windsor include several singular speci-
mems. There are for example, the war drum
of the king OF Ashanti with two human jaw
bones suspended from the sides, and an instru.
ment most accurately described on the rata-
logne as Every peculiar" II was made from
the head of the duke OF SchOmberg's horse
killed at the battle of the Bovine. The duke of
Edenburgh-who, at the ROYAL society of must
cars' dinner, pleaded guilty to fddling TO his
saiors-sends number of valuable violins;
and the secretary of state for India sends an In
dian collection. The dulcimer sackbut and
harp, which summoned the subjects of Nebu-
chadnezzar to the plains OF Dura, are here
faithfully represented. The sweet either, the
spirit of bygone age, and venerable worm.
eaten harps, heard in the times of the
Stuarts in Wales or ireland, carry the mind
away on long backward fight. Some of the
specimens are extremely quaint. An emble-
matte organ is very embematic indeed. 1t is a
lifesize representation of an English officer
grooming under the claws of tiger was invent
ed for the amusement of Tippoo Sultan, and
was taken at the siege of Seringapatam The
handle which grinds out the music sticks out of
the beasts forequarter. The officer groans out of
a brass pipe, which decidedly detracts from the
beantgof his mouth. In several other cases the
uncouth instruments which make melody for
the savage are displayed. There are the rude
violin Of the Nubian, the quaint stringed instru
meDts of Japan and China, and drums and
In nf tha A Al.
polished skull is made into the butt end of
west African harp There are nose flute from
sunny Otaheite, and a really handsome tospeen.
trum from New Zealand, tiny flute made of
the tbia Of monkey by the Xebaroe Indians,
tom.toms and reed instruments of the most
primitive kind. An exhibition Of this kind Is
naturally rich IN rare instruments, amongst
which il a virginia., once owned by Queen Eliza
beth. There are several of the maiden queens
vifgnaIs preserved in ENGLAND. One is TO be
found ut Helminghan hall, Suffolk, and Lord
Lytton has another; the Rev. Mr.. Sperling OF
Kensington has a third The specimen
in the exhibition was purchased ut Lord
Spencer Chichester sale, twelve years ago. The
great strength OF the show Is its stringed insru-
ments, beginning with giant double bass, to
play which you must stand on a table, aud in.
GLIDING the various forms through which the
violin passed until 1t attained perfection in the
maichess products OF Cremona The king of
the CremOna school was Straduarius, aud there
are several OF his Incompatible instruments ex
hibited The duke of Cambridge exhibits one,
purchased by the late duke from Count Platan
who bought It from the maker himself. The
duke Of Edinburgh has violin by Guarnerius
a present from the late Baron Goldschmidi
small violin by JacObus Stainer, and viola
said 10 have belonged to Handel The queens
Amatl was reduced from a viOl. Lord Warwick
lends an English lockwood violin, dated 1878 |
1t is carved with woodland scenes, and is said 10
have been gwen by Queen Elizabeth to her IA.
vorite Leicester. There are several antique or
gans and harpslchords In the exhibition; also,