The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-02-03
ANINTEREsTlNc MUSICAL cAelNE1

AN INTERESTING MUSICAL CABINET
From an article in The Boston Traveller.
descriptive of collection of curiorities
made by DR.. Eben Touree, of that city,
during the last twenty-five years, the Col
lowing extracts are taken.
A peculiarly constructed work is the Sc
runge, or ancient viol of India, used by per-
sons of low morals among the Hindoos and
Mohammedans for an accompaniment in
the dance. 1t is block shaped, the neck
being almost as large as the body, which is
made entirely Of skin and girdled with
leather clamp, on which rests the ivory
bridge; thirteen fine steel strings pass
through the bridge and enter the ivorylinec
holes ranged the length Of the neck. Over
these are four large catgut strings upon
which the bow plays while the Office of the
wire strings appears to be the production OF
sweeter sound by the addition of finer
vibrations OF the sounds received from the
larger strings.
Chinese viollns are the exact size and
| shape of a croquet mallet. The hollow head.
or what would be called the body of violin
has an end covering Of reptile skin, over
which three strings, corresponding to the
lower strings Of the English violin are
stretched TO the reed handle or neck. The
Chinese guitar resembles the American han
10, and is made entirely of light-colorsd
wood, no metal being employed. The strings
are of catgut. All Japanese and Chinese
stringed instruments have small bell hung
inside the body to jingle with the picking Of
| the strings.
An Egyptian woad pronounced without
the W sound), or modern Egyptian guitar,
made in 1866, is pronounced by the owner
valuable above everything else in the collee-
tion. 1t is in shape much like our own gui-
tar, but is rounded underneath like the
Chinese instrument. The network covering
the sound holes is a mos, beautiful piece Of
| intricate and artistic tracery.
Another instrument, without name or
history, is in form and size something like
violin, though, unlike that, it has no sound
ing board, but is hollow and open. Theex-
| IRENE end Of the neck is carved in the form
of an ibis; and as that was the sacred bird
of the Egyptians it is not unlikely that this
odd little affair was rudely carved from q
solid block and partially covered with the
SKIN Of reptile by some unskilled Egyptian
Of long ago 1t has but three strings, and
was doubtless played with bow.
An ingenious piece OF mechanism picked
up by DR. Tourgjee while in Germany is
an English violin, with finger-key board
Of six keys and piano forte action. The
| key board is on one side OF the body Of the
instrument, and by devices inside. hammers
| responded to the touch OF the keys, and
passing up through holes in the centre strike
| the twelve steel strings, which are grouped
| six into :hrees and four into pairs, while
TWO others remain single. These strings
are tuned with watch key. They sre At
| tached to brass hooks very ingeniously H.
ted into grooves and connected with screws
whose ends are turned into posts. The I'm
gers Of the left hand play over the gre&s
while those OF the right manipulate the
keys. The instrument il finished in the
highest style Of wor kmanship and is proba-
bly, the only one Of ils kind in existence.
The question viii naturally arise - 70
the final disposition of this musical cabinet
and it may be stated THAI DR.. Tourjee il
not the man to gather such u selection 10
crafty an individual s.lfshness. but has
continually held in view the public good,
and hopes nj some time 10 be able TO give il
to an American university, in which . chaiY
OF music shall be permanently founded, and
this will be one OF his legacie. 10 the must
cal world.