Evening star., 1898-05-07
instruments Described by Prof. VIII
son Of the National Museum.
DRUMS, RATTLES AND BRONZE BELLS
In Use by Mexicans Before the
Spanish Conquest.
DELIGHT OF THE INDIANS

Professor Wilson of the National Mu-
scum, in his unpublished work on "Prehis-
toric Art has most interesting chapter
devoted to musical Instruments in use by
the aborigines of this country. In pub
lished treaties on Pottery of the Ancient
Pueblos," by Prof. w. H. Holmes, he states
that the ancient people had not devoted
their ceramic art to trivial uses: there are
no toys, no rattles and no grotesque figures.
Professor Wilson says that this remark
would seem to apply equally as well to the
|. cliff dwellers, but that musical instruments
made of other materials We're not unknown
to these people is evidenced by the fact
that among the objects mentioned as COM
ing from the cliff ruins of the Mesa Verda,
in southwestern Colorado, are fragments of
a wooden flute and a small bone, pierced
/ with a lateral hole, and possibly used a
whistle. The author is of the opinion thai
a people with an art culture so high and
developed in other directions might easily
have invented musical instruments
Ornaments and musical instruments en-
ployed in dances and religious ceremonies
do not differ much among the Pueblo In
dians. The principal ones are the drum.
rattles made from gourds, notched sticks,
kind of a flute, and turtle shell rattle.
Professor Wilson does not claim that they
are prehistoric, although some of the
forms are undoubtedly ancient
NuSIc LOSeO Dy MeAlcauSs
Prof. Wilson states that music evidently
occupied a prominent place in the arts of
the ancient Mexicans, for it is mentioned
by the early Spanish writers in connection
with war. religious ceremonies and festivi-
ties of various kinds. The instruments de-
scribed or mentioned were drums, timbrels.
flutes, horns, trumpets and rattleS. Accord
ing TO Clavigero they had no stringed in
struments. There is no representative of
fhn fat,t N1t;
Museum. 1t is described, however, the
'teponaztlf of the AZtecs, as being made
of single block of very hard wood. some
what oblong square in shape. which was
followed, leaving at each end a solid piece
about three or four inches in thickness and
at its upper side kind Of sounding-b board
about quarter of an inch in thickness. In
this were made three incisions, two rum
ming parallel some distance lengthwise of
the drum and third running across from
one of these to the other just in the center
BY this means two vibrating tongues Of
wood were obtained, which, when beaten
with stick, produced sounds as clearly
defined as those of kettle drums of the
present day.
Use of the Rattle.
The rattle, it is stated. appears to have
occupied an important place in the cere-
monies Of the ancient Mexicans. In con-
struction it was similar to the rattle COM
monty used by the Indians of the present
time. These are round or oval in shape
and usually made of a gourd, into which is
inserted wooden handle. A number of
small pebbles were inclosed in the hollow
ed gourd. Rattles made of pottery were
also used. and there are a number of these
ancient instruments in the museum.
A primitive form of dance rattfe still used
by the 1aqui Indians of Sonora. Mexico, is
made of butterfly cocoons. which are di-
Vided into halves and sewed together at
one end with a double cord Each half of
Ia
They are attached to long cord, which is
wound around the leg of the dancer.
The Bronze Bells.
The only instruments of metal in the
museum collection of Mexican antiquities
are the bronze bells. These appear to have
been in general use by the Mexicans before
the Spanish conquest, and they are often
fpund figured in the picture writings repre-
sentinS the various objects which the AZ
tees used to pay as tribute to their SOW
ereigns.
Whistles were used in Mexico, Central
and South America. The whistIing
mechanism in all is identical with that of
the modern fageolet. and the only distinc-
ton that can be made between them is by
CHASING the instruments which only emit
cne sound or note as whistles, and those
which have one or more finger holes as
hageolets The smaller Instruments are
mostly grotesque caricatures of the human
face or figure of animals or BIRDS The
larger instruments are more like the mod
ern fageolet. A figure is shown carved in
marble 1t has six sound holes the lower
end being carved in imitation of an ali-
gators head 1t is Professor Wilson's
opinion that the antiquity of the instrument
may not be very great. The fact of its
having six finger holes, he thinks, sug-
gests European contact, in all other
specimens of this class from the western
hemisphere the usual number appears to
nave been four holes.
Instruments of Wood Rare.
Prehistoric musical instruments made of
wood are extremely rare. A material
which decays so easily cannot resist the
influences of time, except under favorable
conditions, which retard its destruction.
The wooden objects in the National Mu-
serm classed as prehistoric were all OBJ
tanned from burial places, either in caves
graves.
Musical instruments of percussion are
wanting in the museum collection of pre-
historic objects from Costa Rica, neither
drums nor rattles being represented. There
is no reason to suppose, however, tnat none
existed Their immediate neighbors to the
south have furnished numerous examples
of both drum and rattle
The most important proof OF prehistoric
musical instruments in the museum in
point of numbers is that from Chirigui,
embracing drums rattless and whistles of
pottery and a number of bronze bells.
Many Of these have been figured by Pro-
fessor Holmes in his paper on Ancient
Art in the Province of Chirigui."