The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-23
MELODY
IN FLAGEOLE7S
Musical Instruments of Ancient
Pottery Can Still Give
Forth Harmony.
FOUND IN INDIAN T0MBS.
FOUND IN INDIAN ToMBs.
Flutes of Bones Used by the Abo.
rhymes of Brazil-PrehistOric
Nhistling Vases From
Costa Rica.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Washington Oct E--Among tho many
grotesque objects in the National Muse
unl' relics of a people who fourished on
J This continent prior to the Indians, is q
collection of musical instruments, many
OF which, weird In appearance, still give
forth tones as sweet and clear as they
did a thousand years or more ago.
Nearly all are wind instruments, similar
In principle to the modern fageolet, and
were found, for the most part, in Azetc
tombs.
The material is, principally, a fine spe-
cies Of pottery. Inc the fiageolets are gen.
orally made in the shape Of birds. Mr.. E.
p. upham, in whose department the col
lection is. has spent much labor in record
ing accurately the notes of the prehistoric
instruments, testing them with piano and
violin.
One Of the fageolets was found to Dos
sess a range of notes In exact accord with
the modern musical scale. Upon this lit
tie instrument, Mr.. Upham is able to play
aheres Nae Luck ABBOTT the House" as
cuted upon any modern musical contri-
vance of a like nature.
A prehistoric whistling vase from Costa
Rica shows that a useful ~contrivance now
in vogue is BY no means new. The shrill
WhiStling sound emitted by the vase ceas-
es when the liquid being poured into it
reaches a certain height. The whistiing
OIL can VIII be recalled as q modern utih-
zauon OF this principle.
A remarkable feature OF the collection
are double flutes Of bone, used by the abo-
risinal Inhabitants Of Brazil. What makes
these instruments especially notable Is
their resemblance to similar specimens
found on the Pacific Coast Of North Amer
Lea. and. more wonderful still, to those
discovered in Greece. some Of which may
be seen in the museum at Athens. These
are Seen depicted IN ancient
Grecian paintings; the tones produced by
those in the Smithsonian collection are
Nngulariy soft and mellow.
Among the prehistoric zone flutes is a
specimen from an ancient grave near
Lima, Peru. 1t liz formed Of portions OF
the ulna OF the brown pelican, the ends
having been cut on and the cellular por-
ton Of he bone removed
Two interesting specimens exist in the
collection, albeit much damaged, Of pan
pines made Of rseds They we're obtained
Navy. from ancient burial places. e
AFRICA, Peru. The reeds are Of graduated
lengths, dashed together by threads, and
held In place by a piece OF split reed, 1ast-
pipes are now SO crushed that a positive
sound cannot be obtained from them. That
instruments OF this kind are Of ancient
before the Spanish conquest IS shown by
the account of the historian Garcflasso de
Ia Verge, who said:
I'm music, they (the Peruvians) arrived
to a certain harmony, In which the In
habltants OF Cola did more particularly
excel, having been inventors Of a certain
pipe made Of canes glued together. every
one of which having a different note OF
higher and lower. in the manner Of Or
gans, made a pleasing music by the dis
cordance Of sounds, the treble. tenor, and
bass exactly corresponding n wer
ing to each other: with these pipes they
able music. though they wanted the qua
vers, s~emiquayers, airs, n many voices
which perfect the harmony among U.s."