Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-08-12
AZTEC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Collectfs. In Wsshington-A Modern
Tune on Ancient Flageolet.

4
Tune on Ancient Fiageolet.
Among the many grotesque objects
In the National Museum, relics OF
people who fiourished on this CONT
nent prior TO the Indians, says a Wash
ington special to the ST. Louis Repub-
lie, is a collection OF musical instru-
ments, many Of which, weird in APP
pearance, stil} give forth tones as
sweet and clear as they did thousand
years or more ago.
Nearly all are wind instruments sim
liar In principle to the modern fageo-
let and were found for the most part
In Aztec tombs.
The material Is principally a fine
species Of pottery, and the fageolets
are generally made in the shape Of
birds. K. p. Upham, in whose depart
ment the collection is, has spent much
labor In recording accurately the notes
OF the prehistoric instruments, testing
them with piano and violin.
One of the fageolets was found to
possess range OF notes in exact ac-
cord with the modern musical scale.
Upon this little instrument Mr.. Up
ham is able to play There's Nae Luck
ABBOTT the House" as we'll as that sim
pie melody could be executed upon any
modern musical contrivance Of a like
nature.
A prehistoric whistling vase from
Costa Rica shows that useful con.
trivance now In vogue is by no means
new. The shrill whistling sound emit
ted by the vase ceases when the LIQUID
being poured into 1t reaches a GER
tain height. The whistling oil can we'll
be recalled as a modern utilization of
this principle.
A remarkable feature OF the collec-
ton is double flutes of bone, used by
the aboriginal inhabitants of Brazil.
What makes these instruments espe-
cially notable Is their resemblance to
similar specimens found on the Pacific
coast of North America, and, more
wonderful still, to those discovered in
Greece, some Of which may be seen
In the museum at Athens. These in
struments are seen depicted in ancient
Greclan paintings; the tones produced
by those in the Smithsonian collection
are singularly soft and mellow.
Among the prehistoric bone flutes is
specimen from an ancient grave near
Lima, Preu. 1t is formed of portions
OF the ulna Of the brown pelican. the
ends having been cut off and the cellu-
lar portion OF the bone removed.
Two interesting specimens exist in
the collection, albeit much damaged.
OF pan pipes made of reeds. They
were obtained by Ensign w. e. SAT-
ford. United States navy, from ancient
burial places near africa. Peru. The
reeds are Of graduated lengths. dashed
together by threads, and held In place
by piece Of split reed, fastened
transversely to their length These
pipes are now so crushed that a posi-
tive sound cannot be obtained from
them. That instruments Of this kind
are OF ancient origin and were in use
by the Peruvians before the Spanish
conquest is shown by the account of
the historian Garcilasso de la Verge.
who said:
I'm music, they (the PeruvIans) ar
rived to certain harmony, in which
the inhabitants of Cola did more par
ticularly excel. having been inventors
of a certain pipe made of canes glued
together, every one of which having
different note Of higher or lower, in
the manner Of organs, made a pleas
Ing music by the discordance of
sounds the treble, tenor and basr OK
actly corresponding and answering 10
each other; with these pipes they often
played In concert, and made tolerable
music, though they wanted the quay
ers, seml-quavers, airs and many
voices which perfect the harmony
among u.s."