Crehore New England Bass Viol
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1790
name: label: maker
content: Crehore, Benjamin
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>This New England Bass Viol was made by Benjamin Crehore in Milton, Massachusetts, about 1790. It has a two-piece table of pine, one-piece back of slab-cut American maple with irregular faint, fine horizontal figure, ribs of similar maple, plain maple neck, pegbox and scroll, original square soundpost with small pins at either end to prevent movement, orange-brown varnish, solid ebony tailpiece and ebony veneered maple fingerboard, and painted purfling. This instrument has an original printed label:</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Bafeviols<br>MADE AND SOLD BY<br>Benjamin C rehore,<br>IN MILTON.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>[*Note: the space in the word “Crehore” shows signs of printer’s error, with an erased second letter.]</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>Though self-taught, Benjamin Crehore (1765-1831) worked more closely to the classical stringed instrument making tradition than other New England makers. Known to have built instruments of New England Bass Viol proportions as early as 1788, Crehore is thought to have turned to the smaller classical cello model after the opening of the Theatre in Boston in the 1790’s. Crehore also built several pianos and is best remembered today as the founder of the Boston school of piano making, which later included Alpheus Babcock and Jonas Chickering.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>The instrument retains the neck, fingerboard, tailpiece, bass-bar, soundpost, bridge and pegs intact. A rare original “coffin” case (Cat. 1981.0030.02) of wood with one bow holder and accessory box accompanies the instrument. (When closed, this case resembles a small coffin.)</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>The other four known bass viols built by Benjamin Crehore, the earliest dated 1788, are in the Musical Instruments Department, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.</p>
label: Description (Brief)
content: <p>The modern term for this instrument is church bass. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this instrument was also known as the American bass viol, New England bass viol, or Yankee bass viol. These church basses were used in churches and meeting houses to provide a bass line for maintaining a consistent key by New England congregational singers. The church bass was also used by popular singing groups such as the Hutchinson Family singers.</p>
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Milton
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0030.01
label: accession number
content: 1981.0030
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0030.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: viol
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: pine (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: maple (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 48 in x 17 in x 11 in; 121.92 cm x 43.18 cm x 27.94 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: case: 50 in x 19 in x 13 1/2 in; 127 cm x 48.26 cm x 34.29 cm