Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES Fall 2018 17 current NMM building is the "Mona Lisa of the stringed-instrument world" (as NMM Manager of Communications Dr. Patricia Bornhofen calls it), the earliest known cello, craed by famed 16th-century luthier Andrea Amati. e patriarch of the modern stringed-ensemble, he is renowned for setting the template for the modern violin and cello. is cello masterpiece (now called "e King") was one of 38 stringed instruments that Amati made for the court of King Charles IX of France. Estimated to have been constructed in the late 1530s, the cello was probably gilded and painted later, in the mid 1550s, with the symbols of its royal patron. Centuries on, not long aer the French Revolution, a section of wood (and painted detail) was sliced out of the cello's back—a not-uncommon type of customization done for a new owner. And yet, testament to Amati quality, the cello still plays beautifully. e NMM (named e Shrine to Music Museum until 2002) is an instrument-centric museum; its mission: "Explore, enjoy, and preserve the world of musical instruments." In its future incarnation, the museum's expanded galleries will teem with enhanced, interactive displays. If you are a devotee of guitars, the NMM will engage you with instruments by celebrity players and celebrity makers. e Lillibridge Gallery currently displays flat-top and archtop guitar treasures, highlighting those by the 'American Stradivari' of archtops: John D'Angelico and James D'Aquisto. e NMM also houses the workshop materials of these makers – including their ledger books showing guitar-orders from the likes of Paul Simon, Steve Miller, and musician/comedian Steve Martin. Another current NMM gallery features guitars owned and played by icons like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and John Entwistle. e museum recently showcased Johnny Cash's Bon Aqua and June Carter Cash's Hummingbird guitar, exploring at the same time how celluloid (the early plastic forming the instruments' pickguards) presents a pressing challenge for conservation. Developed to replace natural materials like tortoiseshell and ivory, celluloid has its own downside: it easily deteriorates, becoming brittle and even potentially flammable. Not a strings fan? e NMM preserves the world's earliest known harpsichord, the 'Neapolitan' (ca. 1530); stunning historic pianos, including a grandby Beethoven-friend and rare female-maker Nanette Streicher; a lavishly painted, massive Swiss house organ; as well as rare spinets, virginals, clavichords, singular harpsichords, a 1620 bellows organ, an orgatron, a choralcelo, and other priceless historic keyboards. e NMM's collections also include numerous European folk instruments (a rich record of American immigrant history), as well as marvels of urban technical innovation that emerged during the Industrial Revolution (e.g., sets of saxophones by the inventor/maker Adolphe Sax). Two other interesting exhibits are the Stanley G. Newton Violin Workshop from Ottumwa, Iowa and the Birth of the Concert Band. Musical wonders from non-western cultures are prominent too at the NMM: the strutting mayuri peacock-lute from India, the huge red- enameled Japanese kin (bowl gong), and the bronze complexities of the Javanese instruments that form the NMM's huge Indonesian gamelan orchestra. e NMM's Alan G. Bates collection — thousands of rare harmonicas — is a delight: from 1-inch miniature gold harmonicas to multi-sided paddle-wheel harmonicas to even the strange and endearing short-lived instruments that lead up to harmonicas: the symphonium and the triple aeolina. With the incredible primary resources of the NMM on its campus, the University of South Dakota is the logical institution for someone seeking a graduate degree in the history of musical instruments. Leading music scholars at the MET, Boston's MFA, and other museums are, not surprisingly, graduates of the USD/ NMM masters program. (is program will unfortunately be taking a hiatus while the museum building undergoes its expansion, and NMM faculty are focused on the collection management.) There is certainly something fascinating for everyone already at the National Music Museum. Imagine how even more thrilling when it reopens after its renovation and expansion. "And although the doors will be closed for a while," says Dr. Bornhofen, "the museum will still be very much alive – through ongoing NMM Live! concerts on campus (and later YouTube) and also through the NMM's website, Facebook page, and other social media outlets. So, this music pun is very much intended: Stay tuned!" Jayne I. Hanlin is an initiate of Alpha Omicron and current member of the St. Louis Alumnae chapter. Mrs. Hanlin, the sister of famed pianist Malcolm Frager, is the co-author of Learning Latin Through Mythology (Cambridge University Press, 1991). A World of Music For more information visit www.nmmusd.org At left, a Stradivarius guitar. Below, a Martin Guitar.

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