Berlin
Musikinstrumenten-Museum
August 4
The tour guide says it "focuses on the evolution of musical instruments from the 16th to the 20th centuries". Nah, not really. Lots of string, keyboard, brass, and reed instruments are displayed in a formal, almost sterile, setting with no rhyme or reason. Most are behind glass and therefore hard to photograph but they do let tourists like us take pictures without a flash - which is great.
What the M'M does have is lots of very odd instruments we'd never seen or heard of before.
A double-reed rackett from about 1700.
2-register clavier.
Teacher's violin.
The air goes up the central column in this harmonium.
A glass harmonica - invented by Ben Franklin.
Two-pitch oboe.
At the right is a pyramidenflugel from 1770.
The Mighty Wurlitzer.
Duet clavier.
This folding flotenconcerte was built in 1773 and owned by
Friedrich II of Prussia.
The 4th valve on this trumpet leads out the bottom.
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| We've run across a few of these violins with extra
resonating strings. This is about the most extreme example. It's a Viola
'd Amore from 1739. In addition to the 7 strings, there are, on this one, 14 tunable strings who's sole function is to resonate in sympathy to enrich the tone. Keeping one of these in tune must have been impossible.
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Have you ever wondered why pianos have 5 black keys per octave? Why not use another tonal system altogether, such as in India? Obviously some people weren't satisfied.
A pianino from about 1900. There are two ranks of keys in each of three
registers.
Each rank 6 white per octave and each rank has 3 black, then 2 black keys
inserted.
We didn't get an explanation or demonstration of how to play it.
Then there's the nutsy Orthothonophonium from 1914.
It looks more standard but the keys are staggered (for easier play?).
The explanation on the wall (below) didn't help at all.
