HANDBOOK OF THE COLLECTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 17 



domes, and flat, spoon-shaped objects, while the materials attached 

 i hereto include small bells, brass disks, loose bent rods, coins, short 

 chains, and metal bars. A familiar example is a "baby's rattle" 

 with jingling attachments. One description of the sistrum states 

 that it is "the national instrument of Turkey and consists of a brass 

 frame with numerous bells, carried on a long perpendicular pole, 

 the point of which is surmounted by a crescent and the well-known 

 streamer of horsehair. It is used in military or "janissary music." 

 Two specimens from Turkey are shown in this collection and 

 described as follows: 



The "Turkish Crescent" (95314, pi. 9c) is a hollow crescent- 

 shaped body made of sheet brass, its lower edge strung with small 

 conical bells. It has an iron staff fitting loosely in a hollow wood 

 and brass handle. It was carried upright and jolted up and down, 

 and according to Mahillon it was introduced into European mili- 

 tary bands about the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is 

 interesting to note that the Irish, in old times, had an instrument very 

 similar to the Turkish crescent, known as the " musical branch," and 

 consisting of a bent rod adorned with numerous bells. 



Somewhat similar is the "Turkish hat" or "jingling johnny." 

 (95315, pi. 9d.) Three hat-shaped domes of brass of graduated sizes 

 ure placed one above the other on an iron staff running through their 

 centers. The staff is surmounted by a crescent. To the edges of each 

 dome are suspended small bells, 9 on the lowest and 7 on the middle 

 one and 5 on the upper one, with the same number of globular bells 

 alternating with the others. The iron staff fits loosely in a wooden 

 handle so that it can be jolted up and down. 



No. 96450 (pi. 9/) is a ceremonial spearhead from Ceylon. It is a 

 hollow conical piece of wrought iron decorated with three fluted 

 rings. The middle ring is loose and makes a noise when the spear 

 is shaken. A cluster of hollow bell-shaped objects forms a sistrum 

 rattle from Korea (95620). They have no balls inside but sound by 

 striking against each other. 



In ancient Egypt the sistrum " was chiefly used by females in 

 religious performances" and was associated with the worship of 

 Isis. An Egyptian instrument of this type is called a Dervish rattle, 

 as it is carried by the dervishes in their religious dances. An excel- 

 lent example of the dervish rattle is 95199 (pi. 9</), which comes 

 from Cairo and consists of an iron rod 20% inches long, its upper 

 end driven into a spherical wooden ball of heavy wood. The ball is 

 studded with brass-headed nails and from its greatest diameter are 

 hung 11 short chains, each with a metal pendant. A sistrum rattle 

 from Africa has small rings of brass or iron wire depending from a 

 flat piece of metal, and similar rattles from Korea have jingling, 

 globular bells. These are not exhibited in this collection. 



