166 SEC. 6. SOUND. 



4. Also from the British Museum, copied in cane. It has four finger holes, 

 and the entire length is 10^ inches. This pipe has a hole bored through it 

 near the mouth end. It would have been absolutely impossible to produce 

 sound from the pipe if this hole had been left open. It may therefore be 

 assumed that it was once covered with thin bladder, such as that of a fish. 

 The intention of placing bladder there would have been to give a tremulous- 

 ness to the tone of the pipes so as to assimilate it to the human voice. The 

 old English pipe called the Recorder, referred to by Shakespeare in Hamlet, 

 and in A Midsummer Night's Dream, differed in no other respect than that 

 one from the English flute, both being blown at the end. It is curious to 

 find that such an appreciation of the difference of tone that might be produced 

 has been anticipated by the ancient Egyptians. A film of gutta percha is 

 now tied over the hole. The scale is 



-ft- fe 



I 



This is a peculiar scale, a pentaphonic major scale, such as is popularly 

 entitled the Scotch scale. It is suitable for playing tunes as upon the black 

 keys of the pianoforte. 



It is remarkable that no one of these pipes gives any indication of a minor 

 key, and they seem therefore to be older than the introduction of the minor 

 scale, inherited by us from the Greeks, by -the junction of two tetrachords. 

 For this an astronomical or theological reason is assigned, that, as there were but 

 seven planets (according to ancient supposition), and seven days in the week, 

 or quarter of the lunar month, &c., so there should be but seven notes in a 

 musical octave. Therefore a scale of two tetrachords, each of four notes, 

 was reduced to seven, through uniting them by one note common to both. 

 Hence the intervals of our B C D E F G A. 



757a. Indian Vina, with resonating gourds. 



W. Chappell, Esq. 



757b. Patent Comma Trumpet, producing approximately 

 correct intonation, by means of a valve, which raises the pitch the 

 interval of a comma. Mr. Bassett. 



757c. Marimba from Angola, on the principle of the musical 

 box. Mr. Bassett. 



757d. Wooden Trumpet from Angola, made from the root 

 of a tree. Mr. Bassett. 



757e. Violin, fitted with tension bars. Dr. Stone. 



757f. Double Bass, with heavily covered fourth string, going 

 down to C C C. Dr. Stone. 



759. Savart Violin. 



Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, Paris. 



7 59 a. A new Orchestral Musical Bass Instrument, with 

 concertina fingering, full tone, -and expressive for part and solo 

 performance. Sir F. Pichler. 



