November, 1920 
47 
PERIOD DESIGNS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 
They Link Together the Arts of Music and Interior Decoration , Assuming a Rightful Place 
in the Furnishing Scheme Without Sacrificing Their Musical Qualities 
CHARLES D. ISAACSON 
T HERE are many self-styled 
conservatives who see in the de¬ 
velopment of the period designs for 
musical instruments a violation of 
the art of sound. This is a view, 
however, which neither the owner of 
a house nor the decorator will share, 
for any musical instrument which 
goes into a home acquires the added 
quality of being a decoration. The 
violin and cello, in handsome cases, 
resting gracefully against the wall, 
become decorative in value. The 
larger forms, the phonograph, the 
piano, the harp, the pipe-organ, are 
furniture in the truest sense. 
One must remember, of course, 
that anything which detracts from 
the best musical expression is preju¬ 
dicial to art, no matter how beauti¬ 
ful, aristocratic or quaint the exte¬ 
rior of an instrument may be. Within 
this limit, the construction of a fine 
instrument offers a wide field for de¬ 
velopment. We have the opportunity 
of bringing the piano, organ or pho¬ 
nograph into a finer environment and 
varying their attributes to harmonize 
with the surrounding atmosphere. 
Any desired type of case which does 
not interfere with the musical idea is 
permissible. A cabinet may be carved 
in Florentine or ancient Moorish 
style; a case may be illumined in the 
florid spirit of the Louis XVI period; 
or a special type of architecture may 
be designed for a piano which is to 
rest in a personally created drawing 
room. 
In a musical sense, the instrument 
is simply the embodiment of a voice. 
A tone which originates in the strik¬ 
ing of the hammer against the wire 
does not end merely in the vibrations 
of the latter. If that were all to the 
tone of the piano it would sound lit¬ 
tle different from the xylophone 
played by vaudeville performers. An 
instrument has what the French have 
named timbre, which is described less 
effectively by the expression “qual¬ 
ity.” The violin is of sweeter, lighter 
timbre than its larger sister the viola, 
which is more mellow, deeper and 
less carrying. Thus the cello and the 
bass violin are exactly the same in 
general shape as the violin and viola. 
But they are as different as soprano, 
tenor, baritone and bass among sing¬ 
ers, because the acoustical construc¬ 
tion is so varied. 
The piano has its sound board, its 
sturdy case, its firm legs, its general 
(Continued on page 82) 
Far removed from the undecora- 
tive machine of early phonograph 
days is this Adam cabinet, placed 
below a mirror as a console 
might be. Courtesy Columbia 
Graphophone Co. 
Period designs in musical instrument cases have reached a 
point of development which entitles them to admission 
into the best furniture circles. This Queen Anne phono¬ 
graph is an example. Courtesy Cheney Talking Machine 
Co., and John Wanamaker 
A Colonial highboy case is another of the period develop¬ 
ments. With early American furniture it makes up a group 
which is effective and true to the traditions in line and 
form. Courtesy Pathe Freres Phonograph Co., and John 
Wanamaker 
