Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments at Yale

07/07/2023

07/07/2023

01/04/2022

January 4th is National Trivia Day! In honor of this occasion, who here knows their musical instrument trivia and can identify this instrument? Comment below with your best guess!

(Hint: this instrument is not complete)

12/09/2021

There might not be any shortcuts in learning a musical instrument, but that doesn't mean that inventors haven't tried! Invented by Georges Rétif in 1922, the ochydactyl was designed to increase finger agility, independence, flexibility, and strength. The ochydactyl was made by the company Sancoins during the mid- to late 1920s. Their advertisements implied that using this finger-exercising machine for just seven minutes a day could save a pianist one and a half hours of practice a day.

Georges Rétif received a total of four French patents for the ochydactyl and was awarded a US patent posthumously in 1929. The US patent (no. 1720571(A)) states, "Skill in playing musical instruments is acquired only after prolonged practice which endows the performer's fingers with nimbleness, independent action, and strength…The object of the present invention is to replace this long, arduous study which, in the case of students of no great talent, is sometimes without success, by an adaptation of the muscles acquired mechanically and without the exertion of personal attention by means of a mechanical device constraining the finger's to execute, with as great a speed as may be desired, movements analogous to those executed by a performer on the keyboard of his instrument…"

Accession no: 5202.1992
Check out music.yale.edu/browse-collection to see more instruments from the Collection!

07/14/2021

In honor of BASTILLE DAY, we wish to call our readers' attention to a military snare drum in the Collection that may date from the French Revolution. The sides of the instrument are decorated with the tricolor (red, white, and blue) flag, the red cap of liberty, and fasces. The rims are painted with cross bands of wide red-and-white stripes. The drumheads are made of vellum. There are two gut snares and ten stretchers (likely not original) for adjusting the tension of the ropes. Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm). Diameter: 16 in (40.64 cm). The Belle Skinner Collection. Accession no. 2001.1960. (Photo: Alex Contreras)

Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille (a fortress utilized as a prison) on 14 July 1789 by disgruntled members of the bourgeoisie and peasant classes seeking social, political, and economic reform. One of their mottoes was: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.

The French national anthem, La Marseillaise, embodies these ideals. Shown here is an illustrated version of the anthem that depicts Marianne (the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution) and a boy in military uniform marching in step with a cylindrical drum.

In France, this day of remembrance is known as French National Day (Fête nationale) and The Fourteenth of July (Quatorze juillet).

07/03/2021

On July 3rd, instrument maker John Heald (1843–1934) was born! Here are two instruments that he made that are included in the Resounding Brass exhibition.

–Trumpet, ca. 1920, Springfield, Massachusetts, accession no. 3664.1972
–Pocket Cornet, ca. 1895, Springfield, Massachusetts, accession no. 3662.1972
Gifts of William Pendleton in memory of Beatrice S. Pendleton, niece of John Q. Heald

During the mid- to late 19th century, many American brass instrument manufacturers began moving towards the mass production of instruments. Heald, on the other hand, was known as a high quality, though low volume instrument maker during his life, which makes his instruments very rare. Throughout his career, he was awarded many patents for his innovations to brass instruments.

06/13/2021

On June 13th, 1799, French oboist Henri Brod was born! After graduating from the Paris Conservatoire, Brod became a member of the Paris Opera. Like many of his contemporaries, he also composed etudes, salon music, and chamber music for the oboe. He was an instrument builder who made (and assisted with) many innovations to the oboe that still influence oboists today.

Among his innovations, Brod built a straight-bodied English horn, which he referred to as a 'cor anglais moderne.' He also built oboes that extended the range of the instrument down to a B and even a low A, which not only extended the instrument's range, but was also thought to improve the tone quality of the oboe.

In addition to his innovations to the oboe and English horn, Brod invented a gouging machine that assists with making oboe reeds. Even though many non-oboists might not have heard of a gouging machine, the importance of a reliable gouging machine for oboists who make their own reeds cannot be understated!

Shown here are three examples of Brod's instruments at the Collection of Musical Instruments; one oboe (accession no. 3420.1988) and two English horns representing Brod's 'cor anglais moderne' design (acc. nos. 3435.1974 and 3439.1990). Check out music.yale.edu/browse-collection to see more instruments from the Collection!

06/07/2021

On June 7th, 1916, horn player Helen Kotas was born! Pictured here are seven mouthpieces that were owned by Helen Kotas and made by Carl Geyer. These mouthpieces are part of the Resounding Brass exhibition and are on loan to the Collection from Eva Heater, a former student of Helen Kotas.

Helen Kotas (1916–2000) served as principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1941 to 1947. She was raised in Brookfield, Illinois, where she received her musical training from the age of six. Kotas joined the Chicago Civic Orchestra in 1936 and soon became a regular extra with the Chicago Symphony. In 1940, she briefly served in the Pittsburgh Symphony under the direction of Fritz Reiner. When Philip Farkas, principal horn of the Chicago Symphony, left his chair for a position with the Cleveland Orchestra in 1941, Kotas assumed his post and performed as principal horn of Chicago until his return in 1947. She remained as third horn before leaving the Symphony at the end of the 1947–48 season.

05/26/2021

This trombone made by H. N. White was recently donated to the Collection by Alice Crane Linder in memory of Lester R. Crane, a jazz trombonist.

Henderson N. White began making "King" model trombones in 1894 with the help of Cleveland-based trombonist Thomas King. "King" became a trade name for White's instruments, and the King line eventually included saxophones, trombones, French horns, trumpets, and other brass instruments. H. N. White instruments were used by many jazz players such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Tommy Dorsey.

For more information about the Collection and its holdings, check out music.yale.edu/browse-collection