Music series

analysing the activities of a nineteenth-century collector

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We have some information about (some of the?) objects in other series in the founding collection, including the musical instruments that were included in the Musical Instruments (Wind) and (String) series. This information comes from the so-called Black book, a book supposed to have been written between 1874 and 1885 whilst the collection was at Bethnal Green and South Kensington Museums. Of course, Pitt-Rivers did not publish a catalogue explaining these series as he originally intended. The sub-titles are taken from the Black Book and were presumably the title for each series, or sub-series.

Musical Instruments (Wind)

These appear to have been displayed in Case 74 of the Bethnal Green / South Kensington Museums displays.

Black book number	PRM accession number	Black book entry
Black 1275-1276	1884.112.13, 1884.112.16	1275 or 1276 Indian shell trumpets used in the Temples
Black 1277	1884.112.14 .1 1884.112.14 .2	1277 Indian shell trumpet carved with ornamental pattern on three legged metal stand
Black 1278	1884.112.26	1278 and 9 Shell trumpets Marquesas ornamented with human hair (3003 3015)
Black 1279	1884.112.25	1278 and 9 Shell trumpets Marquesas ornamented with human hair (3003 3015)
Black 1280	1884.112.19	1280 and 1 Shell trumpets one in sling (3002 3005)
Black 1281	1884.112.15	1280 and 1 Shell trumpets one in sling (3002 3005)
Black 1282	1884.112.27	C[ase] 74. 1282. Ivory trumpet with side hole. Neam-nam [sic]. Obtained by Consul Petherick (3028). [insert] 1884.112.27 [end insert].
Black 1283	1884.112.30	Musical Instruments (Wind). C[ase] 74. 1283 & 4. Ivory trumpets obtd by Petherick, small (3000). [insert] 1884.112.30 + 3 [end insert].
Black 1284	1884.112.3 or 1884.112.29	Musical Instruments (Wind). C[ase] 74. 1283 & 4. Ivory trumpets obtd by Petherick, small (3000). [insert] 1884.112.30 + 3 [end insert].
Black 1285	1884.112.32	Case 74 1285 Ivory trumpet with side hole carved with embricated (sic) pattern Probably European (3000)
Black 1286	1884.112.33	1286 Wooden curved trumpet with side hole C Africa 3040
Black 1287	1884.112.34	C[ase] 74. 1287. Trumpet with side hole, of wood. With bands of snake skin Neam-nam [sic] C. Africa (3034). [insert] 1884.112.34 [end insert].
Black 1288	1884.111.6	Case 74 1288 Ivory flute Central Africa 2988
Black 1289	1884.111.5 .1-2	C[ase] 74. 1289. Wooden flute with cleaner. Gondokoro C. Africa (2978). [insert] completely new entry 1884.111.5 [end insert].
Black 1290	1884.112.12	Case 741290 Flute New Zealand (2980)
Black 1291	1884.111.47	Case 74 1291 Musical instrument consisting of reeds set in a gourd locality unknown probS America 2966 Added Black book entry - Burma?
Black 1292	1884.111.15	Case 74 1292 Bag and whistle carried underneath the arm and pressed to imitate the noise of a duck. For decoy purposes NW Coast of America This may be considered to mark the origin of the bagpipes 2981
Black 1293	1884.111.4	Case 74 1293 Bone whistle Probably South America 2989
Black 1294-1295	1884.111.11-13	Case 741294 - 1295 Flutes made of monkey bones Xebaroe Indians Macas Ecuador S America (2985)
Black 1296	1884.111.3	Case 74 1296 Reed pipes unknown locality 2951
Black 1297	1884.111.1 .1-2	Case 74 1297 Whistles made by the Kaffirs for collecting their cattle (2984)
Black 1298	1884.112.10	Case 74 1298 Flute New Zealand 2982
Black 1299	1884.112.9	Case 74 1299 - 1300 Flutes New Zealand (2968 2976)
Black 1300	1884.112.8	Case 74 1299 - 1300 Flutes New Zealand (2968 2976)
Black 1301	1884.111.46	Case 74 1301 Flute Cambodia piece of vibrating metal inserted in the mouth piece 2968 AdditionalBlack book entry - Cambodia or Camboja Territory subject to Cochin China
Black 1302	1884.111.45	Case 74 1302 Reed pipes of same form [as 1884.111.46] probably same locality [Cambodia] AdditionalBlack book entry - Cambodia or Camboja Territory subject to Cochin China
Black 1303	1884.111.31	Case 74 1303 and 1304 Nose flutes Tahiti Soc? Is (no 1303 obtd by Capt Cook) 2968
Black 1304	1884.111.33	Case 74 1303 and 1304 Nose flutes Tahiti Soc? Is (no 1303 obtd by Capt Cook) 2968
Black 1305	1884.111.25	Case 74 1305 Flute New Zealand carved by Natives with words Na Ditti on it in European letters (2968)
Black 1306	1884.111.26	Case 74 1306 Flute Indian (2968)
Black 1308	1884.111.39	Case 74 1308 - 10 Reed pipes Indian 2971 2983 2969
Black 1309	1884.111.40	Case 74 1308 - 1310 Reed pipes Indian 2971 2983 2969
Black 1310	1884.111.38	Case 74 1308 - 1310 Reed pipes Indian 2971 2983 2969
Black 1311	1884.112.5	1311 Brass trumpet Indian 2952
Black 1312	1884.112.6	Case 74 1312 Calling horn Indian 2956
Black 1313	1884.112.7	1313 Trumpet Chinese
Black 1314	Not matched	1314 Bronze trumpet found in 1840 in Co Antrim
Black 1315	1884.112.2	1315 Bronze trumpet with fragment of straight piece attached Found in digging a drain at Kanturk Ireland Added Black book entry - Kanturk - Co Cork
Black 1315a	1884.111.37	Case 74 1315a Ivory flute tibia Roman (2965)
Black 1315b	Not matched	1315b Roman whistle with two holes found in London
Black 1315c	1884.112.1	Case 74 1315c Ancient Norwegian horn Cow's Elaborately carved 3001
Black book page 48a [Ag 7985]	1884.112.18, 21, 22	Ag 7985 Four conch shell trumpets Fiji (3006 3007 3009 3010)
Black book page 48a [Ag 7052]	1884.112.17	Shell trumpet with grass handle Fiji (3004)
Black book page 48a [Ag 7052]	1884.112.23	Small shell trumpet (3013)
Black book page 48a [Ag 5594]	1884.112.24	5.9.76 Shell trumpet (Triton giganteus) (3008) Admiralty Isles
Black book page 48a [Ag 7985]	1884.117.28	Case 74 1983 Siphon shaped object discovered in a mine Co Cork with funnel figured in proceedings of Soc of Antiquaries 3038 Added Black book entry - Copper mine Added Black book entry - Skyll [sic] near Skibbereeen Added Black book entry - Ser II vol V 222-3 Added Black book entry - [Stuck in copy of relevant extract from Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries]
Black book page 49a [Ag 2671][7]	1884.111.2	Ag 2671 8.10.75 Set of pan pipes Cane New Guinea 2950

Note: In the black book there are more drums listed on pages 48a and 49a, it is not clear how they related to the wind instruments.

Vibrating Instruments

Black book number	PRM accession number	Black book entry
Black 1316	1884.113.16	1316 Musical instrument with strings of cane Chittagong Assam (2999) AdditionalBlack book entry - Chittagong A district of India beyond the Ganges but included in the Province of Bengal
Black 1317	1884.113.17 .11884.113.17 .2	Case 72 1317 Harp cane strings sounding board of palm leaf Similar form used in the Malay archipelago Madagascar (3030)
Black 1318	1884.109.19	1318 Harp comprising of vibrating metal bands 2994
Black 1319	1884.113.1	1319 Harp Kaffir single stringed form derived from that of the bow (2986)
Black 1320	1884.113.20	1320 Harp single stringed set in a small tub Hindostan (3032)
Black 1321	1884.113.22	1321 Harp the body formed of a human skull W Africa 3041
Black 1322	1884.113.21	1322 Harp the body formed of a human skull with shape of antelope's horn W Africa 2995
Black 1323	1884.113.4	1323 Harp W Africa 2957
Black 1324	1884.113.6	1324 Harp Africa (2954)
Black 1325	1884.113.10	1325. Harp. Africa, ornamented with human head. Dor tribe. Obtd by Petherick. 2996. [insert] 1884.113.10 [end insert].
Black 1326	1884.113.15	1326 Harp Nubian (3033)
Black 1327	1884.113.31	1327 and 8 Harps Chinese (2955 and 3027)
Black 1328	1884.113.37	1327 and 8 Harps Chinese (2955 3027)
Black 1329	1884.113.23	1329 Guitar locality unknown (2962)
Black 1330	1884.113.42	1330 Small harp Locality unknown 2956
Black 1331	1884.113.28	1331 Harp Berars Bengal Presidency (2960)
Black 1332	1884.113.39 .1 - 2	1332 Fiddle and bow 2961
Black 1333	1884.113.35	1333 Harp body composed of a gourd C Verde Is (2964)
Black 1334	1884.113.36	1334 Harp (2963)
Black 1334a	1884.113.24	1334a Harp

Percussion Instruments

Black book number	Accession number	Black book entry
Black 1335	1884.110.14	Case 72 1335 Rattle unknown locality 2979
Black 1336	1884.110.38 .11884.110.38 .21884.110.38 .3	Case 72 1336 Harmonicon two sticks W Africa 3043
Black 1337	1884.110.39 .11884.110.39 .2 1884.110.39 .3	Case 72 1337 Harmonicon China 3044
Black 1338	1884.110.40	Case 72 1338 Harmonicon locality unknown (see 2998)
Black 1339	1884.109.6	Case 76 1339 Tom tom (2973)
Black 1340-1345	1884.109.7-9, 11-13	Case 76 1340 - 1345 Drums various India 3024 3026 2970 3019 3025 3020
Black book page 48a [Ag 7099]	1884.109.5, 2, 3	Two drums wood, New Guinea (3021, 3035)
Black book page 48a [Ag 7052]	1884.109.4	Drum, New Guinea (3022)
Black book page 49a [Ag 28.X.75]	1884.110.42	Drum, wood, W. African 3037
Black book page 49a [Ag 2671 8.X.75]	Not matched	Drum with handle, end covered snakeskin ?New Guinea (2997)
Black book page 49a [Ag 1438 26.11.74]	1884.109.14	Ashanti Drum on stem with carved figure (3023)
Black book page 49a [Ag 1438 26.11.74]	Not matched	Fiji war drum (3036)

AP, March 2011

Musical Instruments (Wind)

Vibrating Instruments

Percussion Instruments

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