Discover Why Music Is the Language of the Soul
Instruments in the John and Joan D’Addario Orientation Galleries and the stories they tell set the stage for the incredible variety of items and diversity of cultures guests will experience in MIM’s Geographic Galleries.
Featured Exhibits and Objects
Object Highlights
No instruments found.
Acquisition of the Month
Stop by to see this month’s exciting new instrument!
A finely crafted harp featuring elaborate carving
Kwele people,
Gabon, late 19th to early 20th c.
Kwele people play ngombi harps during elaborate rituals that promote social balance, often through mediation with nature and ancestral spirits. The carved figure on this harp most likely represents a female ancestor, and its stylized facial features are typical of Kwele art. Remnants of white clay on the figure’s face symbolize purity and clarity of vision.
Gift of the Robert J. Ulrich and Diane Sillik Fund
Two ornately decorated conch shell trumpets
Nepal, 16th to 17th c.; India, 19th c.
Each of these śankh shell trumpets is richly decorated with symbolic imagery that emphasizes its divine potency. The Nepalese trumpet is profusely engraved with depictions of the Hindu deities Vishnu and Garuda and inscriptions in Newari and Nāgarī scripts. The Indian example, fitted with elaborate brass work, features a makara (a mythical sea animal) spewing a watery form, with a yali (an elephant-lion creature) striding across its head.
Video Highlights
The Oldest Known Surviving Full-Size Guitar
Installing the Robjohn Pipe Organ at MIM
