Vermillion, S.D. —
If I were to ask you where you might find the largest collection of musical instruments in the United States, what would you guess? Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles? I’m willing to bet you wouldn’t guess Vermillion, S.D.
Is the National Music Museum there the largest? I’m not sure — there are some things Google just doesn’t tell you. But I guarantee the collection here, if not the largest, has got to be close to the top. A beautiful stone building, a former 1908 Carnegie Library, on the campus of the University of South Dakota, houses more than 15,000 instruments from many parts of the world and spanning many ages. Nine galleries with 20,000 square feet display pieces from the collection.
It’s here because of a band director and musician, Arne B. Larson (1904-1988). He began collecting instruments when he was in his early 20s, buying them up cheaply when Congress legislated the pitch standard for “A” to 440 vibrations per second. Older instruments, tuned higher, became obsolete.
During World War II, Larson provided foodstuffs and necessities to Europeans who bartered their instruments. He contacted missionaries who sought out unusual and exotic instruments for him. Even Lowell Thomas, a world traveler and commentator, contributed, sending him a cobra-inspired horn from India.
His collection filled rooms in his house in Brookings, S.D., and he began to look for a permanent home for the instruments. An offer from the University of South Dakota to teach in the Department of Music put Arne and his instruments in Vermillion. In 1979, Arne and his wife, Jeanne, donated the aggregation, to be housed at the university, to the state of South Dakota. His collection comprised more than 2,500 instruments.
Since that time, the museum has acquired other instruments, including a number of collections — making the museum a collection of collections. Among these are the C.G. Conn Company’s collection of American band instruments, the Alan Bates Harmonica Collection and the William F. Ludwig II collection of 19th and 20th century drums.
For a former music teacher — me — this was Nirvana. And, like every press trip I’ve ever been on, there was not enough time to see even a third of the displays. But even in a short time, I saw amazing things. Here are some of my favorites.
The Rawlins Gallery features a permanent exhibition, “The Genius of North Italian Stringed Instrument Making: 1540-1793.” It blew my mind to see not only a Stradivari violin, but a Stradivari guitar, one of only two in museums, and a Stradivari mandolin, one of only two known to exist. In addition, there were instruments made by Guarneri and by members of the Amati family.
The Abell Gallery is dedicated to keyboard instruments and houses a number of early harpsichords and pianos. One of the largest instruments in the room is an 1808 Pennsylvania pipe organ built by Christian Dieffenbach.
The Lillebridge Gallery celebrates American guitars. One end of the room is the recreated D’Angelico/D’Aquisto/Gudelsky Guitar Workshop. The firm was noted for its excellent archtop guitars. In a nearby case stands a 1978 resonator guitar. The instrument is now commonly known as a Dobro. The name comes from Ján Dopyera, a Slovakian who moved with his brothers Rudi and Emil to the U.S. in 1908. Ján designed and patented the instrument and the brothers started a company to produce them. The name is a blend of Dopyera and brothers.
The Beede Gallery features musical instruments of Africa, Asia, India and Oceana. Most of the room is taken up by a Javanese gamelan — a whole orchestra of instruments tuned to one another. They range from strings and drums to metallophones and knobbed gongs. The stands are made of teak and highlighted with gold leaf and elaborate carving.
My favorite instrument in the Everist Gallery, spotlighting the American music industry, is the Sgt. Pepper, heart-shaped trumpet, one of two created by master trumpet maker Dominick Calicchio. Twenty years after the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” this trumpet turned up on eBay. A generous donor made the purchase possible.
One of the biggest instruments is on display in the lobby. The glaw’ng ae’, or goblet drum, is made from one piece of wood, hollowed out and carried on a cart. The 10-foot-long, half-ton drum is used in Buddhist temples in northern Thailand. This one dates back to the late 19th century.
This museum is not a hands-on museum, although accomplished musicians like Eugene Fodor have been allowed to play some of the rarest and most valuable instruments. For the general public, there are frequent opportunities to hear concerts at the museum and the self-guided audio tours provide examples of the sounds of music. While anyone can enjoy seeing the exhibits — for musical hardcores, this museum is heaven.
The museum, on the corner of Clark and Yale Streets in Vermillion, is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 2-5 p.m. It is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Adult admission is $10 with a $2 discount for seniors. Children are admitted free. For more information, visit www.nmmusd.org or call 605-677-5306.
ELAINE WARNER is an Edmond resident.
Arts & Entertainment
Related Photos
-
This goblet drum from Thailand weighs over 1,000 pounds and is 10 feet long. The teddy bear sitting in front of the drum is a Society of American Travel Writers traveling teddy who corresponded with Miss Kysar's second-grade class at Northern Hills Elementary in Edmond. ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN
-
Among the elaborate decorations on the instruments of the Javanese gamelan is this carved dragon covered with gold leaf. ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN
-
The many instruments that make up the Javanese gamelan are tuned only to each other and are not interchangeable with similar instruments from any other gamelan. ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN
-
The National Music Museum on the campus of the University of South Dakota at Vermillion is housed in what was originally a Carnegie Library built in 1908. The museum has over 15,000 instruments, making it one of the largest museums of its kind in the world. ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN
-
In a trumpet made for the movie "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" featuring the music of the Beatles, the initials SP are visible in the valve tubing. ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN
-
Antonio Stradivari made this choral mandolino in Cremona, Italy, in 1680. The only other Stradivari mandolino known to exist is in a private collection in London. The case is also original. ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN
-
ELAINE WARNER | SPECIAL TO THE SUN John D'Angelico, apprenticed at age nine to his violinmaker granduncle, opened his own instrument shop in New York City in 1932. Upon his death, it was taken over by his apprentice, James D'Aquisto who ran it until his death when it again passed to an apprentic, Paul Gudelsky., who died a year later. In over six decades of guitar making, the shop had become known for its high-quality, archtop instruments. This is a recreation of the workshop, complete with original tools and furnishings.
Discussion
Treasure trove of instruments has small-town home
- Arts & Entertainment
-
-
Don’t miss out on Williams, Ariz.
You know how some days you’re really at your best and then you hit one where your efforts just don’t measure up. I had one of those. Jack and I were on a nine-day driving tour of Arizona, getting close to the end of the trip.
-
Best of Books observes 94th annual Children’s Book Week
Internationally renowned Choctaw storyteller and author Tim Tingle will perform and sign copies of his new children’s novel, “How I Became A Ghost,” a story about the Choctaw Trail of Tears told by a young boy, Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon at Best of Books, 1313 E. Danforth Road, Kickingbird Square.
Children will take home free Children’s Book Week posters and totes. This year’s poster artist is Brian Selznick, the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. And children also will get one of the first peeks in the country at Tingle’s new book for children. -
ACM@UCO signs exchange program agreement with ACM
The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma (ACM@UCO) recently signed an exchange program agreement with the original ACM in Guildford, England. The agreement will allow Central ACM students with global opportunities to study with contemporary music experts at the ACM in Guildford.
-
5-14 Good Reads
NOTE: Email dpeery@edmondsun.com to have your name entered into a drawing for the following titles: “The FitzOsbornes at War” and/or “Pretty Penny Makes Ends Meet” and/or “Spirit’s Chosen.” Deadline is 10 a.m. May 20. Winner will be notified by return email. Winner is responsible for picking up the book at The Edmond Sun at 123 S. Broadway. All entrants must be 18 or older to win.
-
Locals join Dallas film shoot
University of Central Oklahoma graduate Page Tudyk recently landed the lead supporting actress role in the film “I,” due to start filming this summer in Edmond and the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
-
Mumford & Sons event needs volunteer force
The Pollard Theatre Company is sponsoring the volunteer pool for the Mumford & Sons Guthrie Stopover. Organizers are seeking 250 volunteers to work three, five-hour shifts between Thursday-Sunday the weekend of the festival Sept. 5-8.
-
Artist INC program to present workshop
The Artist INC program has identified the common behaviors of successful artist entrepreneurs. In their ”What Works/What Doesn’t?” workshop they’ll share those behaviors and leave artists ready to apply them to their own art practice. The workshop includes discussion of portfolio, careers, goal setting and planning, communications strategy and financial planning.
-
5-7 Good Reads
NOTE: Email dpeery@edmondsun.com to have your name entered into a drawing for “Behind the Bookcase.” Deadline is 10 a.m. May 13. Winner will be notified by return email. Winner is responsible for picking up the book at The Edmond Sun at 123 S. Broadway. All entrants must be 18 or older to win.
-
Oklahoma Choral Artists presents ‘Trial by Jury’
At 7 p.m. May 15 in the Christian Life Center at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, the Oklahoma Choral Artists will present a program of operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan featuring a staged performance with professional instrumental ensemble of “Trial by Jury.” The performance is co-sponsored by Oklahoma Choral Artists and the Emerson Community Action Board, a group of concerned citizens providing support for the Oklahoma City Public School’s Emerson Mid-High Alternative School, a school for young persons who are working to keep their lives together and earn a high school diploma. All proceeds from the evening will go to the support of projects at Emerson.
-
Fine Arts Institute schedules 5 X 5 Art Show and Sale
The Fine Arts Institute will present its first “5 X 5 Art Show and Sale” on Sunday. This exhibit includes 55 artists from Oklahoma. The show and sale begins at 5:55 p.m. May 5 with a $5 admission at the door of the Fine Arts Institute, 27 E. Edwards. All art work is priced at $55 and will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The exhibit will hang in the FAI gallery May 5-15. Some of the artists included are Jennifer Hustis, Thomas Stotts, Bert Seabourn, Kyle Golding, Jackson Compton, Doris Nelson, Clint Stone, Arni Anderson, Michelle Wiser, Gary Lennon, Linda Kukuk and many more. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. All purchased art is to be picked up May 15. Proceeds from 5 X 5 will go toward operational costs at the Fine Arts Institute to help keep tuition and fees affordable for students of all ages. - More Arts & Entertainment Headlines
-
