Revisiting History of Origin of Some Popular Western Musical Instruments

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Stone walls confine a tinker cold iron binds a
witch but a musician's music can never be
fettered, for it lives first in her heart and
mind.

• ------------------Charles de Lint

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Types of Musical Instruments

• STRING
• PERCUSSION
• WIND
• KEYBOARD

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PianoThe piano is a popular musical instrument
that is played using a keyboard.
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• It is the acronym for pianoforte and was invented
  on the technological innovation of the bygone
  age.
• Invention of the modern piano dates back to the
  Renaissance period, when Bartolomeo Cristofori
  (16551731) of Padua was employed by the famous
  Medici family of Italy as the Keeper of the
  musical instruments.
• He was expert in making harpsichord the
  previous avatar of the piano.

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KeyboardSynthesizers or electronic musical
keyboards generate electric signals in waveforms,
which finally get converted to sound through
loudspeakers or headphones.
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• An electronic or a digital keyboard is basically
  the same instrument referred to by various names.
• The first electric piano was manufactured by
  Wurlitzer Company, which was named as the 100. It
  was in the year 1955.
• Gradually, as technology progressed further,
  musical synthesizers became into existence in
  1964, when Bob Moog introduced his Moog
  synthesizer. Thus, gigantic keyboards were
  suddenly replaced by easily portable instruments.
• Some of the earliest versions of digital
  keyboards were Opus 3, ARP Omni and Moogs
  Polymoog, etc.
• Musical Instrumental Digital Interface (MIDI) was
  invented as a standard for digital code
  transmission, which has subscribed handsomely in
  evolution of the latest keyboard technology.

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ViolinThe word violin comes from the Medieval
Latin word vitula, which means "stringed
instrument

• The other name of this string instrument is
  Fiddle, which
• comes with a set of four strings tuned in
  perfect fifths.
• Bowed instruments are assumed to have originated
  in
• Central Asia, which gradually, spread across a
  vast region
• covering both Asia and Europe.
• As such, violin, viola and cello that are seen
  these days
• have bows, which are strung with horsehair. This
  is the
• legacy of the Central Asian nomadic horsemen.
• Interestingly, modern violin emerged in the
  Italian towns
• of Venice and Genoa in the early 16th century.
  Both the
• cities maintained strong ties with Central Asia
  through trade
• across the historic silk route.

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FluteWidely used musical instrument belonging to
the woodwind group.

• An 18.7 cm long flute having three holes and
• made from mammoth task has been discovered in
• Ulm, southern Germany. Carbon dating confirms it
• is at least 30,000 to 37,000 years old!
• A decade back, two more flutes made of swan bone
  was
• excavated from the same region. These date back
  to 36,000
• years ago.
• These are recorded as the oldest flutes that
• have been unearthed so far.
• In fact, scientists are of the opinion that
  flutes
• are the best tool to study the behavioral and
• cognitive differences that existed between
• Neanderthals and the contemporary human race!

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GuitarThe most popular six-stringed musical
instrument that goes with a varied genre of music.

• Interestingly, the English word guitar is
  identical to the German word Gitarre and the
  French Guitare are derived from the Spanish
  Guitara.

English guitar
French guitar
Spanish guitar
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• The Spanish guitarra in turn comes from the
  Arabic qitara.
• This is said to have originated from the Latin
  kithara.
• Invention of the earliest guitar remains confined
  to the history of medieval Spain.
• However, two instruments, the European Lute and
  the four-stringed Oud are considered as its
  influential predecessors.
• It was the Moors who introduced the Oud to Iberia
  in the 8th century.

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Saxophone Saxophone is another popular woodwind
instrument that was developed by Adolphe Sax, in
the year 1841.

• The Belgian instrument designer
• was also a flautist and a clarinetist.
• Prior to the invention, Sax
• worked in his fathers instrument
• shop Brussels.
• He already had made several
• improvements to the bass clarinet
• and invented Ophicleide which is
• a large conical bras instrument in
• bass register with keys identical to
• woodwind instruments.
• These inventions helped
• conceiving the design of saxophone.

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Drum The oldest musical instrument on earth the
basic design has remained unchanged for the last
thousands of years.

• These are actually percussion instruments.
• Drums made of alligator skin have
• been unearthed in China that date
• back to Neolithic age, circa 5,500 to
• 2,350 BC.
• In traditional cultures, drums play
• a significant role and used in religious
• ceremonies.
• Drums are also used in music
• therapies mostly hand drums.

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