SOME QUEER LOOT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 278, 17 August 1908, Page 8

SOME QUEER LOOT.

BARBARIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. MR. ALFRED HILL'S COLLECTION.. Music has been defined as the language of the soul—of Man's nature. The social characteristics of a man's nature typify, generally speaking, those of his community, or nation, so when one comes across a rudo instrument from which music of an uncouth kind is possible'to bo produced, a chain of interesting ideas is immediately sot up. Do tho barbaric strains como as voices of tho past, or do they interpret tho aesthetics of some unrefined, bizarre typo of civilisation which exists, contemporaneously with tho cultured nations of to-day, in some darker portion of tho world P These were tho reflections of a Dominion representative as he handled some of the weird-looking musical instruments which formed part of a most interesting collection which adorns tho walls of Mr. Alfred Hill's teaching-room at the Dresden Warehouse, on the Quay.

As Mr. Hill explained to the visitor, tho instruments were collected by a relative of his, who was through tlio Boxer troubles in China some years ago, and was present during tho crisis at Peking. They were gathered fiom various places, their owners, in their piecipitato haste to "reach the tall timber,' as the Americans say, having had neither time nor thought to spare for art, their chief anxieties being concentrated upon their shins. Three uncouth drums -were first inspected, lhe largest of_the•three was in excellent condition. Their frameworks were of wood, and tho faces_ of bullock-hide;' on the big drum, which is about ■ the size of a largo cheese, there were still remaining some of the hairs of the hide. A curious feature of tho queer-looking tympani, was the absence °f any dovico for adjusting the tension on the skin, which, in -modern instruments, is affected by changes of temperature. The skins wero nailed on, and yet, as Mr. Hill remarked, he had never noticed any variation in tho tension. Some of these old barbarians knew a thing or two that we moderns would give something to learn. Another feature of tho drums was the presence, in tho interiors, of what was apparently a soundingboard, which, no doubt, was intended to give to beats a certain pitch. The smallest of them could only serve as a relic, for on one ■of its faces was a significant rent —an uglylooking spear-jab. But Mr. Hill intends to use the others in orchestral work, in certain compositions where it is desired -to introduce a barbaric effect, and will probably dedicate special passages in some of his future compositions to tho queer "loot." The man who sccurcdthe big drum had no small difficulty in keeping to his prize, as tho officer in command of his column objected to its presence, as an encumbrance, in the transport wagons, whilo on the march, and had it thrown out ou several occasions. But as soon as his back was turned, in it went again. Tlio other instruments wore no less interesting. _ There were two great temple horns, of unwieldy length, but according to Mr. Hill they wero toys compared to those: used by the very high and mighty personages in the Chinese temples. Some were so long that men had to stand at the other end to hold the trumpets, which must have looked like weird blunderbusses, while the heralds blow the blasts. Most of the other instruments wore rude imitations of the modern banjo, 1 mandolin, and violin, and all were possessed of an 1 interior sounding-board. One or two of them bore the Chinese Imperial crest, and ovidently, from the more elaborate workmanship displayed in their construction, wero used only among the elect One of them bore some mysterious marks which, when exhibited to a certain Chinese gentleman, . resident ill Australia, almost caused that fascinated and awe-stricken individual to prostrate himself upon the floor of 'his : shop. He said that it was,, alt the very least, something like three hundred years old.. Two of tlio instruments—Chinese flutes —wero of modern manufacture, and emitted a very clear fluty tone. They were curiously holed, having only five holes for scale , notes; each bad two embouchures,, enabling them to be played in different keys, The Chinese flautist who wished to. play" in one of the keys,, stopped up the other by .the simple process of dabbing a 1 piece of tissue paper over the embouchure; • '