A survey of the origins and development of musical instruments world-wide from Paleolithic times to the present day. Illustrated with pictures of several hundred instruments from all over the world on 120 plates, with five maps for ease of reference to exotic places.

Origins and Development of Musical Instruments describes the creation, use, and development of musical instruments from the Old Stone Age to the present day. Musical instruments, from the simplest whistles to the most complex organs, conch trumpets to sousaphones, archers' and musical bows to violins and pianos, the most basic straw reeds to the modern MIDI systems, and pairs of stones struck together to synthesizers, are all described here by instrument collector and expert Jeremy Montagu. Montagu speculates on how these instruments originated in the earliest days of humanity and relates how they moved from one culture to another through history, all the while changing and developing until they became the instruments we know today. The book also surveys the present uses of instruments throughout the world. Each chapter is devoted to a different type of instrument. Intervals and additional sections enhance the volume with information on musicians, the Medieval Renaissance, the ideal accompaniment, archaeology, symbiotic and newly created instruments, classification of instruments, scales and music, and some of the problems of acoustics. This comprehensive volume is illustrated with over 120 photos capturing several hundred instruments from all over the world; many of them from the author's own collection of over 2,500 instruments. A copious bibliography of sources, three indexes, and a series of maps make this a priceless resource.

Part 1 List of Illustrations
Part 2 Acknowledgments
Part 3 Explanations and Definitions
Part 4 Abbreviations
Part 5 Maps
Chapter 6 1. Origins
Chapter 7 2. Drums
Chapter 8 3. Flutes and Recorders
Chapter 9 4. Reeds
Chapter 10 5. "Brass" Instruments: Trumpets and Horns
Chapter 11 6. String Instruments
Chapter 12 7. Pipe Organs
Chapter 13 8. Electrophones
Part 14 Afterword: Archaeology and Other -ologies
Chapter 15 Classification of Instruments
Chapter 16 Scales and Music
Chapter 17 The Sounds of Science
Part 18 Bibliography
Part 19 Index of Instruments and Accessories
Part 20 Index of Places and Peoples
Part 21 General Index
Part 22 About the Author