Musical Instruments Through History Quiz

Answer: Sarrusophone

Pierre-Auguste Sarrus is believed to have come up with the idea for the instrument. French composers Ravel and Massenet included the bass and contrabass models in some of their works. The instrument itself was made of metal and had a conical bore. Sarrusophones were created in a wide range, from E-flat sopranino to BB-flat contrabass. Nowadays parts for this instrument are played by the contrabassoon.

Answer: Serpent

If you have ever seen a photo of a serpent then you know why it was so named. It was invented in 1590 by Edmé Guillaume and had an interesting construction. It was made of wood and had holes like other woodwind instruments but the mouthpiece was similar to that of a brass instrument. French composer Hector Berlioz included the serpent in some of his works. Since the instrument was made of wood, the material deteriorated over time and was eventually replaced by the tuba.

Answer: Heckelphone

The Heckelphone was developed by Wilhelm Heckel and introduced in 1904. It is rarely used although composer Richard Strauss admired the instrument so much that he used it in his 1905 opera 'Salome.' The Heckelphone has a long tube and a wide bore, double the diameter of the oboe.

It is so large that it has a peg on the end of its bell so the player can rest it on the floor. It uses a large reed like that of the bassoon.

Answer: Celesta

Most people are familiar with the music from the ballet "The Nutcracker." Listen closely to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and you will hear the celesta. The celesta was invented by Parisian Charles Victor Mustel who patented it in 1886. While technically a percussion instrument, it is viewed as a keyboard instrument and played by a pianist.

The celesta is still used in orchestras. Contemporary composer, Philip Glass, has incorporated the instrument in some of his compositions.

Answer: Recorder

You might wonder what the difference is between a recorder and a flute. The main difference has to do with how it is played. With a recorder, the player blows directly into a mouthpiece rather than blowing air across the hole. Originally constructed in several lengths and pitches, the recorder is a relatively simple instrument.

It is made with a single piece of wood with a conical bore and several finger holes and a thumb hole. By the Baroque period the most popular recorder used was the treble(alto). Composers such as Vivaldi, Scarlatti, and Telemann wrote concertos and chamber music for the treble recorder, although a transverse flute could have also been used.

Answer: Viola d'amore

The viola d'amore was first developed in the 18th century. The instrument had six or seven strings as opposed to the standard violin and viola's four. Instead of tuning in fifths, like the viola, the viola d'amore was tuned to a common chord to allow chord-playing in a specific key. Composers Meyerbeer and more recently Hindemith incorporated the instrument in some of their works.

Answer: tuba

Wagner had written the 'Valhalla' theme(Das Reingold) for four trombones but wasn't satisfied with the results. He envisioned an instrument with a timbre somewhere between a French horn and trombone. It took 20 years to create the Wagner tuba exactly the way the composer wanted it.

This instrument is produced in two pitches, the tenor in B-flat and the bass in F. Both have four valves and a wider bore than the French horn. The bore itself tapers so a horn mouthpiece can fit comfortably. The bell is turned upward so the player can't hand-stop the instrument.

The Wagner tuba has never been a mainstream orchestral instrument. When it is used, it's usually played by horn players.

Answer: Sistrum

Originally used in religious ceremonies in ancient Egypt, its popularity spread to the Roman empire where it was used in the worship of the goddess Isis. The sistrum has a metal frame in the shape of an upside down U crossed by horizontal rods that hold loose discs.

In order to use the instrument the player shakes it, the result being that the discs clang against the metal rods, producing a metallic sound. The sistrum is still used today by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Answer: Vibraphone

Vibraphones, commonly referred to as "vibes," were first produced by American instrument-maker Herman Winterhoff in the early 20th century. The vibraphone resembles a xylophone but has several differences. Besides using metal bars and two sets of mallets, the bars are level on the vibraphone whereas the rear row is slightly raised on the xylophone. A vibraphone player working those four mallets over two sets of bars in rapid succession is quite exciting to watch.

Answer: Mandolin

The mandolin dates back to the 15th century, possibly before, and was popular in Italy. The strings of the mandolin are plucked with a plectrum, or pick. There are three main styles of the instrument and each style is associated with different types of music. Vivaldi composed mandolin concertos while Beethoven composed two sonatas for mandolin and piano.