Bass drum
Alternate name(s)
- long drum
Date1714-1727 ca.
Place MadeEngland, Europe
Serial No.none
SignednoneMarkingsTack design that forms a crown and the initials G R.
DescriptionElm shell. Brass tack design reinforces glued shell overlap. Eleven leather tugs. Ash rims painted red with drilled holes through which the rope passes.
Design on overlap includes three parallel lines and two wavy lines, below which is a large circle with a crown and the letters G R (G = George; R = Rex) spelled out in tacks, indicating that the drum was built for the military during the reign of King George I (1714-1727).
According to Jayson Dobney, the use of such drums in British military ensembles, including with switch and mallet, was an adaptation from Turkish Janissary ensembles.
DimensionsShell height (with rims): Between 741 mm (30-1/4 in) and 753 mm (30-3/4 in)
Head diameter: Hoop with most warping measures between 545 mm (22-3/8 in) and 588 mm (24 in)
Opposite head diameter: Between 580 mm (22-5/8 in) and 590 mm (23 in)
ProvenancePurchased in 2003 from Tony Bingham, London, England.
Published ReferencesAndré Larson, "Celebrating 30 Great Years . . . Sioux Falls Exhibition Crowns Another Notable Year," National Music Museum Newsletter 30, No. 4 (November 2003), pp. 1-3.
Credit LineBoard of Trustees, 2003
Object number10467
On View
On view
1920-1935 ca.
1880-1899 ca.