Melba premiered in the title role of Herman Bemberg’s opera Elaine in London in 1892. This portrait by Frank Haviland was published in The Illustrated London News in June 1908 as part of his series of theatrical celebrities and marked Melba’s 20th…
This is a Deagan master ‘lite wate’ xylophone, adapted from earlier models and produced during World War II. It is made from Honduras rosewood, timber, and cardboard. Designed around portability, this small 3 octave xylophone is a one-piece unit…
Deagan gave the name ‘Marimbaphone’ to a series of models equipped with rotating or tilting frames, and bars with concave ends. They came in various sizes and were made with both rosewood and steel bars. The purpose of this feature was to play the…
This tuning fork was manufactured by Deagan. It is inscribed on the back ‘ J.C. Deagan. Official pitch of A.F. of M. 1917 Adopted by US Gov't. 1920’. J. C. Deagan, was a musician and expert in the science of acoustics. He wrote many papers on the…
Grainger enjoyed ‘liberty of the factory’ of J.C. Deagan, as he worked closely with the instrument maker to develop instruments specific to the new orchestral timbres he was seeking to create. In this letter, Deagan writes to Grainger regarding the…
Photo: 22.6 x 16.8
Photo and card: 31.3 x 22.9
Envelope: 32.2 x 22.9
Portrait of Percy Grainger showing his side profile. He is wearing a fur lined coat and a framed painting can be seen in the background behind him. There is…
An important part of the programme for the State of the Art of Electronic Music in Australia seminar was the international tape sampling, which occurred in the Grainger Museum each day of the conference, from 10am to…
This Stupa is made from 11 individual components and is modelled on the three stupas (pagodas) known as Three pools reflecting the moon, from the West Lake in Hangzhou, China. In performance, the 11 components are sounded as individual percussion…