Three small bells, probably Afghanistan, ca. 1900. Inv. No. 1980-13. Photo Deutsches Museum Archives.

Three small bells, probably Afghanistan, ca. 1900. Inv. No. 1980-13. Photo Deutsches Museum Archives.

Project (2018)

Music of Metallurgy: Bell Metal for Musical Instruments

The history of the sound of bell metal, mostly bronze, spans a lengthy period and a diversity of instruments as well as numerous functionalities. Metals are mined from the ground, molded with knowledge accrued in a long tradition of craft, and made for eternity with and under fire. This archaic procedure is used for making several musical instruments, including bells and parts of wind instruments. The production of these substances has also influenced the arts, especially music—most famously Richard Wagner’s Rheingold. Miners developed their own connections between metallurgy and music. In folksongs and chorales, they played on instruments made of iron. The substance they worked with every day was used in a unique way to make music, primarily in percussion. My project focuses on the production of these different instruments made with the help of metallurgy, a very traditional craft with deep connections to nature and earth. I seek similarities in the social and functional uses of music made by bell metal, and address the handling of the material and its related practical and scientific knowledge, as well as the use of its sound in various time periods and cultural contexts: from acoustical experiments to sonic heritage.