Four Centuries of Musical Instruments

Four Centuries of Musical Instruments
by Albert R. Rice
Published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
Hardcover book; 320 pages

      Captured in this volume is more than 700 striking color photos are many historically significant musical instruments created by some of the most important and iconic makers of the last 400 years.  Six hundred instrumnets are presented, including keyboards, flutes and whistles, woodwinds, strings, and percussion.  Each instrument is described in the text, including unusual characteristic, rarity, number of known instruments by the same maker, historical provenance when known, former ownership, citations of relevant patents, and bibliographic citiations with more information and associated photos.  Early and historically significant instruments made in Italy, Engald, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United States, and other parts of Europe are examined.  Several world cultures are also represented by instruments.  Indexes by maker, city, and country are provided for easy reference.