Over the past few years, a small and dedicated team of volunteers have been auditing, repacking and researching the collection of musical instruments held at Museum & Art Swindon. Part of the world cultures collection, these items open up stories about the significance of music across different cultures, and its ability to bring people together.
Pictured: Shamisen before and after restoration
The collection includes a number of fretted instruments, donated by local musician and instrument maker Frederick Winsolw (1876-1959) in the 1930s. A selection of these is on display in our Origins Gallery. Amongst them is this elegant Japanese shamisen, which has been researched and restored by our volunteers.
The striking appearance of the instrument sparked an initial interest within our group. The shamisen is a three stringed lute with a distinctively long neck, known as a sao. Unlike a guitar a sao has no frets, which enables the musician to create long sliding notes. At the top of the sao, the tenjin is fitted with three itomaki which are used to tune strings. At the other end of the sao, the dou – which literally translates to body – is a box-shaped resonator which works like a drum. A neo connects the things to the bottom of the dou.
This video shows how the shamisen is played with a large plectrum called a bachi, which strikes the strings and the skin of the dou - https://youtu.be/YWXJKez01PA?si=pplDmJysjaV_wvOP
Examination of the shamisen at Museum & Art Swindon revealed that it was missing its neo and strings, and its itomaki were detached. One of our skilled team members works in restoration, and was able to restring the shamisen by adding a neo and reattaching the itomaki. With the strings in place, the instrument, its function and its context came alive once again.
Pictured: Neo
Pictured: Itomaki
The shamisen is derived from the Chinese jamisen, which was first bought to the Ryukyu Islands in the 16th Century. It became popular during the Edo Period in Japan (1615-1868), which is defined as a time of peace and prosperity, and where creativity had an opportunity to flourish.
At first it was associated with the lower classes but became increasingly popular amongst a growing merchant class. By the 19th Century it was used across a wide range of musical genres, and established within Japanese storytelling traditions in theatre and puppetry. An adaptable instrument, the shamisen can be tuned and played in different ways according to genre.
Visit Museum & Art Swindon to view the restored shamisen on display, and find out more about our research into the collection of musical instruments.
By the Our Musical World Team at Museum & Art Swindon
