Featuring more than 100 extraordinary pieces from around the world and spanning thousands of years, this book displays the astounding diversity of musical instruments. Highlights include Bronze Age cymbals, the earliest known piano, violins made by Stradivari, slit drums from Oceania, and iconic 20th-century American guitars. Stunning new photographs reveal these objects to be works of musical and visual art—marvels of technology and masterpieces of design. Each object is explored in fascinating text describing its historical use; its sound or the technological developments that gave rise to the form of music played upon it; details about its notable makers, owners, or players; or its construction and decoration. Related works—paintings, textiles, statues, and pottery that depict instruments and music making—complement and further illuminate the narrative which provides a lively and insightful appreciation of musical instruments that will appeal to art and music lovers everywhere.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press