Old Vs New: Definition Theatre September 22, 2009

This week we are celebrating the first day of Autumn. On this colorful occasion, we shall celebrate the season with music. Since this is in print, we shall celebrate with the definitions of the musical instruments you would be hearing if this was audio. Now just sit back, grab your coffee and enjoy the musical interlude as we reminisce what instruments we learned to play in middle school. (Some of us were even brave enough for marching band. Me, I gave up freshman year because I could not play the music and march. No one appreciated the fine art of toe stomping I was learning...)

Enough about me, back to the history of the words!

* 1883 pg 7
Accordion: n. a small keyed wind instrument with metallic reeds
** 2003 pg 5
Accordian: n. a musical instrument with keys and a bellows, which is pressed to force air through reeds

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* 1883 pg 54
Clarinet: n. musical wind instrument of the reed kind
** 2003 pg 121
Clarinet: n a single reed woodwind instrument played by means of holes and keys.

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* 1883 pg 54
Clarion: n. a kind of trumpet
** 2003 pg 121
Clarion: adj. clear, sharp, and ringing

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* 1883 pg 94
Drum: n. a military instrument; part of the ear; v.i. to beat a drum
** 2003 pg 202
Drum: n. 1. a percussion instrument consisting of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched over the end or ends. 2. the sound produced by beating a drum. 3. any drum like cylindrical object 4. the eardrum

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* 1883 pg 117
Flute: n. a musical pipe v. to play on a flute .v.t. to furrow or channel
** 2003 pg 251
Flute: n. 1. a high pitched wind instrument consisting of a long, slender tube with finger holes and keys 2. a groove in the shaft of a column

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* 1883 pg 206
Pianoforte: n. a keyed musical instrument
** 2003 pg 486
Piano (also pianoforte): n. a large stringed keyboard instrument: each key operates a felt covered hammer that strikes a corresponding wire or wires

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* 1883 pg 284
Trombone: n. a deep toned brass instrument of the trumpet kind
** 2003 pg 690
Trombone: n. a large brass instrument, usually with a slide, or movable section

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* 1883 pg 285
Trumpet: n. a wind instrument v. to sound by trumpet
** 2003 pg 691
Trumpet: n. 1. a brass instrument consisting of a looped tube with a flared bell and three valves 2. a trumpet like device for channeling sound as an early kind of hearing aid.
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Did you know...

The first player piano was invented in 1881. It was invented and patented by John McTammany of Cambridge, Mass. It wasn't until 1889 that a player piano using electricity was invented and patented by William Fleming!

David Edward Hughes invented the first carbon microphone in 1878. This was the predecessor to what we use today!

Gold was discovered in California in 1848 and it was in 1849 when people flocked to California in search of gold; hence the name "Forty-Niners".

1859 a vein rich in silver ore was discovered in Nevada. Miners from California came to Nevada to prospect and eventually formed the towns of Gold Hill and Virginia City. (More on this in later articles as it is my favorite subject!)

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Sources:

* "Webster's American Peoples Dictionary & People's Manual", copyright 1879 & 1883 by John Marshall Wood.

** "Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary", copyright 1981 G. & C. Merriam Co.

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/piano.htm#

http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/microphone.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_mining_in_Nevada

My Husband- Thank you!!