Figure 3.--This card was printed in Germany, probably in the 1889s. It is an idealized view of what a German boy might have worn for a violin recital. The velvet suit looks fairly standard, but the collar is notably small and plain.

A wide variety of instruments were selected, some were more popular than others. HBC has little information on this, but believes that the piano and violin might have been most popular with mothers. Boys may have liked brass instruments. Woodwinds have also been popular. Guitars became very popular in the 1950s, undoubtedly influence by Elvis Presely. The hisory of these instruments is another interesting topic. The images of boys with their instruments providing inttresting glimses of both fashion and music trends over time. Of course there tend to be substabntial differences i performance and prracte dress. Often performance clothes were a boy's best suit, but in smome cases mother made special costumes for performances. Here we are just beginning to collect images. We have a variety of images archieved on HBC under different topics which we will begin to cross index here. We would be very interested in any memories that HBC readers may have.

Banjo

I'mnot sure yet when the bajo was developed. We know it was being used in minstrel shows in America during the mid-19th century. It seems to have been popular with older teenagers and young men. We do not notice girls playing it. A ggoid examole of the banjo's popularity was a group of youths plying banjos in their dirmitory at the Holderness School, a noted New Hapshire preparatoty school for boys from affluent families (1885).

Bugle

Cello

The cello, large, low-pitched musical instrument of the violin family, held between the performer's knees. The size of the cello makes it difficult for a young child tp handle, but by about 10 or 11 years of age it is possible for many children to begin playing the instrument. The cello has four strings tuned C G d a (C = two C's below middle C; a = the A below middle C). Its range extends over more than four octaves. The earliest surviving cellos are two from the 1560s by the Italian violinmaker Andrea Amati. Until the late 18th century the cello was primarily a supporting instrument, playing bass lines and adding fullness to musical textures. During the baroque era unaccompanied cello suites were composed (1720?) by the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, as were cello concertos by Antonio Vivaldi and Luigi Boccherini, the Italian composers. In the 19th century, works for the cello included concertos by Johannes Brahms and the Czech composer Antonín Dvorák. In the 20th century, composers such as the Russians Sergey Prokofiev and Dmitry Shostakovich further explored its solo capabilities. The most prominent 20th-century cellist was the Spanish-born Pablo Casals. Other leading soloists are the Russian-born Gregor Piatigorsky and Mstislav Rostropovich.

Claranet

Flutina

The flutina was an early accordian popular in the mid-19h century. The instrument was invented by Busson Brevete in Paris. They first appeared about 1830. It was a realitively simple form of accordian. It preceeded the diatonic button accordion. It had one or two rows of treble buttons situated to have the tonic of the scale on the bellows draw. The rnge of notes was more limited than a modern accordian. Most did not have a bass keyboard. The left hand was used to operate an air valve. A rocker switch referred to as a "bascule d'harmonie" was set in the front of the keyboard. The thumb could be used on theis switch to a pallet covering a tone hole. Most American flutinas were imported. We see images of indiviuals with them during the 1850s and 60s. The individuals, however, were not always musicians. Many studios kept a flautina as a prop. Apparently they were seen as adding a little social sophistication to the individual. A good example is an unidentified American boy, probably in the 1850s.

Guitar

The guitar and its offshoot the electric guitar is now one of the most popular instruments among boys because of its importance in both rock and country music. Until the 1950s, however, it was not an instrument that mothers would generally select for their sons. In the 19th century it was rarely an instrument a boy would learn for his first instrument.

Piano

The piano was invented about 1700 by an Italian. It was a major improvement over the harpsicord because the volume of each note could be varried. At first only the nobility could aford a piano. Prices graduallly fell. Many affluent families had them by the turn of the 19th century. Later on as the European economies expanded with the Indstrial Revolution, they fell within the buying power of the middle class. By 1850, it was fashionable for middle class families to buy a piano. It became known as "the ladies instrument".

Saxophone

We have not yet begun to research the history of the saxophone. We believe that it became very popular in America during the jazz age. The sax became an increasingly mainstream instrument when White youths picked up jazz calling it swing. We note increasing numbers of boys playing the saxophone in the 1930s. At the time of course many boys were wearing knickers.

Trumpet

Another very popular instrument for boys is the trumpet. Many more boys want to play the trumpet than girls. Perhaps it is the sound that appeals to them. I'm not really why boys are so interested in the trumpet.

Violin

The violin is the most popular of the stringed instruments played with a bow. It evolved from the instruments of antiquity, but did not begin to take its modern shape until the middle of the 16th century. It became one of the most popular instrumets for boys to learn, at least until recent times. The prevalence of 19th century drawings and photographic portraits atest to the number of boys that learned the violin. I'm not sure just how boys dressed to practicde, but generally they would wear their best suits for performances. I'm also not sure how the clothing styles and popularity of the violin varied by country, but home to develp such information.

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Created: February 10, 2004
Last updated: 7:26 AM 11/18/2011