Gong Ageng from Javanese Gamelan at the National Music Museum
Gong Ageng from the Javanese Gamelan Kyai Rengga Manis Everist
Click on any image on this page to see a larger image.
Gongs (left to right): 9918 and 9919
NMM 9918. Gong Ageng in Laras Slendro. Large bronze gong with strong, thick cord through two holes in the rim. Diameter (backside): 79 cm. Three-piece stand shared by 9919. Teakwood stand decorated with nagas (dragons) wearing crowns ("dragon king") and flower and leaf pattern covered in gold leaf (view close-up of carving on stand leg). Mallet (tabuh) with a long handle and heavy, thick red cloth padding on one end wrapped in red cord.
NMM 9919. Gong Ageng in Laras Pelog. Large bronze gong. Diameter (backside): 82 cm. Three-piece stand shared by 9918. Mallet (tabuh).
Function: The gong ageng is considered the father or master of the gamelan. This particular gong is treated with great respect, including the offering of flowers and food during performances and ceremonies. Music usually begins and ends with the gong ageng.
Playing technique: The gong ageng is played by hitting the node of the instrument with the soft end of the mallet.
Details of Crown, Gong Cleat, and Dragon King (Naga)
(click on images below to view larger images)
Exterior and Interior of Gong Ageng
(click on images below to see larger images)
August 9, 2009
Gong Ageng from Javanese Gamelan at the National Music Museum
Electraharp by Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1941
Electraharp by Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1941Images from the Everist Gallery
NMM 5918. Electric pedal steel guitar by Gibson, Inc., Kalamazoo, 1941.
Electraharp model. Factory Order Number E4141-6.
Board of Trustees, 1995.
Click on any mechanical feature above to see a larger view The Gibson Electraharp pedal mechanism was developed to allow quick tuning changes between songs and allowed the player to raise or lower the pitch separately on individual strings. The sumptuous figured maple and walnut case hid the pedals and the player's feet behind an elegant Art Deco façade. According to Gibson's 1942 catalog, the instrument took five years to develop and "not until every detail had been perfected was a working model shown." The Electraharp had been developed jointly by a Gibson machinist, John Moore, and Alvino Rey, a well-known Gibson endorser. The Electraharp was Gibson's most expensive product in 1942, when it was sold for $477—$111.50 more than the most deluxe Super 400 arch-top guitar. Gibson records indicate that thirteen of the instruments were shipped before World War II and a dispute with the Harlin Brothers of Indianapolis, who held the patent on a similar design, the Multi-Kord, caused Gibson to cease production. The Electraharp was reintroduced after World War II mounted on steel legs, rather than built into a wooden cabinet, and with only four pedals. In 1949 it sold for a significantly reduced $395.
Lap Steel Guitar Viewed from Above
Click on any structural element to see larger images
Lap Steel Guitar Pedal Mechanism Viewed from Below
Click on pedals to see an enlargement
Additional Views of Pitch-Changing and Pedal Mechanisms
Click on thumbnails below to see larger images
Literature: Timothy D. Miller, The Origins and Development of the Pedal Steel Guitar, M.M. Thesis (Vermillion: University of South Dakota, 2007).
Click arrow to continue Everist Gallery Tour
Go to Everist Gallery Tour Index
Go to Virtual Tour Index
National Music Museum
The University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
The Army Air Corps March - Written by Robert M. Crawford
The Army Air Corps MarchThe Army Air Corps March
Written by Robert M. Crawford for a competition sponsored by the Army Air Corps and Liberty Magazine's Bernarr MacFadden, who offered a cash prize of $1,000 in the Sept 10, 1938 issue. Gen. Hap Arnold did not believe the Army's Caisson song lyrics, "the army goes rolling along," were suitable for his Air Corps. Crawford was a pilot and composed the song in his head as he flew from Newark, NJ, to Bridgeport, CT, in June 1939. Arnold approved the song on Aug. 18, 1939, and it was officially introduced at the Cleveland Air Races on Sept. 2, 1939. The military services had their own songs: The Marines' Hymn of 1848, the Navy's "Anchors Aweigh" of 1906, the Army had used "The Caisson Song" since 1918, the Coast Guard adopted "Semper Paratus" in 1922. "The Army Air Corps March" was recorded in 1942 by Alvino Rey and His Orchestra, vocals by Bill Schallen and The King Sisters (Bluebird B-11476-A) and used the original June 1939 lyrics of Robert Crawford, except substituting "terrible" for "helluva" so it could be played on the radio. After 1947, other words were changed to match the new name of U. S. Air Force.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder,
Climbing high into the sun;
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,
At 'em boys, give 'er the gun
Down we dive spouting our flame from under
Off with one helluva (terrible) roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame, Boy!
Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corps!
Here's a toast to the host of those who
Love the vastness of the sky,
To a friend we send this message
of his brother men who fly.
We drink to those who gave their all of old
Then down we roar to score the rainbow's pot of gold.
A toast to the host of men we boast
The Army Air Corps!
Off we go into the wild sky yonder,
Keep the wings level and true;
If you'd live to be a grey-haired wonder
Keep the nose out of the blue!
Flying men, guarding the nation's border,
We'll be there, followed by more!
In echelon we carry on. Boy!
Nothing'll stop the Army Air Corps!
Links:
- The U.S. Army Air Corps Song from Joe Tersero
- Air Force Song from USAF
- The Air Force Song from AFNOA
- Military Songs from Veterans Affairs
- War in the Air from World War II Timeline
