Object Image

Rock Harmonicon

This rock harmonicon or stone xylophone was made by the Till family, who were one of several so called "rock bands" that captivated British audiences during the Victorian period. All hailed from the area of Keswick in the English Lake District, the source of Skiddaw stone, a type of hornfels prized for its tone quality and resonance. Tuned bars of this sonorous rock were supported on a wooden stand and laid out much like a modern xylophone. This instrument has twenty two bars that produce a three-octave diatonic scale. It may have also originally included a second row of stones enabling it to sound a full chromatic scale. A range of hammers and leather and cloth covered mallets were used to coa...
c. 1880
Gneiss and hornblende schist
42.0 x 97.5in
89.4.2931
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019

Where you'll find this

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection