Free eBook: Musical instruments

[imperialbari]

This news from Darcy Kuronen, Pappalardo Curator of Musical
Instruments at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, popped up in my
inbox today -- please share with your music-loving friends!

I'm writing to share some very exciting news about an e-book that I
and my staff here at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, have been
working on for the past year. As some of you know, in 2004 we
published an MFA Highlights book about the musical instrument
collection that featured 100 instruments, showcasing the breadth of
the MFA's holdings in this area. This same volume is now available as
an electronic book, enhanced with 23 new video clips and 25 audio
samples that allow users to see and hear many of the MFA's
instruments simply by touching an icon on the screen.

This enhanced, fixed-layout e-book is for use on an iPad, iPod Touch,
or iPhone, and is available as a FREE download from the iBookstore
through August 1, after which it can be purchased for $9.99. [link to
the iBookstore from the MFA's website

http://www.mfa.org/musical-instruments-e-book

.] (Apple will soon be
distributing this publication in Europe as well.)

An enhanced e-book like this allows for a reader experience that was
unthinkable a decade ago. We are proud that the MFA's instrument
collection, which is readily enriched by media, was selected as the
subject of one of the MFA's first e-books. The book appears onscreen
with 140 illustrations and explanatory texts authored by myself, just
as it does in the print version. But the newly added audio and video
elements truly bring our instrument collection to life. [NB: Mr
Kuronen told me by phone that there IS a recorder in the book, just
not a sound clip. The recorder is aa ivory alto by an unknown maker,
ca 1710, Germany. (Leslie Lindsey Mason Collection 17.1809).] We
are deeply grateful to the Museum's Visiting Committee for the
Department of Musical Instruments for their support of this wonderful
venture.

I was pleased to work with so many talented musicians from the Boston
area on this project and believe that the results will be both
enlightening and entertaining for readers. Among the performers is
former bass trombonist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra Douglas Yeo,
who demonstrates both our French serpent and a tenor trombone with a
dragon-headed bell (a so-called buccin). Durga Krishnan, a specialist
in South Indian Carnatic music, plays a sarasvati vina that is
similar to an example in our collection. And local folk icon Lorraine
Lee Hammond charmingly shows off the MFA's Appalachian dulcimer from
1913.

Don't have an iPad or iPhone? Well, if you want to help support the
MFA's Department of Musical Instruments, consider going to the
iBookstore (accessible through iTunes) and downloading this free book
anyway. The more downloads it gets, the more it will help the
visibility of this wonderful publication. And if you are able to
download it, let everyone know what you think about this new e-book
once you've taken a look at it. You can write a review for iTunes,
post something on Facebook, or send out a Tweet. It all helps get the
word out. And if nothing else, please do forward this message to
anyone you think might be interested (especially college music
professors who have lots of students that would surely be interested
in this innovative electronic publication).

Thanks for your support of our efforts, and keep the music playing!


Thank you, Boston Museum of Fine Arts!

(I modifyed the text a bit to make the link active, hence the odd grammar just after the link.

Klaus, who hates the iTunes store being divided by countries. Makes no sense for people operating a lot across borders. I can't get this book myself.

[bisontuba]

Many thanks!
Mark

[Eflatdoubler]

Thanks for the post! I have downloaded it and look forward to reading it this week!