Help the MFA Musical Instruments dept by . . . accepting a free download

[Karl Henning]

Free for a limited time:

Dear Friends of MFA Musical Instrument Programs,

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 Museum'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 Museum'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. You can link to the iBookstore from the MFA's website at 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 Museum'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. 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 Museum and its 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. I'm especially thinking of you 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!

--Darcy Kuronen
Pappalardo Curator of Musical Instruments
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

[SonicMan46]

Hi Karl - thanks for the notification about the 'free' i-book from the MFA - I've visited that collection a number of times & have also been to their website (Tony from MA & I had some post exchanges on my 'Old Instrument' thread) - just downloaded the book to my iPad - Dave

[Karl Henning]

Groovy, Dave!

[Geo Dude]

I wonder if it will work on my Apple laptop...

Eh, either way I can take a hit for the team.

[TheGSMoeller]

Downloading on iPad as I type. Thanks for the post, Karl. Can't wait to dive into this. 

[Karl Henning]

Thanks, lads!