Photograph: Testing a Musical Instrument Destined for the Army

Daily Herald photograph entitled 'Testing a Musical Instrument Destined for the Army'. The photograph shows a man, from Messrs. Boosey and Hawkes, holding his finger on a harmonium key while testing a euphonium for pitch. Dated July 21st 1939.

Photograph from the Daily Herald Archive, indexed as Music, Instruments, Harmonium.

Testing a Musical Instrument Destined for the Army

The Army may become mechanised and much of the pageantry and picturesque uniforms give way something more drab and serviceable, but the Army Band still remains. For many years Messrs. Boosey and Hawkes have been making instruments of all kinds for the services and one of the most important parts of the manufacture is to see that the instrument is correctly tuned. Perfect pitch in the notes is obtained with the aid of a special harmonium, fitted with four stops, constantly kept at standard pitch, in a room where the temperature is always at 68 degrees.

The photograph shows an expert as he holds his finger on a note on the harmonium while testing an instrument for pitch.