Regal

Maker: possibly Georg Voll (German, Nuremberg active ca. 1540–ca. 1575, Nuremberg)

Date: ca. 1575

Geography: Nürnberg, Germany

Culture: German

Medium: Wood, various materials

Dimensions: 24 × 34 1/4 in. (61 × 87 cm)

Classification: Aerophone-Organ

Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889

Accession Number: 89.4.2883

Description

This reed organ would have required two people to play it. One person would operate the keys, and the second person would pump the two bellows on the back of the regal to supply air. The pipes of a regal are fitted with brass reeds that vibrate when air rushes past them, producing a somewhat nasal sound.

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