American Church Bass: Museum Object and Cultural History
American Church Bass: date made: early 19th century. Object Name: Bass. Physical Description: wood (overall material).
The object in the museum catalogue
This bass was made by an unknown maker in New England, United States, early 19th century. It is an American church bass with a cherry colored stained wood body, neck of black stained wood, cherry colored stained wood pegbox and scroll with 4 friction pegs.
The modern term for this instrument is church bass. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this instrument was also known as the American bass viol, New England bass viol, or Yankee bass viol. These church basses were used in churches and meeting houses to provide a bass line for maintaining a consistent key by New England congregational singers. The church bass was also used by popular singing groups such as the Hutchinson Family singers.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: early 19th century
- Object Name: Bass
- Physical Description: wood (overall material)
- Physical Description: metal (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 50 1/2 in x 18 1/2 in x 8 in; 128.27 cm x 46.99 cm x 20.32 cm
- Measurements: overall: 50 1/2 in x 18 1/2 in x 5 7/8 in; 128.27 cm x 46.99 cm x 14.9225 cm
- place made: United States: New England
- ID Number: 2014.0181.02
- catalog number: 2014.0181.02
- accession number: 2014.0181
- Credit Line: Gift of Carol B. Warden and Joy Burchuk
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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