Left-handed baritone Mirafone: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A yellow brass left-handed baritone Mirafone used by Dr. William P. Foster's Marching 100 at Florida A&M University. The rounded instrument features four finger pedals connected to their respective exchangeable valves and a wide, silver finished bell. One side of the bell shows the manufacturer’s engraving: [MADE IN GERMANY]. The other side shows the engraved word: [MIRAFONE]. There is bending on one end of the bell’s rim. Further from the bell, along the neck of the Mirafone, is the manufacturer’s pyramid logo and serial number, 8270. A square green sticker below the logo reads: [PROPERTY OF FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY], and there is considerable wear of the instrument’s lacquer.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid to late 20th century
• Manufactured by: Miraphone, German, founded 1946
• Subject of: Florida A&M University, American, founded 1887
• Owned by: William Patrick Foster, American, 1919 - 2010
• Type: brass instruments
• Type: musical instruments
• Medium: brass (alloy)
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 19 7/16 × 8 11/16 × 8 1/4 in. (49.3 × 22 × 21 cm)
• Place used: Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Education
• Topic: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Topic: Marching bands (Music)
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Musicians
• Object number: 2019.94.2.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Anthony Foster in memory of William P. Foster
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.