Pitch Pipe: Museum Object and Cultural History
Pitch Pipe: date made: 17th century. Object Name: pitch pipe. Measurements: overall: 1 5/8 in x 1 7/16 in x 14 in; 4.1275 cm x 3.65125 cm x 35.56 cm.
The object in the museum catalogue
This pitch pipe was made by an unknown maker in England, 17th century. It is made of wood with a sliding plunger with a knob, engraved with scale of pitches from D diatonically an octave to D. As indicated in the accession paperwork:
”The Pitch Pipe was used in the Parish Church St. Mary’s, Dedham, Essex England to give the choir the key note before there was any organ in that church. And I believe is about 300 years old! it may be even more! It has been retained in the Sherman family all that time.”
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: 17th century
- Object Name: pitch pipe
- Measurements: overall: 1 5/8 in x 1 7/16 in x 14 in; 4.1275 cm x 3.65125 cm x 35.56 cm
- place made: United Kingdom: England
- ID Number: MI.373000
- catalog number: 373000
- accession number: 135980
- Credit Line: Gift of C. D. Sherman
- 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.
Sources
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