Page:The Music of India.djvu/122

 the dulcimer. Hence the origin of the complicated pianoforte of the present day can thus be traced to the Aryans. And so with many others. The violin, the flute, the oboe, the guitar, all have an Eastern origin. One of the earliest of stringed instruments was called "Pinaka," and had one string twanged by the fingers; its invention is ascribed to the god Siva. The violin bow is claimed by the Hindus to have been invented by Ravana, King of Lanka (Ceylon), who according to tradition lived more than five thousand years ago.

'The earliest instrument played with a bow was called Rabanastrcv or Rabanastrana. What this instrument was like is rather doubtful ; but at the present time there exists in Ceylon a primitive instrument played with a bow, called "Vinavali", which has two strings of different kinds ; one made of a species of flax, and the other of horse-hair, which is the material also of the string of the bow, which with bells attached to it is used as a fiddle stick. The hollow; part of this instrument is half a cocoanut shell polished, covered with a dried skin of a lizard and perforated below '

The Vinavali is mentioned in the classical books and the name suggests an instrument made of bamboo. It is rarely met with except in the hands of strolling musicians, who support themselves by means of it. Whether this is the primitive rabanastra or not it is impossible to say; but it seems extremely probable that, if not absolutely identical, it bears at least a very strong resemblance to it. Another very ancient instrument which resembled the Rabanastra was called Amrita.

Numbers of instruments still in use in India have not altered in the smallest particular their ancient forms. The Vlna, the Tambur or Tamburl-vina, and the Kinnarl still remain just as they are described in the ancient books, even down to the very details of the carving with which they are adorned, so conservative are the people who use them of all connected with the art they hold to be so sacred.

The peculiar shape of instruments of the viola and violin tribe appears to have a prototype among Indian instruments ; and this can be seen in the Rabdb, which is made with distinct upper, lower and middle bouts, and in a lesser degree in the Sdrangi, Saroda, and Chikara. The rebec once popular in Europe was a form of the rabab, brought to Spain by the Moors, who in turn had derived it from Persia and Arabia. Here again the Ar3'^an origin is evident, the rabab being, according to old Sanskrit works, a form of vIna. And it is still popular in the North of India and Afghanistan.

The use of instruments of percussion of definite sonorousness, such as the harmonica, does not seem to have entered into Indian music at any time until quite of late years. But this is rather an open question, for the harmonicon of cups, called Jalatarangi7n, is by some ascribed to a very remote origin.