At a time when Americans readily toted instruments of war, instruments of peace were close by, too. Between the Civil War and World War I, America saw much unrest and people turned to music as a means of escape.
As piccolos, violins, guitars, banjos, and mandolins carved the sound of traditional American folk music, as well as country and bluegrass, through the 19th and early 20th centuries, America evolved and established its own identity.
“The Power of Music” exhibition at the Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo Boulevard, displays portraits of the Americans of yesteryear with their beloved instruments. Selections from the museum's extensive American instrument collection are paired up with photos to give museumgoers an in-the-flesh look at comparable instruments. Newsreel footage shows early 20th century instruments in action at churches, nightclubs, country dances, and more.
Mondays-Wednesdays, Saturdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Starts: Sept. 24. Continues through Nov. 27, 2011
