ABSTRACT
In 18th-century central Europe, a curious phenomenon occurred. During a 100-year period, several virtuosos of the Maultrommel (jew's harp) appeared. These performers were renowned in courts and concert halls across the Habsburg Empire for playing on up to 16 Maultrommeln at a time. By the mid-19th century, however, the virtuosos had disappeared, and the instrument settled back into relative obscurity until its revival in the late 20th century. What happened? What caused the Maultrommel's sudden rise in popularity, followed by its disappearance for nearly a century? And how do Maultrommel players in Austria today engage with this former golden age in their own performance practice?
Blending historical sources with ethnographic data, this chapter tells the story of the Maultrommel both as it is written and as it is remembered and reinterpreted by its present-day practitioners. I use the Maultrommel to trace developments in 18th-century music, where composers turned increasingly towards folk melodies and instruments for source material, and argue that by the 19th century, technical advancements in musical instrument construction and the invention of more complex (and equal-tempered) free reed instruments like the harmonica, concertina, and accordion precipitated a dormant period for the Maultrommel. Finally, I investigate the instrument's renaissance in present-day Austria, examining how the past is reframed through the use of historical playing techniques and reimagined through the lens of contemporary revival.
