The body of this lamellaphone is a rectangular box which is the resonator of the instrument, amplifying the sound. The seven lamellae or keys are made from bamboo or cane, rounded at the ends and arranged in an irregular v shape, the lowest note in pitch being the centre lamella. The original Horniman records are: "Zanzee, a wooden box with 7 wooden splints. Africa? Bought in a sale at Steven's", an auction house in Covent Garden.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
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