National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Musical History.

A collection of musical instruments was established in 1881, consisting of American Indian instruments acquired during the Wilkes Expedition, gifts from diplomats, and instruments of foreign manufacture acquired at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. In 1882, the collection was enlarged with the addition of nineteenth-century wind instruments, music boxes, and banjos donated by New York music dealer J. Howard Foote. G. Brown Goode supplemented the collection by a tour to Europe in 1892, and the collection grew further through the donation of keyboard instruments by Hugo Worch, a Washington, D.C., piano dealer, between 1914 and 1921.

Renamed the Section of Musical Instruments in 1886, it reported to the Department of Arts and Industries through 1896, the Department of Anthropology, 1897-1902, and subsequently formed a part of the Division of Ethnology of that Department until 1957. Edwin H. Hawley became Custodian of the Collection in 1885, remaining until his death in 1918. Worch was Honorary Custodian of Musical Instruments, 1920-1938, and George D. McCoy was Curator of the Section, 1927- c. 1929; otherwise it came under the responsibility of ethnology curators Walter Hough, 1918-1935, and Herbert William Krieger, 1935-1957.

With the creation of the Museum of History and Technology in 1957, the Section of Musical Instruments became part of the Division of Cultural History, Department of Civil History. In 1966, the Section was given divisional status in the Department. In 1987, the Division was renamed the Division of Musical History. In 1994 the Division was placed under the Department of History's Division of Cultural History.

Curators and staff of the Division have included John D. Shortridge, Associate Curator of Musical Instruments, 1958-1960; John T. Fesperman, Concert Director, 1966, Associate Curator, 1967-1971, Curator, 1972-1987, Curator of Musical History, 1987- ; Cynthia A. Hoover, Assistant Curator of Musical Instruments, 1961-1963, Associate Curator, 1964-1974, Curator, 1975- ; James Merle Weaver, Concert Director, 1967-1972, Assistant Curator of Musical Instruments, 1973-1975, Associate Curator, 1976-1986, Curator, 1987- ; John Edward Hasse, Curator, 1985- ; Horace Clarence Boyer, Curator, 1985-1987; Sheridan Germann, Research Associate, 1980; and Scott Odell, Instrument Convervator, 1982-1994; Museum Specialists Helen R. Hollis, 1964-1984, Robert E. Sheldon, 1971-1987; and Gary Sturm, Collections Manager, 1978- .