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VOLUME 42, NUMBER 1 • SPRING 2018 NMM WEBSITE • NMMUSD.ORG

National Music Museum

NewsletterVERMILLION, SOUTH DAKOTAUniversity of South Dakota

Music to our ears!National Music Museum approved for building expansionAfter several years of planning and evolving architectural concepts, the National Music Museum has re-ceived the go-ahead to add approxi-mately 16,000 square feet (two floors plus an underground level) to the existing Carnegie building.

The proposal, put forward by the NMM Board of Trustees, was recent-ly approved by the South Dakota legislature. Funding for the estimated $9.5 million building project has al-ready been raised by the Museum’s Board, with up to $1.5 million of that amount — representing upgrades to HVAC and facilities infrastructure — to be covered by the University of South Dakota.

The museum addition will provide

much needed room, including ap-proximately 4,600 square feet of new exhibit space, a special gallery for temporary exhibits, a new perfor-mance hall, a dedicated classroom, a new conservation lab, a new photography lab, and new above-ground staff and administration offic-es. This construction also presents the crucial opportunity for reconfig-uring the existing museum space, as well as redesigning exhibits.

NMM Board Chairman Scott Law-rence says, “The National Music Museum addition and overall reno-vation will dramatically improve the visitor experience while addressing pressing operational needs — from storage to staff use and enhanced collections management.”

The Museum had created several preliminary designs over the last decade, tenaciously seeking a balance between ideal concept and pragmatic budgeting. Koch Hazard Architects of Sioux Falls, SD, and Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston, MA, prepared the updated plans, which were the result of consulta-tions with the Museum staff, the University of South Dakota, and the NMM Board.

Architect Jeff Hazard elaborates on the design: “The addition is simple and monumental in form but delicate in its details, both responding and deferring to the architectural spirit of the original building.” Among other things, the new design will feature “a

View of the National Music Museum proposed expansionRendering by Schwartz/Silver Architects, Boston, MA

SmithsonianA�liate

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The NMM was recently given two very important and rare electric steel guitars dating from the mid-20th century — the heyday of lap steel, or Hawaiian-style playing.

prominent new ADA accessible en-trance to the Museum, while leaving the historic, classical entrance intact.”

The NMM has received invaluable support from the University of South Dakota. President James Abbott stated, “The National Music Museum is a treasure to the nation. USD is fortunate to have this international museum on our campus as a part-ner who brings forward cultural and educational awareness via musical instruments. The intended renovation and addition will provide the facilities capacity for the museum to show-case more of their collection and provide greatly improved education-al space for museum programming.”

The NMM plans to announce a tentative groundbreaking date soon. In the meantime and throughout the building project, the NMM will continue to raise critical funds for un-derwriting further gallery and exhibit design, new interactive museum tech-nologies, aesthetic enhancements, and more.

A project of this sort requires philan-thropic passion. “We are so fortu-nate and grateful to have a Board of Trustees who are so supportive in spirit and financial generosity,” says Scott Lawrence.

Juliet Everist, a member of the NMM Board’s Executive Committee as well as its Program Chair, and herself a pledged major benefactor, express-es the Board’s enthusiasm and intention: “This is the most exciting time in history for the National Music Museum. We have accomplished one of the loftiest goals to finally see our long anticipated building design project for the Carnegie building expansion come to fruition. The vi-sion of late NMM founder Dr. André P. Larson is being honored and his dream is being realized. We as trust-ees of the National Music Museum have been mindful and humble stew-ards of Larson’s desire. Ultimately, his motto and now ours is to have the ‘music come alive’ at every level and opportunity. The National Music Museum graces us with not only

one of the most complete instrument collections in North America, but in the world. I would be remiss without saying a special word of gratitude to a very important life-long trustee, Mr. Rich Cutler. He drove this project and was relentless in never giving up! It is because of his tenacity we have collectively accomplished our very lofty goals. Our past and late Chairman of the Board, Mr. Tom Lil-libridge, was a wonderful leader and generous donor and certainly made all this possible as well. Trustees Mr. Boyd Hopkins and Mr. Van Fishback and Mr. Larry Ness have also been very instrumental in making this project possible. We as trustees are proud to admit we raised the money for the NMM expansion among our board. That is something to be very proud of.”

View of the National Music Museum proposed expansion

May 4 – Sept. 30, 2018 Journey Museum and Learning Center, Rapid City, SD

Explore the diverse musical heritage of the South Dakota region. Learn how music affected homesteaders’ lives, and how, for generations afterward, shaped American identities.

The exhibit will include a group of instruments on loan from the National Music Museum — some of which have never been publicly displayed at the NMM.

The Music and Immigrants of the Dakotahs is a special partnership of the Journey Museum and Learning Center, the National Music Museum, and the Minnilusa Historical Association.

Special ExhibitSee this Bohland & Fuchs “Dyers U.S. Model” cornet, ca. 1900, made in Kraslice, Bohemia. (Arne B. Larson Collection, 1979. NMM 585)

Photo by Dara Lohnes Davies

Unlike the more conventional (Spanish) style of guitar play-ing, Hawaiian playing involves placing the guitar on the lap and using a steel or glass bar to play chords and melodies in a variety of different tunings. The strings on guitars intended for this style of playing are positioned very high above the keyboard, which also features fret markers (rather than frets) and necks that are larger and often square.

The donor of these instruments, Eric Shoaf, assembled a com-plete collection of Gibson elec-tric steel guitars, as well as other rarities, and placed two of the highlights of his collection at the NMM. (Thank you, Eric!)

The Gibson BR-6B is a special ivory-cream-and-black version of the BR-6, one of the most popular Gibson electric steel guitar models, made from 1946 to 1960. The special BR-6B can be found in the Gibson ship-ping ledgers between 1956 and

1959, and only 77 of them shipped — a small num-

ber for Gibson. Standard BR-6’s shipped with a natural maple sunburst finish, so the NMM’s

BR-6B would be quite distinctive for the guitarists

who managed to get one. Best yet, it still

plays — its famous P-90 pickups yield a powerful, gutsy sound suited to any music style, from Hawaiian to country,

blues to rock.

The Slingerland Songster is an exceptional and rare guitar dating from the early period when electric guitars were taking off in popularity. Slingerland was mainly known for drums and banjos, but they also introduced one of the first solid-body Spanish electric guitars, beginning in fall of 1936. Slingerland’s electric guitars were first advertised in Pop-ular Mechanics Magazine in Sep-tember of that year. The steel-style instruments are nearly as rare, and both models feature a high-quality, advanced pickup with a “humbuck-ing” design to reduce noise from electrical hum. Even more interest-ing, the NMM’s Hawaiian steel-style example is numbered 101 on the headstock, which appears to make it the earliest-known serial number for Slingerland electric guitars!

— Arian SheetsCurator of Stringed InstrumentsThe Music and Immigrants

of the Dakotahs

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Rendering by Schwartz/Silver Architects, Boston, MA

You’re invited to the free opening reception on Friday, May 4th, in Rapid City!

Slingerland Songster, 1936

Gibson BR-6B, ca. 1956-1959

new arrivals at the NMM!

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Popular Mechanics ad, 1956

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The foundation of a museum’s suc-cess depends in large part on the generosity of its benefactors. The National Music Museum’s success can be attributed to the support of patrons like Tom Lillibridge, who stood by its mission for over 25 years – providing invaluable in-sight, direction, time, and financial support. Tom believed in the NMM and, broadly, in his home state of South Dakota. The NMM proudly celebrates Tom Lillibridge’s life and impact.

Born in Burke, South Dakota, in 1945, Tom grew up to pursue his family business in banking, turn-ing that success to the benefit of his greater community. He earned postgraduate degrees in banking, with some of his undergraduate study done at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. He held banking positions in Bonesteel and Burke and was eventually elected President of the First Fidelity Bank in 1982, an office he held until Janu-ary of 2001, when he was elected Co-Chairman, a position that he held until his death this past summer.

Tom earned numerous awards and honors over his leadership lifetime. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2013. He did not rest on those laurels, however; his leadership legacy continues. He and Cindy generously pledged to help secure the expansion of the NMM, with their anchoring gift of one million dollars. Cindy carries their mission forward: “I am so ex-cited to see the dream of the NMM building expansion becoming a re-ality.  It is fitting that one of the finest collections of musical instruments in the world should have an expanded facility for displaying these treasures. The aesthetic design of the new ad-dition complements that of the his-toric Carnegie Library that currently houses the collection.  I only wish Tom were here to see this project completed as he also loved the mu-seum and was so proud to claim the NMM as a national and international treasure located in South Dakota. It is very important to both of us.”

1999 — Clarinet in A by August Grenser, Dresden, Germany, 1785. Oldest clarinet at the NMM and earliest known clarinet in A by woodwind-master Grenser. One of only a few surviving clarinets by this renowned maker. NMM 7385.

2001 — Glass flute by Claude Laurent, Paris, ca. 1817. Laurent won a silver medal at the industrial exposition in Paris for his materially innovative ‘crystal flutes.’ Laurent flutes were owned by world leaders like Napoleon I and U.S. president James Madison. NMM 10103.

2003 — Grand piano by Nanette Streicher and Son, Vienna, 1829. A historically rare female maker, Nanette was actively engaged in the design and musical finishing of all instruments bearing her name and that of her son, Johann Baptist Streicher (1796-1871). The Streicher firm was one of the two or three most eminent in Vienna, arguably the industry leader in the Imperial and musical capital. NMM 10298.

2006 — Lyre mandolin by Orville Gibson, Kalamazoo, Michigan, ca. 1894-1902. One of at least three lyre mandolins made by Orville Gibson. Only two have survived and been seen in the last 30 years. NMM 12000.

2009 — Violin by Georg Adam Krausch, Vienna, ca. 1820-1860. ‘Cornerless’ violins, some in imitation of Chanot’s instruments, were popu-lar in what is now Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic in the 19th century. NMM 14423.

2011 — Guitarra séptima by M. Fernandez, Ectapec, Mexico City, ca. 1890. Sumptuously decorated with three colors of abalone, bird’s-eye-maple veneer, nickel-silver wire inlay, and green and black mineral pigments, this rare guitar exempli-fies the highest level of Mexican instrument-making in the nineteenth century. NMM 14615.

He and his wife Cindy, a psycholo-gist and fellow-native South Dako-tan, formed a philanthropic power couple, devoted to each other and their combined causes. Tom’s civic engagement, volunteerism and philanthropy were manifest in his many roles: he chaired or was on the boards of the University of Sioux Falls, University of Sioux Falls Foundation, South Dakota Heritage Fund, University of South Dakota Foundation, as well as the National Music Museum (NMM trustee from 2000-2017, Board Vice President 2005-2010, and Board Chairman, 2010-2016). Tom also served on numerous other statewide boards. 

Tom and Cindy personally spon-sored the stunning NMM space “Great American Guitars,” now named after them as the Lillibridge Gallery, funding the acquisition of much of the historic guitar-makers’ workshop that graces part of that space. Tom was also instrumental in the acquisition of the NMM’s rare Gibson Explorer guitar. Indeed, an illustrious roster of musical instru-ments in the NMM’s holdings were

made possible by the Lillibridges — whose gracious monetary gifts began as early as 1992. [See list, next page]

Tom not only supported the NMM’s collections, he also supported its operations. “During his tenure as Chairman, Tom strongly encouraged the Board to underwrite sophisticat-ed database software (Gallery Sys-tem’s TMS and eMuseum) — critical new technology that has taken our collections documentation and man-agement well into the 21st century,” says NMM Associate Director and Senior Curator Dr. Margaret Downie Banks.

Remembering Thomas Lillibridge(1945-2017)

When you enter the captivating Lillibridge Gallery at the NMM, you encounter spectacular American guitars, several banjos and mandolins, and a re-creation of the legendary D’Angelico/D’Aquisto/Gudelsky Guitar Workshop.

Guitarra séptima, ca. 1890Purchase funds gift of Tom and Cindy Lillibridge

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NMM instrumentsacquired through the purchase funds gift of

Tom and Cindy Lillibridge(In order of the gift year)

1992 — Rudra vina (stick zither), northern India, ca. 1900-1930. Played in the court of the Maharaja of Indore. NMM 5267.

1992 — Tenor valve trombone in B-flat (high pitch) by C. G. Conn, Elkhart, Indiana, ca. 1880. Modi-fied Stoelzel valves (first developed in Prussia), patented by Conn in 1881. Few examples are known to survive. NMM 5383.

1997 — Tenor recorder, ca. 1707-1735 (NMM 6044), and an alto recorder in F, ca. 1710 (NMM 6043), both by Jacob Denner, Nuremberg, Germany. Famed woodwind-maker Denner’s instru-ments became models for modern recorders. Purchase funds gift of Tom and Cindy Lillibridge, and Linda and John Lillibridge.

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National Music Museum is now a Smithsonian Affiliate!The National Music Museum is proud to be part of a select network of more than 200 museums, cultural, educational, and arts organizations in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Pan-ama, that share the Smithsonian’s resources with the nation. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the NMM can engage larger audiences through educational outreach, artifact loans, traveling exhibitions, and collabora-tive research.

The Smithsonian Affiliations pro-gram began as a way to share Smithsonian collections, educational programs, resources and expertise (from 19 museums, 9 research cen-ters, a national zoo and numerous libraries) with Americans in their own communities.

Dedicated National Outreach Man-

agers work with Affiliates to arrange artifact loans which enhance the Af-filiate’s collections and exhibits while exposing artifacts to new audiences. The Affiliations program reinforces the Smithsonian’s mission “for the in-crease and diffusion of knowledge,” reflecting American ideals of access to information and discovery. In the future — particularly in an expanded NMM building — the NMM could consider offering special exhibits

that not only showcase the NMM’s treasures but also include Smithso-nian collaboration.

Another benefit of a Smithsonian Affiliation is the exclusive access to Smithsonian scholars, educa-tors, scientists, and authors to lead lectures, workshops and seminars at Affiliate locations. A future NMM event might be headlined by a Smithsonian speaker.

Staff at Affiliates also gain access to consultation with Smithsonian ex-perts as well as opportunities to go behind the scenes, researching and exploring Smithsonian exhibits and collections. As a Smithsonian Affil-iate, the relationship further fosters information exchange between NMM curators, conservators, interns, and their Smithsonian counterparts.

SmithsonianA�liate

Now a Smithsonian Affiliate, the NMM is able to offer you the following benefits if you join or renew your membership for $180 annually:

• Choice of either the Smithsonian Magazine (one-year subscription) or the Air & Space Magazine (seven issues)

• Personalized Smithsonian Affiliate member card

• Free admission to the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, New York

• 10% discounts on café dining at Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC

• 10% discounts on all Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

• 10% discounts on all IMAX tickets at the Smithsonian• Reciprocal Admission/discount benefits at other

participating Smithsonian Affiliates

Making beautiful music togetherNew NMM Membership Opportunities!With our NMM building expansion now officially approved and our museum mission fully underway, your NMM membership matters more than ever. If you need to renew your membership, or if you’re reading this and you’re not yet a member (join us today!), fill out the attached form and return it to the NMM with your payment information. Or easier yet, give online at www.NMMusd.org. You can pay your annual dues or arrange for monthly membership installments on our secure website.

NMM Members receive this newsletter, special invitations to NMM previews and receptions, free admission to concerts and other events, NMM gift shop discounts, and even guided tours of the museum. NMM membership dues and contri-butions are tax deductible, within the limits provided by law, and directly assist in supporting the many public services of the National Music Museum.

Are museums among your favorite things? Consider step-ping up to one of these enhanced new NMM memberships — passports to further museum experiences.

NMM/Smithsonian Membership

A $240 annual NMM membership opens the door to more than 900 arts, cultural, and historical institutions, along with botanical gardens, children’s museums, sci-ence and technology centers and more, in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, El Salvador and Mexico. Our partnership with the North American Reciprocal Muse-um (NARM) Association® qualifies you for free admis-sion and other discounts. At the $240 level, you may also receive the Smithsonian Membership benefits!

For more information and a list of participating institu-tions, visit NARMassociation.org.

$180 Annual NMM Membership

Two memberships in one!Two membership variations for serious ‘museophiles’

$240 Annual NMM Membership

NMM/North American Reciprocal Museum Association membership

Individual $60 Annually ($5/month) Family $120 Annually ($10/month)Smithsonian $180 Annually ($15/month)Sustaining $240 Annually ($20/month)Supporting $500 Annually Founding $1000 Annually

Simplify the process by paying your annual dues or arrange for monthly membership installments online!

Listen (via YouTube) to the beauty of NMM’s 1867 Steinway Grand!On October 9, 2017, people everywhere were able to live-stream the 1st Granados Global Marathon and see the National Music Museum’s Rodger Kelly and Dr. Susanne Skyrm perform from Vermillion, South Dakota, on the NMM’s 1867 Steinway grand piano.

If you missed this — you didn’t! You can still hear the archived NMM performances via our YouTube chan-nel. Simply use these URLS: https://goo.gl/Qd77sq and https://goo.gl/795zzX

The International Festival of Spanish Keyboard Music (FIMTE) celebrated the 150th anniversary of Grana-dos’ birth with performances of his vast piano solo repertoire — more than 200 works — in the course of 15 hours by different keyboardists around the globe. The event was live-streamed via Facebook Live.

Learn more about the Marathon at https://www.fimte.org/granados-marathon and specifically about key-boardists Kelly and Skyrm, at https://www.fimte.org/south-dakota.

* Membership includes benefits that may reduce your taxable deduction.

The NMM’s Steinway is one of the earliest with 88 keys! It was made by Steinway & Sons in 1867, the year of the Internation-al Exposition in Paris. More than 50,000 companies from 142 nations exhibited their innovations, from hydraulic elevators to sewing machines, clocks, and pianos. Steinway won the first gold medal given to an American company! The piano exhib-ited was very similar to the NMM’s historic Steinway. This piano was also made the year Enrique Granados was born!

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Become a member of the National Music Museumand help us preserve and share the world’s finest musical instruments!

414 E. Clark St Vermillion, South Dakota 57069-2390

Membership privilegesMembership in the National Music Museum offers the tangible benefits of this NMM Newsletter; special invitations to previews, receptions, concerts and other events; plus gift shop discounts. It offers the intangible rewards of being associated with a unique institution, one of the greatest of its kind in the world.

Membership dues and contributions are tax deductible, within the limits provided by law, and directly assist in supporting the many public services of the National Music Museum. See our website—nmmusd.org—under “Support us” for full list of benefits and tax-deduction amounts.

If you’re considering donating non-cash gifts, such as instruments or archival material, please consult our web page first: http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/gifts.html.

Visit our website at www.nmmusd.org or use the perforated mail-in form below to become a proud NMM Member.

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Payment method:

__ Check (payable to NMM)

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Please indicate:

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Turn it up! Consider taking your membership donation to the next level.

Membership application Return to: National Music Museum, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069-2390

Choose your NMM membership category

Individual ..........................$60/year ($5/month)Family ........................... $120/year ($10/month)Smithsonian ................. $180/year ($15/month)Sustaining .................... $240/year ($20/month)Supporting ........................................ $500/yearFounding ..........................................$1000/yearSimplify the giving process by setting up monthly installments online at NMMusd.org!

Lifetime giving societies

Adolphe Sax Society .......................... $1,500Charles W. Wheatstone Society ......... $2,500John Franklin Stratton Society .......... $5,000Franz Schwarzer Society .................. $10,000Johann Wilhelm Haas Society .......... $25,000 August Grenser Society ................... $50,000 Christian Dieffenbach Society ........ $100,000 Andrea Guarneri Society ................ $250,000 Nannette Stein Streicher Society ...$500,000 Jakob Stainer Society ................. $1,000,000 Andreas Ruckers Society ............$2,500,000 Antonio Stradivari Society ....... $5,000,000 +The Amati Society .................Estate planning

(Contact Museum for details)

Or become a member via our website: nmmusd.org

The NMM Newsletter is published by the National Music Museum, ©National Music Museum, 2018. Ed., Patricia L. Bornhofen, NMM Manager of Communications, patricia.bornhofen@usd.edu