Music and Musicians at the Pan-American Exposition - Ethnic Music at the Pan-American Exposition

Mexico
Performance of music from other cultures was a very popular feature of the Exposition. Musical performances from Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii, Argentina, Italy, Mexico, Africa, and the Middle East could be heard throughout the Midway and cultural exhibits. To the biased ears of contemporary Western listeners these performances must have ranged from new and exotic to bizarre. However, to serious musicians and anthropologists the performances presented an unprecedented opportunity to hear music from these cultures performed by native musicians on native instruments.
Philippines

Mexican Marimba

Hawaii

Musicians in the Streets of Cairo and Beautiful Orient on the Midway

The Entrance to Akoun's Beautiful Orient

A procession of African musicians through the grounds of the Midway. Two drums are visible.

The African Village in the Exposition's Midway was temporary home to ninety-eight natives of Africa. Fortunately, many of the instruments from African nations were deposited at the Buffalo Museum of Science and are still part of their collections. The collection includes drums, bells, rattles, thumb pianos, a marimba, harps, and guitars from countries that include Dahomey, Gabon, South Africa, and the Congo.

Guitar (Congo?)

Single-headed drum
(Dahomey)

Single-headed drum

8-stringed harp (Gabon)

Detail from single-headed drum

All of the African Village images are
courtesy of the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Musicians on The Streets of Venice

Return to top
Return to Music and Musicians