Classification of Musical Instruments

Abstract

The classification of musical instruments has a long history in India. The different systems have been based on various methods and parameters. Five systems of taxonomy, for instance, are to be found in the Nāṭyaśāstra, a famous Sanskrit treatise on drama, dance, and music c. 200 b.c.-a.d. 200 [see Theoretical Treatises]. One of these systems, which appears to have greatly influenced the Western theory of organology, classifies musical instruments into four groups according to four primary sources of vibration: strings, membranes, solid material such as wooden clappers or metal cymbals, and air. This article discusses these remarkably diverse methods of classification.