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Among the novelty
items the J. C. Deagan Company manufactured early in
the 20th century were pitched Musical Rattles. These
rattles consist of a single, pitched metallic bar mounted
to a rectangular resonating chamber, all of which is
attached to a handle with a ratchet mechanism. When
spun, the ratchet mechanism causes a small beater to
repeatedly strike the bar.
The Musical Rattles
were available in chromatic sets that allowed a musician
to perform musical tunes as a novelty or Vaudeville
act by picking up rattles in succession to sound the
required pitch. If needed, several performers could
play these instruments, much like a set of handbells,
or the entire set could be mounted on a stand, allowing
one performer to crank each handle as needed.
In addition to
the single Musical Rattle, Deagan also provided rattles
with set chords, where three pitches were attached to
one handle. Spinning the rattle resulted in all three
pitches sounding simultaneously.
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A three-pitch rattle, which sounds
a C major chord.
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