Behind the black-and-white keys of some keyboard instruments in the Musical Instrument Collection lie stories that extend far beyond music – stories of colonial impacts and endangered species. Musical instruments can tell us not only about musical culture, but also about our changing relationship with the natural world. Square pianoforte by Johannes Christoph Zumpe (London, 1767), MIMEd 4339.Single-manual harpsichord by John Broadwood (London, 1793), Raymond Russell Collection, MIMEd 4319. Grand pianoforte by John Broadwood (London, 1793), Rodger Mirrey Collection, MIMEd 4490. Square pianoforte by Andrew Rochead (Edinburgh, 1804-13), MIMEd 4325.These four keyboard instruments reflect the early history of ivory being used for piano keys, a practice that became increasingly widespread from the 1770s. As demand grew, ivory imports from Africa into London increased significantly, from over 87,000 kilograms annually at the end of the 18th century to 680,000 kilograms in 1890. The lasting phrase “tickling the ivories” reflects this history, while the dramatic decline in elephant populations – from an estimated 27 million in sub-Saharan Africa in 1800-10s to just approximately 415,000 today – highlights the environmental cost of the ivory trade. Ivory key production declined only during the 1970s and effectively ended in 1989, when CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endengered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) banned the international trade in elephant tusks.Beyond ivory, ebony and mahogany are two significant materials shared by the four keyboard instruments, both of which have similar histories linked to colonial extraction and environmental concerns. Ebony, the hard wood used for the black keys, was added to CITES protections in 2011 to help curb illegal timber trade from Madagascar; while mahogany, largely used for the veneering of the cases of the instruments for its beautiful reddish-brown colour and durable properties, has been listed since 2003 due to overexploitation and deforestation of the Caribbean tropical forest. These four keyboard instruments on display at St Cecilia’s Hall reveal how their beauty and materiality are intertwined with the beginnings of a transnational history of material exploitation and environmental consequenses.What histories of trade, colonialism, labour and exploitation are embedded in the materials used to make musical instruments?What can we learn from the history of the materials objects are made of?Are there any substitute and more sustainable materials that can be used and/or developed?How have ideas about what makes a material “valuable” changed over time? How should we balance the preservation of musical instruments with concerns about endangered materials? This article was published on Monday 19 October 2026
