Collection: Reference

How Western musical instruments work, how they developed historically, are manufactured, and are used to make music. The nature of sounds in music and the sound production mechanisms of different families of instruments. Each family is surveyed in turn.

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has survived through 250 years of tsars, assassinations, fires, revolutions, and two world wars to become a global cultural destination housing one of the largest collections of art in the world. In an extraordinary memoir, the museum's longtime director tak...

Myanmar is a land steeped in history and culture. Its wealth and riches enthralled ancient visitors who were awed at its grand cities and golden pagodas. Artisans worked their magic into intricate woodcarvings and stuccos, grand sculptures...

Comprehensive collection of myths from ancient, medieval and modern cultures. Myths from Africa, The Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Entries recounting specific legends and overview articles such as African and Greek mythology.