Dashboard Week continues, and for Day 3, I was excited to see what dataset we would be working with. The dataset for today came from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s API, which provides access to an extensive collection of over 470,000 objects housed in the museum.
Narrowing the focus
Given the vastness of the dataset, I decided to narrow my focus by selecting a particular department to explore. This approach made it easier to dive deep into the data rather than getting overwhelmed by the sheer number of records available.
Challenge of data retrieval
The Met Museum API documentation states that it allows requests at a rate of 80 records per second. However, in practice, I experienced an interesting challenge. When I attempted to pull out the data, I retrieved over 5,000 records, but the process took nearly 20 minutes to complete! This was much slower than expected based on the documented rate, indicating that there might be some underlying throttling mechanisms or network-related limitations affecting the retrieval speed.
Data cleaning in Alteryx
Once I had the dataset, another challenge arose: cleaning the data in Alteryx. Museum datasets often contain inconsistencies, missing values, and variations in formatting due to the different ways objects are cataloged over time. Navigating through these issues required a strategic approach to ensure a clean and structured dataset for analysis.
Key Insights
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York houses an extensive collection of musical instruments, showcasing the rich heritage and craftsmanship of cultures worldwide. As part of my research, I chose to focus on the musical instruments from American, French, and German cultures within The Met’s collection. Through data analysis, I aimed to uncover patterns in materials, classifications, and historical accessions of these instruments.
Understanding the Collection
The Met’s collection consists of approximately 5,000 musical instruments spanning different time periods and regions. Among them, American, French, and German instruments stand out for their technological advancements and historical significance. The data analysis highlights key aspects such as the most commonly used materials, instrument classification, and the years with the highest accession rates.
Commonly Used Materials
The construction of musical instruments across these three cultures prominently features wood and brass. These materials serve as the primary components, often combined with other elements such as metal, ivory, or synthetic materials, depending on the instrument type. The analysis reveals that:
- Wood is the dominant material across all three cultures, with the highest usage recorded in French instruments (144 objects), followed by American (130) and German (105).
- Brass also plays a significant role, especially in French instruments (62 objects), while American and German instruments each have 32 brass-based objects.
This trend suggests a shared tradition of craftsmanship while also reflecting unique cultural influences on instrument-making.
Classification of Musical Instruments
Each culture showcases a variety of instrument classifications, emphasizing their musical traditions:
- American instruments include a strong presence of chordophones (stringed instruments) such as lutes and bowed instruments, as well as aerophones (wind instruments) like side-blown flutes.
- French instruments feature a diverse mix of reed-vibrated aerophones, lip-vibrated horns, and bowed chordophones.
- German instruments also display a preference for aerophones, particularly side-blown flutes, while incorporating stringed instruments.
This classification suggests overlapping traditions in instrument use, shaped by historical and musical influences unique to each culture.
Year with the Highest % of Accessions
A fascinating trend emerges when analyzing accession years. The year 1889 marks the highest percentage of acquisitions for all three cultures:
- French instruments dominate with 47.43% of accessions.
- German instruments follow closely with 33.99%.
- American instruments account for 18.58%.
This spike in acquisitions may correlate with increased museum interest in preserving historical artifacts or a period of heightened cultural exchange in the late 19th century.
Conclusion
My research into The Met’s collection of musical instruments highlights the shared and unique characteristics of American, French, and German musical traditions. Through material composition, classification, and historical acquisition trends, we gain a deeper appreciation of how music and craftsmanship evolve across cultures. The Met’s collection serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of musical artistry, preserving the sounds of history for future generations.
Please review my dashboard. Link is here American Musical Instrument | Tableau Public
