Bible regal

The regal is related to the organ and makes use of metal reeds or strips that beat through the action of air blown by the bellows. Each reed is fixed to a small conical tube of copper, which serves as a resonator. The regal has a nasal sound and was very popular during the Renaissance and the Baroque period, being used in both sacred and profane music to accompany singing.

The origin of the word ‘regal’ is not entirely certain. It may derive from the Latin regula or the regulating of singers’ voices. Another explanation refers to the Latin rega or series, indicating the series of reeds of various lengths.

The instrument pictured is rare and consequently a valuable item in the mim collection. It can be completely folded up, thereby taking on the form of a large book or bible, and in this compact state can be easily transported. The invention of the bible regal is attributed to Georg Voll, who lived in Nurenberg at the end of the sixteenth century.