Schellenbaum early 19th century German The Turkish Crescent, still used in traditional Turkish ensembles, was an important instrument of European Janissary bands during the 18th century. Also adopted by large military bands, it gradually went out of style in the mid-1800s. The instrument is equipped with bells and jingles and was played by shaking it up and down and in a twisting motion to produce jingling sounds. The Muslim crescent and horsetail plumes are emblems of the battlefield. Technical description: The metal pole fits inside the wood handle. A spring handle makes the entire instrument move more, creating more jingling. The metal pole is surmounted with a brass crescent pointing up. Below the bras crescent is a small ball, and below that are four hooks equally spaced around the pole and each with a metal bell with an internal clapper. Below the hooks is another small ball, and then a very large cone shaped piece with three rows of concentric circles "punched out." Around the b