Ukulele The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and construction. Ukuleles commonly come in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. The ukulele is commonly associated with music from Hawaii where the name roughly translates as "jumping flea", perhaps because of the movement of the player's fingers. Legend attributes it to the nickname of the Englishman Edward William Purvis, one of King Kalākaua's officers, because of his small size, fidgety manner, and playing expertise. One of the earliest appearances of the word "ukulele" in print (in the sense of a stringed instrument) is in the Metropolitan Museum of
Geophone (musical instrument) performance in New York City). Messiaen's wife, Yvonne Loriod, commented that when she and the composer first collected the new instrument from the maker in her car it made a "splendid crescendo" whenever they went round a corner. Messiaen also included the instrument in his only opera, "Saint François d'Assise", which was first performed in Paris 1983. Other works that use the geophone include "Asyla" by Thomas Adès, "…towards a Pure Land" by Jonathan Harvey, and the operas "The Sacrifice" by James MacMillan and "Dark Sisters" by Nico Muhly. Geophone (musical instrument) The geophone is a percussion instrument, invented by