Joseph H. Howard; Ethnomusicologist

Joseph H. Howard, 82, dental surgeon and ethnomusicologist who collected more than 600 items involving drums. A native of Chicago who was educated at the University of Illinois, Howard developed his fascination with drums during the three years he spent as a youngster in British Guiana, which is now Guyana. He spent decades learning about rhythms and the instruments that made them from around the world. A trained drummer, Howard stored the prized collection in a room of his home and often invited professional percussionists in to play. He also exhibited the instruments at the Watts Towers Art Center and in various museums. Howard documented his findings in a well-received book in 1967, “Drums in the Americas.” He also wrote “Drums From the Tropics to the Arctic Circle” in 1982. Other than drums, the 600 items in his collection include books, stamps and pictures describing the instruments and the folklore that created them. On Dec. 16 in Los Angeles.