MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS MUSEUM BRUSSELS

Description

Essentials about the Musical Instruments Museum Brussels in brief

The Musical Instruments Museum Brussels is a true paradise for all music enthusiasts and instrument lovers. With 1,200 musical instruments on display (the entire collection consists of 8,000 instruments), the museum is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The museum is housed in a beautiful Art Nouveau building on Mont des Arts. By the way, from the museum restaurant on the 6th floor of the building you can enjoy a great view over the old town of Brussels.

The history of the Musical Instruments Museum Brussels

The beginnings of the instrument collection lie in two collections that came into the possession of the Belgian state. A collection of historical instruments was purchased by the musicologist François-Joseph Fétis. Another collection of Indian instruments came from the Bengali musicologist Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore. Since 1877, the collection was located in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where it served didactic purposes. The constantly expanding collection was housed in various buildings until 1978, when the beautiful Art Nouveau building of the former Old England department store was acquired and remodeled. Since 2000, the Musical Instruments Museum has been in its present location.

The collection of the Musical Instruments Museum Brussels

The collection of the Musical Instruments Museum Brussels is spread over four floors and is dedicated to the following themes: Mechanical and electronic instruments, instruments of European folk music and non-European music, European instruments in their development from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and the development of keyboard instruments. Visitors can listen to sound examples of many of the instruments through a headphone system. The sound sample is automatically triggered when the visitor approaches the respective display case.

In total, the museum’s collection includes about 8,000 instruments, of which 1,200 are on display. The museum also includes a library, a concert hall and a museum store. The museum restaurant on the 6th floor is particularly popular, with a rooftop terrace offering a great view over the rooftops of downtown Brussels.