TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
The exhibition provides a sequence of organological, sociological and musicological topics
presented in chronological order. Bowed, plucked and wind instruments from Handel’s time form the
prelude to the exhibition. But the visitor may also turn his or her attention to the wide variety
of keyboard instruments, making use of an acoustic tour implemented by means of loudspeakers and
includes controlled light effects for improved orientation.
Both exhibition floors are connected by an organ of the late baroque era, which can be viewed
over from above. The second floor displays wood and brass instruments of the classical and Romantic
periods of music, and also has mechanical instruments and special inventions in musical instrument
making.
FIRST FLOOR
1 Singing
2
Instrumental music in Halle by 1700
3 Bowed
Instruments of the 17th/18th Centuries
4 Plucked
Instruments of the 17th/18th Centuries
5 The Clavichord
6 Harpsichords
7 Harps
8 Instruments used by Differing Social
Classes
9 Square Pianos
10 Tangent Piano and Pianofortes of
Mozart's Time
11 Compass Extension
12 Harmonicon, Musical glasses and Glass
harmonica
13 The Influence of Non-Musical Ideas
on Instrument Making
14 Organ by Johann Gottlieb Mauer
SECOND FLOOR
15 The Classical Orchestra (Sound
Model)
16 Single and Double Reed Wind
Instruments
17 Transverse Flutes, Piccolos, Recorders
and Flageolets
18 18th and 19th Century Brass
Instruments
19 Pianofortes of Beethoven´s
Time
20 The Pianino - a Small Upright Piano
21 Military Bands and their
Instruments
22 Folk Music Instruments
23 Inventions, Patents and Curiosities
24 Mechanical Instruments and
Metronomes
25 Harmonium and Hammond-Organ
"MUSIC IS BASED ON SINGING IN EVERY RESPECT" :: The Lost Voice
„Singer“ by Marieke and Timm Kregel, Berlin and Gorsleben, 2003
Who is the beautiful woman whose pure, clear voice and well-formulated coloratura,
which, if only we could hear it, would certainly impress us, perhaps even enchant us? Dressed in
her baroque costume, it might Anna Strada del Pò (fl. 1720–33), the famous singer engaged by Handel
for his operas in London, or it might possibly be Pauline Kellner (f. 1668–1730), “a singer at
church services, festivities and theatrical performances” at the court in Weißenfels.
So, how did the voices of these much-lauded divas sound? Unfortunately, sound recordings
which could have given us some insight into the nature of their singing have only existed since the
invention of the phonograph by Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) in 1877. In other words, the sound of
Anna Strada’s and Pauline Kellner’s singing is lost forever… or are there other ways of having some
idea of what they may have sounded like?
There are, of course, theoretical articles on the art of singing as well as reports on the
voices of great male and female singers, from which the reader can learn some special facts,
e.g. on Italian vocal music of the 18th century, so-called “bel canto”.
Musical iconography gives us some hints, too. For example, careful observers ascertained that
the angels in the famous altar in Gent, painted by the brothers Eyck (circa 1432), with tense
facial muscles and mouths slightly agape, are in fact singing with head voices. This is more
flexible than the chest voice, but does not allow such far-reaching dynamics and has a slightly
nasal sound.
Not least, we can also learn something about singing from the historical musical instruments
kept in museums; for every era cultivated a characteristic ideal sound so that certain conclusions
about historical modes of singing can be drawn from known or reconstructible styles of playing
music.
The situation concerning instrumental music is somewhat easier. Historical instruments or
accurate reproductions being played in a historically informed manner (considering the stringing,
tuning, pitch, tempo, articulation and the acoustical properties of the place of performance)
can convey an idea of how the instruments must have sounded then.
We can also get a better understanding of the type of keyboard instrument intended for the
harpsichord or piano compositions of Handel, Mozart or Beethoven, and what playing techniques were
available to the musicians of their time. It is one of the tasks of a collection and exhibition of
musical instruments to communicate such information.
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
STADTPFEIFEREY AND HOBOISTENCOMPAGNIE ::
Instrumental music in Halle until 1700
Natural trumpet in D by Balthasar Fürst, Ellwangen, 1762 (MS-298)
Trumpeter, procession in Halle in 1616, copperplate engraving by C. Grahle (detail)
As an early testimony of playing musical instruments in the area around Halle, the
reproduction of a Neolithic clay drum is exhibited in the first showcase. Thirty three such clay
drums have been recovered on the grounds of the present town forest of Halle where there are the
remains of one of the oldest and largest Neolithic fortifications.
There is also evidence of the presence of musicians in Halle during the mediaeval period
where, as early as 1300 a street was named – after the players living there – the “speleludestrate”
(now Spiegelstraße). From 1382 to 1680, the court of the Archbishops of Magdeburg had its seat in
Halle. The core ensemble of court players at the time of Samuel Scheidt (15871654) was made up of
four trumpeters, five chamber musicians (a “lutenist”, “fiddler”, “violist” and two “Musicanten”)
along with the organist. In George Frideric Handel’s youth there were at least five instrumental
ensembles in Halle: the Stadtpfeifer, the Kunstgeiger, a Hoboistencompagnie, the Regimentsmusiker
belonging to the Prussian garrison, and the Collegium musicum of the University. The city was also
home to organ builders as well as makers of pipes, fiddles and trombones. However, with the
exception of the smaller organ in the Marktkirche built in 1664 by Georg Reichel (ca. 1628–84),
there are no extant instruments of which we can be sure were made in Halle at that time. So
exhibits displayed in the first showcase are, therefore, substitutes from other regions.
EXHIBITS
• Alto trombone by Michael Münkwitz, Rostock, 1999 (MS-693)
• Tenor trombone in B flat by Michael II Leichamschneider, Vienna, 1738 (MS-314)
• Cornetts by Roland Wilson, Cologne, 2000 (MS-707, 708, 709)
• Bible, Nuremberg, 1692
• Descant viola da gamba, Southern Germany, late 17th century (MS-213)
• Tenor viola da gamba, early 18th century (MS-224)
• Natural horn in F by Joseph Simon Anger, Graslitz, 1770 (MS-290)
• Oboe, Saxony, probably Leipzig, about 1770/80 (MS-419)
• Oboe by Johann Heinrich Eichentopf, Leipzig, about 1730 (MS-420)
• Tenor sext bassoon (Fagottino) by Johann Heinrich Eichentopf, Leipzig, about
1740 (MS-522)
• Bassoon by Johann Wolfgang Kenigsperger, Roding, about 1740 (MS-435)
• Natural trumpet in D by Johann Caesar, Mitteldeutschland region of Germany,
1810 (MS-300)
• Natural trumpet in D by Balthasar Fürst, Ellwangen, 1762 (MS-298)
• Kettledrums by Friedrich Thieden, Germany, 1733 (MS-588, 589)
• Illustration: Corpus Christi procession in Halle from the Missale Hallense,
1524 (reproduction)
• Harp by Winfried Goerge, Freising, 2000 (MS-720)
• Lute by Johann Ambrosius Weiß, Basel, 1621 (MS-165)
• Pochette, Germany, about 1780 (MS-196)
• Bagpipe, Bohemia, about 1850 (MS-417)
• Painting: “The bagpipe player”, attributed to Richard Brakenburgh
• Fiddle (Skripky), Western Moravia, about 1870 (MS-204)
• Alto cornemuse by Hermann Moeck, Celle, 2000 (G-100)
• Crumhorn by Otto Steinkopf, Berlin, after 1950 (MS-607)
• Theorbo cittern, Saxony, about 1700 (MS-134)
• Model of a Neolithic clay drum
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
BOWED STRINGS :: 18th Century Bowed Instruments
Violoncello, Germany, 2nd half of the 18th century (MS-249) and Bass
viola da gamba, circle of Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, probably 1701 (MS-222)
The use of the bow reached Europe from Central Asia in the early 11th century. At first it was
used with round-bodied instruments similar to those which were plucked. New forms of bowed string
instruments were developed: the lira da braccio, viola da braccio (violin family) and viola da
gamba (gamba family).
The type of construction of violas da gamba with their deep ribs and keel-arch styled
shoulders is clearly illustrated by Joachim Tielke’s instrument. Its six strings are tuned in
fourths, with the exception of a third between the middle-two strings. The pitch of each of the
notes is determined by means of frets. The bow is held in an underhand grip, the palm facing
upwards.
In contrast to that, strings of instruments of the violin family (a similarly-sized
violoncello is placed adjacent to the Tielke viola da gamba for direct comparison) were tuned in
fifths and played without frets. The musician himself has to find tones on the fingerboard, which
is more difficult but allows a greater flexibility in intonation.
The viola d’amore – of which we have exhibited two specimens of viola size and one of violin
size – is a special case. It is shaped like a viola da gamba, but has got shallower ribs as it is
played on the arm. It was designated “d’amore” because of its silvery nasal tone which goes to the
heart, a result of the unplayed sympathetic metal strings which add extra resonance.
EXHIBITS
• Double bass, probably Bohemia, about 1750 (MS-258)
• “Basse de Violon” by Nicolas Estienne, Mirecourt, 2nd half of the 18th
century (MS-257)
• Violoncello by Thomas Powell, London, 1788 (MS-699)
• Violin possibly by Gregori Ferdinand Wenger, Augsburg, about 1720
(MS-231)
• Violin by Gabriel David Buchstetter, Regensburg, 1773 (MS-698)
• Viola by Joannes Jauck, Graz, 1734 (MS-697)
• Tenor violin, labelled: “Paulus Alletsee .../München 1735” (MS-211)
• Viola d’amore by Thomas Rauch, Breslau, 1739 (MS-217)
• Violino d’amore by Adam Braun, Markneukirchen, 1730 (MS-216)
• Viola d’amore, possibly Italy, 17th century (MS-215)
• Viola da gamba bow, probably 20th century (MSB-27)
• Violin bow, probably 19th century (MSB-17)
• Violin bow by C. Hans-Karl Schmidt, Dresden, about 1973 (MSB-29)
• Violin by Friedrich Wilhelm Meisel, Klingenthal, 1781 (MS-634)
• Violin by Andreas Hoyer, Klingenthal, 1781 (MS-251)
• Bass viola da gamba, top plate: mid 18th century (MS-223)
• Violoncello, Germany, 2nd half of the 18th century (MS-249)
• Bass viola da gamba, circle of Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, probably 1701
(MS-222)
• Alto viola da gamba, possibly Tyrol, 16th/17th century (MS-221)
• Descant viola da gamba, labelled: „Rudolph Höß.../ München 1723“ (MS-214)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
PLUCKED STRINGS ABOVE FRETS :: Lutes, Mandolins,
Citterns and Guitars from the Baroque Time
Mandora by Johann Andreas Kämbl, Munich, after 1738 (MS-167)
Plucked string instruments existed long before bowed instruments. The hunting bow with its
string made of twisted animal gut was their earliest ancestor. Based on it, harps whose strings “
stand” at an angle on the sounding belly, zithers where strings run in parallel to the sounding
belly and the large group of fingerboard lutes developed, which are distinguished from zithers by a
clear division into neck and body. This group comprises lutes, mandolins, citterns and guitars.
The lute is an instrument with a rounded body crafted from strips of wood, which also
contributed to finding a name for it, as wood in Arabic means al-’ud (lute, luith, …). The lute
came to Europe in the 13th century at the latest, and was one of the most popular instruments from
the 15th century to the middle of the 18th century. Its music was usually written with a special
tablature, as seen in the exhibited reprint from Sebastian Virdung’s “Musica getutscht” (a
German-language treatise on musical instruments from 1511).
Unlike lutes and mandolins, citterns and guitars have separate sides and either flat or gentle
arched backs. Lutes and historic guitars are strung with gut strings secured to a bridge on the
soundboard. They have gut frets and are plucked with the fingers. Citterns and mandolins have metal
strings and frets. The strings are stretched over a flat bridge and attached to the bottom end of
the body. They are played with a plectrum, often a small piece of ivory, horn or tortoise-shell, or
a quill.
EXHIBITS
• Theorbo (Chitarrone), Italy, late 17th century (MS-176)
• Engraving: “Concert de Musique” by C. A. Duflos according to Dominiquain,
Paris,
18th century
• “Musica getutscht” by Sebastian Virdung, Basel 1511 (reprint 1882)
• Lute, corpus by Wendelin Tieffenbrucker, Padua, mid 16th century (MS-168)
• Mandore by Johann Andreas Kämbl, Munich, after 1738 (MS-167)
• “Musicus autodidaktos” by Johann Philipp Eisel, Erfurt, 1738 (reprint 1976)
• Mandolino by Domenico Pistachi, Rome, 1744 (MS-171)
• Colasciontino, Italy, late 19th century, partly 17th century (MS-170)
• Mandolin by Genuaro Vinaccia, Naples, 1782 (MS-138)
• Mandolone by Antonius Vinaccia, Naples, 1787 (MS-141)
• Treatise for mandolin by B. Bortolazzi, Leipzig, 1804
• English guitar, England, about 1760 (MS-130)
• English guitar, London, late 18th century (MS-129)
• Chitarra battente, possibly Florence, late 17th century (MS-156)
• Cittern by Gottfried Strahl, Soltau (Hanover), 1760 (MS-128)
• Guitar, Italy, first half of the 18th century (MS-157)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
"WHAT YOU LEARN TO DO ON THE CLAVICHORD ..." :: Clavichord
– a Family and Practice Instrument in the Baroque Time
Clavichord by Carl Gottlob Sauer, Dresden, 1807 (MS-85)
The clavichord, documented as from 1404, goes back to the monochord, a mathematical
instrument used in the times of the ancient Greeks. Whereas the monochord was provided with movable
bridges which served to make the intervals clear, the clavichord used tangents – small pieces of
brass – instead. The tangents act like the frets on a guitar or viola da gamba, striking the
strings so that the distance between the tangent and the bridge determines the vibrating
string length.
The clavichord was a domestic, often ladies’, keyboard instrument, often also used for
practice by outstanding performers. During the pre-romantic period the instrument became even more
favoured for its intimate, self-expressive sound. For this reason C. P. E. Bach liked to exploit
the clavichord’s special properties, including in particular its vibrato and dynamic range. Toward
the end of the 18th century it was replaced by the louder pianoforte.
The exhibited instrument dates from this time. Whereas earlier instruments might have one,
two, three or even four notes played by each pair of strings, this instrument uses one pair of
strings for each different tone.
EXHIBITS
• Clavichord by Carl Gottlob Sauer, Dresden, 1807 (MS-85)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
THE WHISPERING HARMONY OF THE HARPSICHORD ::
Harpsichord – A Baroque Solo and Continuo Instrument
Harpsichord by Ioannes and Andreas Ruckers, Antwerp, 1599 (MS-65),
Exhibition wall with Trompe L´oeil by Alessio Nalesini, Augsburg 2005
The name Clavicimbalum is found as early as 1397 and derives from the Latin clavis, key, and tympanon/cymbalum, a dulcimer-like board zither with parallel sides. The strings are plucked by a quill, brass, leather or, later, synthetic plectrum.
The harpsichord was, because of its harmonic Role in the continuo, among the most important of
instruments in the period when the ground bass was fundamental, and also as the harpsichordist
often led the orchestra. The instrument was used for composition work, for solo improvisation in
private company and for performance of such masterpieces as the suites by Johann Sebastian Bach and
George Frideric Handel. As from around 1780 the pianoforte, with its greater dynamic flexibility,
took over the harpsichord’s predominant Role.
In the exhibition, you will find a harpsichord with two manuals, built by the renowned
Ruckers family in 1599 and modified in the 18th century, the history of which is explained in more
detail in a desk book and an illuminated X-ray photograph, as well as the reproduction of a German
harpsichord which includes a 16' (sub octave) stop, as found in various original instruments of the
period.
EXHIBITS
• Harpsichord by Ioannes and Andreas Ruckers, Antwerp, 1599 (MS-65)
• Harpsichord by Bernhard von Tucher, Leitheim, 1999 (MS-686)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
PLUCKED WITH BOTH HANDS :: The History of the Harp
Hook harp, possibly Tirol, about 1830 (MS-182 ), Harp,
19th century (MS-179) and Harp by Ferdinand Köhler, Vienna, 1905 (MS-181)
The harp’s strings are plucked with both hands. It is one of the oldest musical instruments and is found in almost all parts of the world. Ancient arched harps from Sumeria and Egypt, as well as angular ones from Mesopotamia, were constructed simply with a resonance box and neck. The addition of a front pillar led to the development of the frame harp.
In our showcase there are examples of a diatonically tuned harp without any retuning mechanism,
a hook harp, a pedal harp whose strings could be pulled mechanically so as to pass over a
shortening bridge and a pedal harp with a rotating-disk mechanism. They represent the predominant
types of harp in Europe around 1800.
EXHIBITS
• Pedal harp by Erard freres, Paris, between 1817 and 1819 (MS-187)
• Pedal harp, France, about 1785 (MS-186)
• Hook harp, possibly Tyrol, about 1830 (MS-182)
• Harp, 19th century (MS-179)
• Harp by Ferdinand Köhler, Vienna, 1905 (MS-181)
• Dital harp, anonymous, according to Edward Light, London, about 1820 (MS-189)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
POOR AND RICH :: Instruments Used by Differing
Social Classes
Hurdy-gurdy, probably Russia, 19th century (MS-190)
On the street, in the inn, at the fair, in church, at court, in the orchestra pit: music is to
be heard. Specific instruments are associated with one or other of these, in consideration of their
appearance, quality and range of musical possibilities.
The history of the hurdy-gurdy and dulcimer shows how folk instruments could become popular
among middle and upper class amateurs following fashions such as the pastoral idylls towards the
end of the 17th century. The harp, however, has long been used by amateurs in respectable milieus
and professional troubadours, court and orchestra musicians, as well as beggars, strolling players
and street musicians.
EXHIBITS
• Hook harp by Joseph Schweiger, Stadtamhof, late 18th century (MS-183)
• Hurdy-gurdy, probably Russia, 19th century (MS-190)
• Dulcimer, possibly 17th century (MS-116)
• Dulcimer, possibly Tyrol, late 18th century (MS-118)
• Engraving: “The Hurdy Gurdy” by W. French according to A. v. Ostade
• Coulored engraving: “The harp playing woman”, anonymous
• Hurdy-gurdy by Pouget, Ardentes/Indre (Southern France), 1876 (MS-193)
• “Méthode pour apprendre à jouer de la Vielle” by Michel Corette, Paris
• Salterio by Antonio Battaglia, Milano, 1785 (MS-121)
• Harp by Henri Nadermann, Paris, early 19th century (MS-188)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
IN ROOM AND SALON :: The Square Piano
Harp-shaped square piano, Southern Germany, about 1780 (MS-546)
It appears that the square piano first made its appearance in Germany in the 1730s, some thirty or so years after the fortepiano was developed by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1732) in Florence.
From around 1790 its relatively small size and price made it favoured for middle class music making, while the upper classes used it as a second instrument in the salon or boudoir. Its intimate tone, variable to great effect by means of knee-levers, pedals and handstops, makes it ideal for such short instrumental forms such as bagatelles as well as for accompanying singing.
The first square piano exhibited has pedals rather than the handstops which were normally in use
at that time. The second harp-shaped instrument is provided with hammers lacking a leather cover.
EXHIBITS
• Square piano by Adam Beyer, London, 1777 (MS-4)
• Harp-shaped square piano, Southern Germany, about 1780
(MS-546)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
LOUD AND SOFT :: Tangent piano and pianofortes of
Mozart’s time
Mozart-Room with Tangent Piano, Pianoforte and Organ,
Exhibition Wall with Trompe L´oeil by Alessio Nalesini, Augsburg 2005
The tangent-like hammers – wooden sticks – of the tangent piano, which is exhibited in the next
room, are also without a leather covering. Its sound resembles that of the harpsichord, though it
can be played loud and soft (forte and piano) thus enabling differentiation by dynamics to a
certain degree.
Of the three early pianofortes displayed here, the instrument made by Johann Evangelist
Schmidt is especially suited for interpreting music by Mozart. It has a clear sound and stands out
for its light touch.
EXHIBITS
• Tangent piano probably by Christoph Friedrich Schmahl, Regensburg, about 1790
(MS-30)
• Pianoforte, possibly Austria, mid 18th century (MS-27)
• Pianoforte by Johann Evangelist Schmidt, Salzburg, about 1790 (MS-28)
• Pianoforte by the brothers Gräbner, Dresden, 1794 (MS-31)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
FOR AN EXTENDED COMPASS :: Extending the keyboard
(sound model)
Model board: “Tonal range has been extending”
It can be clearly illustrated – from the early examples of pianofortes already included
in the display, and then further tracked in the keyboard instruments of Beethoven’s time that are
shown on the second exhibition floor to, finally, modern instruments – is the gradual increase in
compass up to the 7 ¼ octaves which is common today. The stimulus for this change came from two
directions: On the one hand, composers wanted a wider compass. On the other hand, instrument makers
used innovations to stand up against competitors and developed for their own sake the technical
means which were a prerequisite for a wider compass (back posts, cast-iron frame etc.).
A model installed in the windowed hallway serves to illustrate keyboard extension. Sampled
sounds recorded from some of the instruments exhibited can be played by means of the keyboard of a
digital piano within the respective instrument’s compass.
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
ETHEREALY MUSIC PLAYED ON GLASSES :: Harmonicon, Musical
Glasses and Glass Harmonica
Glass harmonica, probably Bohemia, about 1820 (MS-94)
The Persians and Chinese had long known the musical use of glasses before its rediscovery in medieval Europe. They can be brought to sing by wet fingers or when struck by small drumsticks. The most important of such instruments was the glass harmonica said to be invented in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790).
Glass cups of differing sizes ordered in conical form can be rapidly and reliably used to
produce complicated melodies. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Adolph Hasse, Johann Friedrich
Reichardt and Ludwig van Beethoven composed for what Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart said he
heard the world’s own heart’s blood from. The ethereal soft but penetrating sound was in keeping
with its times.
EXHIBITS
• Musical glasses, England, mid 19th century (MS-696)
• Harmonicon by R. Hack, London, about 1850 (MS-685)
• Glass harmonica, probably Bohemia, about 1820 (MS-94)
• “Glass harmonica for medical application” (dollhouse)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
MESMER´S SALON :: The Sound of the Glass Harmonica for Medical
Application
Dollhouse with special effects, the pupets of the dollhouse are gifts by “Mini Mundus
Hobby GmbH”, Dreieich
In the 70s of the 18th century a controversial healing method was developed by the Vienna
theologist Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), the father of hypnosis, who believed the planet to be
surrounded by a special kind of field with which people who were sick had lost contact. With
"magical magnetism", glass harmonica improvisation and his own aura Mesmer was able to put his
patients into trance, during which the power which flowed trough them was aimed to bring them back
to inner harmony with Nature.
Mesmerism has had considerable influence on philosophy (Hegel, Schelling, Schopenhauer,
Sloterdijk) and literature (Jean Paul, E. T. A. Hoffmann, Kleist, Goethe, Balzac, Poe, Thomas
Mann).
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
DESIGN AND SYMBOL :: The Influence of
Non-musical Ideas on Instrument Making
Lyre piano by Johann Christian Schleip, Berlin, about 1820 (MS-58)
The instruments’ outer form, choice of material or decorative details, may be considered
from stylistic, art-historical viewpoints and grouped under certain trends. In some cases the
design has a special significance, e.g. the unusual form of the lyre-guitar’s and lyre piano’s (the
latter is displayed on the platform adjacent to the organ) symbolic relation to Apollo, the
lyre-playing god of the muses and light.
Other instruments have themselves become symbolic. The Aeolian harp with its sound not due to
human hand is synonymous for the heavenly and music of the spheres, a motif taken up by German
writers such as Jean Paul, Friedrich Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Eduard Mörike and ETA
Hoffmann.
Practical use also played a Role: particular forms such as the cane violin, cane flute or
orphica could be used for picnic music making for Romantics on their hikes.
EXHIBITS
• Aeolian harp, Southern Germany, early 19th century (MS-122)
• Oliphant, France, mid 19th century (MS-261)
• Serpent by Robert Wolf & Co., London, about 1840 (MS-682)
• Lyre guitar, Germany, late 18th century (MS-154)
• Stick violin, Vogtland, 2nd half of the 19th century (MS-197)
• Orphica, anonymous, according to Joseph Klein, Vienna, about 1820 (MS-10)
• Lyre piano by Johann Christian Schleip, Berlin, about 1820 (MS-58)
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
THE QUEEN OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS :: Organ of the late Baroque period
made by Johann Gottlieb Maurer
Organ by Johann Gottlieb Mauer, Tegkwitz 1770 (MS-639)
The largest musical instrument of the exhibition, which has been specially taken into account
in the architecture of the new museum building, is an organ made in 1770. It was built by Johann
Gottlieb Mauer (fl. 1764–1801) for the Protestant church located in Tegkwitz near Altenburg.
Following the rumour that Tegkwitz would have to be relocated to make space for a brown coal
opencast mining site during the mid-70s, the parish sold its organ to a church parish in Leipzig in
1978; the organ was, however, never installed.
The Handel House acquired this instrument in 1993; when unfortunately many of its components
were missing, e.g. the most part of the pipework.
Financial support from the regional government of Saxony-Anhalt and the Federal government
enabled the Handel House restoration workshop to carry out a thorough restoration of the original
parts as well as the provision of authentically rebuilt pipes. The instrument has now been returned
to its original form comprising nine registers on the manual and three on the pedal board. It is
tuned in accordance with Georg Andreas Sorge’s well-tempering of 1764 and sounds at the normal
German choir pitch of a1 = 466 Hz (a semitone higher than modern pitch).
View of the interior of the organ, from the second exhibition floor
RETURN TO FLOOR I - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
OLD GERMAN SEATING ARRANGEMENT :: THE
CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA
Model of an orchestra, draft by oe_konzept, Halle
The seating of a symphony orchestra depends on the form and acoustic properties of the concert
hall as well as on the conductor’s aims regarding sound. The old ensemble or “German” formation,
with first and second violins being arranged on opposite sides, which was the preferred arrangement
from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries, is the subject of an orchestra model located on the
second exhibition floor. Instrument groups are depicted on luminous boards. Some original
instruments dating from the first half of the 19th century are hanging in front of them. By means
of a push button, individual luminous boards can be activated, which also sounds part of the
orchestral music or a combination of instruments.
This model is supplemented by a desk book containing illustrations of other types of
orchestral seating.
EXHIBITS
• Baton of the Singing circle of Halberg, 1897
• Violin by Leopold Martin Widhalm, Nuremberg, 1803 (MS-700)
• Viola possibly by Josef Straub, Röthenbach (Black forest), about 1800 (MS-245)
• Violin bow, probably 19th century (MSB-18)
• Viola bow, probably early 19th century (MSB-23)
• Flute by Kaspar Tauber, Vienna, about 1820 (MS-339)
• Oboe by Carl I Golde, Dresden, about 1855 (MS-422)
• Clarinet in B flat by Johann Joseph Ziegler, Vienna, about 1845 (MS-505)
• Horn in B flat by Johann Gottlieb II Roth, Adorf, about 1870 (MS-282)
• Natural trumpet in C, Bavaria, about 1800 (MS-299)
• Tenor trombone in B flat by Sebastian Oechsner, Aub (Bavaria), about 1850
(MS-316)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
"FOR A GOOD REED IS HALF THE PLAYING" :: Single
and Double Reed Wind Instruments
Basset-horn (MS-408), English horn
(MS-432), Basset-horn (MS-407)
“The Compleat Tutor for the Hautboy”, Johnson, London, about 1750
The bassoon, oboe and clarinet are among the most important solo and orchestral
instruments in classical European music despite their relatively late development. The one-piece
dulcian became the four-piece bassoon in the middle of the 17th century while the oboe developed
from the pommer and shawm in the same period and only at the end of the century did the chalumeau
give birth to the clarinet. These “new” instruments had a greater range and better modulation than
their predecessors and so because of their adaptation to string instruments were increasingly used
orchestrally from around 1660.
The tone and manner of playing depends essentially on the type of bore, the position and
diameter of the holes as well as the size and kind of the reed: with a soft one lower notes are
easier, with a hard one higher.
The saxophone, which is difficult to classify from the view of organology, has been placed
among clarinets, based on the shared use of a single reed. It has the conical bore shape in common
with oboes and the material used with brass wind instruments.
EXHIBITS
• Oboe d’amore by Otto Mönnig, Leipzig, about 1915 ( MS-434)
• English horn by Wolfgang Küß, Vienna, about 1825 (MS-432)
• English horn by Guillaum Triébert & Sons, Paris, about 1840 (MS-681)
• Oboe by Thomas Cahusac, London, about 1740 (MS-695)
• Oboe by Franz Ludwig, Prague, about 1835 (MS-421)
• Oboe by Gottlieb Streitwolf, Göttingen, about 1830 (MS-423)
• Oboe by Heinrich Friedrich Meyer, Hanover, about 1895 (MS-424)
• Bassoon by Johann Benjamin Eisenbrant, Göttingen, about 1800 (MS-437)
• Bassoon by Heinrich Baesler, Memmingen, about 1815 (MS-439)
• Bassoon by Julius Jehring, Adorf, about 1890 (MS-443)
• “The Compleat Tutor for the Hautboy”, Johnson, London, about 1750
• Alto saxophone by Rampone & Cazzani, Milano, about 1920 (MS-660)
• Bass clarinet in B flat by Stengel, Bayreuth, about 1880 (MS-404)
• Alto clarinet in F by Eduard Skorra, Berlin, about 1840 (MS-401)
• Basset-horn by František I Doleisch, Prague, about 1790 (MS-406)
• Basset-horn by Johann Baptist Merklein, Vienna, about 1810 (MS-408)
• Basset-horn by Stefan Koch, Vienna, about 1815 (MS-407)
• Clarinet in B flat by Josef Wenzel Lausmann, Linz, about 1850 (MS-387)
• Clarinet in D, Vogtland, about 1820 (MS-412)
• Clarinet in F by Wenzel Horak & Son, Prague, about 1845 (MS-379)
• Clarinet in As by Anton Jedlicka, Prague, about 1840 (MS-380)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
FLAUTO DOLCE – FLUTE WITH A SOFT SOUND :: Transverse
Flutes, Piccolos, Recorders and Flageolets
Alto flute (Flauto d’amore), Berlin/Potsdam, about 1760 (MS-577)
Alto recorder by Johann Heytz, Berlin about 1720 (MS-320)
Though made of a wide range of materials (the materials selection in this showcase ranges from
various kinds of wood, through ivory, aluminium to nickel silver), flutes count as woodwind
instruments. The basic acoustic principle is that the player’s breath is projected against a sharp
edge, where it is divided. The resulting wave frequency causes the air column in the pipe to
vibrate through resonance effect.
End-blown instruments differ in the way they are held from transverse flutes. The recorder
(first group) lacks many overtones, giving a darker, milder sound, which has almost no tonal
variation. A transverse flute player, however, can influence the tone by adjusting the angle of
blowing, giving a bright sound which makes for a flexible orchestral and solo instrument. The
construction underwent numerous changes, e.g. the positioning of the finger-holes due to Theobald
Boehm’s (1794–1881) complex key-hole system (1832).
EXHIBITS
• Piccolo by Garrett, London, about 1770 (MS-635)
• Piccolo by Oscar Adler & Co., Markneukirchen, about 1930 (MS-354)
• Terzo flute by Johann Georg Jehring, Adorf, about 1825/30 (MS-358)
• Flute, France, about 1720 (MS-334)
• Flute by Schuchart, London, about 1740 (MS-670)
• Flute by Friedrich Gabriel August Kirst, Potsdam, about 1790 (MS-340)
• Flute by Alexander Liddle, London, about 1850 (MS-371)
• Flute, Vogtland/Bohemia, about 1920 (MS-512)
• Flute by Gustav Mollenhauer & Sons, Kassel, about 1930 (MS-576)
• Alto flute (Flauto d’amore), Berlin/Potsdam, about 1760 (MS-577)
• Alto flute by Johann I Ziegler, Vienna, about 1840 (MS-349)
• Alto flute by Otto Mönnig, Leipzig, 1897 (MS-359)
• Flute, Germany, about 1925 (MS-583), in a box
• Flute by Christian Gottlob Lederer, Markneukirchen, about 1790 (MS-338), in a
box
• English double flageolet, England, about 1845 (MS-509)
• English double flageolet by John Briggs, London, about 1820 (MS-323)
• English flageolet, Vogtland, about 1910 (MS-513)
• Sopranino recorder by Friedrich Billing, Warsaw, early 19th century (MS-325)
• Alto recorder by Johann Heytz, Berlin, about 1720 (MS-320)
• Basset recorder by Johann Andreas Bauermann, Leipzig, about 1690 (MS-327)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
WITH BLARING AND VELVETY SOUNDS :: 18th and
19th Century Brass Instruments
Valve horn in F by Andreas Barth, Munich, about 1848 (MS-289)
Scale for the slide trombone and valve trombone, Prague, 1st half of the 19th
century
The player of a brass instrument selects, by means of tension of lips and strength of blowing,
one of the tube’s available resonances. The sound colour is determined by the inner form of the
mouthpiece, whether the tube is conical or cylindrical and the breadth and shape of the bell. The
trumpet with its narrow bore and cupped mouthpiece has a brilliant shrill tone. The softer sound of
the horn results from its funnel-shaped mouthpiece and broad bell.
As natural trumpets and horns can only produce notes of the natural scale of the given key,
players used instruments built for specific keys or with crooks and slides, and later with
finger-holes and keys.
Inspired by mine ventilation systems, Heinrich Stölzel (1777–1844) and Friedrich Blühmel (f.
1808– before 1845) came to the most successful solution in 1814 by building valves which, when
pressed, open further parts of the tube.
In the showcase, narrow-bore horns are placed on the left-hand side, instruments with a wider
bore (such as the helicon) in the middle and trumpets and trombones on the right-hand side.
EXHIBITS
• Hanoverian bugle horn in C (Halbmond) by Johann Hinrich Ackenhausen, Lüneburg,
about
1780 (MS-262)
• Parforce horn in B flat by Michael Saurle, Munich, about 1840 (MS-285)
• Post horn in D, Southern Germany, about 1870 (MS-293)
• Hand horn with crooks in B flat by Carl Gottlob Schuster, Markneukichen, about
1830
(MS-284)
• Valve horn in F by Andreas Barth, Munich, about 1848 (MS-289)
• Ophicleide in B flat probably by Gautrot, Paris, about 1865 (MS-272)
• Keyed bugle in C by Michael Saurle, Munich, about 1845 (MS-271)
• Cornet in B flat by Gautrot‑Marquart, Paris, about 1905 (MS-295)
• Alto horn in Es, Markneukirchen, about 1850 (MS-274)
• Tenor saxhorn in B flat by Schuster & Co., Markneukirchen, about 1880
(MS-277)
• Helicon in F, by Carl Ernst Eschenbach, Bautzen, about 1890 (MS-280)
• Natural trumpet in D, probably by Conrad Lienicke, Leipzig, about 1820 (MS-302)
• Trumpet with slide crooks in F by Georg Saurle, Munich, about 1850 (MS-307)
• Keyed trumpet in G, Bohemia/Vogtland, about 1830 (MS-310)
• Valve trumpet in B flat by Ackermann & Lesser, Dresden, about 1910 (MS-319
• Handelian trumpet in F by Johann August Köhler & Son, London, about 1865
(MS-311)
• Bass double trombone in F, Markneukirchen, 1883 (MS-317)
• Tenor trombone in B flat, probably Bohemia, about 1910 (MS-315)
• Scale for the slide trombone and valve trombone, Prague, 1st half of the 19th
century
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
WITH A RICH, SINGING SOUND ::
Pianofortes of Beethoven’s time
Pianoforte by Nannette Streicher, Vienna 1820 (MS-39)
The four pianofortes exhibited on the second floor are most suitable for Ludwig van
Beethoven’s piano music, for Beethoven temporarily owned, besides other instruments, pianofortes
made by Anton Walter, Nannette Streicher, John Broadwood and Conrad Graf.
The four instruments can be compared with regard to their sound and the possibilities they
offered when played. While the Walter piano stands out for its powerful, direct sound, the
instrument made by firm of Streicher has a softer intonation. Both instruments have a low key-dip
and a light touch enabling the instrument to be played in a flowing and sparkling way.
Unlike these, the Broadwood piano with its “English grand action” requires a stronger touch
resulting in a more powerful sound. Its bass sound is especially rich, partly realized by triple
stringing down to the extreme bass of the instrument.
Turning to the Conrad Graf piano, we reach the Romantic period. Its full, singing, slightly
hoarse tone is outstandingly well suited for pieces by Franz Schubert or Robert Schumann.
EXHIBITS
• Pianoforte by John Broadwood & Sons, London, about 1815 (MS-641)
• Pianoforte by Anton Walter & Son, Vienna, about 1820 (MS-711)
• Pianoforte by Nannette Streicher, Vienna, 1820 (MS-39)
• Pianoforte by Conrad Graf, Vienna, 1835 (MS-44)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
"HOW NICE IT WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY THE PIANO" ::
The Financial Success of the Piano
Pianino by Karl Ludwig Howard, Bern about 1835 (MS-88)
Clavichords, virginals and spinets, dating back to the 14th/15th century were joined in the
18th century by a further small domestic keyboard instrument, the square piano, which became
particularly popular in the early 19th century. None was however so successful as the piano
(pianoforte, pianino or in German simply “Klavier”) with its vertical strings. It was invented
around 1800 by John Isaac Hawkins (fl. 1799–1845) in Philadelphia and independently by Matthias
Müller (1769–1845) in Vienna. The innovation in comparison with previous space-saving upright
pianofortes lay in positioning the tuning-pins at the top with the longest strings descending to
the bottom of the instrument.
With the exhibited “Piano droit” by Karl Ludwig Howard, the strings are arranged diagonally
on one side; with the “Piano console” by Johann Heinrich Pape, treble and bass strings cross. The
latter instrument is equipped with felted hammers, for which its constructor had filed a patent as
early as 1826.
EXHIBITS
• Piano droit by Karl Ludwig Howard, Bern, about 1835 (MS-88)
• Piano console by Johann Heinrich Pape, Paris, 1844 (MS-87)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
"HAVE TRUMPETS SOUND; HAVE DRUMS MOVE THROUGH THE
COUNTRY" :: Military Bands and their Instruments
Bass drum possibly by Mathis Schonbauer, Grünberg 1814 (MS-470)
Various functions are performed by instruments in a military context: at first
signalling on the battlefield or making music for marching. Trumpets and kettle drums were used by
the cavalry, side drums and fifes by the infantry.
In the 17th century the sound of military music took on aesthetic features of art music and
began to serve civic needs whether for official or for entertainment purposes, with shawms, oboes,
bassoons, clarinets, trombones, serpents as well as Turkish pavilions, triangles and cymbals and,
later, also saxophones.
From the 19th century the use of valves for the brass, enabling chromatic scales to be
played, widened the repertoire to more demanding works which could be performed before a large
public in the open air.
EXHIBITS
• Soprano saxophone in B flat by Oscar Adler, Markneukirchen, about 1915 (MS-716)
• Alto saxophone in Es by Oscar Adler, Markneukirchen, about 1920 (MS-717)
• Side drum, N. 4261, Austria, 1831 (MS-475)
• Infantry bugle in C, Saxony, about 1910 (MS-263)
• Infantry bugle in B flat, by Pfretzschner & Martin, Markneukirchen, about
1900 (MS-265)
• Fife by Johannes Link, Weissenfels, about 1930 (MS-368)
• Snare-drum by C. W. Moritz, Berlin, about 1900 (MS-478)
• Bass drum possibly by Mathis Schonbauer, Grünberg, 1814 (MS-470)
• Turkish pavilion, Austria or Bohemia, about 1830 (MS-464)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
"A THOUSAND REGARDS TO YOU, MY PEACEFUL VALLEY" :: Folk
Music Instruments
Horn, made from a cow horn, by Vaclav I Pekelský, Olomouc (Moravia), about 1890 (MS-291)
Orchestra of mandolin players, Hohenmölsen (Saxony-Anhalt), 1934
The number and variety of instruments reflects the almost indescribable differences in
the traditional music culture of European peoples, but one thing marks these early instruments out:
they are mostly made from local natural materials – wood, clay, hide or horn – and are often built
by the players themselves.
Folk music still played an important Role in people’s lives around two hundred years ago –
while working, at all manner of festivities, for dancing to or simply being convivially together.
Industrialization changed this and machine-made instruments have enriched folk music in many ways
while, however, more natural traditions have been forgotten. Numerous folklore groups are these
days attempting to bring this music back to life.
EXHIBITS
• Bagpipe (Zampogna), Italy/Sicily, about 1850 (MS-414)
• Flute d’accord possibly by Lorenz I Walch, Berchtesgaden, about 1800 (MS-321)
• Zither, Bavaria or Tyrol, about 1850 (MS-105)
• Horn, made from a cow horn, by Vaclav I Pekelský, Olomouc (Moravia), about 1890
(MS-291)
• Jews’ harp by Ludwig Schwarz, Molln (Austria), about 1937 (MS-467)
• Bandoneon, probably Leipzig, about 1900 (MS-620)
• Mandolin, Germany, mid 20th century (G 97)
• Panpipe, Styria, about 1940 (MS-361)
• Guitar by Hermann Hauser, Munich, 1913 (MS-161)
• Score for the mandolin orchestra by Erich Rothe, Hohenmölsen, 1980
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
LESS KNOWN INSTRUMENTS :: Inventions, Patents and
Curiosities
Nail fiddle, Southern Germany/Bavaria, about 1800 (MS-242)
Alto saxophone (Grafton), London, about 1950 (MS-715) and Strohviolin (D.R.W.Z. No.
355393),
Markneukirchen, about 1925 (MS-243)
The different ways that instruments develop can be shown by the way traditional examples such
as the flute or violin look back on a long history of refinement by generations of builders and
musicians, while instruments like the harmonium – whose sound responded to the feeling of a certain
time – had to wait to be invented, sometimes happening in several places at the same time. In many
cases, however, the origin is attributable to a single experimenter – be it a builder, performer or
composer. Two examples of which no future use is unthinkable are the piano and saxophone, but there
are also those which played a Role only for a short time or in a given region, seeming to us today
peculiar, not to say exotic. Some such instruments are shown in the penultimate showcase.
There are also some special and rather unknown keyboard instruments on the platforms: A
claviharp which has gut strings that are plucked by brass hooks covered with leather – an attempt
to make the harp accessible to keyboard players; a piano of symmetrical structure by the firm of
Hölling & Spangenberg with its soundboard located below the wooden frame; a piano with
down-striking action made by the firm of Stöcker and a piano with electronic amplification made in
1934.
EXHIBITS
• Contrabass sarrusophon by Couesnon & Cie, Paris, about 1900 (MS-713)
• Oktavin by Oskar Adler, Markneukirchen, about 1920 (MS-718)
• Harmonium (three octaves) with hand bellows by Alexandre Francios Debain,
Paris, mid 19th century (MS-637)
• Contrabass sousaphon by Oskar Ullmann, Leipzig, about 1920 (MS-281)
• Swanee-sax, England, about 1920 (MS-409)
• Alto saxophone (Grafton), London, about 1950 (MS-715)
• Nail fiddle, Southern Germany/Bavaria, about 1800 (MS-242)
• Violin possibly by August Paulus, Dresden, about 1900 (MS-239)
• Viola (Ritter-Bratsche) probably by K. A. Hörlein, Würzburg, late 19th century
(MS-631)
• Violin by Jakob Kliment, Brünn, 1891 (MS-238)
• Bowed zither (Breitoline) by Jakob Kliment, Brünn, after 1856 (MS-113)
• Bowed zither with tone buttons, Germany, about 1900 (MS-112)
• Stroh violin (D.R.W.Z. No. 355393), Markneukirchen, about 1925 (MS-243)
• Harp guitar by Sepp Müller, Kleinholthausen (Westphalia), about 1930 (MS-120)
• Bass Stössel lute (Schiffer) by Dusyma, Stuttgart, about 1930 (MS-174)
• Treatise for the Stössel lute by Hans I Bachem, Cologne, 1916
• Keyboard zither (Piano-harp), Saxony, about 1900 (MS-115)
• Harp-piano by Ignatz Lutz, Vienna, after 1890 (MS-93)
• Grand piano by Hölling & Spangenberg, Zeitz, about 1900 (MS-658)
• Grand piano by Theodor Stöcker, Berlin, about 1850 (MS-585)
• Electro acoustic grand piano (Neo-Bechstein) by Bechstein and Siemens,
Berlin, about 1934 (MS-548)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
WITH BARREL AND TENSION OF SPRINGS :: The
Musical Role of Mechanical Devices
Dial detail of a dulcimer clock by J. Z. Fischer, Halle, 1758 (MS-524)
Welte-Mignon reproducing grand piano by Steinway, New York, 1924 (MS-582)
Mechanical instruments were developed a long time ago to both satisfy the desire of enjoying
music at any time, and also because of fascination with the sound and technical perfection.
Artificial songbirds, automatic organs and percussion were already known in pre-Christian
Alexandria, while automated bells date back in Europe to the early 14th century.
Almost all traditional instruments could be made to sound mechanically by bodily movement,
weight or springs. The music was memorized by means of barrels or discs and later by punched paper
rolls.
Besides a musical box, birdcage and a symphonion, there are also metronomes on display in the
last showcase, for the metronome, which can be used to fix a precise tempo, was a successful
product of those inventors of mechanical instruments, among them Diedrich Nikolaus Winkel (ca.
1780-1826) in Amsterdam (1814) and Johann Nepomuk Mälzel (1772-1838) in Vienna (patent of 1816).
Of the larger mechanical instruments, which are shown on platforms in the last exhibition
room, the "Welte-Mignon" piano, patented in 1904, is of special significance. This type of piano
made it possible to reproduce by means of punched paper rolls the playing of famous virtuosos
complete with dynamics and pedal use. As many as 140 pianists (Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Paul
Hindemith, Max Reger etc.) had given their interpretations to posterity by 1911 in this way and the
Handel House owns some rare music rolls from this time.
EXHIBITS
• Metronome (Silent Gravity) by Pinfold, England, about 1900 (MSZ-10)
• Metronome (Cabinet), France, about 1930 (MSZ-8)
• “Musurgia Universalis” by Athanasius Kircher, Rome 1650
• Musical box, No. 6896, Switzerland, about 1910 (MS-603)
• Metronome (de Maelzel), France, about 1900 (MSZ-9)
• Musical Birdcage, probably by Charles Bontemps, Paris, about 1910
(MS-453)
• Disc-playing musical box (Symphonion) by Paul Lochmann, Leipzig, about
1895 (MS-484)
• Disc-playing musical box (Polyphon) by Polyphon Musikwerke AG, Leipzig,
about 1910 (MS-671)
• Reproducing grand piano (Welte-Mignon) by Steinway, New York, 1924
(MS-582)
• Musical box by Conrad Felsing, Berlin, about 1905 (MS-482)
• Reproducing harmonium (Orchestrelle) by Aeolian, New York, after 1891
(MS-646)
• Musical box by Charles Paillard, Sainte‑Croix, about 1890
(MS-508)
• Dulcimer clock by J. Z. Fischer, Halle, 1758 (MS-523), at the entrance of
the exhibition
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
WITH A SOFT, WHISPERING SOUND :: The Harmonium – Organ
Substitute or Art Instrument?
Harmonium (pressure instrument) by Victor Mustel, Paris, 1896 (MS-645)
Scarcely any instrument has been so controversial in its time as the harmonium, invented
contemporaneously in several places and using freely vibrating reed tongues. Among its forerunners
were, in the case of the invention in St. Petersburg before 1800, the East Asian sheng, for the
Franconian instrument of around 1810 and for the Thuringian instrument of around 1824, the jews’
harp. What made it so attractive at first was the player’s ability to use crescendo and diminuendo
or “expression”, a characteristic of the compression reed organ but not of the later developed
suction harmonium, whose soft but invariant tone made it unpopular with professional musicians. The
latter was, however, mass-produced and cheap and substituted for the organ in church or wind
instruments in the salon and for home music-making until the arrival of the electronic.
Later the organ was replaced in this function with the electric organ (which is represented
in the exhibition by a late Hammond organ.
EXHIBITS
• Harmonium (pressure instrument) by Victor Mustel, Paris, 1896
(MS-645)
• Harmonium (suction instrument) by Gustav Liebig, Zeitz, about 1915
(MS-647)
• Hammond organ (R 182) by Hammond Organ Co., Chicago, 1973 (MS-729)
RETURN TO FLOOR II - EXHIBITION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
