Exposició permanent del Museu de la Música

Music moves us and plays a decisive role in building our social life. The Museu de la Música de Barcelona invites you on a journey through the worlds of music – its history and cultures – through instruments, listening and sound interaction. Each instrument in this exceptional collection – 500 of the more than 2,200 are on display – keeps the trace of human action fixed in the object. It is the trace of the people who made it, handled it and used it for one of the most intimate and, at the same time, most intense and shared activities in collective human life. We can look at them while listening, from the cello of Pau Casals to a sarangi from India, from Albéniz to Granados, Sor, Paco de Lucía and the Rolling Stones. After an initial introduction to the diversity of instruments and music, the exhibition follows a historical route by periods, from the European Middle Ages to popular music and contemporary technologies, ending with a look at the cultures of other continents. In each space along the route, audiovisual projections and interactive devices open an aesthetic and informative window to immerse us in the era. The museum's collection of classical guitars is considered one of the most important in the world, with outstanding examples such as those by Antonio de Torres, the best guitar maker in history. Keyboard instruments are also very important, among which the Zell harpsichord (1736), the Hauslaib clavicytherium (c.1600) and the Pérez-Molero organ (1719) stand out, along with other pieces of very diverse origin such as the Balinese gamelan ensemble, the Fender guitar from the USA, Victòria dels Àngels' guitar and Pep Ventura's tenora. At the end of the route, a specific room invites you to freely play various musical instruments, an activity especially attractive for families with children. In addition, during your visit you may meet students from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya rehearsing with the Steinway & Sons grand piano, star of legendary concerts at L'Auditori over two decades; or teachers from the same school giving classes in one of the exhibition rooms. We hope you enjoy your visit.