The Museum of Instruments is a collection of over 1,000 instruments located at the Royal College of Music in London. It includes instruments owned by famous musicians and composers and oddities such as the contrabassphone. The museum is largely based on donations and assignments and is open to the public for free four afternoons a week.
The Museum of Instruments is a small museum gallery operated by the Royal College of Music in London, UK. It was designed to house the college’s extensive instrument collection, and is one of several permanent exhibits and collections at the college. This collection is located within the main campus of the Royal College of Music on Prince Consort Road in the Kensington area of the city.
Between 500 and 1,000 students study at the Royal College of Music each year. The college was founded in 1882 and moved to its present site in 1894. It was founded to help develop British musicians and composers. From the outset, the College has been sponsored by the reigning Monarch or Prince/Princess of Wales.
During its development, the Royal College of Music has amassed a large number of instruments. This came to a head in 1970 when a new permanent home was found for the collection within the college. This later became the Instrument Museum. Since then the collection has continued to grow in size and now numbers around 1,000 instruments. These include wind and string instruments as well as a diverse range of keyboards, including the oldest in the world.
Naturally, a collection as large as the one in the Instrument Museum includes instruments owned and used by famous musicians and composers. Edward Elgar, a composer famed for his use of violins and cellos, as well as Pomp and Circumstance Marches, donated his trombone; Gustav Holst also donated a trombone. Other famous musicians and composers include Geoffrey Hartley, AJ Hipkins, Sir Sorindro Mohun Tagore and Amaryllis Fleming.
The Museum of Tools also contains a number of oddities. These are instruments that have become increasingly rare or used only for a short time before being replaced. Examples of these include the viola division and various harmonics – harmonica is another term for harmonic.
An example of the rare instrument is the contrabassphone. Invented in 1847 by Heinrich Joseph Hasseneier, the contrabassphone was designed to replace the contrabassoon. It proved popular in the mid to late 19th century, but was later superseded by an improved version of the contrabassoon.
The museum’s finances are closely linked to those of the Royal College of Music. The museum of instruments, in fact, is largely based on donations and assignments. This allowed it to follow a similar trend in early 2000s London of being a museum open to the public with no admission charge. It may, however, charge for groups and usually ask researchers to book appointments in advance. The museum, since its inception, has been open four afternoons a week and is closed during the Christmas and Easter holidays.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
