Glinka Museum of Musical Culture
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Closed: Monday
Moscow Museum Guide
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[edit] Description
Museum of Musical Culture was founded in 1912, first at the Moscow Conservatory building; later on, in 1985, it moved to a modern house especially designed for it. In 1954, the year of Mikhail Glinka’s 150th anniversary, the museum was named after this great Russian composer.
[edit] Collection
This is a depository of several hundred thousands unique objects somehow connected with music: musical instruments from all over the world, records, written and printed musical notations, editions of works by great composers published in their lifetime, memorial articles and documentary photographs, as well as paintings by Mikhail Vrubel, Alexander Benois, Nikolay Roerich and other celebrated Russian artists. These relics reflect the development of Russian musical culture and unfold the pages of life and creative work of outstanding composers and musicians.
[edit] "Musical Instruments of the Peoples of the World"
Nine hundred instruments form the museum's permanent display “Musical Instruments of the Peoples of the World” show folk and professional instruments from more than 50 countries. Although the exposition is accompanied by recorded music, all of the exhibited instruments can play. Sometimes live performances are held here.
[edit] Gems of the Display
Real gems of the display are genuine Novgorodian gusli (fabulous Old Russian stringed instrument) of the 13th – 14th centuries and a collection of silver wind and percussion instruments awarded to Russian military bands in the early 19th century. Here you can also see two exclusive violins by great Antonio Stradivari and Yakob Shteiner (17th century). Both of them were once stolen from the museum, but were returned back by the police. One of the first electrophonic instruments, Termenvox, whose inventor Lev Termen demonstrated its sound to Vladimir Lenin, is also on display.
[edit] "Musical Autographs"
The museum also contains “musical autographs” by outstanding Russian composers: Mikhail Glinka, Petr Chaikovsky, Modest Musorgsky, Sergey Rakhmaninov, Sergey Prokofiev and Dmitry Shostakovich, as well as letters and other documents related to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Gioacchino Rossini.
[edit] Branches
The Museum also has five branches: House-Museum of famous Russian opera-singer Fyodor Shalyapin, three House-Apartments of Russian composers – Alexander Goldenvejser, Nicholay Golovanov and Sergey Prokofiev (under construction), and Petr Chaikovsky Cultural Centre.[edit] Photos
