saI-NaTIONal.ORg WINTER 2015 PAN PIPES
11
By Jayne i. Hanlin
I
n 1886, Camille Saint-Säens composed Carnival of the
Animals, and in 1936, Sergei Prokofiev composed Peter and
the Wolf. Two decades later, Benjamin Britten wrote Young
Person's Guide to the Orchestra, and Alan Livingston scored
Rusty in Orchestraville. ese four pieces have introduced
many people to musical instruments: strings, woodwinds, brass, and
percussion. As
a result, many
people know
the sounds
of individual
instruments.
But even serious
musicians might
be less familiar
with an ancient psaltery, a medieval rebec, a kit, and a double aulos.
At least, I was. And if you'd have asked me previously who invented
the saxophone, I'd have been clueless.
Not anymore! Not far from Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium,
is the Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM). About 1,100 are
displayed, but the collection numbers over 9,000.
From 1877 (when it began) until 2000 (when it moved), MIM
was located in the Brussels Royal Music Conservatory where
professors used the musical instruments for teaching purposes.
Its current location is in an art nouveau building open to the
public daily, except Mondays. Organologists (from Greek organon
a World oF music
At top, from left, a Russian bassoon, a bass saxhorn, and a trombone with
serpent head. At bottom, the front and back of a bass viol with an inlaid
map of Paris.
Brussels's Museum of Musical Instruments
A World
of Music
A World
of Music
MUSEUM continued on page 12
