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Musical Instrument Museum photo by PamMcP

Top 10 Fun Facts about Musical Instruments Museum

The Musical Instruments Museum has been a music museum in Central Brussels Belgium. It has been part of the Royal Museum of Art and History (RMAH).It is internationally renowned for its collection of over 8000 instruments.

The museum has been located in the former Old England Department Store since 2000. It was built in 1899 by Paul Saintenoy out of  girded, steel and glass in ART Nouveau style. As well as the adjoining 18th century neoclassical buiding was designed by Barnabe Guimard.

The musuem stands next to the place Royale/Koningsplein and in front of the Magritte musuem. It served by Brussel central station and Parc/park metro station on the lines 1 and 5 of the Brussels Metro.

The museum’s collection presents Belgian musical history (including Brussels’ importance in the making of recorders and various obscure proto-synthesizers (Ondes Martenot, Theremin, etc.) in the 18th and 19th centuries and as the home of the instrument inventor Adolphe Sax in the 19th century), European musical traditions, and non-European instruments.

Mechanical instruments are shown in the basement, traditional instruments on the ground floor, the development of the modern orchestral instruments on the first floor, and keyboard and stringed instruments on the second floor.

Among the notable pieces of the collection are the famous Rottenburgh Alto recorder, instruments invented by Adolphe Sax, a unique set of giant Chinese stone chimes, and the only existing copy of the luthéal, an instrument used by Ravel.

Here are Top 10 Fun Facts about Musical Instruments Museum

1.The Musical Instrument Museum consisted of 100 Indian instruments

Trombone with seven bells / Adolphe Sax / Â鶹APP / 1876 photo by Charles Hutchins

Musical Instrument Museum collection was created in 1877.It was originally attached to the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with the purpose of demonstrating early instrument to students.

The collection consisted of a hundred Indian Instruments given to the King Leopold II by  Rajah Sourindro Mohun Tagore in 1876.Including the collection of the celebrated Belgian Musicologist Francois- Joseph Fetis. It was purchased by the Belgian Governent in 1872. And was put on deposit in the consevatory where Fetis was the first director.

2. It holds currently  a collection ofmore than 8000 instruments from more than 200 World countries

The MIM  which currently hold a collection of more than 8000 instrument from more than 200 world countries. MIM began with a vision to create a musical instrument museum that would be truly global. Realizing most musical museums featured historic, primarily Western classical instruments.

MIM’s founder Bob Ulrich (then CEO of Target Corporation) was inspired to develop a new kind of museum that would focus on the kind of instruments played every day by people worldwide.

3. The Musical Instrument Museum exhibits a foster of an appreciation of diverse cultures and the craftsmanship

Mongolia exhibit in the Musical Instrument Museum photo by Marine 69-71

A visit to MIM has been about experiencing the sensory nature of music and how its affects  our emotion. The Musical Instruments Museum usually exhibit the appreciation of diverse culture. And including the craftsmanship and traditions of instruments makers from past to the present. Through the state of the Art, interactive media and guest can see the instruments. And also hear sounds and observe them being played in their original contexts.

4.It houses permanent galleries  that have been organized by geography , collector, instrument makers and musicians

The museum has permanent galleries organized by geography, containing items culled from collectors, instrument makers and musicians. There also are the hands-on Experience Gallery; the Mechanical Music Gallery, which features instruments that play themselves; and the Artist and Target galleries. Its  feature temporary and special exhibitions.

5.The  Musical Instrument Museum has been a home to a 300 seater Music Theater

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is a music museum in central Brussels, Belgium photo by William Murphy

This intimate space seats 300 and hosts approximately 200 artists, many of whom are performing in Arizona for the first time, every year. Tickets for the concerts can be purchased online or at the box office located in the museum’s main lobby.

6.In MIM, every musical genre has been fairly represented.

Five geographical galleries have been established for the MIM’s instrument collection. In case you wish to look into Javanese gongs and old bronze drums from Vietnam. The Asia and Oceania gallery is  also accessible. Walk over to the Latin American collection to see a full ensemble of Andean panpipes if you want to remember your most recent vacation to South America.

7. It has been considered as the world’s largest global MIM with 200000 square foot building

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is a music museum in central Brussels, Belgium photo by William Murphy

The MIM has been  the world’s largest global musical instrument museum with a collection of approximately 16,000 instruments. And music memorabilia from nearly 200 countries and territories housed in a 200,000 square foot building.

 More than 48,000 of those instruments and objects are displayed on two floors, covering 80,000 square feet, so plan to spend a day wandering the many galleries, with a leisurely break for lunch at the on-site restaurant.

8.The Museum’s audio tour is the coolest as ever

In the majority of museums, you must turn on the audio guide to hear its narration. You use headphones that are connected to a small, fully automatic receiver at MIM. More than 300 displays have hidden identifiers embedded to automatically cue the audio guides, ensuring that the right “soundtrack” starts playing as soon as you approach the exhibit. When you leave the exhibit, it disappears. No fiddling with the receiver’s buttons.

9. Four floors of Musical Instrument  Museum holds more than 1100 exhibit

Musical Instrument on display at MIM Photo by Frank Kovalchek

Out of 10 floor in MIM 4 floor  house beautiful , expensive exhibit that  might take 20-20 minute each wander around them.  While you are  on the fourth floor and making your way down to the second and first floor exhibits allows you to see how intertwined the world’s instrumental music cultures really are.

The exhibits themselves, however, are so visually appealing in their lighting, placement and history that you sometimes forget about the large circled numbers on the floor guiding headphone users. That can lead to sudden and unexpected bursts of string quartet music or the skirl of Scottish bagpipes

10. Experience  and attend the Signature, concerts  and other event in Musical Instrument Museum

Signature Events bring the museum’s galleries to life by celebrating the world’s diverse music and cultures, popular music genres, and iconic musicians with exciting programs year-round. These family-friendly weekend events offer a variety of engaging activities, such as live musical and dance performances, curator talks, film screenings, workshops, storytelling, and more.